Tanya's Cambodia Trip

Monday 1.10.07 to Thursday 11.10.07

I had been asked to go to Cambodia to help a friend who was working as a Missionary in a local Assemblies of God church.  I had worked with my friend Kala for just under four years from February 1994 until December 1997 in an orphanage in Kajang, Malaysia .

I spent the first three days in Malaysia before going to Cambodia.  My purpose in going there was to catch up with some friends and also to receive prayer from the local church I used to attend during my time living in Malaysia.  On the Friday night I was to attend a Cell Group that supports Kala.  They planned to have a prayer time for Kala and my upcoming trip.   During the course of the prayer time I felt an anointing come upon me and felt that God gave me a word for the upcoming trip.  The word was: "That the seed planted in the lives of people in the past be provoked to growth.  That the dormant seed would begin to sprout and grow and that apathy be squashed."  I subsequently began to pray along the lines of the word I had received. 

During my time in Kompong Speu in Cambodia  I was to share in Cell Groups, teach leaders, teach in the Pre-School, teach English, teach the Children's workers, teach the Children's Church and preach on the Sunday.  

I ended up visiting three cell groups.  Those who attend the cell groups don't always attend the Sunday service.  They are located in remote areas, so the Cell Group is all they know of church.  I shared in two of the Cell Groups, which were held during the day at a home in a remote area.  The third Cell Group that I attended was to observe a children's work that a young Pastor was doing.  We attended this meeting in the rain on the back of motor bikes.  The children still came despite the rain.  The young Pastor did a wonderful job of engaging the children in singing songs and the telling of a story.  I was later to teach this lady in the training for Children's workers and was able to draw on the example I had seen her use in this village setting.

My first big challenge was a leadership training session.  Kala had asked me to teach on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.  While some of the leaders had been filled they were not exercising this gift.  I was not prepared for this but with a few resources I was able to put together some teaching notes.  We sat on the floor as I shared through an interpreter.  After the teaching we prayed.  I have not felt the presence of God in such a way.  All were getting into God, praising and speaking in tongues.  We moved amongst them and prayed.   I was shaking as I prayed.  What an amazing experience.

I spent time in the Pre-school teaching two classes through an interpreter. I shared action songs and a story using puppets with the children.  I visited the Pre-School as much as possible to just be with the children and the teachers.  The Pre-School ran in the mornings.  I then had one English class in the afternoon of Primary School age children.  The first session with them was a challenge but once we got used to each other the lessons became easier.

I had two sessions of teacher training with the children's workers, which included the Pre-School teachers.  The first session was on the Friday afternoon and included teaching on Children and God, Training through your life, Self-Esteem, Teaching methods, etc.  I then taught the Children's Church on the Sunday morning, so I had to put into practice what I had taught on the Friday afternoon.   After doing an action song with the children and telling the creation story using shapes cut from crepe paper the children were to create their own creation pictures using paper and coloured pencils.  Both the children and teachers responded well to this activity and they sat on the floor creating their picture for an hour.  I have never seen over 50 children so engaged in a simple activity.  After the class each child showed me their picture.  I gave them all a thumbs-up and told them that their picture was very good.  To follow up the session with the children we had a resources session with the children's workers on Monday afternoon.  

The finale of the trip was me preaching on the Sunday afternoon.   The service was all in Khmer, so it was hard to determine what was going on but there was still a presence of God in our midst.  I felt to speak on unity and how that is achieved.  I finished by praying over the church.
 
I left Kompong Speu on Tuesday the 9th October.  Two days were spent in Phnom Pehn shopping and seeing some of the sights of the capital.  I flew out of Cambodia on Thursday the 11th October.

What a time I had.  On returning to Perth I was exhausted but felt that a good job had been done during my time away.  While I felt ill equipped in going I did sense the anointing of the Lord upon me during the whole time I was away.  I knew that people were praying for me and I believe that was how I got through.  My prayer is that the dormant seed within the church of Cambodia would spring to life and that my short time in that nation did cause some of that seed to begin to germinate once again.

Tanya Magenta
14.10.07