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Volume. XXXII, No. 49 Missions Series: X* Missions – Part 6 Sisters Alice Lee and Peng Ha Yeo, and I left Phnom Penh on Tuesday evening, 23 January, on an “A” Airlines’ flight at 6 pm (9:30 pm SA time) and arrived in B, capital of Country C, at about 7:30 pm (11:00 pm SA time). This was our first trip to this country where there is still persecution against God’s people. On arrival, we were welcomed by Bro D and his family, and were taken to a Pakistani restaurant where we had to take our shoes off before entering and we sat on the floor for dinner of briyani rice. After the dinner, we were taken to our hotel, “T” Hotel, where we stayed for two nights. The next day (Wednesday, 24 January), Bro D and his wife, E, and their two children, G (10 years) and H (6 years), took us for a sightseeing tour of the city and thereafter for lunch on a boat in the middle of the “VC” River. Bro D and I were engaged in some discussion about his life, his family, his livelihood, and his work for the Lord. He reminded me that we were the first group of people (since Elder David Yeo’s visit) from a church to visit him and his family, and he was glad that we took the trouble to visit. He warned me that we had to be careful when we started talking about the Lord’s work, as he was under surveillance. He was only granted permanent residency recently, and there was this fear of deportation, and consequences for his native wife and his children. Interestingly, we find churches in the capital. Cultic groups appear to have the best buildings for worship. Christians are better treated in the capital, but this is not the case in the rural areas. Pastors have been known to disappear and never seen again. During our on-and-off conversation, he told me that he was not in full-time ministry because of his health and lack of financial support. He suffers from hypertension, heart disease (had stents in Singapore) and diabetes. He handed the church, which is far from capital, that he took care of some years ago to the local leaders because of his health. The local leaders now treat Bro D as their adviser and invite him for anniversary thanksgiving and for other celebrations. His two children are young, and he has to make sure that they are brought up properly. He says that this is his priority now. While he was working for the Lord, he received no church support, but received love gifts from individuals which were not regular. Currently, he and his wife are involved in helping leaders of a native church, a women’s ministry and an orphanage (of 9 boys and 8 girls). This orphanage has no name for now. In the whole time we were with Bro D, he never asked for money. He and his family have faith in God to supply their needs. He thanked our church for the monetary support in the last few months and this has helped a lot! He said his loan payments so far had reduced his debt by a third, and he aimed to pay the loan off within 2 years. The interest rate on his loan was high at 12%. On the evening of Wednesday, 24 January, we were taken to a house in a secret location, off a main street. We had to travel on an unsealed and bumpy road, turning here and there until we were totally lost our bearings. Some people failed to turn up because they were lost! We met a group of native believers whom Bro D and his family are involved with in a beautiful, fairly large house, which was up for rent. There was a native pastor, a few elders, and number of young families. There were a few teachers and government servants in the group. They were singing their native Christian songs with guitar accompaniment, and I was asked to give them a message, which was translated into their language. I spoke on “Dwelling together in unity” from Psalm 133. Like any church, the native leadership is also plagued by factions and personality issues. After the message, we had a magnificent supper of BBQ meat, glutinous rice, sandwiches, buns, etc. They appeared united and had joyful fellowship that night. Our team left capital B on Thursday, 25 January, at about 11:35 am (3:05 pm SA time) and arrived in Phnom Penh at 1:00 pm (4:30 pm SA time). Our trip to capital B was short but I feel that we had enough time to make a quick assessment of Bro D and his family. I do feel that Bro D is one of the many missionaries who has not been supported by any church and had to rely on his own money and the irregular love gifts of friends to do the Lord’s work. This is one of the reasons why he is in debt to a bank there. Now that he is 63 years old, suffering from chronic diseases, with two young children, I can understand that his priority is now his children. He had been the feet that “bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation” in X. The believers will shout “Thy God reigneth”! If I were him, I would also be trying to work some savings for the children so that they could be educated before the Lord calls me home! One elder found that I was in Country C, and I asked him if he and his church would consider helping him, and his answer was that there would be no financial support because Bro D was “not in full-time Christian ministry”. So, do we support missionaries only when they are in full-time ministry? Do we drop this support when these missionaries have no choice when they have to support their own children? Bro D and many missionaries like him have done the Lord’s work for many years, and is it not uncaring for us to drop support for them? Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” Let us commit this matter to the Lord. If you are interested in helping Bro D, please pray and help in any way you can. God bless. Elder Michael D Lee 9 February 2018 *Editor’s Comment: As the government of this country is not friendly to the believers of our Lord Jesus, the identity of the country and the missionary have been withheld for protection of the believers there.
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