We were thrilled at having the opportunity to make a second mission trip to Ratanakiri Province, located in northeast Cambodia. Ratanakiri borders the provinces of Mondulkiri to the south and Stung Treng to the west, and the countries of Laos and Vietnam to the north and east, respectively. Our journey to the province took about 10 hours of driving from Phnom Penh, and we experienced a minor car problem. However, we reached Ratanakiri safely with the protection of the Lord.
Despite the long journey and difficulties faced, our team was overjoyed to be working with local pastors eager to learn. Most of them are from tribal groups who speak different languages, and we had the privilege of teaching them from Derek’s teaching material on You Matter to God, Faith and Works and Fatherhood. We also distributed these books to the pastors following the seminar.
Testimony by Angkea, a Youth Leader from the Kompoun Tribe
"My name is Angkea, and I am a youth leader from the Kompoun Tribe. Reading Derek’s book You Matter to God reminded me of the amazing protection the Lord has bestowed upon my family. We used to worship our ancestor’s god, but found that the spirits would often bring sickness if wedid something wrong, which weighed heavily upon us, andwe had no freedom.
One day we heard about Jesus Christ, who is the God of gods and has power over all these spirits. As a result, we accepted Him as our Savior. However, one day my Mother suddenly fell severely ill and was rushed to the hospital. I was so scared, andthe power of darkness was incredibly strong. But I trusted in Jesus and believed that He would help me.
During this difficult time, I almost got run over by a car while on the way to visit my Mother. However, I knew that Jesus was protecting me, and thankfully I escaped with nomajor injuries. With prayer and faith, my Mother eventually recovered from her sickness.
Following this experience, we continued proclaiming Jesus as our Savior and shared the Good News with our Kompoun Tribe. We want others toknow that Jesus has the ability to protect, heal, and ultimately provide freedom.
Thank you, Lord, for your love and protection throughout our journey.”
Testimony by Pastor Thoun Ney
"My name is Thoun Ney, and I am a Pastor from the Kroueng Tribal group. My family and I have suffered from witchcraft for several generations; a curse that was passed down to us from our ancestors. Our tribe could not have any contact with chickens for fear of getting sick or even dying. As a result, we often offered cows or buffalo to try to get better, which is a significant financial burden on our community.
However, things changed when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. We experienced total freedom that we had never known before. We could finally eat chicken without any sickness. This freedom is a significant blessing for our community, and we are now sharing the Good News with other members of our Kroueng tribe.
Many Kroueng tribe members have become believers, which makes me incredibly happy. We are now living in a new life full of hope and love. This transformation is proof of how powerful the love of God can be. I am truly grateful for the incredible spiritual journey my family and I have been blessed with."
