Reflections on bringing the Gospel- October newsletter

I am writing a couple of days before the end of the month as I have been doing a lot of reflecting on being a missionary and sharing the Gospel.

The Gospel ...the Good News...what does that mean to the poor.? What is good news? Rice being offered today? I have enough to feed my family today? It didn't rain on our home last night? The doctor is coming today? Only one child is sick? I had work today?

Do the basic necessities of Life need to be met before anyone will listen to the Gospel of Christ?

MLK said

Any religion which professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them, is a dry-as-dust religion.

Other than using the word religion I would put in the word Gospel.

The lack of direct involvement by many in ministry to justice issues astounds me. Did not Jesus speak into the powers and governments of the day and preach something about a Kingdom that was the exact opposite of what was happening? Did he not speak into the injustices of the day? What about restorative justice when our friends have had their lives and land stolen from them?

There is a bit of a rally on right now around an NGO law that will severely restrict the NGOs and there ability to speak up. Freedom of congregation and assembly etc.

It has brought all the NGOs together in signing documents against this unjust law. Most of the Christian organizations are signing it which is great but confuses me somewhat.

Seeing the Kingdom of God....on earth as it is in heaven ...is what I am trying to share and talk about and live out to the best of my ability and seeking God's wisdom and guidance and transforming powers and Grace everyday. Sharing that the poor are first in His upside down Kingdom that it is my honour to be able to stand alongside those suffering alongside their evictions alongside their sufferings. But where are all the Christians?

They have all come together to sign this document but that is when there is a threat to their own little Kingdom. Where are they when all the other petitions need signed the other atrocities to the poor that restrict their ability to speak out and congregate or unionize etc.

We can not put justice aside until it affects us directly. I am not speaking out of anger or without humility...I am not out on the front lines as much as I should be too when I have to prioritize what needs to be done this week this month that day. Jesus never had a problem speaking into the unjust. God will you give me the strength to be able to stand up and be counted when it affects not just myself but my neighbours, my friends, the people that I love, the poor, the voiceless.

Some of my friends in Indonesia are under direct threat of eviction at this time so please pray for their community. Some have lived there 20 to 30 years and are being offered 50 dollars to move quietly ..if they move now.

I pray that I am seeing the holistic needs of my community and the Gospel that I share of salvation and forgiveness and Grace and Agape love is received with the same excitement I share it.

Please pray for the community I am engaging life with and sharing loves and sorrows and pray for us all to prioritize our lives the way Jesus wants us too and not in our will.

If your reading this on my blog my post before shared some of the material needs of the community but this blog post is specifically asking for the richest gift of all ..prayer to our mighty God.

God bless

Kevin and Leakhena

p.s. check out our new facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Manna4Life

May Newsletter

Labour march - Phnom Pehn, May 1, 2011

Hi Folks

Well another month has quickly passed but it was filled with with experiences and opportunities to in engaging with the people God has called me to serve.

The first of the month was International Labour Day and having heard one of the union leaders speak at our Christian Justice Group of the hardships of the garment workers and the conditions and miserable wages they endure it was my honour to stand alongside them as they marched in Phnom Penh. Click here to see photos.

I have been in many labour day marches as I was a union member in Canada as a member of the pipe and steamfitters union in Toronto but standing alongside these workers as I knew the risks they were taking in speaking up against the injustices in their workplace was definitely moving. Over 5000 workers turned out and they marched down the waterfront to the ministers building seeking an end to an ngo law coming into affect to stifle the voice of the people and for fair wages in the workplace.

The response to last months newsletter was awesome….it is titled “Shelter in the rain” on my blog at kevinincambodia.blogspot.com….what started out as a request for 70 tarps for the eviction community at Oudong village turned out to be 110 tarps that were installed before the heavy rain the weekend after.

God provided many people for this outreach approx 60 people as you can see by the pictures attached and it was a moving day for all involved. Many of the youth were Cambodian about 90% of them with the rest being a multi-cultural crew from Logos a local Christian school. The majority of the people involved were unaware of the plight of their fellow countrymen and the atrocities that had been perpetrated to them. The education of the workers turned into sympathy then empathy and then to love for the the community as they worked together with the community side by side to alleviate a small amount of the suffering in this community.

We were also able to share about God’s upside down Kingdom and that they were first in the eyes of God and that he loved there community and this was just a small way to show that love by the relationships being built by these students with the community.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of you who supported this endeavour in prayer and by financial commitment. Rest assured you have helped many families this rainy season and I pray that that will help them in less illness also this season.

Leakena and I are praying about moving out to this community after we are married jan 28th 2012 so if you could keep this in your prayers it would be appreciated.

Some of you who supported this outreach were wondering what more we could do or if tin roofs were an option. Some of the structures could not support tin roofs and would need more structural work before that is possible and some of the huts would have to be totally ripped down and rebuilt. I am in a process this month of doing a proper survey of the community and rating the needs and priorities of this community. There is a major amount of work involved in housing needed and I am working with other NGO’s in determining who is doing what out there and when and trying to co-ordinate our efforts.I am in a group of approx 13 other groups administering help to this community in different aspects such as health,education,gender training,sewage, water etc.

At the end of July with the help of my friend Dennis a builder from Australia we will be building 6 homes for the most needy with the labour being supplied by the community. These homes are approximately $400 dollars per home. Dennis will be supplying the funds for the first 6 homes and will then go home and raise funds for more homes. I will keep you updated on opportunities to help in future updates.

I am now in Thailand again for another operation and appreciate all your prayers and well wishes. I had my surgery yesterday and am feeling fine. I should be back home in Cambodia next Thursday or Friday.

It has been a busy month and I look forward to our continued journey together in sharing Christ with the poor here in Cambodia.
God bless

Kevin Knight
P.s. Looking forward to meeting up with Tenth Avenue team when they are her e in July