From Peace to Reflection to Sorrow - May 2012

It has been quite a month in April..the beginnings were blessed Leakhena and I were blessed to finally have a honeymoon 3 months after being married. As many of you know already we were blessed by being able to build 18 more homes of Hope in the community starting  the day after our wedding. One of our friends Wally sent us to one of his favourite places in Vietnam called Vung Tau whuch is a 6 hour bus ride and a one and  a half hour ferry ride to get to.

We were blessed with great weather and God provided us with meeting good friends of Wally's to show us around but for us the time spent away from the busyness of starting the Ministry and to spend time with each other was blessed. We were able to find that Peace that only comes from Christ and realized the necessity to step back and put time into our marriage and the love we have for each other .I believe this was a blessing to understand this and not to get caught up with the "good works" but realize our Covenant  with God needs time spent investing in also.

One of the things they have in Vung Tau is a huge statue of Jesus that you can walk up to the top of the mountain and then actually walk inside up to His outstretched hands. I just wanted to share some reflections as I walked up the mountain:


As I was walking up the mountain ....the journey was tough ...I was walking to see Jesus up this mountaintop and as I climbed the many stairs I needed to stop and rest many times. I was asking myself all the time is it really worth it to see Jesus. This journey is so hard just when I turn a corner thinking I am there another set of stairs to take me just a little bit further in my journey. I was out of breath most of the time as the mountain was steep and I am overweight and out of shape. As I stopped for one of my numerous breaks I was thinking about my lack of physical fitness and the words "my yoke is light" rang in my head. I was thinking that maybe your burden is light but my body surely isn't. Then it struck me that my weight was a burden I put upon myself and one that affects my walk with Christ. It took my being out of breath and shape to start to realize the burdens I put upon myself and there are many. I put many burdens upon my shoulders...raising funding for the community and our Ministry, expectations of others,expectations of myself, pride,ego, I will show them attitude.


As I journeyed closer to Jesus (yes I know its only a statue ) and as I started to lay these burdens down and seek God's forgiveness I started to catch a second wind and didn't feel quite so exhausted. I reached the last plateau before the top and there was Christ lying dead before me but more importantly for me. It was funny that  joy not sadness came over me then that he loved me so much to die for me a sinner. The last few steps were made with ease and as I got to the top I was refreshed. You see there was a small stand at the top that had cold water and as I sat and drank of it I was so thankful to the Lord for providing this water of Life to me . I sat at His feet and drank of the water and looked out at His beautiful canvas of sky and ocean mesmerized by its beauty.


As I started my journey down I thought it would be easy but as I started to descend my legs felt like rubber from the climb up and every step I took away from Jesus my legs felt like they would collapse under me. This was all a reminder to me for a couple of things...one that if I walk away from Jesus every step I take the legs can be taken right out from under me at anytime..secondly that I wouldn't be in that position if it wasn't for the chains (burdens) I mentioned before putting on myself . Needless to say I need to go on a diet for the physical healing but as I write this I put all my burdens down at the feet of Christ and pray that I do not lift them up again,


The month ended in sorrow as a civil rights activist was shot and killed exposing the corruption and devestation of the forests of Cambodia by the government and military. Chut Vutty was a tiresome defender of the forests. You can see an article here


 http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012042755825/National-news/another-chapter-in-bloody-history.html


Please pray for his family and the family of the military officer that also died in this incident supposedly by his own hand but there are many speculations about the true happenings that day.




I pray that we all they our burdens at the foot of the Christ and move forward in His yoke


God bless


kevin and Leakhena

Reflections of a Fool for Christ - October update

This month has been such a meaningful month for me here in Cambodia. You see it was my Christian birthday this month on Oct 26th and I am simply amazed by our God. Four years ago I invited Jesus into my life and recognized Him as my Saviour.

The transformation He has done in my life is definitely not of this world but supernatural. There is so much more work to do in this sinner but knowing I can go to Him and cry out like David create in me a pure heart and that He will respond and point out my flaws and areas to work on. He does it with not an accusatory tone but one of love that He understands that I want a closer relationship with Him and is excited that my wants are to be more Christ-like and less Kevin-like.

He sends many brothers and sisters my way to help me in this process whom I love deeply for their sacrifices in helping me to understand God's desire to be closer to me. The fact that He loves me just the way I am but loves me enough that He wants me to experience a deeper bond with Him.

It has been a blessing to be forever reminded of my inadequacies to help so many people in need here in Cambodia. The limitations in my earthly strength to not go very far. But when I reach out to Him for His strength, for His wisdom, for His guidance and most importantly...for His will to be done amazing things happen .

I witnessed this month a little girl....precious and sweet..she always says hi kevin with a big huge smile everyday that I am at the village...she just received a house this month and while we were talking with her she told us..." I have been praying every night for two years that God will provide a home for her and her mother....with great joy she informed us that God answers prayer....she then asked us can I pray for you ...as she prayed this heartfelt prayer....my Khmer is so limited but I didn't need to know them...you see these were prayers from a righteous child, a faithful child of God...I started crying as she continued to pray out loud with more fervour and passion and knowledge that she was reaching out to our Almighty God on our behalf....and she knew without a doubt with deep Faith .....God answers prayer.

A couple of days ago I put out a blog post with the needs of the community for housing and a farm and the financial needs they entail but today I have a different request.......pray for the community, pray for their needs, please pray without a doubt and with deep Faith in the knowledge that God answers prayer.

God bless

Kevin and Leakhena

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

September 2011 - Many reasons for thanksgiving

Hi folks - I need to start off this month thanking everyone who makes it possible for me to be here and share God's love with the poor. The joy I get to see in the faces and attitudes of the poor as hope invades their misery is a blessing from God and He has made that possible through all your prayers and support.

Months go by quickly here as there is seemingly endless tasks before me and visions that go beyond my own imagination and surely must be His.

The month started with a crash...another motorcycle crash for me and severe burns from the motor to my right leg. There were some third degree burns from the motor and it resulted in another trip to Bumrungrad hospital for surgery to my leg. I am healing fine but it will be a couple of more weeks at least partly because of my stubbornness to do what the doctor ordered (feet up and bed rest). You will see in the rest of the newsletter why I didn't heed his orders.

Before flying to Bangkok I received a call from ICC another missions group and they wanted to know if they could build a home at the village as the village they wanted to build a home for was flooded. This was unexpected but welcomed as we have a close relationship with ICC and work together with similar visions. It was hard to get around and build the home as I was in extreme pain but it was worth it see another home for another family completed.

After flying back from Thailand and the operation it was a blessing to be able to facilitate a young girl named Srey Mouv who had a hairlip to receive surgery at a local childrens hospital to repair her mouth. As I went to visit the family in the hospital with Leakhena I was overwhelmed with emotion for this little girl. You see her family had the opportunity three other times for this operation but because of foreigners coming to the village in missions groups etc and after seeing the young girl would often dig into there pockets and give money to the girl's parents. The parents actually didnt want the girl to have the operation because she was providing food for the family table. In our generosity and with good intentions we can actually hurt the people we are trying to help. I think I have mentioned it before but please if possible read the book "When helping hurts" - it has been a real blessing to me to follow most of its guidelines in engaging with this community I love so dearly. I walked out of the hospital and started weeping because I knew the difference that the operation would have on her future and was able to be here and help facilitate but more importantly witness God's love for this precious girl. Knowing how precious not just this one little girl but the whole community is in God's eyes was just overwhelming to me of the abundance of God's love and Grace for us all. Leakhena and I prayed with the family in the hospital room and I was able to pray of God's love for this beautiful girl before the surgeon's hands had made her beautiful in the eyes of the world.The family was beeming and couldn't take their eyes of their beautiful daughter and she was also a big hit at the village upon her return.

That's the first half of the month....the second half saw my good brother Dennis from Australia return with two friends Greg and Grant to build more homes in the community. It was Grant's first trip to southeast asia and he grew to love the village also and I believe is looking forward to his next trip back. Through the generosity of these men and some folks back in Australia we were able to build first 15 then more funding came in and we were able to build a total of 18 more homes bringing the total this month to 19 homes for the community. I have enclosed a couple of before and after pics of the housing.

I can't tell you how much this affects this community which has been abused for the last two years without any sign of hope. There is excitement today for the future of the community and they are well aware and thank Preah En ...God...for the blessings being bestowed upon the community. We take every opportunity to deflect any thanks to us and direct it to the ONE who is providing it all. Leakhena is engaging with the women of the village and is loved deeply already and is able to share her testimony and that the love we share for the community is God's love and heart for them.

I will be sending out another blog this week and will be providing people an opportunity to help this community. With the Christmas season approaching I can't think of a better gift this year than giving to Christ by helping those He puts first in His upside down Kingdom.

God bless and thank you again for joining me in sharing God's love in Cambodia.

Kevin

Khav Win ( Ka Win) - On earth as in heaven ....

My friend Khav Win in the village (almost sounds like Kevin) is a real inspiration to me. I never used to see him in the village much . Generally when I was pulling into the village I would pass him on the road in the morning most of the time about a kilometre from the village . He would be hand pedaling his wheelchair down the muddy road towards the Buddhist temple. He always stopped pedaling and greeted me with a wave and a big smile everytime I went by.

You see the Buddhist temple is a major training centre and also a huge tourist attraction as Oudong mountain has many temples on it dating back centuries.

Khav Win would park himself in front of the gates and proceed to beg all day each and everyday in order to provide money for his family the only way he feels he can being so far out of any job opportunities after being evicted to this site 38km from Phnom Penh.

Some days I just take my Khmer language books and sit down with a family in the village and try to communicate the best I can . His family consists of his wife Meas Chea and kids Chork,Channy and Vannak they are great kids and always have the same smile their father has and have been very welcoming to me in the community and very helpful around the village. Khav Win shared with me his daily schedule and how tough it was to be able to get enough money for food for his family. I imagined how brutal it must be to beg everyday and the negative impact that must have on you when people walk by or ignore you or even begrudgingly give.

I was really happy when the community chose Khav Win and his family to receive one of the first 8 houses we were building. You see I have taken myself out of all the decision making tasks at the community and the people have selected 10 people from the community to form a board and the decisions are made by these elected community people. In order to have gender equality they chose to have 5 men and 5 women on the committee.



When we started on his home just like all the others the homeowners are diligently working alongside the local workmen hired from the community to build the houses. No one worked harder than Khav Win ,under the hot sun he never faltered and pushed on not with just a desire to complete his home but with complete joy oh his face.

God provided this joy to him by relieving him from his daily grind of begging to joyfully provide for his family in building them a home. I really can't describe how this impacted me as I saw such a pureness to his joy that it could only come from God. Then a dejected look came over him as he was working and it was around lunchtime. I knew something was wrong and I couldn't understand in my still limited Khmer. I had Leakhena ask him what was wrong and he said he needed to go to the Pagoda and beg because if he didn't his family didn't have anything to eat. We always provided meals for the paid workers but not the families helping on their own homes as we were trying to keep to a tight budget. we always had a couple of meals extra for the workers who were extra hungry but this wasn't enough for his whole family for lunch and dinner. Needless to say some of us were quite happy to go without to allow him to continue in his joy providing a new home for his family.

God tells us that we are to store our riches in heaven but sometimes he gives us a taste of them here....and the look of that joy re-ignited as Khav Win proceeded on with his task was rich indeed.

We built a total of 8 houses a few weeks ago and will be building 3 more next week and another 10 or more sept 17th when Dennis the original donater from Australia returns to continue on. There are a total of 100 homes that need built in this eviction community we will have about 20 finished by the end of sept. If you feel led to contribute to this endeavour each home is approx 570 dollars. Every dollar that is raised for this will go directly towards homes in this community. Dennis has also provided all the necessary tools such as pry bars,hammers ,tapes,shovels,picks, compressor and hoses and brad nailers but we still need two air powered framing guns.

Please feel free to contact me if you want anymore information kknight45@hotmail.com and +855 12981960 outside Cambodia or 012981960 inside Cambodia to leave a text message on my cell or the same number to call me direct. Would be happy to share more about the community their situation and how you can help.

Please pray for this community as other missionaries warned me that I am going into a stronghold but I believe that God wants to build a Christian community built on the foundation of Christ here at the bottom of this mountain. Have no fear but fear of the Lord.

HOPE ALIVE FRONT ROW SEAT - June Newsletter

It has been an amazing month for me here in Cambodia.

It is such a blessing that God has taken this broken vessel and allowed me to witness for Him and be a witness to His amazing powers.

God broke my heart in january 2009 for the people of Dey Krahorm and continues to do so daily. At first a broken heart seems just to painful to be thought of as having any benefit or purpose other than bringing pain. This is so far from the truth.

God has used this broken heart to share with me the things that break His own. He has allowed me to enter into an intimacy with Him that goes beyond calling out to Him with my wants and needs and troubles. He has let me see a small fraction of the world through His eyes. The atrocities in this world do not just pass God's eyes like a CNN newflash but enter into His heart to be consumed by Love.

I am in no way pompous enough to say I see the world through His eyes but what I have witnessed here in Cambodia has entered into my heart and what I can't handle has flowed out of me as tears. These tears are the fuel which drive me forward regardless of the consequences to self. I step out daily not knowing what God has in store for me here how He is going to use me and how my heart will be in pain yet again. You can get numb to the pain as I have noticed with my various ailments since my motorcycle accident but pain that comes from your deep love for those society has cast away does not.

The pain was lessened this month a reprieve from our loving God.

I was able to witness hope come alive in a community that has been beaten,robbed,abused ,displaced,hurt,ransacked,dispersed and all but forgotten.

Our Heavenly Father has not forgotten.

The story of Leakhena's mother and fathers love for her and her siblings in the pouring rain has reached beyond the few emails I send out. It reached the ears and heart of a brother named Dennis in Australia who came here to witness himself the slum relocation site.

Hope invaded this village .

Leakhena and I have been praying and God has led us to commit to this community with all the love that God has can fill us with. After we are married we will move to this community at the bottom of Oudong to share God's love for the poor and their high place in His upside down Kingdom.

Hope came from God when we had a visioning meeting with the community and listened to the needs of the community from them. When you barely survive each and everyday it is hard to think of a future beyond survival. We gave them a chance to stand up and be heard and did they speak !They spoke of a community not unlike the community that God wants us to live in...one where they work together for the common good, respect each other, share there resources and give of themselves instead of taking. We so often forget when we give to the poor that we can do it in a way that gives them no self esteem...that steals their dignity...that leaves them more deflated than before we tried to help.

There are basic needs in this community that are not being met ....housing ,food,clean water, lack of employment etc.

But the community has a plan that they need help in getting started.....I will share more about this in the next few weeks as I spend more time listening to the community and seeing how we can come alongside them to help them become self-sustainable.

We built a few houses this week ..actually 8 of them but what was really built was the start of the vision and more importantly hope for the future. (For those who have Facebook, click here to see an online album of photos from this project.) There have been many questions of why I am there and they are all answered by me saying...the love of Christ.

God bless

Kevin

Still small voice - June 13, 2011

I am awake and I am here listening to the sounds of the city waking up...I am an early riser and its about 5 am ...the motorbikes sound louder early in the morning ..the steel gates are being opened to the guest houses....it is very quiet though ...the odd sound seems to be that much more noticeable in the silence...the dog barking ....the cat meowing.....maybe this is why we need to find that quiet place like Jesus does to go and pray to our Father......to hear that still small voice......His voice is heard loudest in the silence.

Where do the people find that quiet spot in this city....How can they hear God above the noises of there stomachs rumbling from hunger?How can they hear his voice above the cacophony of sounds, motorbikes,vendors hawking there wares,whistles,trucks blasting there horns,the beep beep of the scooters ,kids laughing and playing,construction and the population.

Maybe the quiet of the pre-dawn????.....or is that the only time that sheer exhaustion of barely surviving another day takes it toll and a few moments of sleep happen....Does God only have dreams to speak to His children in poverty.

Is it our gift from God to help His children realize their dreams...their potential ....their plan and purpose?

Are we supposed to come alongside those He puts in our path and help them take those dreams and turn them into reality?Are we supposed to help them see the gifts God has provided them.

I know in the DTES most people have lost their dreams,their hope ,for some they might never have had it.What does a life growing up barely surviving whether here in Cambodia or the DTES offer for hope?



How can you lose hope when you might not have even had it?


God help me see the visions you have planted in their heads .

God help me see your plan for their lives.God help me come alongside them in encouragement.

God help me see beyond their poverty.

God help me have the same perseverence of the poverty stricken.

God help me break through cultural and language barriers

,God help me share your love.

God help me share You.


God help me


God help us


God .......thank-you for realizing my vision ,my dreams.

Thank-you for giving me hope in a hopeless situation.

Thank-you for letting me see my potential in You.

Thank-you for giving me this heart.

God help me


Amen

Personal prayer request - for God's healing

In Bangkok again undergoing nerve tests on my arm and probably another operation later in the week...please pray for God's healing.

God hears the cries of the poor

Praise the Lord for providing the necessary funds and people to provide the blue tent community from Dey Krahorm with tarps for the rainy season.

I just want to thank everyone who was moved to provide this community with Prayer and funding for their tarps. I look forward to sharing more about our time out there this saturday with the community and our continued relationship with them.

I do have a few prayer requests and they are that our time out there will not be focused on just the task at hand but in showing God's love to the community by our interactions while we are there.

I pray for good weather ..so we can install as many tarps as needed before the rainy season really begins.

Leakhena and I are in discerning prayer about how God is leading us to serve particularly this community..we will be married on january 28th and are praying about moving in to this community and sharing a Godly relationship with those there. So please pray for our discernment time that God makes it very clear how this is to be.

I want to thank everyone again for their support in expanding the Kingdom of God here in Cambodia

Som Preah En Pro Tean Poh( May God bless you)