It has begun...

Having just returned from a full day of teaching children in the villages, I am worn out, yet, my joy is full. It is funny how you can be so tired, but so fulfilled at the exact same time.

Cambodian Beauty

My last update was asking for prayer as we began our second two-month discipleship program: Sold Out. Most of our students this time consisted of either the older kids who live here at the Center or people we already knew somewhat, which made it easier to work deep in their lives.

Class Fun In Phnom Penh

I felt like in these last few months that something that has been on my heart for a long time has begun to be released here: a supernatural awakening through the Holy Spirit. This last class seemed to have a deep hunger for a real encounter with God. Their hunger led to an answer.

One of our student's teachings during the two months was about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which was a great foundation that got them excited about how the Holy Spirit moves. Then Noit, Steve's wife, felt led to expand on their first teaching and really bring it all home for them. She told me that when she was visiting the States she had a vision of using an illustration of separating the rice from the chaff to show how the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. This teaching was perfect, seeing rice is a huge part of Asian culture.

Separating the Rice From the Chaff

That night, after Noits teaching, we had an incredible night of worship where the Holy Spirit completely fell on the student's ready hearts. Worship was not just singing songs and doing motions, but something that was deep in the heart. People were literally crying out for God to speak to them. Since that night, worship has just been different. People are hearing God, seeing visions, experiencing spiritual warfare through deliverance, seeing healings and more. Even more than this, deep heart changes are happening in their everyday lives. Hateful attitudes are turned into love and hearts have been set ablaze for evangelism. One student, upon completing the program, went out and led three of her family members to Christ! She is now evangelizing to even more now. It is so exciting to see that a spiritual breakthrough has begun here!

Worship

When Sold Out came to an end, it was hard to see the students from far away go back home, but now they are off to great things with new eyes opened. God is real to them and more personal than ever before. Since the completion of the program, I have been getting back to teaching teams of the older kids here how to teach the village children character, health and about God. It has been very fun building relationships with the kids out there and I pray God uses us to speak light into the darkness as we go.

Teaching in a Village About Obedience

Another Teaching a Girl About the Importance of Washing Hands

Making Friends

I want to thank all of those who have been helping me in so many ways to be here. Thank you for financially supporting me, praying and also for the many words of encouragement. I am excited to be visiting home for the holidays and I hope to see many of you! God bless!

For More Pictures Check Out:

www.flickr.com/heidijoy

Discipleship School: Take Two!

We're back at it! This last week was the beginning of our second discipleship class. We got off to a great start with our 18 students. We jumped right into things this time with teachings including prayer, fasting, and also a breif overview on our need for a Savior to come. Entertwined with these teachings were thought-provoking games on leadership, trust and group dynamics. In the testiomony times we were able to see the hearts of the students and get to know each one.

One of the highlights of this fresh new week for me was the day we disscussed why Jesus came to Earth to save us. Dan began the day with simple teaching on our choice to turn our backs on God and live in sin. Then he taught on Jesus entering the scene to wash us clean. I believe this teaching was valuble for the first week because many Cambodian believers have little to no true understanding of the center of God's plan: pure relationship.

This day ended beautifully with watching The Passion of Christ in Khmer. While watching The Passion, I could not help but get choked up...even though it was in Khmer. Who could help not choking up?! We then had a soaking and worship time to reflect. To top it all, we ended with communion.

I am very excited for this class. 18 people is almost three times as many students as last time, so it can get a little overwhelming, but I know God is leading. Already we are seeing healing coming to the students hearts and the gifts of the Spirit released. Please keep the students up in your prayers these next few months as they will be challenged in many ways. God is rising a new Godly generation in Cambodia and I am so blessed to join Him in His work here! Thank you for your prayers and God bless!

Sold Out Orientation

Our orientation time was a time of sharing our testimonies and times of team-building games. We had a great start! Here are some highlights:

The gang.


Learning to trust one another.


Getting to know the students (and them getting to know us...hehe...).

Trusting the group.

Our landscape (bummer, huh?).

Learning to work together as a team.


We have seven great students. God is truely revealing Himself to them! Please, keep them in your prayers, as the enemy is not happy to be losing ground. There is such potential for them to become radical servants of Christ and leaders in this generation. Thank you and God bless!

For more pictures, visit www.flickr.com/heidijoy

Prayer Request

As you may know about the remote people group who came to the Lord last year, I am asking you to keep them in your prayers this week. Two people from the ministry started on the 12 hour journey through the thick jungle on a motorcycle to go and teach them this week. This is no easy trip!

God is doing amazing things among the people group, so please pray for:

*Protection over the two teachers who left yesterday.
*The Holy Spirit to speak through the teachers.
*The Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of the people and to bring understanding.
*Even beyond this remote people group there are even more villages! So, please also pray for God to stir in their hearts to reach out to the other villages around them.

Thank you and God bless!

Sold Out: Cambodia has begun!

We have just completed our first week and it has gone very well. Some times I feel like I have no idea what I am doing because this is all new, but I know God is leading us. Please pray for each of the seven students to desire to truely seek God these next two months (to begin to live their whole lives this way). Please also pray for us to be lead by the Holy Spirit in what to teach about.

I will write more later, but for now, praise God we have students! They all show a desire to know God and want to know Him more. Please pray for an out pouring of the Holy Spirit!

Stirring Their Hearts To Reach For More

A journal entry from this last week:

I am now sitting on a ledge, overlooking the Mekong River, waiting for my bus to leave for Phnom Penh. There Dan, Elisabeth and I will prepare the last few things we need to do before we start Sold Out: Cambodia next week. As I sit here, I think of what exciting things happened yesterday in my seventh grade music/guitar class. Let’s first go back a bit.

Since being back from the States, I have begun teaching a lot of the kids how to read music. This is rather ironic, seeing I pretty much knew nothing about reading music before coming. Me deciding to teach them music was all on a whim, too. I was picking up a few last things from Wal-Mart before flying here and I saw a book to learn to play guitar and learn to read music at the same time. “This will be a great way to teach the kids to read music!” I thought.

And it has been. When I first began teaching music, it reminded me of when I first began teaching English. I had lots of blank stares. Music really is another language. I kept telling them, “Just believe me! Just believe me!”The kids laugh at me now. Whenever they don’t understand something, they laugh and say, “Just believe me! Just believe me!”


The other day I was thinking about what to teach in my classes. I hoped, as usual, to have an opportunity to teach seventh grade music. I began to think about all the opportunities the kids could have if they keep pursuing music. I imagined some writing original worship songs and others playing in symphonies around the world.

As I was imagining these things, the pastor and leader over the kids here at the center was blasting some new “up-beat” Khmer worship music. All I could think was, “How can they listen to this stuff?!?” The music is fun, but there is no variety. Their new music mostly consists of all those dorky 60s beats and piano synthetic sounds on cheap electric keyboards. I needed to listen to something different so I could think, so I grabbed my iPod. Then God spoke to me. “They have never been exposed to anything different than this.” I flipped to some classical music and it was so soothing. Then I had an exciting idea!


The next day I got a chance teach seventh grade music. The very first thing I did was have them all sit down and listen. The first song I had them listen to was Pachelbel’s Canon. When I turned it on it was like a spell came over them. Normally they would be goofing around, but they were completely captured with what was touching their ears.

It was actually very hard to read their reaction at first because there was no reaction on their faces. It was like everything stopped in time. I wanted to know what they were thinking. Did they love it? Did they hate it?

Then I just began to pray that God would speak to them. As I looked around at their faces I could see worlds being opened to each of them. Even if they didn’t become the new Beethoven, how would the music inspire them to other new things? I saw them growing up with hope and peace and joy. I saw them catching a vision for their lives.

Some people may wonder what the big deal is, but these kids came straight from the jungle. Things we take for granted, they have never heard of. Before moving to the Children’s Center, many of them had never seen a light bulb, much less a computer. Even still, many of them have never seen an American toilet.

As Pachelbel’s Canon came to an end, I asked the kids if they liked it. A look as if in a trance still lingered on their faces, as they whole-heartedly answered, “Yes.” I then explained to them that once they could play the simple songs they will at some point be able to play all these other songs.

After teaching a bit, I played for them one last song. “Usher Me In,” by Lily Tucci, a friend of mine from G.T., who has her masters in music and is extremely gifted in leading people into worship. I explained God gave my friend this worship song. I asked them if they wanted God to give them songs, too, and the biggest smiles came across their faces. “If you ask, maybe God will give you one!” I encouraged. Their excuse was that they had no time to ask God. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this statement. Don’t we all use this excuse at times, though? The next day was a free day for them, so I gave them a little homework assignment. I told them, “Your homework is to take a guitar, a pen and a notebook and go off by yourself. You are to find a spot and sit quietly for 15 minutes and ask God for a song. If He doesn’t give you a song, it is okay, but if He gives you one, great!”

I am so excited to see what God does through the children. I have been praying for a long time for God to give them new songs of worship. He is going to do it. I believe it!

How valuable is learning to play Mozart in the jungles of Cambodia? This is a question I am still asking God. I do not know fully, yet, except that these amazing players will soak it up. Maybe they will see their lives worth more than just rice planters at the same time.

What does music have to do with their future? A lot. With a lack of education, there is a lack of vision. With a lack of vision, there is a lack of hope and purpose in life. Many people here can only see their day-to-day lives. Music is a very powerful key to inspiration, hope and allowing God to move. He is coming!

hello

Hello, my wonderful friends!

I am so excited to now have a way to tell what is happening here in my life between newsletters. First off, the picture above is of all the children I live with (plus more). Each have their own personalities, each have their own hopes, each have their own destiny in God. I am so excited to be here to encourage them to keep believing God to do bigger and better things through them! Things they never could have imagined.

Being here is like a dream come true to me. I feel so blessed to be living my dream. I hope in some way through my life God speaks to those around me and shows people that if they follow God, they will live their dream, too. Not everyone's dream is missions. I know that. God made everyone different. But this is how God has let me live my dream. I am very blessed.