November 23rd, 2009
Today was a different day. We went to one village which was very rustic. There was not even a building in which to work. Don Haugen, the pediatrician, had his office under a tree and the Keith Johnson, the dentist and Suki Garcia, his assistant were working under a porch. It was a crazy, but it worked. We finished up there at about 11:00 and then went to another village; this second building was the building where I preached on Sunday. It is a library being build by Reaksa Himm, our guide and interpreter, as well as planter of 6 churches here in the Siem Reap area. We saw people there in the afternoon, finished up at about 2:30 and we will go back there tomorrow morning. Today I assisted the dental team by getting the trays ready.
Tomorrow afternoon we will arrive at the Siem Reap airport at about 3:00 to catch our 5:15 flight to Phnom Penh. From there we will check into the hotel at which we stayed before and then to out to Hagar’s. Hagar’s is a restaurant connected with another ministry like AIM4ASIA.
So one more day of clinic work and then we begin our trek homeward. This has been an eye-opening trip. I have seen things I never thought I’d see. I have appreciated the time to walk with Pastor Chantha through the dirt streets of Svay Pak, hear the stories of lives changed and the struggles of families still caught in the web of human trafficking.
It will be good to be home for Thanksgiving.
God’s Blessings,
Greg Hoffmann
Pastor of Discipleship
pastorh@plc-church.org
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »
November 21st, 2009
We drove up to Siem Reap on Friday. It was a most interesting trip weaving in and out of motor scooters, oxcarts, cars and trucks. It was a 5 hour drive. We checked into the hotel and prepared for Saturday’s long day in Kokprech.
For this second part of our trip Reaksa Himm is our guide and interpreter. Reaksa and his sister were the only members of his family who lived through the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Reaksa was left for dead in a mass grave, under bodies and yet managed to crawl out and live (told in the book “Tears Of My Soul”; get amazon book). Kokprech was where Reaksa’s family was killed. About 6 weeks ago there was flooding in Cambodia; the water has receded, but the road was quite rough. It was dirt road for about 2 hours. Reaksa’s truck made it, but the van barely made it. This was definitely a village; it looked like something out of National Geographic. Don Haugen and I rode in the car with Reaksa and had a good conversation. He is an incredible man of courage. He pointed out to us where the man lived who killed his father.
Reaksa explained that a number of years ago he had the opportunity to again meet the man who killed his family. I believe it was
around 2000/2001. Once the man realized who Reaksa was he was afraid, thinking Reaksa had come to kill him, but instead Reaksa, who had become a Christian, forgave him in the name of Jesus.
Our day at Kokprech was not as heavy as anticipated. It was lighter on the dentist side, but heavier on the medical side. We were at the school that Reaksa built for the children from the sale of his 2 books written about his experience under the Khmer Rouge. As we drove into the school he made the comment that as a Christian, “You kill my family; I build you a
school.”
This morning Reaksa too Ken Crouse and I to one of the six churches he has planted. It was wonderful to worship with Cambodian brothers and sisters and to bring the message. Other than the message, I didn’t understand one thing that went on, but the Lord was present.
This afternoon is a bit of free time before we have two clinics tomorrow in two different villages.
Until then….
Greg Hoffmann
Pastor of Discipleship
pastorh@plc-church.org
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »
November 19th, 2009
Today was an incredible day. This was the 4th and final day in Svay Pak. Pastor Chantha of Rahab’s House in Svay Pak took me on a tour of Svay Pak. It is a village of desperate poverty! He pointed out where the brothels used to be and where they still are. Before the work of International Justice Mission there were some 25 brothels in Svay Pak with about 2000 girls enslaved in them. Now there are 6-7 but the pimps have become more devious in their tactics. Pastor Chantha asked for our prayers over his ministry. What a brave man to be confronting gangsters (his word) and pedophiles. He and his wife are truly amazing. Don Brewster who is over AIM4AISA is also quite amazing. Don pointed out to me the coffee shop where pedophiles come to make their connection with the brothels. It is here that he confronts them and tells them they are not wanted in town. Normally they get up and leave, not wanting to be noticed. But if they don’t he takes their picture and sends it to the authorities.
After the clinic was over (we ended about 1:30) we had lunch and then went to “The Bloom”. It is a coffee shop, not yet open to the public, where the girls from Agape Restoration Center or ARC (an aftercare program for girls who have been rescued from the human trafficking) are trained in cake decorating, pastry making, and general coffee shop training, to give them skill to transition out of the aftercare program. 6 of the girls from ARC were there. Don and Bridget Brewster truly have an amazing ministry.
Tomorrow we drive to Seim Reap, which is about a 5 hour drive. I will post on the blog when I have a chance.
Thank you for your prayers.
Greg Hoffmann
Pastor of Discipleship
pastorh@plc-church.org
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »
November 18th, 2009
The days continue to go well. Days 2 and 3 have been much the same as Day 1 with many children and adults coming for assistance. Yesterday there was actually some coolness in the air, some cloud cover and a breeze. It was a welcome change.
Below you will find the reflections of Ken Crouse, the organizer and team leader of this year’s mission. This is Ken’s 5th trip so he has a richer perspective on the history of this effort.
As always, I am thankful for your prayers and partnership in this mission.
God’s Blessings,
Greg Hoffmann
Family - Monday (its now Tuesday at 5 a.m. as I write this) was a very good day with Greg starting off the
morning with a devotional worked from Colossians 1:3 - 6 and it seemed appropriate given most of the team members were traveling to Cambodia for the first time yet had heard quite a bit out the church at Svay Pak (”Rahab’s House”), Agape International Missions and the background of the people we were there to serve. We will spend Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Rahab’s House before driving to Siem Reap on Friday.
One of our immediate needs for a translator for Dr. Haugen was met on Monday morning when a young man who had worked with us before as a translator showed up to say hello and I found out he was off-work on Monday so invited him to join us for the day - Mark speaks English as well as his native Khmei so even the subtleties of different aspects of what needed to be translated were easily met. Mark will join us at least one other day this week and will recruit a friend to fill in on the days he’s not available.
Monday was “kids day” with Keith seeing perhaps 40 - 50 patients and I didn’t get a sense of Don’s numbers but he always seemed busy when I glanced over. Patients that came to the clinic were triaged by an Australian nurse (Jane Conwell) who has taken a 6-month sabbatical from the hospital where she works in Sydney to work for Don & Bridget and serve the people of Svay Pak.
Jane has been responsible for building up a weekly clinic program at Rahab’s House and patients who have come before brought “medical records” with them - just a sheet of paper, really, but a chronology of what they’ve been seen for and any medicines they’ve received.
The church in Svay Pak now has a full-time pastor. Pastor Chantha and his wife, Bhuntan, live in the upstairs studio apartment at Rahab’s House and Bhuntan - with assistance from several of the neighborhood young women - are cooking lunch for us each day. So far, so good 
Rahab’s House has been transformed from one of the former brothels written about in Gary Haugen’s “Terrify No More” to a brightly lit / ceiling fanned / wall mural painted building of hope. The former cement / dirt llined floors that we encountered in 2007 when AIM received the keys are now white
tile and very clean. The cubicles are all gone, there is a large kitchen in the rear of the building and now the building is very airy with the former rickety staircase being replaced with solid wood / hand-rails and safe enough for Pastor Chantha and his wife / children to make several trips throughout the day up and down.
One of the other neighborhoods Pastor Chantha serves is accessible only by boat so today we’re bringing the people of that community to Svay Pak for treatment - we needed to provide funding for the boats required and will use funds for that given to the team by a gentleman at Oak Hills as we left. Amazing how God knows what our needs will be and delivers long before we even know the need will exist.
Well, I better close for now.. time to get cleaned up before our team devotional at 6:15…
Please feel free to share…
Thanks for all your love, prayers and support… Ken
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »
November 17th, 2009
For four days this week we will be working at Rahab’s House which is a church in Svay Pak on the outskirts of Phnom Pehn. When we arrived at Rahab’s House on Monday morning there were already about 100 people waiting for us. They had to be shuttled next door to The Lord’s Gym (a Christian gym) to allow room for us to set up the clinic. We went until 4:00 with a lunch break from noon to 1:00 enough time to hydrate and catch our breath from time to time. The dentist and dental assistant administered shots and extracted teeth almost constantly. The pediatrician cared for the children. Although the physical needs have not been significant there have been some needs more than colds. Today there were more people lined up, coming almost constantly. On Monday I assisted the dentist and today I assisted the pediatrician.
The pastor of Rahab’s House is Pastor Chantha. He has been at Rahab’s House for 5 months. He, his wife and 5 month old son, David, live above the church. The building is probably 15 feet wide and 75 feet long and their living space is a small portion of the upstairs. The have about 170 people in worship on Sunday mornings. The unique history of Rahab’s House is that until 2004 it was a brothel in which young girls were offered in human trafficking. The lingering marks of that history are still visible. That need is still prevalent in Svay Pak and is a significant part of Pastor Chantha’s ministry.
I will try to write more tomorrow.
God’s Blessings,
Pastor Greg
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »
November 15th, 2009
Well, the trip over, although long, was without incident. Upon arriving in Taipei I met up with the rest of the team without any problem. We arrived in Phnom Penh on time. Cambodia is 15 hours ahead of California time.
Traffic here is quite a challenge. We thought our van driver was going to knock off a few scooter drivers on the way to the hotel. It is not uncommon for people to drive into oncoming traffic, honking their horn while they do it. The team toured the Genocide Museum this afternoon. What a tragic perspective on the history of the Cambodian people. It gave deeper reality to the Khmer Rouge and the killing fields.
The team is pretty tired after the long flight, but tomorrow morning we will visit our first village. I will let you know how it goes.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Greg
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »
November 12th, 2009
Well the bags are packed and I am ready to go. The verse the Lord has brought to mind for this trip is Joshua 1:9. I used it at the end of my sermon on Saturday and Sunday. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” The Hebrew word translated “terrified” literally means “scattered”. When we are terrified we tend to scatter in fear rather than be united in faith. I am claiming the Lord’s presence for the entire team of 9 people.
I appreciate your prayers for not only safety of travel, but that every moment we would be in the very center of God’s will and have His insight and wisdom for ministry.
God’s Blessings,
Greg Hoffmann
Pastor of Discipleship
Penasquitos Lutheran Church
pastorh@plc-church.org
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »
November 11th, 2009
Well, I am two days (and a few hours) from leaving for Cambodia. Even the preparation has been an amazing journey – the heartfelt expressions from people to pray for the team while over in Cambodia, but also the change that has occurred in my anticipation of the trip. From the moment I sensed God leading me to join this mission team I have felt an anticipation of the trip (mixed with not a little bit of fear and anxiety). Now the trip grows closer I am feeling much more confidence in what God has in store for the team and I am spending more time in prayer, both for God to use us to bless the people with whom we come in contact, but also that the entire team would be open to receive from God whatever He has for us.
Ken, who has taken on the role of organizing this trip, has been to Cambodia 4 previous years. As he says, each year, in an unanticipated way, God shows up big time. I am awaiting what God has in store. Yes, here is still anxiety, but it is not potent as it once was.
I am not sure what internet access will be in Cambodia, but I will attempt to get a few comments posted.
Anticipating all that God has in store!
Greg Hoffmann
Pastor of Discipleship
Penasquitos Lutheran Church
pastorh@plc-church.org
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »
November 3rd, 2009
The time is getting close and final preparations are underway. I am looking forward to what the Lord has for the team on this trip. Although the trip over and back will be long, each day will be an adventure.
I appreciate your prayers for this trip, that the Lord would not only use us as His instruments, but would open our eyes to all the He has for us during these days.
Posted in Cambodia 2009 | No Comments »