FCOP Update -- October 2004

Dear Friends and Family,

For pictures please tap on to: http://www.missionreports.com/oct2004_update/

1103! We finished our annual census of churches on Sept 19th, (please notice the raised subscript, as this is definitely computer generated) for my annual missions report due on Oct 1st, and we now have 1103 Churches (groups of 10 or more adults meeting weekly) in Cambodia. I was hoping for 1000. In February we counted 883, so I thought 1000 was a little optimistic. As it turned out, 1000 was a milestone that we breezed by without notice, probably sometime in July, and then in looking back, we (the church leaders) all realized, we wanted to make it special. So, we are planning a big celebration for number 1000 sometime in November. That will be just a little short of six years since Sou, Hannah and I moved to Cambodia and began working with our one, since-closed, rather pathetic, little church. How can this happen happen? Well, the District Supervisor, from the area near our medical mission last month, walked in with applications for 36 new churches last week.

I get compliments, inquiries, and criticisms, on a pretty regular basis. They usually are some form of, “How do you do it?”, or from the more critical perspective, “What you’re doing is all wrong!” One such recent epistle came; “I wish to be removed from your mailing list. I cannot understand or support the approach you are using in Cambodia. It appears that such a model will create dependency and is unsustainable in the long term. This is not a method or ministry I can support philosophically or financially.” So, after I deleted the grouch (I wonder when he expects me to ‘crash and burn’?) from my list, I started to think about both perspectives; the supportive (thankfully, for my ego’s sake, they outnumber the ‘sour grapes’ by about 10 to 1), and the negative. What is going on here? I have tried to explain, but I honestly am not satisfied with my feeble answers, as they always leave me feeling a little hollow, incomplete. The truth being, I don’t understand it. The only answer that my heart feels is founded on bedrock is that it is simply a sovereign move of God and I am the lucky instrument. But, as I looked at the sum of what the critics have to say, it struck a common chord, “dependency”. A charge to which I joyfully plead, “GUILTY!” No! No! No! It’s not what you think. Do not hire the pallbearers. It is not yet time for a funeral. Then it struck me. That’s it! That’s why many missionaries fail or founder. I feel like I finally touched bottom after years of flailing in mush.

Allow me to explain. SCREEEECH, that’s the sound of me, dragging my soap box out of the closet. Let me climb up on this thing. Ready? Ok, here goes. Almost every missions organization that I know of beats their candidates comatose with the mantra, “Thou shall not build dependency!” Fortunately, for Cambodia, I am a slow learner, and slept through most of the video tapes we were forced to watch on that subject during my orientation. Not that there isn’t some validity in the concept, none of us want the infamous “Rice Christians”. But, ‘dependency avoidance’ has become such an obsession with most missions groups it has paralyzed them. One of the first Christian books translated into Cambodian was, “The Indigenous Church” The basic tenant being anti-dependency. All churches must be: 1) Self Supporting 2) Self Propagating, 3) Self Governing. The lights went on! The problem with this position is “SELF” explanatory. That’s it! Self! Most missionaries never get beyond themselves, beyond their abilities, beyond their finances, or beyond their faith, they’re self-sufficient, not dependent on something beyond themselves. I’m so far out on the limb I can’t even see the trunk. Rather than being “Self Supporting” we should be “God Dependent”. Rather than being “Self Propagating” we should be “Christ Centered”, and rather than being “Self Governing” we should be “Spirit Led”. I know, I know, the author had some good points in that book, and I believe that there is no church in Cambodia that is more governed by Cambodians, and growing through the efforts of Spirit led Cambodians than ours. The sore point is always money. Why is it always about money? It has amazed me how missionaries can refuse to give any financial help to a local pastor while they drive around in their new Land Cruisers and live in their nice villas. The fact is we pay our pastors less than almost any church organization I know of. Some of them get nothing, and some get $10 per month. It doesn’t even cover the motorbike gas to go on their evangelistic circuits. Here is the funny part. I never hear “World Vision” or “Compassion International” criticized for ‘dependency building’. Why? Well, they’re not the church! But, duuhh?? Wasn’t the church instructed in the Bible to “remember the poor”? Do you suppose that meant to ‘just think fondly’ of them?? And, what about orphans, widows, and true religion in the book of James, hmmm?? Seems to me that the work of World Vision and Compassion needs to flow through to the church not visa-versa. That’s what I like about our partners. They are church focused. I know we, with their help, will put the money to its intended use. SCREEEECH. I put it back. Sermon’s over. Want to help? http://www.foursquareorphans.org/ 

One of our guests this month came to gather data for a business plan for a pet project of mine. It has been on the shelf for about two years. I want to build a ‘Theatrical and Restaurant Arts Training Center’. You see we have 2500+ kids that are growing up, and those that don’t go into ministry need other jobs. This should make you ‘anti-dependency’ people happy. The Mission?? To train and move post school age orphans and youth into productive employment within the tourism trades, and bring sustainable income into the Orphan Homes to reduce outside dependence. Tah Daa!!! Hey! All I need is about $1,600,000. Chough! Hack! Wheeze! I’m glad God has more faith than I do! (You can read about it.). Got some loose change? http://www.warmblankets.org 

Then we had a visit from a group of high powered women (I mean that in the most positive sense), mostly District Supervisor’s wives. These women know how to get things done! They got new school uniforms for more than 1000 kids, and took all kinds of projects back home to add to the “To Do” list. You know what? I think they’ll do it. You go girl!

We continue to be blessed with hard working groups who come and labor to build facilities for the orphans. Anna Blake, our “Teams Specialist”, is almost never in Phnom Penh as she is constantly on the move. Some of our early homes are having roof problems. Seems like the skinflint that designed and built them (I leave him un-named to protect the guilty and avoid self embarrassment) put tin foil thick roofing on them to reduce the cost. We now have about 6 homes with leaky roofs – not good in the rainy season. Well, now we have one less, thanks to Thousand Oaks Foursquare Church! Bless you guys!

We have been encouraged by the donation of funds ($10,000) to purchase a site for a rice mill and storage facility in the heart of our primary rice production area. May God bless the Christian Life Center in Riverside, CA! Pastors Jack and Jane Lankhorst are here now. We have also been given a new 350 ton rice bin, (like those pictured -- Way to go Warm Blankets!) which is in the process of being erected. Also, we have received a new steel Quonset building (40’ x 60’) to house the rice mill (currently being shipped from the States). What we need now is the actual mill. It is a complicated piece of machinery and consists of about 8 separate machines all running off an 80hp diesel engine. It resembles an 1890’s factory from the US with all the belts and shafts running the various machines. (see picture). The completion of this project is a vital step in supplying both, rice for the orphans, and feed for the livestock. This equipment would enable us to mill our own rice, save the bran for animal feed, and utilize the hulls as an energy source for cooking in nearby homes. The total savings for us, when we have this in operation, would be about $20-40,000 per year. During harvest we can purchase rice for about $80 - $100 per ton. It mills out at about 70%, but 20% of that is bran which is used as animal feed and costs us about $100 per ton to purchase. The milled rice is selling in Phnom Penh right now for $257 per ton. You can see that the savings would be substantial. A complete rice mill, new, installed in our building, will cost us $19,500. Hint! I don’t know if you have any resources for funding at this time? But, I would greatly appreciate your prayers.

We are in the midst of finishing the building of 10 new Church/homes (see pictures). That will take us to 67 operating church/homes with a capacity of around 3000 children. Yikes! Thanks to International Cooperating Ministries. That means we need sponsors for ten more homes (I just crawled a little farther out on that limb). But, when that happens it means 400 more orphans will grow up in a loving family serving the Lord. Thanks to Warm Blankets, Kids for the Kingdom and Children of Promise, they carry the brunt of this burden. All of you really should come and see this sometime. Especially the skeptics! You really are welcome.

I included a poster that the government produced which displays the integrated agriculture concept. We take it a step further by confining the livestock and recycling the manure for vegetable production. Food is our most expensive item and we produce all we can. We received three containers this month packed full of dried fruit, raisins, powdered milk and nutrition bars from Gleanings for the Hungry, The National Raisin Board, and Glad Tidings Church. Thanks!

That’ll do for this month!

Blessings!

Ted, Sou and Hannah,

Cambodia