Year End Prayer Requests for Christian Fellowship Poipet

November 2, 2013

Dear Friends of Poipet , Friends of Missions,

we evaluated everything we’re doing and decide what is essential to the vision and what is not.  We’ll cut finances to the minimal, evaluate the leadership structure and evaluate our strategy for evangelism and discipleship.

 

As a report from last month’s Urgent Prayer Request, I’d like to give you the Good Report:

1. My last trip was a safe, yet bumpy, journey to Poipet.  No incidents.
2. We were released from our old building contract and are now in the former Beer Garden which holds a lot of potential to what we hope to see in the future.
3. We are quite tight financially because of the need to pay rent up front, but we expected that.
4. I was able to get Yon Sambo two months rent for his Children’s Center and am working on getting some children sponsored by New Life’s Children-at-Risk program.

Thank you all for praying!

Last week I got to do

one of the fun and easy things associated with pioneer church planting – we have just moved the location of church meeting in Poipet and as we usually do on Saturday mornings we went out in two teams to do house visitation.  Two others and myself visited our nearby neighbors to introduce ourselves and let them ask questions as to why we’re there.  As is usual in Cambodia, we were warmly welcomed by total strangers and enjoyed at least a low-level, non-threatening conversation with them to open the door to further relationships.  We’re excited about reaching into this new area.

These forays into new terri

tory are fun and can generate great stories for newsletters as people open their hearts, receive Jesus and healing.  We have teams visit a lot who generate a lot of meaningful activities in our provincial churches; we appreciate them much and they do make a difference.  However, it’s one thing to see a lot of activity generated and quite another thing to build it into a local church that lasts.  The building part takes a long-term commitment to weather the various seasons of church-planting life:  sowing, watering, waiting, rejection or persecution, failure, mistakes, rebuilding, with spurts of growth, healings, deliverances and great stories.  Actually, there are great stories all the time of people hearing the Gospel and receiving Jesus as their Savior or receiving a miracle from God, hearing his voice or just learning to know him more.

In the 15 months that we’ve

been reaching out to Poipet City – a Gateway City in Northwestern Cambodia – we’ve had hundreds of people who have had the opportunity to hear the Gospel for the first time.  Many of them have believed in Jesus as their Savior. Many have been healed.  Many of them have been added to the church.  However, due to Poipet’s migrant population, some of them have moved on to other locations – Thailand, Phnom Penh, Battambang, their home province – but have gone with the Gospel in their heart.  In fact, several of them we’ve laid hands on a

nd have sent them as missionaries on the next leg of their journey.

We’re committed for the long run to plant a life-giving church in Poipet City.  However, it may look a little different than traditional churches do to the uniqueness of this city.  Poipet is a very migrant city and a lot of people come and base here to work into Thailand or try to make money.  I’ve known this from the beginning.  Nevertheless, we have a good strong core group that are committed to reach this city for Christ.

I’m writing to you, as a Friend of Poipet City and as a Friend of Chuck and Cynde McCaul, because we’re in a transitional time here and we especially need your prayers of spiritual warfare at this time.  By changing venues we’ve just lowered our rent by 50%.  However, we had to pay six months rent up front (fairly common in Ca

mbodia), which we will get off the last six months of the two-year contract.  A few days after I signed that contract I was notified that our funding from a primary donor is going to drop significantly and perhaps permanently in the next four months.  This donor has been very, very supportive and generous but as you know, things change and giving priorities change as well.  I have full moral support from every pastor I’ve spoken to regarding the commitment to continue with the church plant in Poipet and weather this season.

As well as that, over the last three months we’ve lost six key people from the church – all of  them moving to Thailand, Phnom Penh, Battambang or back to their home province…including my on-the-ground pastor.  In a church of 60 losing 6 key leaders is huge.

Interestingly enough, the Lord spoke to me directly through a visiting prophet three weeks ago that when we face challenges regarding ministry in Cambodia to not look at the circumstances but look at what is working behind the circumstances.  In this situation we need to not be looking at a potentia

l lack of funds, leadership or a migrant population, but we need to be looking at the powers of darkness who do not want the Kingdom of God established in the Gateway City of Poipet.

I’m met with my Leadership Team in Poipet and

I’m asking you to do three things:

1. Pray with us regarding this current situation.  I’m not here in Poipet sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a dusty warehouse after an eight-hour drive over bumpy roads because I like the adventure.  At almost 60 years old I can find more comfortable adventure.  I’m here because I believe God wants a life-giving church in this Gateway City.  Please stand with us against the spirit(s) opposing a great church in Poipet City.  Pray that God’s Kingdom will be established in Poipet City reaching the population in spirit, soul and body. Pray that Satan’s strategy will fail.   Also, pray for wisdom for any adjustments God wants us to make.  If you would, please bring this to your intercessory prayer group and friends.  We believe in the power of unified spiritual warfare!

1. Please consider giving a year-end special offering to the Church Plant in Poipet.  It’s been our experience with New Life Fellowship of Churches that after going into an unchurched area it takes a least two years for us to carve out a group of believers and find a leader to start training.  It takes a minimum of 5 years for a small business in the United States to turn a profit.  The meaning – long-lasting results don’t come quickly.  If you choose to send a one
2. -time special offering speak to me directly and I can advise on how to do that – through a local church, PayPal or direct bank wire.  Pray that we will have the finances to do what God wants us to do.

1. Please consider a monthly one-year commitment to Christian Fellowship Poipet.  Our fixed expenses are USD$400 per month for rent, plus electricity and water, $400 per month for Apostolic Team Travel, and about $400 in ministry activities, and about $400 in staff costs.

We’re reaching the lost, making disciples, helping the poor, widows and orphans…all very similar to what Jesus told us to do.  We believe God is raising up a strategic church in a strategic city.

If you know me, I’m not ashamed to request prayer and intercession, however, you know that it is rare for me to make a direct appeal for finances.  Thank you for considering the possibility of this investment and especially for standing in the gap for what we believe God wants to do in Cambodia!

Chuck McCaul

Poipet, Cambodia

Are You Willing to Pay the Price to Change a Life for Eternity?

People pay attention when someone speaks his last earthly words, and Jesus’ last words are among His most significant:

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo,I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Making disciples is very different from making converts. Disciple-making requires time and relationships.  Disciple-making does not typically depend on formulas of salvation or on strangers leading strangers in a quick decision regarding their personal destiny.  Disciple-Makers are prepared to invest weeks, months, and maybe years developing genuine friendships, facilitating someone’s discovery of and obedience to God’s Story from Creation to Christ, and eventually giving Jesus his life of allegiance.  Modern shortcuts to making quick converts seem to fall short of Jesus’ final instructions on earth.

Contrary to Jesus’ three-year discipleship program for the Twelve, our goal today is sometimes a quick conversation based on an easy-to-remember collection of major doctrines and a “sinner’s prayer” to conclude the transaction.  The goal is to get people saved and then take them through discipleship training.  But that training often involves a class, not a relationship.  The measure of how well the church makes disciples is how transformed the people of God are and how successful they are in changing their communities.

Converts may ultimately become highly-committed disciples of Jesus, but is in spite of the process, not because of it.  Disciples are made when someone is willing to walk with them, teaching them by example what it means to make Jesus Lord of their lives.  It takes more time to guide them this way than it does to make converts, but taking this time tends to result in a much higher rate of life-changing success.  

 

Summer Harvest: Pray for Poipet

Lord, let us harvest a variety…

Dear Friends and Readers,

I’m sitting here in my house putting expense records into Quicken and listening to a You Tube presentation about Church Multiplying Movements – which do you think I enjoy the most?

My mind is also wandering a bit as I think about going to Poipet again tomorrow.  I’m amazed at how God puts things together for us as we seek to follow Him.  He is so good and so faithful!

Tomorrow I’m taking Rorn up, the young man I’ve been training for a year to become a Christian leader – he’s moving to Poipet to be the acting pastor under my supervision.  Ryan and Melissa Dekker, friends from Singapore (both musicians) are in Poipet and will be there for three months; they will be helping us develop two worship teams and organize our Training Center where we have 120 youth registered to study English and computer (about 60 in attendance daily).  I’m also picking up a young women from Southern California that will be with us a month and a half.  On Monday we have a YWAM Team arriving for a month and a half; next month we have a music team from the same church in Southern California arriving for two weeks to do music seminars for our church and other churches in Poipet.  The end of July we have another YWAM Team arriving.

At first I thought this is getting to be too much – I can’t manage all this from Phnom Penh.  But then I realized what God is doing.  Our target group is youth.  This was our pattern in Phnom Penh…there are several different reasons for this but the most obvious is they are just more open to the Gospel.  For many years in Phnom Penh we had a Youth Church.  However, as we were patient and trained them in the ways of God and of the Holy Spirit, amazingly enough those youth matured, grew older, married and now have children and are leaders, business people and society-influences in Cambodia!  I say that to say it dawned on me last week that in July the High Schools will be on vacation.  I realized…that without asking me and without my help, God is orchestrating to reap a harvest this school vacation time in Poipet!  I saw Him do the same thing so many times in our ministry – just orchestrate His plan without any help from us. Our responsibility is to prepare ourselves and step out in faith.

I have another young man I’ve been mentoring who wants to be involved in Christian service in some way.  He’s gone to Poipet with me and my team several times already and he really is useful.  He’s been begging me to move to Poipet to help bring the church to another level.  This past couple weeks I’ve been tweeking the church budget and I’ve told him we just don’t have the budget to give him anything…including money for food, let alone an offering.  However, as I’m sitting here crunching the numbers and listening to the sermon I just decided to do what I’ve done most of my adult ministry, especially here in Cambodia – move out in faith during this Kairos Moment.  I called him and told him to pack his bags and stay with us two months to help us reap this summer harvest and then we’ll evaluate after that.

When it’s harvest season it’s a Kairos Moment. That means you have to move it or lose it!  We say I don’t have the people, the time, the money.  The economy of the Kingdom of God works on faith.  We move out and do what God wants us to do and He provides what we need.

Please pray for the Summer Harvest in Poipet:

1. The Holy Spirit will organize and manage all the people and activity over the next three months
2. The Holy Spirit will draw those whom He’s working on to be added to Jesus and added to the church
3. The Holy Spirit will help us prepare ourselves and take advantage of what He’s doing

As I took a moment out from my Bookkeeping to type this, please take a moment now and heartily pray for these three points.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us and the financial donations for Cynde and I personally to live and serve God in Cambodia and for the ministries we’re involved in.  Now…back to the Bookkeeping!

God bless you!

Chuck and Cynde McCaul

 

April 17, 1975: Khmer Rouge Enter Cambodia and Gain Complete Control of the Country

On this day Cambodia plunged into darkness that even until this day they are still trying to find a way out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63T0rmniPVw&feature=youtu.be

Contending for the Promises of God

We Must Persevere in Faith and Obedience to Live in God’s Abundant Life

This is the first lesson in a seminar I’ll be doing in Battambang at the end of March.  It will be eleven lessons I hope to make into a book in English and Khmer which will be a resource for Christians and leaders inside and outside of Cambodia.

When we became a Christian many wonderful things happened at the second we believed in Jesus:

• Our sins are forgiven and we receive freedom from the power of sin
• We are born again in our spirit and all things become new
• God’s Holy Spirit enters our spirit and we receive His gifts and fruit
• We become God’s children and He becomes our loving, caring Father
• We enter into a covenant of healing for our spirit, soul and body
• We have an inheritance prepared for us so that we can live with success in this life
• We receive power and authority over sin, the flesh, Satan and this world
• We enter into Christ’s victory in order to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth

Even though we are a new Christian and don’t fully understand all of these things, this is our new position life.

Hebrews 10:35-38

³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For, “In just a little while,  he who is coming will come  and will not delay.”

³⁸ And, “But my righteous one will live by faith.     And I take no pleasure     in the one who shrinks back.”

Ephesians 2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

However, even though we are raised up with Christ and have received all these things, we receive them “positionally”.  We have not yet experienced them in our life.   For example:

• We continue to struggle with sin and the flesh
• We continue to struggle with Satan and evil spirits
• We continue to struggle with our emotions
• We continue to struggle with the temptations and difficulties in this world
• We struggle with sickness and disease
• Sometimes we lack and don’t live in the abundance of all the Christ has provided for us

Our God gives us everything we need to live with success as His children on this earth, however, even though we receive all these things positionally, we must fight against our enemies every day in order to experience these things in our life on this earth.

2 Peter 1:3

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

We Must Fight Against Three Enemies

1. 1.      Our sinful nature and flesh.  Each of us have something in us called “The Flesh.” The Flesh is that part of our spirit, soul and body that we receive from Adam and Eve.  It’s our sinful nature that has controlled us for all the years up to when we believed in Jesus.  God has given us His Holy Spirit to overcome the desires and drives of The Flesh, but it’s strong in our life, so we must continue to fight.

Galatians 5:16-17

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to

1. 2.      This world and the sinners who live under the power of the world.  Our world is a system that is against God, the Word of God and God’s principles for an abundant life.  This system controls seven spheres of influence in society:

• Religion
• Education
• Social Relationships
• Government
• Entertainment
• Media
• Business

We are born into this system and live by it from birth.  However, this system will lead us away from God, not near to Him.  Therefore, we must recognize the system and resist it in every sphere of our society and our life.

1 John 2:15-17

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

1. 3.      Satan and evil spirits.  Our third enemy is Satan and evil spirits.  Satan is the arch-evil spirit that rebelled against God in the beginning.  He is full of evil and hates God and hates everything that God loves. Therefore, Satan has one goal:  Destroy our life and lead mankind away from God.

1 Peter 5:8-9

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

God’s method for us to obtain our inheritance and that which He has prepared for us includes these actions:

1. 1.                  Know, believe and declare the promises.  We make war with our enemies by faith and using our mouth to declare what God has done for us.

1. 2.                  He send us into battle to war and obtain the inheritance and promises.  We begin to do what He has told us to do and live according to God’s Promises.

1. 3.                  God provides us with everything we need to obtain the victory.  As we begin to move forward in faith and do what God tells us to do He will meet us and show His power.  However, His power does not come until we begin to obey.

God’s Pattern in the Book of Joshua

1. Joshua was saved by the Blood of the Lamb in Egypt.

Exodus 12

1. He passed through the Red Sea (water baptism).

Exodus Exodus 13-14

1. He received God’s Word at Mt. Sinai and began to walk in God’s ways.

Exodus 20

1. He rose as leader in Israel and began to lead God’s people to receive their inheritance.

Deuteronomy 31:1-8

1. God promised him and Israel victory and considered the land of Canaan as already given to them.

Deuteronomy 1:8

Deuteronomy 2:24-25

Deuteronomy 3:18-20

Deuteronomy 9:23

Joshua 10:8

1. However, they had had to engage in warfare in order to obtain all that God had already prepared for them.

“God in and take possession…”

1. As long as Joshua and the Israelites walked by God’s Spirit and His Word, they overcome, but when they acted according to their own understanding, without praying and seeking God’s will first, they failed.

Jericho – Joshua 6

Ai – Joshua 7:2-9

Gibeonites – Joshua 9

1. Joshua and the Israelites conquered most of their enemies, but failed to conquer them all.  These strongholds that remained in their country created many problems for them.

Joshua 13:1

Joshua 16:10

Joshua 17:12

Judges 1:19, 27-34

This is an example and pattern for us.  When we become Christians we receive an inheritance from God, as we see on Page 1, but we must fight for that inheritance.  God gives us promises and He is faithful to keep those promises, but we must fight and overcome our enemies in order to receive the promises of God and live in the abundant life that He has prepared for us.

Conclusion

God has provided for our victory in every part of life.  When we believe we are born again in our spirit and receive God’s Holy Spirit.  As we begin to follow the Lord Jesus we begin to have a measure of victory.  However, because of past actions and thoughts, there may remain some strongholds in our life that we must war against until we conquer them.  We also must walk in faith and patience to inherit God’s promises.

The Adventure of Driving at Night in Cambodia

Driving at Night in Cambodia

I just returned from my 7-hour drive from Poipet.  I make the trip at least twice per month, going up National Road 2 on Friday morning and usually returning Sunday night – leaving Poipet at 7:30 AM and arriving in Phnom Penh about 2 AM.  It was another night of adventure in Cambodia!

It takes 100% of my mental and physical focus for the full 7-hour road trip.  First, it’s all I can do to keep my Toyota Hi-Lux going straight down the highway at 80 km per hour. The road is mostly uneven highway and mostly paved highway as I’m tossed to the right and the left in my seat with my hands gripping the steering wheel as tight as I can. 

Beyond just trying to keep the truck on the road as I’m jostled around is the oncoming traffic and traffic in front of me.  Regarding the traffic in front of me I regularly meet at least two dozen vehicles – big trucks carrying too much weight, motor scooters, cars and farming equipment either stalled on my side or going 20 km per hour or pulling out in front of me…with no tail lights!  Thankfully my truck has good head lights that help me see far in front of me, even on the dim setting.   As I’m tootling along trying to focus on what might be looming in front of me sometimes a see what appears to be a shadow.  I instinctively let up on the accelerator knowing what might lie ahead.  Sure enough as I flash my brights there is a huge truck or some other vehicle stalled, parked or broken down right in front of me.  The tradition in Cambodia is if you break down you let the vehicle sit right where it is – not try to pull it to the shoulder so other vehicles won’t crash into it.  They always find a branch or a bunch of leaves and put a few meters on either side of the vehicle to warn oncoming traffic that there is a breakdown – however, those are not very useful at night when you can’t see them. There are also the bicycles without lights or people walking or sitting on the side of the road or the 200+ dogs that you encounter who could be on the side of the road – sitting, walking or standing – or crossing the road causing me to brake suddenly.  I’m sure these people have a Death Wish, but I don’t have any intention of becoming the fulfillment of that wish.  It used to be with other vehicles I’ve owned I couldn’t see these until I get right up on them, but with the Hi Lux I can usually see them far enough in advance to avoid them, however, as I said, it takes my full concentration for 7 hours.

Then there’s the oncoming traffic.  Sometimes they have no headlights – that’s interesting to suddenly meet another vehicle coming towards you from the dark.  Then there’s the scoundrels – usually big trucks, Lexus’ and Range Rovers who refuse to turn off their bright lights!  I flick mine on and off but since they consider themselves as having 100% right of way as I pass by them totally blinded I just hope that there is nothing or nobody immediately in front of me because I can’t see anything!  Another interesting traffic encounter is the vehicle that is passing another vehicle on a two-lane highway – one vehicle in their own lane and the other oncoming vehicle in my lane, causing me to have to drive on the shoulder to avoid a head-on collision.  Again, hopefully there’s not another vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian on the shoulder at that time because I can’t see anything!

On National Road 2 there is a stretch of about 40 km between Pursat and Kompong Chhnang Province filled with “cluster bomb” potholes.  This is the only stretch of road that is actually filled with genuine potholes.  The rest of the highway is just warped with “moguls” from heat and over weight trucks.  However, with these Cluster Bomb potholes (small potholes that cover the entire width of the road) there is no way to avoid them.  Some are smaller and some are larger. I feel like I’m playing a video game dodging left and right trying to avoid them. 

Finally there’s just the fatigue of driving 7  hours with full concentration in the middle of the night.  I know I’m risking things when I start seeing double or I close my eyes for just a moment and it feels so good I want to keep them closed for just a few more seconds.  If it gets that bad I commit myself to pulling over and stretching my legs or stopping at some all-night stands to buy a snack and a can of cappuccino coffee or energy drink if they have it. 

In summary, it’s one of the things that make living in Cambodia an adventure – The Kingdom of Wonder!

Update From McCauls in Cambodia

Poipet City, Cambodia. Gateway City of 150,000 who need a life-giving church to bring them hope and purpose.

Dear Friends and Acquaintances Around the World:

Sorry for the long-delayed communication;  as I suspected, things are rolling hot and heavy here.  As well as several on-going leadership training opportunities in a small group setting, the outreach to Poipet is moving forward as well.

A brief report on Poipet – after only four weeks I’m very happy with the progress.  We have about 25+ teens and adults in church each Sunday morning, about a dozen or fifteen children and 5-10 non-Cambodians.  We have a bit of a challenge putting together a worship team – singers and musicians as we lost two of members of the band who moved, but we are builders.  I’m having one of our leader musicians from Phnom Penh come up in two weeks and do a music seminar for singing and playing and concepts of leading worship.

We’re starting to identify potential places to start cell groups.  In a short time I’m going to send my assistant, Rorn, up to several days at a time rather than just short weekend trips.  His assignment will be to work with others who are being formed into a team to go to these places and see if we can get something going.  All locations are places where our church members have a residence, so we will launch to their neighborhood off them.

I Love Poipet is going well, too.  I’m working with one local church on a soccer outreach.  He has a soccer team, mostly unbelievers, that he’s reaching out to.  I’m giving him some finance to go to a soccer match in Phnom Penh, then have them attend New Life Fellowship in Phnom Penh.  I’m hoping to bring up a traditional Khmer dance team by the end of this month and do training for any church who wants to send their young people.  I’ve scheduled a half-day of prayer in December, when Bruce Lindley brings a team up. I’ve also been asked to help coordinate a city-wide Christmas outreach.  The churches will target 600 people.  I can get those Samaritan’s Purse Christmas boxes to give out to all the children.  I’m being asked to provide the preacher, the band and the dance team.  It will be a bit of a challenge as many of our churches also do Christmas at that time of year and their resources will be stretched, but I’m sure it can be done.  We’ve estimated the cost for stage, chairs, simple box meal, sound equipment, etc. as $3,000. I would appreciate your prayers to call in the finance for the project and if you know of anyone who is looking for a meaningful Christmas project, perhaps you could pass this on to them. Thanks so much for your prayers and your continued giving. Please continue to send your donations through the normal route.

The monthly Encouraging Leader’s Seminar is also doing well as far as attendance goes.  I’m building relationships and trust and we have about 25 in attendance each month.  This month we will teach about Discipleship, which is the core of what we want to do.  Churches need an infra-structure and clear process to make disciples.  My Cambodian son-in-the-faith, Pastor Bora, will share from his proven success and encourage them to do the same.

By the way, I’d be interested in a medical team if you know of any who want to come.  Also, musicians to train wannabe musicians.

Finally, I feel we need to make one change regarding our venue.  The Hope Transformation Center is beautiful and absolutely fully equipped, however, it’s a real challenge being on the 4^th floor.  It limits the people who will come.  Older people just won’t climb the stairs and even though we have a sign, it’s not obvious that we are there.  We have English classes, our offices and our Encouraging Leader Seminar at the XP Center.  Andrea and Patricia have graciously allowed us to use it. I intend on moving our Sunday meetings to this ground-level building on the main street by the end of the month.  We will be more visible, easy to find and easy ground-floor access.  I don’t expect we’ll lose anyone, and I expect more growth.  The Center has an LCD Projector, keyboard, sound system, chairs…etc. so it will work great.  Thank you, Patricia!

Finally, we have the opportunity to help a woman who is being evicted from her home as a result of the new railway coming through.  She has to be out in less than 10 days.  I told her to tell the evictors to hold off as I’ll find $500 to build her a small house in a new area and $120 to pay to rent the land to put it on   for a year.  There is also another young man who works for an NGO and plays keyboard for us.  His wife is 6 months pregnant and they live in a shack that will be flooded in October, if the weather goes as it usually does.  They have nothing – a simple bamboo bed, no fan, no closet…nothing.  We have a donation to help erect another home for them, possibly in a flood-free zone.  We can’t change everyone and every bad situation, but we can change those whom the Lord brings our way, can’t we?

Please keep us in prayer, specifically,

1.   Leading of the Holy Spirit to discover places for cell groups

2.   Training of cell group leaders

3.   Full attendance at Saturday Night Youth Outreach

4.   God to choose a pastor to lead Christian Outreach Cambodia

5.   Strength for me and my team as it’s a long ride each weekend!

Patience for Cynde!

Speaking of Cynde, she’s had the opportunity to preach a couple times, do some Bible teacher training and some counseling as well as continuing to mold the mind, character and world-view of our grand daughter, Jessica, as she home-schools her each day.  Cynde also insures that our home is neat, tidy and a welcome place for the dozens of guests and leaders we have over each month – a very important task!

As for Micah, he’s finished with High School – hallelujah! – and is working full time for Abundant Life Christian School.  He’s trying to improve his Khmer to apply for an assistant director position.  That’s my boy!

We miss you, appreciate your support and especially appreciate your prayers!

May the Lord multiply back to you all that you invest into His Kingdom!

Chuck, Cynde and Micah McCaul

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

How to Disciple a Nation

Seven Keys to Influence a Nation for Jesus Christ

Chuck & Cynde McCaul Newsletter April 2012

April 30, 2012

Greetings again Friends and Family,

In 1995 Cynde and I and our four children arrived in Phnom Penh to dreary, unpainted buildings, guns and soldiers everywhere, hardly any electricity and hardly any Western “amenities” such as grocery stories, Western Food, etc.  So many things have changed over the years as I sit in an air-conditioned coffee shop using their Wi-Fi and sipping a cappuccino!  However, many things have not changed, too.  On the exterior Phnom Penh and other leading cities have developed, but in thinking, lifestyle and values, many things have remained the same. As you know, a pretty exterior covering a weak interior will not last.  Cynde and I are interested in investing our life into things that are life-changing and long-lasting.  You know what that is?  It’s people.  Investing into the lives of people is what will really last…into eternity.

Both Cynde and I focus on our ministry on the basics – the foundations.  We can go deep, but honestly, what’s the point of understanding the hidden meaning of the Tabernacle of Moses and Feasts of Israel if you’re not reading the Bible, spending time with God daily and sharing your faith and living in victory?  Really, what’s the point?

Over the past six months Cynde and I have been finding our niche more and more.  As for Cynde, she’s teaching our grand daughter 1^st grade four days a week – I say that’s a long-lasting investment!  We’ve seen Jessica start to read already and in fact she’s reading books to her parents!  Cynde is the point person for incoming mid and long-term staff for New Life Fellowship of Churches and New Life Foundation World Reach.  We have specific needs for people to come and work with us for six months to a year, particularly in Office Administration and teaching English.  If you’re interested contact me for more details.  Cynde has also been involved in helping to make work areas at New Life more attractive and effective.  She preached this past Sunday at one of the branch campuses.  Cynde preached yesterday on “Faith.” Her main point was that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  However, you must get the Word of God into you in order for it to bring forth fruit.  Yesterday was also a small milestone in that we upgraded our electricity to be able to use an air conditioner.  We bought one and had it installed and it makes a huge difference in how much energy you have when you get a good night’s sleep!

As for me, I’m doing various leadership training meetings, usually one-on-one or in small groups, with leaders from New Life Fellowship and other churches and organizations.  My schedule is pretty full as I try to invest into the lives of young men and women and increase their capacity as leaders.  I’m overseeing short-term teams for New Life, trying to strategically place them into areas that will add strength to specific areas where we need their expertise.  I believe in short-term teams and we have successfully strategically used them for all of these years.  For the past five months I’ve been visiting Battambang and Poipet Cities in the northwest of Cambodia and the ancient Angkorian capitol of Siem Reap.  I’ve been traveling with 2-3 young men in response to the need for church planting, church growth and leadership training.  I don’t say this with pride, but over the years we at New Life Fellowship Cambodia have raised up quality, skilled and passionate leaders who are serving as church leaders, business leaders and organization leaders all over Cambodia.  As I travel around I find few others who have the same passion, biblical knowledge and character that our leaders and church members have.  There’s a need and I feel the Lord is directing me to certain places to see what we can do to assist local churches in growing stronger and hopefully see Life-Giving Churches planted in every leading city of Cambodia.

We’re healthy.  We’re excited.  We’re making a difference in people’s lives.  We’re moving forward and are very grateful for your friendship.

If you want to contribute to mine and Cynde’s personal support you can do so by sending a check to Eugene Christian Fellowship or Church of Glad Tidings, or going to www.cambodiaoutreach.org and making a PayPal donation, designating it to Chuck & Cynde McCaul.  I’m also looking for specific donations to the Men’s Ministry I’m leading and the Church Planting Project I’ve committed to.  Please contact me for more information on those needs.

May God bless you all.  “Friend” us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with photos and information.

Chuck & Cynde McCaul

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodians Prepare for Arrival of Khmer New Year Angel

Khmer New Year Angel 2012

Khy Sovuthy

Kate Bartlett

The Cambodia Daily

April 11, 2012

She wears a white robe, holds a sword in one hand and a chapai (Cambodian banjo) in another, sits astride a buffalo, is accompanied by a  dragon, has a weakness for banannas and is due to arrive on earth at precisely 11 minutes past seven pm Friday, 13 April.

Her name is Ke Mi Ra Devi and she is this Khmer New Year’s devada – or angel – according to an almanac published by the Ministry of Cults and Religions that informs the public about each angel, her special attributes and her tastes.

“The new angel Ke Mi Ra Devi will arrive at 7:11 pm on April 13.  Cambodian people should prepare fie candles, five incense sticks and…offer her bananas because this is her favorite food,” the almanac states.

The custom of the New Year’s Angel stems from a tale that has its roots in Indian mythology, according to Vong Sotheara, deputy head of the history departmente at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.  A talented young scholar was challenged by the king of the gods to answer a riddle.  If the boy could answer, the king would cut off his own head; if he could not, the boy would lose his.  The boy won and so the king was decapitated.  “Before beheading, he gave his last messages to his seven daughter angels…that during the New Year his head must be taken to parade around the world for 60 minutes by one of the seven daughter angels (who each represented a day of the week),” Mr. Sotheara said.

While one of the seven angels has a taste for blood, Ke Mi Ra Devi has a simpler palate – a fondness for bananas – and Phnom Penh’s banana vendors yesterday said business had been thriving ahead of the start of the New Year on Friday.  “Banana sales have been good this year because the angel eats bananas,” said Kong Chetra, 32, a fruit vendor at Kandal Market.

Sin Sarot, a shopper buying a string of lights from Ms. Vanna’s stall said he was very excited for the new year festivities to begin.  “I’m buying bananas to offer to the angel, and we’re going to play traditional New Year’s games,” he said.  “The angel, people believe in it.  I cannot say if it’s real or not real. For me, scientific and religion is mixed together.”

Not all news ahead of the New Year was good, though.  The government’s almanac also makes predictions about the year ahead, and said that the outlook was bleak for the coming Year of the Dragon, predicting that there would be flooding, 9 percent of the rice crop would be lost, and people would “meet with starvation.”