Back to Cambodia
By Natalie Howell
So much has happened in the seven months since we came back to Cambodia to work on the Cambodia Boarding Academy project. Here is a sample of what has happened since we returned:
Building Update
We are currently working on getting temporary bamboo homes built on the school property for future teachers and staff to live in, and we have been digging septic tanks by hand.
So far two septic holes are being dug. One is about 6 feet deep and the other is about 4 feet deep. The ground is very hard so the young men digging the holes poured water in the hole overnight so the ground would be softer the next day.
Some local missionaries will be helping us for the next few months so we can begin planting fruit trees and fence the property. We applied with the city government two months ago to re-survey the land, but they have not responded. They appear to be hoping for a bribe to speed up the process. Please pray for God to open the way so they will come and survey the land without the bribe.
Family Converted
We were able to join our Bible Worker when he was invited to do a week of prayer 422 miles from Battambang. While there, we got to experience our first funeral in another culture, where we experienced the Great Controversy. The lady who died was a Christian teacher, but most of her family were animists. At the burial, they tried to perform their animist funeral rites, and her husband was doing everything he could to stop it. It was heartbreaking to watch. All of a sudden, we heard singing, and when I turned to look behind me, it was the seven young ladies in our scholarship program. The impromptu singing soothed the tensions and the Christian service continued.
Later, after everyone had gone back to the house to eat, a commotion started. The lady’s family was chasing a chicken, throwing sticks at it to kill it so they could offer it as a sacrifice for her soul. The elders of the church sat down and talked with the family. In the end, her family respected her husband’s wishes and did not offer a sacrifice on her behalf because they no longer believed in the animist way of life. They are now Christians and they believe in Jesus. They are praying that from this tragedy, more souls will be saved for the kingdom of God.
While we were traveling, we visited an avocado and durian farm run by missionaries in the area. We were able to plant a few trees while we were there. It was a beautiful experience, and we left feeling ready to begin planting at the future Battambang school.
Future Teachers
The scholarship program for the future teachers of the boarding academy has eight students: seven young ladies and four young men. This year has been very difficult for them. They have each been faced with having to go to school on the Sabbath or have their grades drop. They do not know what the future holds, but they know who holds the future and they have decided to stand for God no matter what. In addition to the Sabbath problems, the students have also had teacher problems. Because of COVID, all schools are closed and so the students are going to school online. Often their teachers do not show up for class. They are frustrated and disheartened by what is happening.
The scholarship students have found a new school that they could potentially attend instead, and they are waiting to hear from them. The school is Mountain View College, a Seventh-day Adventist school in the Philippines, and the tuition is about $6,000 for each student for the first year. After the first year, it will cost around $3,500 per student. We are praying they are accepted to this new school, and that the funds become available so the students can continue their education. We are also wanting to send a total of 12 students to the school, so we are praying for guidance in the selection process.
Please pray that the scholarship students will continue to be faithful to God even though things look bleak, that their future school will not require them to go to school on the Sabbath, and that God will provide the funds needed for them to continue their education. Please also pray for the Howells, and everyone else working on the Cambodia Boarding Academy project, that God will continue to give wisdom and direction.
If you would like to learn more about this work in Cambodia, or feel led to support it financially, you can give via the links below:
Scholarships for the Future Teachers
Cambodia Boarding Academy
The Howell Family