Cambodia Fire Victims Receive Aid from C&MA Church
November 6, 2008
“The road to recovery is, in a word, slow,” said C&MA missionary David Rebok, referring to residents of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, who are still homeless after a fire last April. Recently, members of New Jerusalem (Alliance) Church in Phnom Penh distributed rations of food relief to nearly 800 families at the site of the tent city where they have been living since the fire. The outreach was made possible by funds that had been donated by members of the U.S. C&MA’s Western Great Lakes District. The Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia, The Alliance’s umbrella organization in that country, has also been heavily involved in relief efforts.
“This was the first time that New Jerusalem Church members had ever done a project like this, so they were a bit nervous,” said Rebok. “But their desire to do so with genuine spirit of serving God was never in question.”
The village leader, Mr. Chanly, worked closely with the believers in organizing the event. “We thank him for his gift of management and for clearance to make the distribution possible,” said Rebok. “It is easy to see why there has been so much pain here. There hasn’t been any word yet on whether the government can provide land for these people to occupy. The monsoon season began in early June, making the land muddy and difficult to navigate on foot. The tent city is next to one of the busiest boulevards in Phnom Penh.
“In the midst of that sorrow, God took care of everyone on the day of the food distribution. Pastor David Bin spoke of God’s love and compassion for those who are suffering. We at the C&MA Cambodia mission and at New Jerusalem Church ask that you continue to pray for these people. We know Jesus loves them, and we wish to pass on that love however and wherever we can.”
Sore and tired, Bruce Overstreet, the Alliance pastor who biked his way across the United States last summer to raise money for the Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children in Mali, West Africa, arrived at the hospital on November 3. Overstreet rode his bike 300 miles from Bamako, Mali’s capital, to Koutiala, where he was met by police and nearly 100 other people on bikes and mopeds to escort him the final few miles to his destination—Koutiala Hospital. Again, Overstreet was met by a crowd. “The mayor was there,” he said, “along with many others who cheered me through the hospital gate.” 
I left the annual women’s retreat at Ouessinville Sud Church in Bobo-Dioulasso and headed for my motorbike when several women gathered around to thank me. One of the women started the motorbike for me. Though I have ridden the motorbike for a number of years, I don’t use it enough to be very comfortable on it. Just keeping the heavy bike up is a challenge for me, especially as many of our roads are sandy. I got on, adjusted my heavy sack on my shoulder, and next thing I knew the women gifted me with two live chickens, tying the fowl to the handlebars. 
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