Star Alliance

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For as much traveling as I do you would think I would have attained the top tier of a frequent flyer program, however, Cambodia is not a hub for any airline and most of my flights are on budget airlines (truly cattle class).  However, one of my favorite airlines is EVA Air based out of Taiwan.  When I travel to and from the USA I try to fly EVA because I love the service, comfortable planes and flying times.  Eventually, I made my way up to “Gold” on their frequent flier program.  At such a level I am allowed near complete freedom on their planes; extra bags at no charge and they even greet me by name on each flight.  Some people may think I am a superstar they treat me so nice! My wonderful flying experience has always been limited to EVA, however, because they had no partners.

Well, just a few months ago EVA joined the Star Alliance. This alliance includes about 20 different airlines who then cooperate together.  One of those airlines is Singapore Airlines.  Just last week my wife and I flew to Australia; a destination that EVA air does not fly too.  However, when I showed them my EVA air gold card they welcomed me as if I had flown my 200,000 miles all on Singapore Airlines which in fact I have not flown for nearly 15 years.

Noit and I enjoyed the lounges at every airport eating gourmet foods and enjoying soft comfortable chairs.  We checked-in at the first class line where there never is a line and our bags always came off the plane first. We were even given special cards which allowed us to bypass any immigration lines as well. We were treated like royalty.  We were strangers to Singapore Airlines, but they treated us as if we were long-time friends. I love being a part of the Star Alliance!

I just came from speaking in Australia at a church called “Stairway Church”  in Melbourne.  After my speaking was done we joined in a conference where Bill Johnson was speaking.  At that conference the Pastor of Stairway Peter McHugh made the comment, “We welcome any visitors to Stairway.  Enjoy your time.  But don’t stay, go home!” He also commented that they celebrate the different “steams” in which God was working and welcomed seeking God together. They treated us, and everyone else, as royalty. We had full-access to the services of Stairway church and they would do anything to help us during our time in their congregation. We are not members of Stairway Church but we were treated like royalty there.  Stairway church is a part of the Kingdom Alliance.

There is no membership rules to join the Kingdom Alliance.  It does not have a head office apart from the Throne Room of Christ. It is a personal choice by a Christian to give royal treatment to fellow travelers on the journey with God: To receive them by name, regardless of who they clocked their miles with, and treat them as Jesus would.  How would Jesus treat a gold card member:

• As his own son.
• With honor and respect.
• With love at all times.
• As essential partners in the Father’s purposes.
• (Regardless of others opinions or past mistakes.)
• And always with a posture of a servant.

You, as a believer, are members of God’s Kingdom Alliance.  As you live your life for Jesus you have a gold card which gives you full-access to the heavenly Throne Room.  You are entitled to everything good that other partnering airlines (churches) offer. However, a gold card member with Jesus never insists on what they are entitled too, yet is required to give that service to others.  Therefore, as a gold card member in the Kingdom Alliance your job is to: treat all other believer’s as God’s own son.  You are to honor and respect them and show love at all times. Treat them as essential partner’s in the Father’s purposes regardless of the past. Do everything for others with the posture of a servant. It’s your choice.  The Kingdom Alliance only works when you honor others. Jesus said, “do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). That’s the gold card treatment of the Kingdom Alliance.

 

Graduates

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The Seniors: Imm, Sinet, Phalla, Issak, Sokan, Pilat with Noit in the middle

 

I remember when these kids were knee high and now they are graduating from High School!  Their graduation highlights the grace of God at work in their lives.  For all of them, they will be the first high school graduates in their family; first in their village and some the first in their whole district. Still today, less than 20% of Cambodian graduate from High School.  Honestly, apart from the grace of God this never would have happened for these kids as well.

They all come from remote jungle areas where they had no schools. None of their parents or siblings ever attended school.  They came into the Imparting Smiles center long more than ten years ago and worked their way through school.  Literally, kids who stay with us have little free time; they study from dawn until late in the night every day.  They all started school late, so they are all technically “adults” ranging from age 20-24.  However, unlike many organizations which “dump” the kids at 18 years old, we made them a promise we would see them through high school, regardless of age.  A high school graduate in Cambodia does not have the maturity of a high school graduate in America or Europe.  While an 18 year old senior in American usually drives a car, has a part-time job and makes most decisions on their own, a Cambodia senior has few responsibilities.  Cambodian’s are still considered “youth” until they marry.  It is at that point they may leave their home and take on “adult” responsibilities.  None of our seniors knows how to drive a car, look for a job, or create a small business. Those are skills to learn in the years to come.

Thanks to a few giving friends in Chattanooga, TN and Katy, TX and the Cambodian government we are able to offer another level of assistance to the kids: university.  In Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia we have been provided with the opportunity of full-scholarships to Meanchey University though the Cambodian government officials.  We also hope this to be an opportunity for developing maturity of the students for life.  They will work part-time and attend university if they so desire.  It is a rare opportunity which I hope all of them take an advantage of.

What if we didn’t help these kids?  What would their live have been like?  We can see from their siblings who didn’t have a chance for education we can see what might have happened: Some girls were sold to marry elderly foreign men, others sent to Malaysia to work in factories or homes as live in maids where conditions are often abusive and only earn the family about $2000 per year. All of them have also had siblings die of malnutrition and disease, so they might not have even survived without our help.  All would have spent planting and harvesting season working a day laborers in harvesting cassava or cutting lumber illegal for military officials in the jungles.  The boys might have gone to Thailand to work on construction site and then being discarded near the completion of the project without pay, then arrested by Thai police for illegal work.  Everyone cheats Cambodians with low education, everyone: Cambodian’s themselves and foreigners too.  One of the boys is actually from a minority tribe (Stieng). . . and is the only one I know who has graduated from high school. Congratulations to you all!

I came to Cambodia to minister two decades ago and I learned early on that transformation of people, communities and nations is not instant, but requires time and effort. These graduates are a perfect example.  More than a dozen staff and teachers have cared for these kids for the last decade, every day, and every night with no break. It really is a 24/7 job.  Dozens of sponsors have helped to build buildings, teach skills, send encouraging notes or sponsor them.  Literally, to see these six graduates make it through school has required assistance from as many as one-hundred people from all over the world, including Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States.  Thank you everyone who has helped and prayed for these kids.

If they so desire, we will not quit with them now either, but given them an ever greater hand-up by helping them through university.  We will also help them to find their first job as they learn to take responsibility for their own lives. Next year we will have nine more graduates, the year after that fifteen and the year after that twenty. . . the snow ball is rolling! Thanks for helping to bring transformation to these kids lives!

 

 

New Blog Site!

Hello Friends!  I have moved my JUNGLE ADVENTURES blog over to my main site.  I would appreciate it if you visit my new site and re-follow me there, so you can receive updates!

http://www.asiaforjesus.org/jungle-adventures-blog/

Thank you so much for reading!

Steve Hyde

Treasure Hunting

As part of a practical exercise in listening to the Holy Spirit is going out into the town and finding a person of peace (Luke 10:6). Before going out in groups of three people they went they prayed seeking the Holy Spirit’s revelation about the people whom God wanted them to meet.  More than fifty teams went out and all of them had amazing experiences, but I’ll just highlight a few here.

Vision of an elderly lady: One group came back full of joy.  They proudly displayed a photograph which they had printed on their walk back to the church. Before they had left they prayed together they saw a vision of an elderly woman sitting in front of her house.  They had a clear description of the house as well in their mind.  They discussed it and headed out to find that house and elderly woman. After walking a few blocks they spotted the house and the elderly woman.  Even though they had experienced many supernatural things they were absolutely shocked that the vision they had was perfect.  In front of the house they met a ninety-eight year-old lady who never came out of the house.  Her child was a senior government official as was embarrassed by her elderly mother so forbid her to leave the house. However, after many years in seclusion she chose that moment, when her son was gone, to step out of the gate.  Only minutes after she moved a chair to sit in front of the house these three ladies approached her. They immediately told her what Jesus had done and sent them to her to encourage her.  She was so blessed as they gave her words of encouragement from their prayer time.  The ninety-eight year-old grandmother was so encouraged.

Real relief given to a complete stranger: Another group prayed and saw a man who had urination problems and was sick and suffering.  As they went out, they felt one many who was nice to them along the road was that man.  So they ventured an intrusive question. They asked the complete stranger “Do you have trouble urinating?”  He was shocked, but responded affirmatively.  The men explained that Jesus had given them a vision of the man and that Jesus wanted to heal him.  After talking with the old man a while they prayed for him first time and then second time and then the old man said that he was better, but they were not very satisfied that he really was better. However, before they left the house, they felt that God wanted them to pray for the old man the third time. After praying this time, the man rose up immediately and told them he was completely healed and went to the bathroom to urinate. He proudly boasted that he could urinate freely and gave glory to Jesus for healing him!

Security guard returns to the family of God: Another group of three men had a vision of a security guard and had words of encouragement given to him.  As they walked they found the man who they had seen when they were praying.  They discovered that the man, a private security guard, was actually a believer but had back-slidden and not attended church for many years. In fact, he had become a terrible person and was even sent to prison.  He thought he was worthless in his life and no one cared about him.  However, these men told him that Jesus loves him and never would leave him.  When the group came back to the church, the security guard left his work and came with them so he could re-join in fellowship with the family of God.

Foreigner in Black:  When another group prayed they were surprised to get a vision of a foreigner wearing black clothes: a t-shirt and shorts.  They were just poor rural women who didn’t know any foreign language, but they went out hunting for this foreigner anyway. They thought, ‘How can we communicate with a foreigner when we can’t speak a foreign language?” While they were passing by a guest house, they saw one lady who is the exact person in their revelation. So they went to meet her. She was a Vietnamese, but she could speak Khmer, their own language! Then, they told her about Jesus and prayed with her.  The Vietnamese lady was very happy to meet them and hear about Jesus in that way.

Interruption to change a life: Another group of women had God reveal to them a vision of an old lady with white hair and red scarf around her neck and was walking on the street to another group of people. This group went out and found the exact lady.  They interrupted the other group and shared with them what God revealed to them about her and then shared the Good News with her. At that time another lady joined them. After hearing about Gospel of Jesus, both of them decided to believe in Jesus.  Right there on the street they prayed to receive Jesus in their hearts.

Hidden Background: One lady spoke to another man about his past life, yet they did not know each other.  Both are church leaders in different provinces.  One lady shared that the Holy Spirit had revealed to her that the other leader, Duch Hak was formerly a strong persecutor of Christians and that God healed him of a mental illness which was instrumental in him believing in Jesus. Duch Hak shed tears as he shared that he never told his own background to anyone.  He was encouraged by the love and forgiveness that he experienced in Jesus through the word of knowledge. Both were encouraged that truly Jesus is truly alive.

Supernatural Christian Life

Let me share a brief confession.  I graduated from a Christian university with a Bachelor’s degree in business and computer science.  I was also a devout Christian and entered seminary to do a master’s degree.  I was convinced at the time that it was only a matter of time before the Christian religion could be completely “digitized” and automated.  I felt every sermon, theological doctrine, and program of the church could be put in a digital format and the regeneration of the Christian religion would just become automatic. Today, all these possibilities are in place.  Podcasts eliminate the need to physically go to church every Sunday just to listen to sermons. Online Bibles and media solutions bring scripture and personal worship to your finger tips.  Webcasts allow a crowd experience in the privacy of your home.  Then I had a crisis of belief.  If my religion could be so efficient that it could be programmed, then it wasn’t a religion worthy of following.  I became bored with my faith. I then sought to see the experience of the scripture in my own life.  If my God was truly alive then I wanted to live in the supernatural today.

Twenty years later I have come to discover a supernatural Christianity.  In my daily ministry with churches and their leaders I have been convinced not only of the authority of the Bible, but also have observed how much leaders depend on their own cognitive abilities to lead, solve problems, and make key decisions in their life while, in effect, showing disobedience to the scriptures themselves. We know for certain that Jesus gave believers his Holy Spirit in order to be our teacher and counselor (Acts 2:38, Hebrews 6:4).  This is our “divine trump card”.  God is living in us and is always ready to help us.  Yet, in most leadership meetings I am a part of the outcomes are dependent on human thinking.  Why?  Jesus has given us His Spirit to speak to us about any issue he chooses.  The church is to be a spiritual entity, birthed and led by Him, yet does the reality of our Christian life and churches reflect this spiritual culture?  With this burden I asked some leaders to help me change the church culture around me.  So, three years ago we started to help leaders step into a spiritual lifestyle so that depending on the supernatural leadership of the Holy Spirit would become more natural than just thinking themselves out of problems.  Our “trainings” are full of practical application.  Two key leaders have helped us step into this supernatural lifestyle: Neil Dowling and Peter McHugh who are both from Australia and both have spent more than a decade helping the church in Cambodia.

The following are a couple of testimonies which were highlighted from the week of training. These testimonies are mostly related to what the Bible refers to as ‘words of knowledge’ (1 Corinthians 12:8) and prophecy:

Feeling Someone Else’s Pain: Serey fell out of a tree before the seminar and got back pain and even could not turn left or right, however had a very big surprise at the seminar.  One lady complained of having back pain for no reason, just sitting in the chair.  Neil who had experience explained that for the lady who had the pain for no reason that God could be showing her that someone has that pain and God wants to use her to heal that pain.  The lady then asked if anyone had a specific back pain and Serey revealed her pain.  The lady then prayed for Serey and immediately she was healed.  She was so shocked that it was an instant healing she was overcome with joy and amazement.

 

Double back healings: The same lady who got the word of knowledge through the physical sense of pain in her back also prayed for another man named Tun Hourt who also had back pain.  In 1977, during the Khmer Rouge era, he was transporting rice and the oxcart he was on slipped on the road and overturned. He was entangled in ropes and a wood pole impaled him leaving a large hole and scar in his back, plus permanent pain. After prayer he revealed that for the first time since 1977 he felt no pain and that somehow the hole in his back had disappeared!

 

Unexplainable supernatural: Just to prove the Holy Spirit is spiritual and not bound by operating in our rational, cognitive and limited mental abilities something special happened too.  During one of the session something odd appeared during the worship.  Someone spotted a glistening object on the floor.  It was odd-looking.  When someone picked it up, it appeared to be a gem about a carat in size.  Rationalism says someone dropped a gem, however, the entire group was poor rural leaders whose average income was less than $2.00 a day who would never had money to own a large gem.  So it is unlikely someone misplaced their gem and then wouldn’t claim it.  However, Cambodia is a land which has lots of gems and I have viewed hundreds of different kinds, but nothing like this.  It was almost a combination of diamond and golden.  Looking from the bottom it appeared gold.  Looking from the top it has brilliant colors.  This has never happened before in any of my hundreds and hundreds of trainings and I don’t know why it did happen.  Could it be a misplaced gem? sure.  Could it be a plant by our teachers? I guess.  Could it be some kind of gift from God demonstrating that he is indeed supernatural and sovereign? Absolutely.  Do I need to understand it? Nope.

Here is what it looked like when I took a picture of it with my camera-phone:

Normally, you would think that a Baptist raised-evangelical leaning-conservative-solid proponent of scriptural authority-yet a simple follower of Jesus would not write about such “radical” topics dealing with the supernatural aspects of our faith.  However, I feel those who love scripture, like myself, need to be reminded that Jesus is not based on the Greek textual study, but is alive today.  He is God.  He is at the core of His Being supernatural.  So, why do we try to pretend we follow a rational God? Personally, I am thrilled that my God can reveal himself beyond the limitations of science.  Today I am not bored in my Christian life.  I am glad I follow a God who is so much greater than what I can rationalize away. Many qualities of my God are certainly “unexplainable” and “supernatural”.  For this I have faith in a living God.

A Day of Missionary Training

Recently, I was teaching in the Kale Heywet School of Missions in Durame, Ethiopia.  I was impressed with the students there, their eagerness to learn, but more importantly their closeness with God. As students they were not simply learning strategies or compiling knowledge, but exercising their faith in spiritual disciplines.

Daily Schedule

• 3:00-5:00am           Morning Group Prayer for the Unreached People of the World
• 5:00-7:00am           Rest
• 7:00-7:30am           Prepare and Breakfast
• 7:30-8:00am           Prayer and Worship before Class
• 8:00-10:00am         Session 1: Missions, Evangelism and Cultural Study classes
• 10:00-10:30am      Break
• 10:30-11:00am      Intercession and listening to God
• 11:00-1:00pm         Session 2: Missions, Evangelism and Cultural Study classes
• 1:00-2:00pm           Lunch
• 2:00-3:00pm           Rest
• 3:00-5:00pm           Session 3: Missions, Evangelism and Cultural Study classes
• 5:00-6:30pm           Agriculture on Campus (for growing their food to eat)
• 6:30-8:00pm           Rest
• 8:00-9:00pm           Supper
• 9:00-12:00am         Study/ Homework

Agriculture work:  1 hour and 30 minutes

Time eating:  2 hours and 30 minutes

Prayer:  3 hours

Homework/ daily reading: 3 hours

Classroom lectures/ training: 6 hours

Sleeping/ resting:  8 hours

Graduates from the Kale Heywet School of Missions have seen as many as 10,000 Muslims come to Christ, more than 200 churches planted in previously Muslims areas.  I would say their daily schedule has a lot to do with the results they are witnessing in ministry. For two years, by choice, each morning they wake at 3:00am to pray continually for two hours.  During the day it is quite common to see groups of students gathered for prayer during their break times. The week I was teaching at the school, several of the students, in addition to fasting every Monday decided to do a 40 day fast to see God and his guidance for their lives into the mission field upon graduation.

Western trained minds are often looking for key strategies which can be replicated.  Textbooks, videos, teaching methodology and all quality of professors are all elements we look for. Yet, it seems the most important learning these students do is seeking the face of God.

I went to seminary in several different prestigious theological schools and I can tell you my daily scholastic schedule was very different.

Destruction from the Sky

During rainy season in Cambodia our showers are fast and violent.  It will rarely rain for hours on end, but usually strong weather systems move across Cambodia rapidly.  They are often preceded by violent wind storms; many which whip up micro-tornadoes.

Our Kracheh children’s center was hit by a micro-tornado a few years ago and it was a miracle that no one was killed or injured, though many musical instruments were destroyed and buildings damaged.   This weekend as I was driving up to Kracheh there was another micro-tornado that hit along one of the main roads I was traveling on.  The storms appear quickly and violently and within a minute they disappear.  This micro-tornado caused unbelievable damage to a traditional Cambodian wood house in seconds.  The foundation of the building was made from concrete pillars with a large hardwood top floor and a very heavy cement tile roof.  In a matter of a second the once beautiful home was completely demolished as if it was hit by a bomb. Even the concrete pillars were shattered.  It is not even recognizable as a house anymore.  Unfortunately, the owner of the house broke his back when the home collapsed.

In February I was visiting the homes of two of the girls at our Kracheh center, Chantha and Chanthy.  As I was leaving I snapped a picture of their home in the village.  A few weeks later, it too was demolished by a micro-tornado.

Why such terrible storms? Well, Cambodia has always have very violent wind storms, however, the massive deforestation in what was once a area thick with jungle only ten years ago.  Now, there are only a few small trees remaining.  The temperature seems much hotter and also the winds seem stronger as well.

Khon and baby Pirum

When the micro-tornado hit, the mother, two daughters and their new baby brother were inside the house. The little baby is a special promise baby, named Pirum.  Her mother, Khon, had three abortions and after counseling she prayed that God would give her one more child, specifically a son.

During the storm, the door was ripped off first and one of the daughters said she wanted to go and try to hold the door.  Her mother believes, if they didn’t stay huddled together that one or more of her children would have been killed.  Her two oldest girls were both injured when the house collapsed.  The roof beams hit them in the head when the whole house came crashing down about twenty feet from where it previously stood.

What is left of the roof

Remains of the floor

The remains of the walls

The neighbors were hit almost as hard, though did not have complete destruction of their homes.  One neighbor’s uncompleted home, with no roof or walls, was even thrown nearly 3 feet off its foundation.  It is amazing to think that just the wind moved solid hardwood beams into the air like that with no walls or roof to create a larger surface area.  It will have to be dismantled and rebuilt back on the foundation.

Neighbors house blown completely off its foundation beams

The other neighbor’s house was flipped upside down with the long-legged stilts facing to the sky.  When I took this picture they had just re-righted the home after removing the walls and roof.  The neighbor was not home when the storm hit.

What is left of the flipped house

The government sent out a quick response team, however, the only thing useful they brought was a 20kg sack of rice.  All of their rice was destroyed by the rain water.  The two bottles of soy sauce that was donated was not that helpful, nor were they given any supplies to help fix the house.  They hope to re-build the house as soon as possible because it is now raining and they are living under a tarp since the micro-tornado.  I have promised to help them with a new galvanized roof sheets once the new house frame is completed.

Did God send a micro-tornado? 

Well, it is always sad to me when I hear of disasters in America and I hear people saying, “Why did God do this to me?” I can guarantee you that God did not do that.  We know clearly from the Bible that while God could send a wind storm, as he is all-powerful, he certainly would not harm his children. Two significant stories in the Bible involving wind are the wind at the Red Sea and the wind on Galilee Lake.   On the shores of the Red Sea the Hebrew people faced certain death until God sent a wind to separate the sea and the people were saved from the Egyptian pharaoh (Exodus 14).  In the New Testament, Jesus calmed a wind storm that so scared the disciples that they thought they would die (Mark 4:35-40). While Jesus could certainly use wind to enact some divine justice, to hurt this poor Cambodian families is unlike his loving character.  Jesus loves us.  Satan, however, would be glad to send a wind storm.  Satan is a lover of destruction and death (John 10:10).

While we can do little to stop or prevent a micro-tornado, we can respond to the crisis.  We can love people.  We can share what we have with those who have lost everything.  I believe that through our response, and through the faithfulness of this beautiful family who is struggling to serve God, Christ Jesus will be glorified.  In this village, Chantha and Chanthy’s family is the only Christian one.  I know that God will use this terrible disaster for good and soon the village will know even more about the love of God.

Fire on the Mountains

Excerpt from book “Fire on the Mountains” by Ramond J. Davis,  published in 1980. ISBN: 0919470-03-3

The history of the beginnings of SIM work in Ethiopia from the 1920’s.

“While [Diasa] was sitting there, he noticed the chief of all witch doctors in Wallamo seated not far from him.  This witch doctor was a peculiar looking fellow with seven bunches of long hair on his head, braided in seven parts.  Everybody in the entire Wallamo tribe feared him greatly.  He was believed to have killed hundreds of people through the curses and hexes he put on them.  His compound was a great enclosure.  Passing through the door of the first enclosure, one entered a second enclosure, then a third.  No one but the witch doctor himself could enter the third enclosure—a narrow circle around the house where the witch doctor went to meet the devil when he wanted to call upon the spirits.  This enclosure was surrounded by a fence made of speakers, and every spear had come from a man whom he had cursed.  When a man died upon whom he had pronounced a curse, the relatives were duty bound to give the dead man’s spear to the witch doctor.  It was no wonder that the people feared him and trembled in his presence.

Diasa, however, was not afraid.  He continued telling the people that it was not necessary to weep as they were doing. He told them of Jesus Christ and His power to set men free from the power of satan. The people grew restless, fearing that this teaching would not please the witch doctor, and they began to try to silence Diasa. 

‘Be careful,’ they said. ‘Watch out. Don’t say that any more.’

But Diasa would not be quieted and talked louder and louder.

Finally the witch doctor spoke.  ‘Shut up!’ he commanded.

‘Who are you to tell me to shut up?’ Diasa replied. 

The people were terrified at Diasa’s boldness, so fearful were they of this man. They did not want Diasa to be killed by his curse.  ‘Be quiet,’ they urged again. ‘Don’t say anymore.’

But Diasa would not be stilled.  ‘Who are you to tell me to be quiet?’ he continued to the witch doctor.  ‘The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, told me to tell people this message everywhere, and no man can tell me to shut up. The Lord has told me to tell it.’

Then the witch doctor became very angry.  ‘Do you not know who I am?’

‘Yes, I know who you are,’ Diasa said.  ‘I know you are a witch doctor, and I know what you do not know Jesus as your Saviour.’

‘Do you not fear Gotcha Godo (chief of the witch doctors)?’

‘No, I do not fear.  I revere Jesus Christ.  You are the one who is causing the people to be bound in fear, who is giving them so much trouble.  Jesus Christ is able to save. He can break your power, and He can give life and light and liberty to the people when they believe on Him.’

The bold words of Diasa enraged Gotcha Godo. ‘Before six months are up,’ he shouted, ‘before the next meskal (big celebration of witchcraft every six months) comes, one of the white men’s servants is going to die!’

‘There are many people that follow the white man’s teaching.  Even so, it is not the white man’s teaching, but God’s teaching, and there are many of us here who follow God.  It is quite possible that some one of them would die during the next six months.  Now if you mean me, why don’t you call me by name?’ Diasa spoke calmly.

Gotcha Godo became even more furious.  Looking directly at Diasa, he extended his thin bony hand and put the long fingernail of this forefinger down on the ground, pointing the other fingers at Diasa.  His voice rasped as he spat out the words.

‘ Before six months are up, before the next meskal season comes around, you will be dead!’

There was a heavy silence as the people who heard the curse pronounced scarcely dared to breathe.  They drew back and watched in wide-eyed wonder, expecting something evil and violent to happen to Diasa immediately.

Turning to the people and lifting up his arms to prevent any uproar, Diasa spoke. ‘You have heard what this wicked man has said.  He is a liar, and his father is the devil, who is the father of lies.  Now you have heard this, I want you to watch.  If his evil curse upon me works, if I am dead before the next meskal comes, six months from now, then go ahead and worship the devil and follow him.  But if I am alive, I want you to turn to Jesus Christ, accept Him as your Saviour, and come and worship God with me!’

What Diasa had said and done never happened before.  He had no only challenged the chief witch doctor of the Wallamo people, but, in fact, the devil himself.  There can be no doubt that he had been given courage and empowered by the Holy Spirit that day.

Yet even an Elijah experienced fear.  that evening a trembling Diasa came to Mr. Lewis, before he went to work, to tell what he had done.

‘Teacher, did I do right?’

Mr. Lewis replied, ‘Yes, you did right, but you have to remember now that you have challenged satan.  But do not be afraid.  The Lord Jesus Christ is more powerful than satan. But do not be afraid.  The Lord Jesus Christ is more powerful than satan.  Christ Himself has said, ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ He has said, ‘All power in heaven and earth is given unto me.’ He is the All-Powerful One, and He is the One who has power over satan.  You know, Diasa, since you are a believer and have trusted your soul to Christ, He will protect you.  The devil cannot curse you.’ Together they read in the Word of God the promises of assurance and of God’s abiding presence, and Diasa was strengthened.

‘Let us pray about it and commit the matter entirely to God.  You must be very careful where you go, where you eat. This witch doctor and all those who support him are going to try in every way possible to bring about the fulfillment of this curse he has pronounced upon you. If you sit down to eat somewhere, somebody might try to poison you.  Therefore be very careful for these next six months, where you go, where you eat, and how you conduct yourself.’

Evening by evening as Diasa came to work they prayed together.  God gave strength and courage so that he was relived from his fear and his heart was filled with peace.  Only a person who had himself experienced the bondage of satan’s slavery and has been freed from it can fully appreciate what it meant to Diasa and the other believers to have challenged the hosts of wickedness– and now to be experiencing deliverance from satan’s awful power.

At the end of six months the time for the meskal celebration arrived.  It was held out on the broad plains six or seven miles from the mission station near the home of Gotcha Godo, the great witch doctor.  People gathered that day by the thousands.  Mr. Lewis describes took place:

‘Diasa mounted one my horses.  Desita, another of the believers, rode one, and I joined them.  We crossed the valley to the witch doctor’s place.  The plains were filled with horsemen, six hundred or more, playing games and throwing spears at each other.  We approached the place where the witch doctor sat, and there were the devil dancers.  The seven devil drums were being beaten incessantly.  A huge tree, particular species use only for this purpose, had been cut down.  The branches were left intact, and it was set in the ground so as to appear it was growing there.  Little bunches of grass were tied to its branches.  The people were dancing to the beating of the drums.

‘Then suddenly the drums changed beat. It was time for the people to assemble. They gathered in closely for the sacrifice of the great Passover celebration to satan.  In the midst of this place with hundreds and hundreds of people gathered round, we stood near the old witch doctor himself.  The drummers again changed their rhythmic beat– the dance took on a more portentous, ominous note.  The people began to sing in the worship of satan as preparation was made to offer the sacrifice.

‘ Diasa sprang to his feet and addressed himself to the witch doctor.  He said, ‘Gotcha Godo, do you remember me? I am the one you said would not be living on this day.  I want to testify that your god has no power, that the devil is a liar, and that you are a liar! I am here, and I am in good health! You said I would not live in the time of the meskal, but here I am!

‘ Now’, said Diasa, turning to the people, ‘you remember what I said? I said, if I am dead, then go and serve satan, but if I am alive, then turn to God.  There were many of you there that day who said you would do just this.  Now here I am, well and alive. I want you to turn to Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Saviour.’

‘It was still as death.  All eyes were riveted upon the witch doctor.  No one dared to move or speak.  Never before in living memory had anyone dared to challenge the life-and-death power of this priest of satan.  Fear was etched deeply upon their faces. What awful thing would happen now? Surely Diasa would be struck dead on the spot.  They dared not touch him.  Those nearby drew back in cringing unbelief— it could not be that any man could defy the Gotcha Godo and live.

‘ The drumming ceased and the dancers stood motionless. The witch doctor glared in anger at Diasa. The silence was almost unbearable. Diasa and his companion stood alone, singled out from the crowd.  The agent of satan and the child of God faced each other for what seemed an interminable interval.  Bewilderment wreathed the witch doctor’s face and his hands fell weakly at his side. He turned and like a whipped animal retreated to his enclosure.

‘Pandemonium now broke loose as the spell was broken and the people fled from the place in terror. That was the end of the witch doctors meeting, and his powerful hold on the people was broken.’

In the first decade of missionary work in Ethiopia less than 50 people believed in Jesus, along with Diasa.  However, in the 1930’s Italy, as part of a Nazi-Fascist attempt to conquer the world, invaded Ethiopia and all missionaries were expelled or killed.  Upon the return of the missionaries after World War II, the little church among the Wallamo people had grown to more than 100 churches and more than 10,000 believers.  Today the Kale Heywet (Word of Life) Church birthed during this time numbers as many as 8 million believers.  The tribes of the Wallamo are nearly 100% Christian and are now sending missionaries into other countries.

Enoch: Who Would Not Die

Enoch, or Henok in Ethiopian, is a missionary evangelist who has served God in many remote areas of Ethiopia.  Five years ago he served in a desert region which borders Somalia. While he was serving there by evangelizing and trying to plant a new church he heard the Holy Spirit speak to him clearly.  The Holy Spirit told him there would be a great temptation and trial coming to him, so he must fast and pray for 18 days.  He immediately started his fast drinking only one small cup of water with some gruel each evening during the fast.  He sought God and prayed for his protection, but he received no further instructions.

After 18 days he completed the fast and satan sent a woman to meet him.  She tried to seduce him and even tried to get into his house to sleep with him.  He refused her.  He assumed this was the challenge and so he rejoiced that he remained strong.  He then took the actions of the lady to some Christian women and asked them to counsel her.  They did so, but this made the woman furious that her seducing was made public.

Many times, while he was on mission reaching into these unreached areas people would cook food for him.  So, one day he was brought some food.  It was normal Ethiopian food and he ate it.  However, this woman had poisoned the food.  Within hours he laid in his little mud house in intense pain and then he died.

When he died he found himself in the presence of two mighty angels.  They were large angels and grasped his arms on each side and took him ascending into the heavens.  He questioned the angels, “What did I do?  Why did you kill me?”  He was almost angry to be headed to heaven, but they remained silent.  They took him to a large house where a tall and handsome man walked out and faced him.  He asked again, “What did I do?”  And the man said to the angels, “Set him free”.  He then came back to life in the little hut the next day.

Immediately he was completely restored and he continued to share about Jesus and how God saved him from death from poisoning!  A small group of believer was formed.

It was not long after that, that the woman decided to try to kill him again.  She arranged to poison the food again and once again, he died.  This time he did not see angels or meet his Savior.  He does not know exactly how long he was dead, but it was the next day before he came back to life again.  Once again Jesus defeated the power of death again.  By now, word was spreading that this Christian man could not be killed.  This was a staunchly Muslim area, but Enoch refused to retreat even after being killed twice with poison.  After each poisoning, he was brought back to life again.

Many people began believing in Jesus seeing the power of God being stronger than death! A small church was born and began to grow.  However, the woman, unknown to Enoch, was not satisfied with killing him twice.  She poisoned him again, for a third time using stronger poisons to somehow make him “more dead”.  Again Enoch died.  Yet, again, a third time Jesus brought him back to life, in the presence of others, after being dead for many hours.

After the third murder, the woman came to him and bowed weeping before him and confessed that she tried to kill him three times.  She explained how she was able to poison his food that was brought to him, yet when he died, each time he lived again.  When he died, he knew someone had killed him, however, his response was simply to continue sharing Jesus with everyone.  He didn’t leave the dangerous region and try to go back to home, or retire.  He simply continued to share the love of Jesus because he knew that this trial was the larger one that the Holy Spirit had warned him about.  The lady convicted in her heart then came weeping before him.  She said that she saw Jesus in him.  Then, before the man she killed three times, she prayed to accept Jesus in her heart.

In that place near the Somalia border among people who were formerly Muslim, there is now a thriving group of Christ followers numbering more than five hundred. The woman who poisoned him is one of the worship leaders in the church. Enoch has now moved to other remote areas of Ethiopia and is serving God by sharing the love of Jesus among others who may also try to kill him again.

After hearing this story, you may have some of the same questions I had.  I asked him, “Who was the man that you met with the angels?”

Enoch, replied, “I never asked his name.  But, I think it was Jesus.”

Enoch of Ethiopia, your mother gave you a very fitting name. Enoch of the Bible was taken up into heaven and never knew death. Enoch of Ethiopia has known death three times, yet lives to share the love of Jesus.

Ultimate Jet Lag

Star Date 2556.  No I am not a Star Trek fanatic; that is the year in Cambodia.  Our year started on April 15^th on the moment that the new moon was complete.  The year is based on a calendar linked to the date of the death of Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha.  They follow a lunar calendar so, holy Buddhist days are linked to the phases of the moon every 15 days.  However, in the ever-increasing modern Cambodia most people are using the Christian calendar (i.e. 2013) which is based on Pope’s Gregory who tried to date the Birth of Jesus more correctly in 1582, it followed a correction of a calendar established in AD 325.  (Note: AD refers to Anno Domini which is Latin for “In the Year of Our Lord” which is followed by the date, i.e. AD 2013.  AD is correctly written in front of the year, not behind.  BC, however, is derived from English, not Latin and means “Before Christ”, meaning before the birth of Jesus, thus it is written after the year, i.e. 962 BC.)

So, last week I was visiting Ethiopia. In previous years I had trouble with my wife because her visa for Ethiopia was marked “valid in 2003”, however, we were issued the visa and traveled in 2011.  Then I discovered that Ethiopia has a completely different calendar.  Ethiopia follows what is called the Julian Calendar which is also based on the birth of Jesus, however, is more accurate.  The reason why the church switched to the Gregorian calendar was the fluctuation in the annual celebration of Easter, however, the date of Jesus’ birth is likely closer to the Ethiopian calendar. It was also a point of competition between Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) Christian leaders. Therefore, right now it is the year 2005 in Ethiopia!

Flying from Cambodia, via Dubai to Ethiopia causes extreme jet lag.  I leave Cambodia in the year 2556 and land in Dubai some 543 years earlier! That is quite a confusing 6 hour flight! When then after a brief transit in Dubai, I fly another 4 hours and end up 7 years back farther, landing in 2005.  If that wasn’t enough, Ethiopia has 13 months, not 12 as in most countries.  12 of the months are evenly spaced at 30 days each, however, the 13^th month has either 5 or 6 days depending on leap year or not.  I was so confused by the year I never even knew which month I was in.  And if you thought I could possible make my travel even more confusing, Ethiopia is one of the few countries in the world which does not subscribe to the GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) for world time-zones in which the entire world is divided into 24 time zones of approximately 15 degrees each.  Though Ethiopia lies in the time-zone GMT+3, it has its own time.  The time is based on the sunrise.  Therefore, about 6:00am at GMT+3 time the sun rises and in Ethiopia time becomes 1:00am.  Noon by GMT is actually 6:00am while sunset around 6:00pm is actually noon in their time.  Midnight doesn’t come until 5:00am!

Well, after a week teaching in 2005 I am headed back to 2557.  It didn’t take that long at maximum warp speed.  Within 12 hours I had reached 2557 at GMT+7.

Fortunately, I didn’t take time to visit my friends in Nepal.  They just celebrated the New Year last month and welcomed the year 2070!  I have no idea who’s death or birth that is based on. Rumor is it is based on one King’s victory over another King 2070 years ago.  And just to be unique, they chose to also modify the GMT time zone where they are geographically located.  Neighboring India, chose to be different from their political and religious rival’s Pakistan and Bangladesh which were all in GMT+5 and +6 respectively, so they adjusted their time zone by 30 minutes to not be linked to their rival’s times.  Nepal, which sits directly north of India should be in the same time zone, but wanted to be unique as well, therefore adjusted their time by an additional 15 minutes.  So Nepal’s time zone is a unique GMT+5 plus an additional 45 minutes. Therefore Pakistan is at GMT+5, India at GMT 5:30, Nepal at GMT 5:45 and Bangladesh at GMT+6:00 though they are geographically in the same area.

Whew, you see why jet lag is such a problem when traveling.  I think I am going to get some sleep then try to figure out what year I am in.  Good night. . . or day. . . or. . . never mind. I have jet lag!

Prayer at a Higher Level

Just by seeing this title with the word “prayer” in it I think will limit the number of people who will bother to read this blog. While, as Christians, we talk about “prayer” regularly, how many of us really pray?  I mean, actually stop what you are doing, sit down, or kneel, or even more bizarrely prostrate yourself, shutting out all distractions, and talk to the creator of the world?   Here is where I lose even more readers! I know many of you are thinking, “you mean really pray?”

At the same time our churches talk about prayer all the time, yet honestly, for most of us, the only prayer we do is the brief 35 seconds before we chomp into our dinner or the couple of 45 second transition segments between singing a hymn, a scripture passage and the Pastoral message on Sunday.  So, are we people of prayer? Are we people who commune with God and know his heart?

Many times when I visit churches I invariably get invited to speak at an early morning group of “prayer warriors” who meet regularly at a coffee shop, or in an office at a church; and quite often before 6am.  This is what we jokingly call an “ungodly hour”.  Why do we joke like that?   As a visiting speaker I can’t decline these early morning invitations because it would look odd for the visiting missionary to decline a “prayer meeting”.  Also, my personality is one which would rather please others than to show any discomfort. So, out of religious and personal duty I attend.  Let me tell you what I usually find at 6:00am prayer meetings.  In a church of 800 regular worshippers on Sunday there will definitely be less than ten people.  I have been in churches of around 2,000 people and had the same small number show up.  In fact, I have been in churches of more than ten thousand with the same result; All over America, and the world.  It is not a Western phenomenon, it is global.  I laughed at an experience I had when I was invited to an “all day fasting and prayer meeting” at a church in Cambodia.  It started at 9:am and went to 1:pm, only four hours long.  It started after breakfast and finished only an hour after the regular lunch time when the entire group of those who assembled to fast and pray went to an all-you-can-eat buffet  restaurant to ‘recover’ from their fasting and prayer.  I kid you not.

I am not going to try and convince you that I am something I am not.  Do I pray? Yes, and often, but I rarely spend hours in prayer at one time.   I don’t set rules and standards that insist that to be a pastor with me you have to kneel for 5 hours a day praying to be accepted, though I have heard some do that.  I do know that prayer has great value.  I am blessed to have thousands of people who pray for me and I know it affects what I do and the spiritual strength I need to accomplish the ministry God has given me.  When I tell a person I will pray for them I really do.  I don’t just say their name out loud with a general “God bless Billy Bob” as I send out an e-mail saying I am praying; then only to quickly jump back to a TV show I was watching.  That kind of “prayer” has little value to me.

Right now I am in Ethiopia and one of the things I have been so blessed with was to join with the Ethiopian’s prayer times.  They pray with anointing.  They pray with power.  They pray with their whole bodies: standing, sitting, jumping, prostrating, as God leads them and without inhibitions.  So, here in Ethiopia I heard about an annual missions fasting and prayer gathering.  It is held on the annual Orthodox holiday of the “Day of Epiphany”.  I had no idea what that was, I had to look it up.  It is the day that Orthodox Christians celebrate the baptism of Jesus.  It was at this time that the Trinity was demonstrated in the voice of Father God and the dove of the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus.  So, here in Durame, Ethiopia (if you check Google maps you will see simply a blur, because to the Google minds there is nothing of value here to put this small town into high resolution) the Christians gather annually to pray for missionaries to reach the lost.  Yet, Durame is a kind of “end of the earth” destination.  Even in Ethiopia there are plenty of people who have no idea where Durame is.  But God and his angels certainly do.

Get ready to be encouraged.  Do you know how many people showed up this last January?  Nearly 100,000 people.  These 100,000 people showed up to fast and pray for missions.  Now, let me tell you a bit about Durame.  It is the homeland of the Kambata people, but several other tribes live nearby as well.  There are no paved roads anywhere near here.  Electricity rarely stays on for more than an hour at a time.  There are no “mega-churches” in the town, but there are plenty of “small churches” of about 300-500.  There are a few churches with have over a thousand people, but none are especially large.

So, now you know the number of people who come to fast and pray is pretty amazing, but that is not the most amazing part.  Can you imagine where they meet?  It’s not exactly like any place in Durame, Ethiopia, much less the capital Addis Ababa could host a crowd of 100,000 people.  They hold it each year at the top of a mountain, a pretty high one, overlooking Durame.  So I asked one of the Christian leaders who attends the gathering each year what was up at the top of the mountain.  “Nothing”, he replied.  It only a bare mountain top with one large tree.  There is no road or path to the top, it is only a slick red clay mountainside that all of these people need to climb up.

Not only that, the prayer service begins at sunrise.  So, these people walk in the dark for at least 3 hours up to the mountain in the dark just to pray and fast for the day. They come down before nightfall. Regardless of rain or frigid temperatures (it is usually quite cold, even approaching freezing in January) they walk up the mountain to carry a special offering for missions.  The leader of this prayer festival, Dr. Desta has now trained and sent out more than 130 missionaries across Ethiopia from this mountain top.  Looking at the steep mountain, it would probably take me at least 5 hours to walk up it.  But honestly, when I heard about this I thought this is something I would love to do.  I would love to pray, I mean really pray, with 1,000 people, but can you imagine 100,000 people praying on a mountain top?  I cannot imagine that God would not be close to them.  I cannot imagine that such commitment to prayer would not draw a person closer into the loving embrace of the Father.

What does it take to be this kind of person of prayer?  Well, I can tell you it doesn’t take a fancy church.  All their churches here are made of compressed mud.  You’ll never see one of these churches on a post card, or turned into a museum. It doesn’t take money, because the people I have met here in Ethiopia are much poorer economically than most nations I have visited, including Cambodia.  It doesn’t take a giant state-of-art facility, for these people.  To them an unnamed barren mountain top three hours walk away seems perfect.  It doesn’t come out of a point of personal need, because they are not going there for their own personal prayer requests and needs, but to pray for the unreached people of the world and to offer personal sacrifices to God there.  These sacrifices to God could me money, it could be crops, or it could be their own life.  It is not selfish, but it is an attitude of giving which drives them.

So, what causes this passion for prayer to be so strong that they want to walk hours up a mountain in complete darkness, and sometimes in the rain too, to fast and pray for others?  I believe it comes from the conviction that they know prayer really makes a difference.  I believe they think their group of Christians, united and praying for the lost people of the world, will make a difference.  They believe lives will be changed.  They believe that God will use them to change the world.

On the side of this mountain is based the Kale Hewyet School of Missions.  This is where I annually teach.  Though I have been invited to speak in large and prestigious theological seminaries, this mission school has my highest priority every year.  It is here that God teaches me more about him.  It is here, not where I love to teach and imparting new knowledge to students, but where God can teach me new things and where I can learn from simple people.  Though they are simple people and have great passion, they truly believe that through prayer and the power of God, they can indeed change the world.  And they are doing it, from Durame, Ethiopia.

From Victim to Victim

I was shocked, just like the nation and much of the world, at the bombing of the Boston Marathon.  In the first video feed I saw an elderly runner fall off his feet, likely hit my shrapnel.  My eyes fixated on him.  People didn’t know what to do.  They didn’t know what happened.  Yet, in a millisecond, they knew that terrorism had struck them.  Panic hit.  A second bomb and the scene was utter chaos.  Some ran away, others ran directly to the bombsite.  That is not natural.

I was immediately taken back to another bombing, almost exactly ten years ago.  I was with hundreds of leaders getting ready to preach here in Cambodia.  My wife was home making dinner for me.  I got a call from my Mom moments before I was to step on the stage.  Uncharacteristically I answered it.  It was then I got the news that my Dad had been gravely wounded in a bomb attack in Davao city, Philippines.  I rushed home and called my travel agent to get a flight to the Philippines.  In those days, airplanes did not fly into Cambodia at night, so I had to wait till the next morning to fly out.  I too turned on the news: CNN, BBC, and Channel News Asia  to get any information.  Because of its remoteness there was only one video clip taken at a distance away from the blast site and the Singaporean Channel News Asia aired it.  Some kids were playing in the street with their parents when a massive plume of smoke and shock wave hit them and through the wobble of the camera you could see the blast.  Soon after, another call came from my Mom. Dad was gone.  Everything after that didn’t matter.

For nearly a week, my Dad’s face was on all the news networks.  The Iraq war had not yet started, even though everyone knew it would be soon, so they had nothing much to talk about except my Dad.  Arriving in the Philippines my Dad’s face was on the front of every newspaper.  I had few thoughts.  I was grieving, but I did think and pray continuously about my response.  Sitting on a Kuwait Airways plane in route to the Philippines God spoke to me about how to respond: Vengeance.

We all knew my Dad was killed by Muslim terrorists because the group called MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) claim responsibility for the attack.  It came weeks before a US and Philippine military exercise near the Muslim region in Cambodia.  The US FBI classified my father’s death as an official “Victim of the War of Terror” which opened the door for some federal support.

Boston.  Another bombing on US soil.  Growing up in the Philippines, unfortunately, bombings are common.  I have seen them.  I have had other friends killed in other bombings.  It is a regularly way used by cowards to bring terror into the lives of innocent and random people;  Hence the term “terrorism”.

When you were born, you inherently had rights as our Declaration of Independence says,  “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”  When that bomb went off in Boston, your rights were violated, and these rights are unalienable, which means ‘they cannot be taken away’.  You have the right to respond.

In the Old Testament, we can see clearly what are your “unalienable rights” and what the punishment for violating those rights are.  The Bible says, “Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Deuteronomy 19:21).

Governments are ordained by God and they will extract some form of justice, however, the justice of the modern era is always politically tainted.  In fact, as a victim, I am sorry to say you may never see justice in your lifetime.

When my father was killed, no one was ever put to justice.  I have never heard anything from the FBI nor the State Department and only a few unofficial words from US Military Intelligence.  The Philippine Government never pursued any perpetrators, nor those who claimed responsibility: the MILF.  In fact, not only that, but to rub salt on the wounds of decades of atrocities, they gave amnesty, autonomous land, and even allowed them to keep their weapons and militias and give little or no honor to victims of the seemingly never-ending violence.

Fortunately, I have never put my hopes for justice in any government.  A response to the violation of my rights and my family’s right is my personal quest.  It is my right to respond.  I choose vengeance.   My father was targeted for several reasons:  He was white, he was an American, he was a Christian living in what Muslims consider a “Christian enclave” in Davao City.  In previous years my Mom and Dad were even put on a list of those whom the Muslims wanted to kidnap and hold for ransom in Mindanao.  What work did they do?  My father was a teacher.  A music teacher and Bible teacher.  He led choirs.  He worked in development providing poor farmers with capital to grow their farms.  He taught pastors how to love their neighbors and those who hate them too.  He provided relief to Muslims when their villages were bombed by the government forces.  For this he was killed.

Why were runners, citizens of Boston, and tourists from around the world targeted?  We don’t know the motive, and may never know, but we can be sure why they attacked Boston.  It is famous.  The race is famous, probably the most famous marathon in the world.  Boston is known as a “Catholic city” even though it is certain that every faith, or atheist faith, lives in the city, as too for Davao City.  They were attacked because of their freedom and their expressions of their freedom.

Victims, honestly, may never see justice in their lifetimes.  Rest assured, however, God will ensure eternal justice.  All victims of the bombing have the right of response.   No one will condemn you for your response.  Some will respond with anger and some with hopelessness.  Some will respond with unusual compassion for others and forgiveness.

I would put forward that a defensive posture will not help you.  You cannot simply hide and hope evil will never come your way again.  It is coming.  I grew up in a country where these bombings are so common they barely make the news unless several people are killed.  Evil will always seek to destroy good.  Peace cannot exist on an island and hope that violence will never come to its shores.  It will come.

I made a decision to be as aggressive and calculated with love as evil is with destruction and terror.  I purposely return to the Philippines, not to the beaches, but the Muslim areas, every few months to extract vengeance.  My vengeance is love.  These evil people tried to destroy my family with a bomb.  They tried to kill compassion with their evil.  They tried to conquer peace.  I refuse to allow evil to win.  Since that carefully planned and calculated bombing ten years ago I have calculated my vengeance in Mindanao and around the world.  Without going into details, I work with pastors to establish centers for empowerment, centers for love and centers for education around Mindanao.  There are more than 200 centers right now and I have not yet fully extracted my vengeance.  I will continue.

From victim to victim I would like to encourage those whose lives have been forever altered by violence.  Don’t lose hope.  The nation loves you.  The world loves you.  The government will seek a form of justice.  All you need to concern yourself with is healing and your response.  Some people made an immediate response and ran into the smoke to deliver aid to the wounded.  This is not natural.  This is love. If you respond with anger and violence, it is your right, no one will condemn you.  However, the most damage you can do to the enemy is to respond with forgiveness and love.  Anger and violence will only breed more evil and hatred.  However, forgiveness and love will conquer the enemy.

Victims of Boston: I really pray for you, not just with fancy words, but really taking time to pray to our Lord God for you.  I pray for your response.  I stand with you.  I pray you seek vengeance through love. Boston is historically known as the birthplace of revolution in America.  I pray your response ignites another revolution:  a revolution of love.

Day of Hate

My wife Noit, along with all the other people who were living in the capital city Phnom Penh were considered worthless city people.  The Khmer Rouge leadership had determined that all the nations problems could be traced to the city people.  They were viewed as oppressors because they were rich and they acted like it.  Those wealthy people in the capital city knew they were a wealthy and educated elite and tended to treat the poor farmers poorly. Therefore, the sinister Khmer Rouge leader determined rather than to be executed, which would have been an easy punishment and a waste of bullets and manpower, all city people would be put to work like animals.  They would be worked to death.  Of the terrible slogans they had, one recalled, “Blood makes the ground grow softer.”  This is referring to the blood of these city people used in producing more rice in their agrarian dreams.  When they died, their bodies were simply dumped into the fields, bushes and ditches with minimal effort.  They rarely even covered the decaying corpses. These people were called, “17”.  Noit was labeled “17”. Her name, her life, her age and her identity were all irrelevant.  To the Khmer Rouge she had no value because she was born in the capital city.

The number 17 comes from the day that the Khmer Rouge took over Phnom Penh: April 17, 1975. Since the defeat of the Khmer Rouge the country celebrates a national holiday called the “Day of Hate” on the day when they routed the Khmer Rouge from the last of the cities in Cambodia. The actual holiday is officially called in Cambodian “Tngie chong kumhung”  which literally means “Day of Bitterness and Rage”. It has been celebrated every year since 1979 when the Vietnamese beat the Khmer Rouge out of Phnom Penh. Those who celebrate it are those who were called “17” by the Khmer Rouge.

I don’t believe that a person can move forward in emotional healing while still celebrating a day of “bitterness and rage”. Remember, absolutely, but continue to stir up bitterness and rage, no.

A few years ago, Cambodia’s most unlikely witness of Christ gave a message of healing and forgiveness on national television.  His name was “Duch”.  He was a Khmer Rouge officer who oversaw the torture and execution of more than 20,000 people.  While still with the Khmer Rouge fighting in the border regions along the western border with Thailand, he had heard about Jesus.  Someone gave him a Bible and he read it cover to cover. He accepted Christ and was going around spreading the good news of Jesus.

Quickly, once people knew who he was, he was arrested and after a decade of detention was charged with “crimes against humanity” and “genocide”.  His trial lasted nearly two years.  Actually, the court was limited to only prosecute the most senior members of the Khmer Rouge, but no one was talking except Duch, so they put him on the stand.  He said repeatedly, “I should be prosecuted for the evils I have done in this world, but for me I know that whatever happens to my body, my soul is safe with Jesus.” His very Christian witness on the stand each day often infuriated judges and victims of the Khmer Rouge. Many, never knowing what Christians believe, were puzzled by his confessions and seeking forgiveness.  No other Khmer Rouge leader ever admitted to atrocities.

Finally, the trial was coming to a close.  He had requested that his punishment be “death by stoning” so that he could die like the worst of sinners in the Bible.  The court refused but he had a chance to give his final defense and beg for his life.  What resulted was the clearest presentation of the gospel I think Cambodia has ever heard.  Mind you, the entire trial was broadcasted live on every television station in the nation.

Instead of begging for his life, he started out.  “I know many of you wonder about my faith in Jesus and how that contradicts with my role in the Khmer Rouge. I want to talk about that.”

Summarizing his twenty minute remarks about religion he said, “I have studied Buddhism and was fully dedicated to following all the precepts, yet I found no peace in this.  I studied Islam and read the Koran cover to cover, but I found nothing there to draw me.  I was introduced to atheism under the communists and I strived as hard as I could to be the best communist I could.  Yet, I found nothing.  Then one day I heard about the teachings of Jesus. I was given a Bible and it studied it thoroughly cover to cover. In the Bible the teaching of Jesus says to ‘love your enemies’ (Matthew 5:44). I knew that this was a radical teaching, unlike any other religion.  I have studied all these religions and only Jesus teaches this. I appeal to my fellow Cambodians to believe in Jesus and follow his ways. Jesus is the answer for Cambodia.  If we all believed in Jesus there would be no more wars, no more hatred between people and no revenge. I appeal to all of Cambodia to believe in Jesus.”

Upon concluding his gospel presentation, the defense rested. Many in the court room scoffed; some looked puzzled; others contemplated. His sentence was later passed down which would ensure he spent the rest of his life in prison.  Cambodia saw and heard with their eyes how Jesus changes lives. As Duch illustrated, forgiveness is the only way to bring healing to the land which still celebrates a “Day of Hate.”

Many people have asked how a nation deals with the emotional and psychological trauma they experienced.  How did Noit deal with it?  The answer is simple.  Jesus healed her heart when she forgave the Khmer Rouge.  Jesus even gave her a chance to share the gospel with the Head of State of the Khmer Rouge, the very one who masterminded the plan to torture and exterminate her entire family and all those labeled “17”, with the only desire to give him the peace and forgiveness that only Jesus can bring.

Your Global Impact: 20 Feet

Your Global Impact: 20 feet

Over the last few years I have been thinking and praying a lot about what it takes to impact a nation.  I have considered traditional strategies as well as the internet and the power of the digital word being broadcast out through so many channels like YouTube, Facebook, Word Press blogging and websites.  Literally I have had readers of my blog in every country of the world on my blog site, except North Korea.  However, what is my impact?  Am I seeing lives changed though my digital footprint? Is it global?

I also considered the most common strategies for reaching Cambodia. I can’t tell you how many times, hundreds of times, that I have heard people talk about reaching Cambodia and their strategy is to simply plant a little church in Phnom Penh and put a flag up on the wall in their head office.  Mission accomplished?  Well, only about 10% of Cambodia actually live in the capital.  While there are thousands of foreign Christian witnesses, hundreds of churches, and hundreds of ministries which have an office in Phnom Penh does that equate with “nation-wide impact”?  Countless times I have also heard of strategies whereby all of Cambodia can be reached simply by starting one project/church/office or sending a staff member or church planter on a 3 day “mission” to each of the 24 provinces in Cambodia.  Do you think Cambodia is reached then?

Welcome to reality. 

There are 14,106 official villages in Cambodia, there are 2-3,000 unofficial ones that have been started in the last few years and have not been put on any map yet.  There are 15 million people in Cambodia from 31 different indigenous ethnic groups.  1,800 new Cambodians are born every single day! Only about 5 indigenous groups have Christians living among them.  More than 20 indigenous groups have never met one Christian witness, ever.

What has been the result of all these typical nationwide strategies?  Phnom Penh could have as many as 1,000 worshipping groups.  Nearly every single road in the entire city of Phnom Penh (more than 700 roads) has multiple churches on them.  There are more than 40 churches within 1 km of my office alone.   However, the average size of regularly attending worshippers in Cambodia is only 19 people. And I know for a fact, that while there are 3 churches within 50 meters of my house, yet none of my neighbors know anything about Jesus other than they are noisy (one church has a huge sound system).

There are 24 provincial capitals in Cambodia.  Guess where the missionaries live? My educated guess: 95% in Phnom Penh; 1% in Battambang (the second largest city at 250,000 people); 1% in Seam Reap (the largest tourist town in Cambodia, home of Angkor Wat and many western restaurants, plus an international airport); 1% in Sihanoukville (a tiny little town of less than 50,000 people, but it has a nice beach!); All other 19 provinces combined have the remaining 1% (many of these places still don’t have electricity!).   So, with such a strategy when do you think Cambodia will be reached?  Do those 4 urban areas have enough influence to impact all of Cambodia with the gospel?

My personal quest:

I have been trying to reach Cambodia for years; nearly two decades now.  I have planted churches in 19 provinces and I have ministered in every single province and nearly all of the nearly 200 districts of Cambodia.  I never need a map, because I have been there before. . . where? Everywhere.   Last year I helped to start a church in Poipet which is one of the fastest growing cities in Cambodia.  There are a few Christian witnesses in this town, but not many even though it is the fourth largest city in Cambodia.  The town has a bad reputation:  Casino’s, gangs, drugs, human trafficking and there is no beach, but plenty of mud, mud, mud.  Well, the little group of worshippers on the northeast side of town is centrally located in a neighborhood of more than 50,000 people who live within 1 km of the church.  It is densely packed here.  All the roads are mud.  Most of the homes are just shacks made from recycled garbage and bamboo.  Well, over the last year the church has averaged nearly three hundred people which is pretty large for Cambodia (remember the average size church is 19 people).  So, I decided to track our “impact” in the city of nearly 150,000 people.  Do you know what I found? Honestly?  I found our impact was about 3 blocks!  That’s it!  Why only 3 blocks?  Because nearly everyone walks to the church and literally they only come within a three block radius.

So are we reaching Poipet?  Nope.  Will we reach Poipet, even if we grow to a thousand member church?  I doubt it.  Realistically speaking.  This caused me to ponder even more how it is possible to reach a country.  It is easy to say we have a nation-wide or global vision, but how does one actually do it?

Last week I was walking what I called the “Freedom Walk”.  This walk took me nearly 250km across Cambodia by foot.  I primarily stayed on a main road (road number 5), but many times I would go off the main road into villages and meeting with people.  Along my 250km journey I found so many churches.  I was encouraged.  Some were big fancy ones.  Other’s clearly funded by Koreans with big gaudy red crosses on the roof.  There were Christian orphanages.  There was a Christian hospital.  There were Christian organizations.  There was also several Bible schools along the way.  I was passed by multiple missionaries and their vehicles moving between population centers as well.  Literally I only found one village along the entire 250km journey that didn’t have Christians, and that was because the lone Christian had just died. All of these things were on the main road.

Yet, when I walked off the main road; sometimes leaving the main road by only 100 meters I can tell you the whole spiritual atmosphere changed.  Not only were there very few Christians, but I met people who had never heard of Jesus.  They were just 100 meters away from a Christian thoroughfare.  I even had one person tell me that she knew of Christians, “but they didn’t travel back where she was” (she was 5km off the main road! That’s only 3 miles!)

I thought and prayed about how to impact this nation.  I thought about strategies brining in yet another church into the capital city.  I thought about the “every province” strategy.  I thought about the heart of Cambodian’s which always say they want “every village in Cambodia to have Christians”.  It is a constant desire and prayer of the Christians.  There is even an organization made just to promote that vision.

My Conclusion:

I came to an epiphany as I was walking.  As a Christian I carry the Spirit of Jesus within me.  Wherever I go, Jesus goes.  Wherever any Christian goes, Jesus goes there too.  Yet, he is only relevant to others when I do or say something which points them to Jesus.  Just walking is meaningless.  Driving by, or flying over a village has no value in transforming lives.  Just staring at a map and plotting points is meaningless.  Having one church of 19 people, or even a thousand, in the same geographical province is irrelevant to the other million people who live away from those followers of Christ. I only have an impact for Jesus when I stop and talk to someone.  When I pray for them.  When I say “hello”  and listen to them laugh or joke about me.  When I listen to their stories.  When I care about them.   I can really only do that within about 10 feet, or 20 feet at the most, of my present location.  Then it came to me. . . I was convicted that my total global impact is the 20 feet around me right now.

Whether you are in the biggest city in Cambodia, or the smallest little jungle village you have the same impact as me: 20 feet.

I think our strategies have been in error.  I don’t think you can reach a country, any country, through its capital city.  I don’t think you can reach a province through its provincial capital.  I don’t think you can reach a county or district by its county seat.  Every one of the 15 million people in Cambodia are special.  They are all made by God and they are all unique.  The only way we are going to reach a country is to physically go (the big word is ‘incarnational’) to every person, within 20 feet, and present to them Jesus.  Show them we care about them. To love them.

I am not going to reach Cambodia for Christ with a blog.  I am not going to reach the nation with my thousands of hours of radio broadcasting.  I am not going to reach this nation through our big church in the capital city, nor through any other national-strategy I have heard about.  The only way I am going to have an impact on the larger nation of Cambodia is to get out of the car, move to areas off the main roads and go village by village meeting people within my 20 feet of space.  Then and only then, according to what I do and what I say, will have an impact on Cambodia.

What is my global impact?  Yep, its only 20 feet.

So, who is in the 20 feet around you?  If you find that space is only full of family and the faithful followers of Christ, you’re not going to be much of a catalyst for changing the world.  We are all going to have to step out of our comfort zones, leave the main highways and slow down and meet people.  We need to get within 20 feet of people who are not like us, who are broken, who are impoverished, who are angry, who are addicted, who are hurting and be their friend.  Then, in those 20 feet, we can change the world.

A Dead Heart

By Steve and Noit Hyde

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After completing the Freedom Walk honoring Noit together we have had many meaningful conversations together since then. Last night as Noit and I talked of how Jesus has transformed our hearts and grew His love in us, then, Noit commented on the condition of her heart immediately after the Khmer Rouge.

Few people, probably, can understand what life under the Khmer Rouge did to a person’s heart. Yes, there was the physical pain during the Khmer Rouge reign as they worked us digging water canals by hand which were miles long; the toil planting and harvesting rice from before dawn and late until the night was excruciating, and all this was done on only a few grains or rice per day. With so little food, we lived at the physical limits of our strength and most people died because of this. Yet, the worst thing of the Khmer Rouge was the fear they burned into us. From moment to moment we didn’t know when we would be killed as a traitor. If we ever stood out, either as weak or hard working, we would be killed. If we ever stole a leaf to eat, we had to confess for fear that someone saw us and take the torture and beatings they gave us as punishment. We never knew who was Khmer Rouge, who was a spy, or who was friend. In fact, there were no friends. We feared everyone. Everyone was alone. Fear was the worst pain in our heart.

Even walking back to Phnom Penh fear was everywhere. We feared the Vietnamese. We feared being raped. We feared they would abuse us and kill us. We didn’t know why they were in our country and assumed they were there to imprison us as well. We feared ambushes and landmines. We feared death every moment. Upon arriving in Phnom Penh the fear in us slowly deadened our hearts. As a new country under the Vietnamese occupation was formed some normalcy returned, though fear was still present. The Vietnamese were not as brutal as the Khmer Rouge, but they still ruled by fear.

My sister was selected as a potential police officer and was sent to Vietnam for training. For three long months I was alone until she returned. She used her connections to get me a job in the police as well. I worked from 1980 until the mid 1990’s as a police officer. However, during this time my heart had grown completely dead.

I don’t know if you can imagine what a dead heart is like. Literally, my body felt nothing. I thought nothing. I was nothing. I only performed my duty like a machine. From the moment I completed my work I went home, ate some food, and laid down in my bed until it was time to go to work the next day. I thought of nothing. I dreamed of nothing. I had no ideas enter my mind. I did not think of pain. I did not think of the Khmer Rouge and my loss. I also did not think of happiness, nor what joyful emotion would be like. My heart was completely dead. The only thing I felt going in and out of my body was air.

This is what the Khmer Rouge did to me. They killed me. Only my heart had not stopped yet. They killed all our people. They killed my nation.

Then the Vietnamese withdrew from Cambodia. It was the early 1990’s. Foreign troops came with blue helmets and lots of money poured into Cambodia. I continued to do my duty like a machine.

Then a miracle happened. I heard about Jesus. I didn’t want this foreign religion nor did I want its rituals. I only wanted to feel again and I could feel Jesus. I believed. That was in 1994. Soon after I believed in Christ I remember crying. It was the first time I could remember crying in my whole life. Under the Khmer Rouge if we cried, we would be killed. I cried for hours and could not stop. My heart came back to life when Jesus came in.

Recently, a missionary asked me, “Noit, you are so gentle and loving; so introverted, yet at the same time you can do anything. You engage with everyone and you have boldness to say or do anything to anyone. How is that possible?”

Noit just smiled and said, “Because Jesus healed my heart. My heart is alive and full of love. I have no fear at all. I have Jesus.” The missionary probably had no idea how profound her comment was.

Noit is not a typical Cambodian and certainly, not a typical Cambodian woman. She will love anyone. Man, woman, child or elderly. I remember when she hugged a young man dying from AIDS. His wounds were dripping with bodily fluids filled with the deadly disease. Yet, Noit showed no discomfort in holding him for hours and she prayed and ministered to him. He gave his life to Christ. He felt the love of Jesus through her.

I have seen her wipe the wounds of severely injured people or massage the legs of elderly who are unable to walk. I have seen her sit on the ground with handicap beggars and clean the dirtiest children. She pours out her love, with no fear or restraint, on anyone she meets. She not only loves the poor, but she confidently shares Jesus with Khmer Rouge soldiers and leaders who directly murdered her family and friends. She helps them understand how God can fix their empty hearts. She knows what it is to have a dead heart. She knows what it is like to not have any thoughts, only performing what is expected. I have seen her, without the slightest hesitation, share Jesus with senior government officials, governors, police and political leaders or wealthy tycoons. She is not intimidated by anyone.

Her very first act as a Christian was to tell her neighbors about Jesus and immediately started a church in her community which she still leads today. It is a church filled with broken people. It is a church of hearts that are still being mended. She pour out her life into others so they too many know what it is like to have a heart which is alive and filled with love.

Noit’s life is an amazing testimony of how God can take a gentle woman and use her to bring healing to a nation. Through her life thousands and tens of thousands of lives have been touched by the love of Jesus. Her heart is alive and what she lives for each day is clear: to love others.