Sitting back into my seat in the truck, stuck to my neck into mud with a winch that cannot work because the battery is half dead, I was just confronted by the beauty around me. Who cares if we get stuck here for the rest of the day? We can just camp out and have fun in the bush. It was time to relax and wait it out, have an ice-cream in the jungle. We got a local ice-cream guy on a bike to leave his ice cream with us and get his bike out to go and get a new battery. Three hours later the battery came and we had enough ice cream for the day. It was time for business again. Shucks, my idea of staying in the jungle was out of the window…….
Phnom Chi was on the menu for places to go and visit. This little village is one of 5 villages around a small mountain call Phnom Chi. Famous for the gold and crystals they can get here, these villages pops up, with miners trying their luck in getting some money. Surely exploited by some big guys out there, these guys live horrible lives and work harder than anyone else. No big machines out here, everything needs to be done by hand. As normal miner towns that I know, the place is a real hub for drinking and whatever go with that. No Christians in this place or the other villages. Basic hygiene has no concept in this place. Filthy is not a good word to use, cannot think of another stronger word…..
Talking to a new friend we found out that he can make about U$4 a day by panning for gold. No wonder they have even a karaoke bar here. More money here than any other place. Our approach is to befriend them first and slowly bringing in the religion. First we need to win their trust and gain our entrance there to speak what is on our hearts. Asking to pray for them, they said:”” Why do you want to pray for us, we have our own god here.”” Showing us their little altar we know that we first need to gain their trust and wait. This is something the world of Christians does not want to hear as they want to preach to them and bulldozer them over to Christ, build a church building and proclaim how many believers we have! That way we just make them confused and an enemy rather than a friend. That is all we need here, enemies!!!
Just wondering what happened to the concept of having a house-church. Nothing wrong with that. To many times I see big churches and nobody in it. All that money for a big building and no believers, but only to show we have money to buy people over. Rather than a simple approach by loving people, eating with them, befriend them and earn their trust and then you earn the right to speak. We forget the basics in life. We need to earn the right to speak. I know I am sticking my head in a bee-hive right now, but that is how things need to done here, where nobody even have a concept of whom Jesus is!!
Reinette and I did some needed medical stuff. She could clean a wound and even did a prenatal on a girl. She was in heaven. Reinette came out to hang with us for 3 months to get some medical experience. I must say, I am lacking as a good teacher, she is great in doing all the reading I give her. She is helping Toinette in the clinic and learns a lot. Nice to have a fellow South African here to speak our local dialect.
The local pastor from nearby could speak to the people and tell them about Christ while Nick gave them a small teaching. Please pray with us to visit here more often, even if the road is not of the best, but definitely the best 4x4 road ever!! God still rule over these people and we believe that we will win their trust to one day see them accept Christ. To God all the glory He deserves.
Later that night we could show a nice movie to the people in the church and I got asleep on top of the Landy, totally happy and exhausted from having way to much fun being a missionary. Working for God is surely a privilege and a joy in spite of obstacles around.
A small piece from my morning devotion from Mark 14:14:
“”In like manner it is still discovered who are the Lord's chosen, and who are not; for when the gospel comes to some, they fight against it, and will not have it, but where men receive it, welcoming it, this is a sure indication that there is a secret work going on in the soul, and that God has chosen them unto eternal life.””
Always seeking His will
Rossouw-clan
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