Whatever Lord : Monday night prayers 27 July 2020

We are back from a very nice family trip up North. Our good friends Petra and Ti could come with us. First, we visited the big Sopheakmit Waterfall near Stung Treng. We had a wonderful time with some of our closes friends around a sumptuous meal, only Khmers can make. It is good to hear that my friends, Thearith and Samai, and their families are doing well and that their lives are filled with joy for the Lord. We were so encouraged by the progress of little Grahame as he is such a cutie, almost walking and talking nonstop. This little boy was born prematurely with problems and was never given a chance till Thearith and his wife adopted him and just love him. He is a typical example of a Special needs boy that gets lots of attention and tons of love. He is thriving in this environment and makes progress with leaps and bounds. Normally its Anton that do the entertainment but this boy was the show for the evening. Love to see this.

We also visited Banlung in Ratanakiri and being there without visiting James would be a crime. We visited Yeaklom Lake one day and the other we went all the way to Lomkod Lake. It was so nice to swim in theses crater lakes. The water is crystal clear and you can see the bottom. This was truly a relaxing time to be in cool Banlung. We could also visit with our missionary friends, Gordon and Bee, and hear from them what they are doing for the Kingdom. God is at work in the jungle, under the tribal people. We thank God that we had the time to go and have fun and visit with good friends. I could give away 2 bikes for pastors as well.

There is currently a small tribal boy in the hospital here in Siem Reap, from Ratanakiri. They are very alone, I visited them the other day just to make sure they get to the doctor as they do not understand why they need to wait in line and why the doctors do not just give them an injection and send them home. That is what they do up north. Well, the boy has a swelling on his eye and it was though it’s a boil it turns out to be far worse than we thought. The doctors say that he has 3 tumors growing in the back of his eye and they just wait for results in order to help him. I do not think the family realizes what is wrong as their Khmer is very limited. We send 2 of our staff to go and talk to them and encourage them and pray with them. Pray that they will hear the Word of God while they are here.

If you still think that this virus is nothing you need to reconsider. It just took one of our missionaries’ life. Here is a small extract from a friend. Please pray for his wife and his small children as they need to bear this heavy burden on their own, away from family.

COVID-19 took the life of Pastor Chinsuanmang. He and his family were missionaries working in Cambodia until they decided to go back to further their education at the International Graduate School in Leadership in Manila, Philippines, last fall (2019). Their seminary was closed due to Covid-19 and they had to go back to India. On June 24th, they flew to India from Manila, Philippines, and were placed at a Quarantine Center in Guwahati, Assam, although their destination was Lamka (Churachandpur) Manipur. While they were quarantined, Pastor Chinsuanmang tested positive with Covid-19, he was hospitalized, and he passed away on June 23rd in a hospital in Guwahati, Assam.

Currently, its Dengue Fever season but a new virus is in town, and it's not Covid-19, its Chikungunya. Yip it's mosquito-borne and there are 160m cases closely in Poipet. It is similar to Dengue but without the hemorrhagic part, but lots of fever and joint pains. Read this:

Officials in Banteay Meanchey province report starting a chikungunya virus (CHIKV) awareness campaign this weekend after reporting an outbreak in Poipet city. The campaign is designed to better inform villagers about the dangers of CHIK and how to prevent it in 13 communes in several provinces. Banteay Meanchey provincial deputy governor Ly Sary said the campaign will urge villagers to implement eradication of potential mosquito breeding grounds, installing mosquito nets over beds and keeping homes clean.

He also urged villagers to get check-ups and treatment at health centers or hospitals near their home if they display symptoms of the disease. Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain, which is often debilitating. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue and Zika, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where they are common. As there is no cure, treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms. http://outbreaknewstoday.com/chikungunya-in-cambodia-160-cases-in-poipet-awareness-campaign-commences-60491/?fbclid=IwAR08Dx7GDtIkFnRQq2d1AFeIeSma20QVnT-Gpseb72ar_rCJhz51Xizm5gI

As you can see the Covid-19 is not the only thing we fight here in Cambodia. Our helper tells us that a lot of people living around her have Dengue Fever.

Insecticides used in Cambodia against mosquitoes that carry dengue fever are no longer effective, according to a study co-signed in March by the Institut Pasteur. Cambodia has a very high level of resistance of dengue vector mosquitoes to the insecticides currently used in the country. https://lepetitjournal.com/cambodge/sante/dengue-tres-haut-niveau-de-resistance-des-moustiques-aux-insecticides-234274?fbclid=IwAR2dJIo8fH61pRtEaA7D_AAfd0YEYuTpxmZydHG_KsIKObJ1SQ_hm9OGz8c