FCOP International UPDATES

Dethrone the Demonic

A big problem with microenterprises is this: (It’s a physical issue) If you have one farmer raise quail in a village he can get rich, two can make money, three break even, and four go broke! It’s the lack of refrigeration, food processing, and transportation to large markets that is problematic. One reason the fishing industry thrives, is that fish can be sun dried and transported to markets. The same is true for our mushrooms. The quickest way to boost people out of poverty, and prevent human trafficking, is to attack the economic causes. Despite all the claims, the biggest cause …  

Combine Swap

Another blessing was our rice combine. It was made in Thailand and due to the low rice prices the past few years, the company went broke. No parts! No repairs! We were concerned that it was as worthless as scrap iron (physical issue). We prayed, and the “Spiritual” trumped the “physical!” One custom harvester had five machines like ours, and he wanted to buy ours so he could support his operation. We sold it for enough to purchase a new Kubota combine, and because of the size of our potential crop, we bought the second machine for less than the …  

No Fear

To alter a few quotes: “And though he be but little, he is fierce!” -Wm. Shakespeare “You don’t tug on superman’s cape You don’t spit into the wind You don’t pull the mask off that old lone ranger And you don’t mess around with “Spud”! –Jim Croce My wife Sou had a dream about a giant snake trying to destroy us, after quite a struggle, she chased it off but didn’t kill it. Then, right in front of our office, three days ago, this 15 foot Python snake appears, and I see Spud, our little Jack Russell dog, take on this snake that weighed ten times …  

Our Focus

FCOP has been in Cambodia for 17 years, for one focused, unchanging, purpose: to see Cambodia come to Christ. Everything we do is predicated on that mandate. That’s why we do all of the things that we do, beginning with sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in every Church service all over the country, to planting new congregations. This month saw about eight new church/groups started. Several thousand came to Christ. There is a method to our madness!  

Continual Training

FCOP puts a great deal of effort and money into pastoral training. This month Mak Sou taught her way to exhaustion, fainting at the end of the hot, humid, fourth day of training, while I was in the United States. All is well, and the result is trained pastors going back to every province and training pastors. We are finally getting close to a comprehensive pastoral training curriculum. Oh happy day!  

New Buildings

A lot of people discount the importance of church buildings, but a building brings a permanent presence, a focal point for the community, a place for gathering and training, a place to care for the hurting, the sick and the separated to find care. Sure, buildings cost a lot of money, they can burn down and be stolen, but they can also last 500 years!  We began two more new church buildings this month and have another in progress.  

New Hope

    We show the love of God in practical ways. Why? It is hard to get hurting, sick, or hungry people to pay much attention to your spiritual persuasions if you don’t have something material, either in substance or in power to offer them. We sent four local Cambodian teams out to help congregations, paid for with Cambodian money, located in hurting communities. It’s tough out there when 90% of your people are farmers, and you are in the second year of drought. Our teams brought the needed element to survive; help that produced, “Hope”!  

Power In Action

If you are trying to preach a God without the demonstration of His miraculous power you are more than handicapped! Often there is no doctor, money, or medicine available. We use our God given authority over the works of evil and often see wonderful results. Sure, not everyone we pray for is healed. But we’ve seen entire villages come to faith with a single healing or miracle. This month blind eyes were opened, the deaf heard, cancers died, the lame walked and haemorrhaging stopped. All of these contribute to building the Kingdom of God.  

Fight Trafficking

Fighting “Human Trafficking” is the current ‘hot button’ for funding NGO(Non-Profit) growth, quite frankly the legend is not the reality. The truth is that most so called “Trafficked” young women in Cambodia are simply, uneducated, country girls or single moms who have to make a living, and care for their extended family. The option of working in a Garment factory for 10-12 hours per day, six days per week, and never seeing their family isn’t very desirable.   It’s much easier to work the “Sex trades” making more money, going to work at 8:00pm, coming home at 3:00am, grab some sleep, and spend time with …  

God’s Provision

I’d just call it common sense, but in retrospect, I believe it was God that I heard months before this years drought, saying, “Store up food for a drought.” Through our partners at Reach Now International, Children’s Hunger Fund, Feed My Starving Children, Glad Tidings Church, Butte County Rice Growers, Dave Wilkinson, and others we have been stockpiling rice meals all year. Even if we harvest a good crop of rice many farmers are finished. They simply have run out of money and time to replant. We now have the ability to withstand this drought, and help some of the hungry. The kids love …  

God is Still God

I had been in a “Downer” type of mood; our rice crop had died, the new crop needs continued rain, multiple donors had reported going through everything from heart attacks, to law suits, to having employees betray them, to about every kind of terrible attack imaginable. Our entire staff spent considerable time praying both in the Spirit and in the natural for them every morning. It wasn’t as though I’d lost my faith in God, but self doubts began to creep in; “Your time is over!” “Your donors are all going to desert you!” etc, etc. Then a convergence of events renewed me. It was …  

Not Our Problem

I talked to my brother Bob, who is a retired farmer, farm equipment salesman and mechanic. He runs his own business repairing, restoring, buying, fixing and reselling old farm equipment. He’d been in a hard time as well. He explained how he’d been complaining to the Lord. God asked him, “Do you trust Me?” Bob answered, “Yes.” God repeated the question, “Do you trust Me?” My brother again answered, “Yes Lord, I trust You”. Then the Lord asked him again, “Do you trust Me?” Bob, frustrated, answered with some conviction, ” Yes! I trust You!” Then, God simply asked him, “Then, what’s …