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Why They Call Me, “Pa Thom” (Big Daddy)

Ziona Chana from India had 39 wives and up to 94 children, making him the head of arguably the world’s largest family. Not true! Pa Thom has one wife and 25,000+ children in Cambodia! On Sunday, June 19th, “Father’s Day”, one of the young dancers in her beautiful dress ran up and pushed the below envelope into my hand. I don’t even know who to thank! In a way, it was from all of them!  The handmade envelope and dried, pressed, flowers shows the heartfelt effort that went into this. Then, they did a special dance. “Thanks!”- this says it …  

100 Years of the Protestant Faith

On June 25th, a group of donors got together and funded a meeting at the largest meeting hall in Cambodia. It was simply to prepare everyone for the 100th anniversary of the Protestant faith coming to Cambodia. I remember in 1999, shortly after we arrived, an elderly pastor arrived and asked to join our movement. He explained that his name was Keo Pawn, from Battambang, and that his father had been the first Cambodian Protestant Pastor in Cambodia in 1923. He had been so moved by what FCOP was doing for children that he wanted to be part of it. …  

One in 10,000! And the Power of Prayer

It was gratifying to see the FCOP Churches function as was discussed at the FCOP Annual Meeting. The kids FCOP raised are now the leaders of the movement, and without any foreign presence in Cambodia managed to navigate through some turbulent times and carry on the work they do best, seeing Cambodia come to Christ. A new first occurred under their watch, what I would call a, “spiritual abduction”. A 27 year old man disappeared from his home in the middle of the night with no explanation.  His family, members of the Siem Reap Church, were living on land that …  

Expanding God’s Kingdom

From the day we landed in Cambodia back in 1998, our goal and mission has remained the same; to establish and expand the Kingdom of God in Cambodia. Since that time, Mak Sou and I haven’t stopped living in the Book of Acts. All throughout the country, FCOP churches are seeing signs, wonders and miracles, the oppressed set free, and lives forever changed.  While Mak Sou and I might not be out in the villages as much as we used to, the leaders we’ve trained, discipled, and released are being highly effective and we get the benefit of seeing the …  

Miracles and Healings:

May was a month in which we saw God do something miraculous as He always does.  Lita, a 9 year old orphan living at FCOP’s Keo Sema Church Refuge Center in Mondulkiri province, was bitten three times on the heel and top of her foot by a Malayan Pit Viper. I could not be more proud of the home parents (Pastor Van and his wife) because upon hearing the young girl’s screams for help, they crushed the head of the snake with a rock then immediately called the other kids of the home to gather around her and began to …  

Destroying the Devil’s Work

Why did Jesus come to the earth? Most Christians would immediately respond, “To save our souls”! But, I submit that it is a major part of a bigger package. Jesus Himself proclaimed in Luke 19:10 “for the Son of man has come to seek and save that which was lost.” And, John sums this up in 1 John 3:8b, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” Obviously, more was lost in the Garden of Eden than our souls. FCOP pastors and church members have cast out thousands of demons …  

Sleight of Hand

The supply shelves are going empty in Cambodia. From what I understand we share this fate with many nations around the world. Every good magician knows that distraction is the key to every trick they pull off. Getting people to look over here, while the real action is going on over there. While the UN, The World Economic Forum, the Globalists, the corrupted politicians have us all looking at Russia and Ukraine, the real action is in China. Even China is promoting this by saying, “Sanctions against Russia will not bring peace to Ukraine, but will provoke food, energy and …  

Last Man Standing

Most of the young people on our FCOP staff were too young to remember the PolPot regime, however the effects of that time remain tangible today. In the 1970s, 80s, and even early 90s, the Cambodian people learned to live off of the land and became the ultimate survivalists. As the central government was dismantled, the people learned to eat anything and everything; oftentimes making tools from very unlikely sources. Since protein is essential to one’s survival and a balanced diet, Cambodians have learned to consume protein from every possible source. It’s not uncommon, even in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom …  

Rice Farm Woes

It is strange how adverse events all over the world seem to be coming into focus. China stopped exporting the two main fertilizers used by Cambodian farmers last July. Last year, prices were normal during planting season but in the last month, as farmers attempted to plant, reality has bitten! Most of our rural churches are made up of poor rice farmers and they are in a struggle to survive.  FCOP went to spray our rice crop with a herbicide that last year cost us $12.50/hectare and it’s now $58.00/hectare. Fertilizer prices are up 350%. However, rice prices are forced …  

Spiritual Power and Deception

I started working as a “contract” employee of the U.S. Embassy in Laos out of college in 1968. During the next 3 years, I participated in the “Secret War”. I was never a C.I.A. employee but I observed the illegal, deceptive stuff they were involved in and believe it has only gotten worse over the years. I’m ashamed of what the US intelligence community has evolved into. For the past few decades, they have upended the peace of the world.  During the 1980s, Cambodia was run by the Cambodian Peoples Party working with the former Soviet Union as their main …  

A Line In The Sand

In late April, the Cambodian government announced that it was seeking to bring Chinese A.I. (artificial intelligence) into the country. Then last weekend, I saw something in the news that shook me to the core. It was a video shot from a drone in Shanghai, China, filming the streets of the large city, which is central to a greater area which encompasses about 364,000,0000 people that have been under total lockdown since April 4th. No people or vehicles were seen at midday; the streets were empty. A lone, robotic dog walked down the street. It walked at a normal pace for …  

Farewell From Sam

As I enter the last number of days of working in the FCOP Cambodia office, one thing comes to mind: Gratefulness. I have been blessed since the first day I arrived in Cambodia in 2010 to work and serve with FCOP. In addition, I will always be grateful for the invaluable role FCOP played in my wife’s survival story, being taken in by FCOP as a young girl. On both accounts, I am indebted to FCOP. Speaking on behalf of my family, we know that although my daily office hours will stop, we look forward to continuing in relationship with …