We run a clean operation and so did my dad. (More about that in a second) Thanks for the lessons Dad! Even though you’ve been in heaven for nearly 20 years, I am still very grateful. Happy Father’s Day!
In fact, though you are not all fathers, you are all very much in the role of parenting our kids, whether you realize it or not. So, before you do anything else, you need to see this. It is from our hearts! It’s important for you to know this is not staged or hyped but just a selection of photos of what you have really accomplished.http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Hey, I had to have one of the biggest Father’s Day celebrations in the world! First, the Elders gave me a special tribute on Saturday , June 19th; they’ve been with me for the past 12 years! It was special. Then, on Sunday morning the kids and the entire church at Chom Chao put on a tribute that brought tears to this proud German’s eyes. They even wrote a special song! http://www.missionreports.com/
wis-dom ‘wiz-d Ə m n [ME, fr. OE wisd Ô m, fr wis wise] b: ability to discern inner qualities and relationships : INSIGHT c: good sense: JUDGEMENT
“Every dog needs a few fleas” It was my father’s way of explaining why I should not clean the fly specks off the light bulbs in the barn of our Chicago , Illinois area dairy farm. The farm I grew up on in the 1950’s was only 60 miles fromChicago . So, we fell under the control of the Chicago Board of Health. The “Milk Inspectors” would pull off monthly, unannounced, examinations of the premises. The inspectors weren’t bad guys. They just got paid to find problems. If they easily found a few small infractions, and every thing else looked “spick and span” they’d be happy, because their work was quick and easy; they knew the place was safe, and their bosses would commend them for being diligent. We would quickly and politely correct our deficiencies, which made them feel important. Thus, the reason for the fly poop on the light bulbs. Next month we’d come up with a different small malady, like a tiny rip in a screen window. Dad was smart. He got good reports. If you kept the milk house perfect, they’d get out the white gloves and spend hours looking until they found something , and by then they’d be “ticked” because it took so long. You’d get a merciless, scathing report.
Fast forward 55 years. Change the location to Cambodia , and the “Chicago Board of Health” to ” UNICEF “. They pay government officials to “inspect ” our orphan facilities. These Cambodian government officials make an average of about $80 per month in their official jobs. UNICEF sponsors their “inspection trips”, which can last up to two weeks, and, of course, need at least four people per team, with a per diem of $15 per day per person plus, free food and lodging at the finest hotels in the region, plus, as we understand, a bonus of $30+, for every infraction they find. The officials aren’t bad guys, but this is a bloody gold mine! Where’s our fly poop? I can play this game!
Sing with me: “I’m not afraid of UNICEF, I’m not afraid of the “Beast”, I’m not afraid of 6-6-6!” I should remember that a bulldog can beat a skunk any day but sometimes the results aren’t worth it! I know, I should pray for UNICEF! I will, but if they mess with our kids, I’m willing to risk a bath in tomato juice (the old standby cure for skunk odor ), So? Help me! Pray the UNICEF workers come to know Christ, and fall so in love with God they will bless Cambodia , destroy poverty, abuse, childhood disease, trafficking, and do the things they were designed to perform. Also, pray our church homes are so alive with the power and love of God that no humanistic proponent will dare come near them without being infected with the love of Christ. Right now, in Cambodia, FCOP is housing, caring for, and educating more separated kids, vaccinating more kids for hepatitis, giving more scabies shampoos, preventing more trafficking, doing more free dental work, running more free medical clinics , and helping more people out of poverty with agricultural projects than any other organization I know of. What part of that do they want to destroy? And guess what? Not one penny is coming from any government! Where does UNICEF get their money?
It is strange how people who claim to be humanists hate what we do because we love God. A French newspaper called and wanted to visit with us because they were doing a “story ” on ” Evangelism in Cambodia “, since we were the largest church, they wanted to see what we were doing. I took the call and the “Vibes” were not good, but since we were taking our friend Beth Barone out to one of our rural homes we asked her to tag along. She wanted to know if we forced orphans to receive Christ. When I told the journalist we never converted anyone, they just slid in. I don’t think she believed me , until she visited the home , and saw the whole community show up on a Friday afternoon. http://www.missionreports.com/
We work 60 hour weeks to maintain the spiritual, mental, and physical health of our kids and church members. Any of the teams that have been enslaved here know that. Dr. Mike , our dentist friend from Clinton , Iowa , just led a group up to Preah Vihear and in addition to the kids from all our surrounding church homes, managed to treat the local prison, where 60% of the inmates now know Christ. The team also managed to re-habilitate the church home in town, as well as visit the contested temple where two soldiers were killed the week before. http://www.missionreports.com/
Construction on three new Church/Homes got a fresh kick with an infusion of cash from our friends at International Cooperating Ministries. http://www.missionreports.com/
Keeping a movement spiritually sharp, that has gone from nothing to 3000+ churches in 12 years, is a challenge. It seems that inevitably the second and third generations grow less and less zealous for the things of God. We are deliberately attacking that issue. Our newest addition is that of the “Young Fisherman” they are basically junior high students who grew jealous of the “Yong Lions”. The “Young Fisherman” are going out on their first thrust in a couple of weeks. Fresh fire has come to our movement through Beth Barone’s teachings. http://www.missionreports.com/
A great deal of material support still comes from donors around the world. This month we received shipments of rice, canned fish, and chick peas to supplement the diets of our kids and impoverished church members.http://www.missionreports.com/
Wow! I didn’t think people were that smart 3000 years ago. “ Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor, and for lack of justice there is waste” (Prov. 13: 23). Man , is that ever true in Cambodia! Every day we drive by abandoned fields just because fertility levels are too low for production and water is uncontrolled. We have been really working on the production of o ur 300 acres of rice land, spraying for weeds, fertilizing for maximum production, and trying new varieties. Pray it works! http://www.missionreports.com/
Have a great July! We will.
Be blessed!
Ted & Sou (Pa and Mak Thom)
And all of the rest of those who do the real work, Our Staff !
