Cambodia Camp News: 10 weeks of camp

Camp is going well. We just finished our 10th Batch. We had a total registered attendance of 754. There were 232 who got saved and 91 believers were baptized.

To this date the total number of campers is 8,633. Total number of souls saved is 1,726. While the total number of believers baptized is 413.

Some of us who have been in camp since day one are beginning to feel wear and tear not so much with the work load but due to the erratic weather changes. The alternating sudden rains and the high humidity when the sun is up is causing many of our camp staff to feel minor illnesses such as colds and headaches but all are undeterred in their commitment to finish the whole camping season.

Our hearts are excited with testimonies of how the Lord has been working in ways we were not even aware of. A Cambodian Pastor in the capital town of Kampong Spue (the large community about 60 kilometers before the campsite coming from Phnom Penh) excitedly shared to me a very encouraging testimony. Pastor Bontheoun, has a brother in-law (husband of one of his sisters-in law) who he tried to witness to for over 4 years. He was very resistant and so even his wife who wanted to go to church could not go because she was afraid he would beat her if she did. This man came to camp during the 5th batch. On the first night of camp, he was very absorbed listening to the very first message he heard. When the invitation was given for people to trust Christ, he came with tears from his eyes. On one of the subsequent services, he came to present himself for believer's baptism. While in camp, before baptism, he took off the talisman (amulet) he wore for a long time around his waist and got baptized. Immediately, when he got home, he tore off and broke to pieces the spirit house in their home. The next Sunday he called all his family members and took them to church on his vehicle. This has happened during the second week of camp. We only knew about it because Pastor Bontheoun came to camp bringing another big group of unbelievers from his community, several of these got saved and were baptized on this last batch.

There are many wonderful stories of lives changed as a result of these Evangelistic Camps we do together. Thank you so much for supporting us both in finances and in prayers so that we can reach Cambodians with the Gospel. You might be able to get acquainted with only about a dozen of these people on your trips here in Cambodia but for sure all these other people whose lives are touch by your spiritual investments will be glad to meet and thank you and your family in Heaven.

Thanks again and God bless you.

Mike Valdez

Editors note: This is a letter sent to Herb Rawlings of the Rawlings Foundation.