Sihanoukville Ecclesia Visit
With the blessing of extra fieldworkers currently, we’ve been able to regularly send brethren/sisters to the outreach Ecclesias to support and catch up with them. One such one is in Sihanoukville City by the beach. A quick 4-hour bus ride along the expressway, we arrive late at night in Sihanoukville. Often, we go in groups of 3-4. Sis Theung always has our bedding prepared and we gratefully tumble into bed. The BEC is situated down a small alleyway with minimal traffic but plenty of kids are always running and playing together at 6 in the morning! These kids are familiar with westerners as many have attended Sunday school for years. They know very little English but make up for it with greetings and smiles.
The Sihanoukville ecclesia is small with 5 families attending, including 4 kids. As not everyone is free during the day, we usually sit at the beach with the Khmer who have the day off and have a long catch up. Personally, I have known most of them since 2017 at my first visit so it is nice have that relationship already built.
Saturday night is usually bible seminar and singing, held in the BEC and based on any topic of the speakers choosing. The speakers during the weekend will usually be the Phnom Penh visitors. Then the little gas barbeque comes out and we cook our picnic dinner outside. The food is basic but delicious – and includes okra, squid and pork skewers.
Sunday morning is usually catch-up day again and tends to involve a lot of café hopping! You can get a good coffee for less than $2.50 in Cambodia if you know where to look!
Sunday school occurs Sunday afternoon, currently run by Sis Helen (Somnang). The kids love the BEC and often sit in the small courtyard watching us and giggling as we write classes inside.
Sunday night involves the memorial meeting and a hurried dinner (sometimes out at our familiar Khmer restaurant – where they know us well and always have plenty of stir-fried frog!) We catch the van again and arrive back home in Phnom Penh at around 10:30pm, exhausted but content.
The Sihanoukville BEC is only partially built, meaning that the upper floors leak water and encourage mould downstairs (terrible in monsoon season). There is only 1 bedroom so some fieldworkers sleep downstairs in the meeting hall. The BEC has the potential to be a thriving 3 story building, being able to accommodate small bible camps and long-term fieldworkers. But we desperately need donations and willing/able builders who can visit and help us finish this space! If you think you can assist us with this goal, please contact WCF or ACBM.