I am so pleased to announce the expansions of our ministries to Svay Pak Cambodia. As many of you know, Svay Pak is a village where much evil takes place every single day. And it’s been our goal to bring Christ’s love to that village, to bring it in a tangible way, and a transformational way. And thus far, the ministries that have been taking place have taken place in Rahab’s House. And right now we have a kids program, a kids club, that runs Monday through Friday in the afternoons. Two afternoons a week it is run by volunteers from Agape Restoration Center, young girls who have been rescued from sex trafficking. The other three days a week it is run by a group from the States from an organization called Hard Places Community. And they are doing an outstanding job in the tough work they are doing there. As a matter of fact, their director, Alli Melon, has written the first update on their experience, and you can see that today at our website if you would like to see and hear from Alli about the work she’s doing. We also have a health care clinic, a free health care clinic, that operates out of Rahab’s House. It operates two afternoons a week and currently sees 40 or more patients each day; still falling far short of the needs in the community but with plans to expand that I’ll share in a moment. On Sunday mornings we have a church service, and we have over 200 adults attending on a regular basis. Then each month we also provide humanitarian aid for the families with the most desperate needs in the community.

Now one of the expansions that we are talking about is that health care clinic, and beginning in July, we will expand that clinic to five days a week. Five afternoons a week we will be providing that free health care to those again who have the most serious need in that community. We are excited that we have a volunteer coming, a registered nurse coming from Australia, who will be leading the program beginning again in July.

We are also looking to expand the ministry by providing academic education to some of the children in the community. There are literally hundreds of children that desire an academic education but can’t afford it. We are working on several options to being able to provide as many children as possible with that opportunity, and again we will keep you posted as we move forward on that. But we anticipate that also happening by late summer.

In addition to that, we are looking to provide space and partner with a micro loan enterprise. Many of may know that when it comes to loans in a poor village like Svay Pak, there are the loan sharks that charge usury rates and purposely loan to families who cannot afford to pay them back. And the reason that they do that is when the loan is due and there is no money to pay one of the options would be to traffic a child, and in Svay Pak that happens many more times than it should. So we believe by providing micro loans at reasonable rates, loans that can actually be paid back, we believe that they can have a tremendous impact on what’s happening in Svay Pak.

The other area of expansion is to open up a whole new ministry in a new location, still in Svay Pak, and it’s the Lord’s Gym. Thus far as we have tried to reach the community, we have done a good job in reaching women, children, and older men, but we have not done a good job in reaching the young men of the community and that’s the goal of the Lord’s Gym. We see it as a place where they can come for a safe, good, clean fun; drug free, fight free, smoke free, and a place most importantly where they’ll be able to hear the truth about Jesus Christ. The gym is scheduled to open next week, and we’ll be providing you with updates, photographs, on what’s happening. For now, I would just like to ask you to pray for those people who will be traveling from the States. Members of the Lord’s Gym in Roseville, California will be helping us to open that gym.

Now as we expand the ministries in Svay Pak, there is a need that comes forward too, and that need is to have someone lead those ministries, to provide a coordinated effort, and to oversee and train the staff that will be necessary. And I am even more pleased to announce that God has provided just the right person for us, and his name is Clay Butler. Some of you know that Clay as been with us in Cambodia for over a year and his focus has been on discipleship within the church. It’s a little misleading to say focus because he has been willing and able to do everything we have asked him and not to just do it, but to do it with excellence and a God honoring way. And beginning this month, Clay will be the director of Svay Pak Ministries, and we are just looking forward to see how God is going to work through Clay and bring his love in a transforming way to that community.

I want to thank you all of you who support and pray for this ministry. And without you, these things wouldn’t be taking place. Without you, children would not be kept safe and prevented from being trafficked. Without you, children who have been trafficked would not have a safe place to go for healing and restoration and be given a hope and a chance for a future that few children in their situation will ever have. And we are forever grateful for all of you and your support as we prepare to expand these ministries again. We really covet your prayers and ask that you might remember the Svay Pak Ministries of Agape this week in your prayers. Thank you all and God bless.