HANDS for Cambodia board members are in conversation with the following people or organizations in order to fulfill our mission.
NATIONAL CAMBODIAN PRESBYTERIAN COUNCIL (NCPC)
June Taing, Chair
This council, which has endorsed HANDS for Cambodia as a ministry partner, is an organization under the auspices of Asian Ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It seeks to connect Cambodian Presbyterians with one another and raise awareness of the needs of Cambodians in the United States and in Cambodia. As a partner in ministry, the NCPC fills a seat on the HANDS Board of Directors.
MR. PAUL FRIESEN
Regional Liaison for Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam
Presbyterian Church (USA) World Mission
www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/profiles/friesenp.htm
Based in Austin, Texas, Paul Friesen travels two or three times a year to Southeast Asia. As regional liaison, he helps PC(USA) churches and middle governing bodies become involved in ministry in Southeast Asia. Paul works with the leaders of the Khmer Presbyterian Fellowship and Dr. Pross, the HANDS for Cambodia doctor, to nurture them in the faith and facilitate their ministry.
THE REV. DR. SAHARA CHEAFirst Cambodian Presbyterian Ministry
Tacoma, WA
www.fcpmt.org
Sahara Chea is the first Cambodian ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1968, he and his family were forced from their home in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge began their infamous reign of terror known as the killing fields. Sahara slaved in rice fields until 1979 when most of his family escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand. It was there that he heard and responded to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1983 the family came as refugees to the United States, eventually settling in California. Following graduation from high school and college Sahara earned degrees from two seminaries. On August 24, 1996 he was ordained as Evangelist in Cambodian Ministry, the first Cambodian ordained in the PC(USA).
THE REV. THYSAN SAM
Eliot Presbyterian Church
Lowell, MA
www.eliotlowell.org
Thysan Sam is the second Cambodian ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Like Sahara Chea, Sam's story is one of courage and faith. He vividly recalls the 1975 Khmer Rouge takeover of his country, in which several million Cambodians were untimely killed. Labor camps and refugee camps were part of his life for many years. Christian missionaries introduced him to the Bible and only a few months later he was baptized. On Christmas night 1985 his life took a drastic turn when the Vietnamese came in with tanks, destroying five refugee camps, including his. Under a veil of darkness, a paid guide led Sam, his wife, and their two-year-old son toward a refugee camp over the border in Thailand. You can read their incredible story of divine intervention at www.eliotlowell.org. Sam later made his way to the United States, earned several degrees, and has made a difference in hundreds of lives. As a minister at Eliot, he is adored and considered a "great gift." He is also a "great gift" to HANDS for Cambodia and the people of Kampong Speu, whom he visited in January 2008.
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
www.churchworldservice.org
www.cwscambodia.org
Founded in 1946, Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations, providing sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance in some 80 countries, including Cambodia. CWS has been working in Cambodia since 1979 as one of the first humanitarian organizations permitted to work in the country after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime. Although their work is informed by a rapidly changing reality, the main objective of their presence in Cambodia has always been to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people. They strive to develop the capacity to meet people's basic needs in a sustainable manner.CWS also focuses its attention on developing the technical and institutional capacity of Cambodian NGO [non-government organization] and community-based organizations.
Within the United States, Church World Service assists communities in responding to disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources, and offers opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring through participation in CROP Hunger Walks, the Tools & Blankets Program, and the CWS Kits Program.
ROBIN MARK
www.robinmark.com
www.cfc-net.org
People around the world, including the HANDS for Cambodia board of directors, have been inspired and encouraged by the music of Robin Mark. "All for Jesus," "Days of Elijah," "I Am Persuaded," and "The Wonder of Your Cross" have brought hope to troubled lives as well as brought reminders that the Triune God is sovereign over all. Robin's home church, Christian Fellowship Church--Belfast, is involved in mission throughout the world, including SE Asia. They are considering an invitation by the HANDS board for Robin to bring his ministry of music to Cambodia.