Located about 45 minutes drive north of Siem Reap, Rohal is home for about 250 families who are mostly dependent on the rice harvests for their living. TWR has been broadcasting into this area for a number of years and has many regular listeners of Happy Children’s Garden, It’s Yours, Women of Hope, Stories from the Potter, The Word Today and Through the Bible.

When finances are available, the TWR Cambodia team attempts to make monthly visits to the commune to have fellowship with the listeners and teach some practical health and moral values lessons. Today, I was able to join them and to meet with a lovely group of people. We travelled with Tie Henge, a young Pastor’s son who leads this cell group church of very dedicated Christians. This little church has a village Pastor who is learning to lead the work.

While the TWR ladies taught a lesson on family planning to the adults, Kimsong lead the youth in a discussion on critical thinking. He used a lesson that Steve developed, using the hand to demonstrate the steps necessary to ensure they make the best life decisions. The little kids were only too happy to do an impromptu concert of the songs that they love to sing. With the lessons done and some noodles to munch on, an elderly gentleman got out his “tror sao”, a traditional sort of two stringed violin. A lady brought out a hymn book for some time of singing and chatting and laughter, all favourite pass times for Cambodians.

It was all very much like a regular cell group back home except for the incredible challenges these people live with every day. The village is very poor, cows and chickens roam between the groups sitting on the ground, the only source of water is a contaminated pond, the children are not in school because there is no teacher available and health care is totally absent.

It is still difficult for me to understand how so many people are able to rejoice in God’s goodness and express such faith and gratitude in His provision, in the face of the reality of their everyday struggles. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, a challenge to my own attitude and the people that we are looking to serve through our project in Cambodia and it is a joy to have met them.