Our Youth Conference in Kampong Cham was attended by over forty young people from the Kampong Cham area. The conference was again held on the grounds of a local orphanage managed by the district superintendent’s brother. The youth attended seminars, played games, fellowshipped together, and grew closer to each other and to God.
The leaders of the convention were a team from the Philippines. These five pastors, three of which are shown here, were sent out from the Filipino Conference of the Wesleyan Church, and they did a great job of relating scriptural truths and lessons to the lives of these young men and women. Pictured above, Pastor Fitz speaks about the armor of God and how it can protect us from the attacks of Satan.
Though the Filipino pastors were the leaders of the seminars, the true leaders are pictured above; the pastors who brought their young people to the convention. The youth programs run by these pastors in Kampong Cham are very strong, discipling and mentoring the young men and women of the church, and it is a true testament to their calling and their service.
Pictured here is our national youth leader, Pastor Titus of the Kratie church. Through his excitement, dedication, and planning, these conventions were a great success. He says that he feels a true calling to serve God through youth ministry, and it is apparent through the way that he interacts with the youth and allows God to use him as a true servant.
Another benefit of these youth conferences is that we are able to promote the Wesleyan Bible Institute, explaining our purpose and meeting with young people who are feeling God’s calling upon their lives to serve as pastors. Here you are seeing the WBI President, Rev. Greg Fernandez, giving encouragement to those young people, and answering their questions about studying at the WBI.
Application of scriptural knowledge is always very difficult, particularly here in Cambodia, and we were encouraged to see the way that the Filipino team had the youth reflecting on what they had learned at the convention. Here you are seeing the youth making posters that showed character traits and life principles that they wanted to exemplify in their lives.
Hallelujah!!! Worship times with these youth were always so full of excitement and energy. They loved to sing songs of worship to God, raising their hands, doing the motions, dancing, and shouting together. Those experienced in youth conventions in the United States will be happy to know that the undeniable vitality of youth is the same in Cambodia as it is in the US.
The talent night is one of the most anticipated nights of the convention. Here you are seeing some of the participants in the Kampong Cham talent night. They young people sang with great enthusiasm and heart, and we are proud to report that one of our Bible School students, Theavey (bottom-right), was the overall winner.
One of the great things about the convention was the time that we were able to spend with the youth after the seminars. Here you are seeing Tiffany with two young admirers after the last night of the convention.
We left Kampong Cham on a Wednesday morning, and we began our second youth convention that evening. For this convention in Phnom Penh, we had nearly 100 young people from all over the country. The picture above is from the first night of the convention, and the energy in the room as they sang and worshipped God was incredible.
Here you are seeing Pastor Joel, the leader of the team from the Philippines and the Filipino Missions Director, praying at one of the sessions. These five men are a great blessing to our hearts, not only because they are constantly joking and having fun, but because their hearts for serving the Lord shine through in all that they do.
The talent competition in Phnom Penh had a great number contestants, many categories, and the competitive level was very high. These youth were not only competing to win personally, but they were competing as representatives of their respective churches. The categories included solo performers, choirs, and group and personal displays of talent, so therefore our range of competitors was very large including singers, traditional dancers, break dancers, contortionists, gymnasts, and many more. It was a great event, and the smiles and cheers of the youth showed just how much fun they were having.
One of the great aspects of the conference is that the youth get to know each other. Here you are seeing young people from several different churches, and though their provinces are separated by many kilometers, their shared relationship with Jesus Christ gave them a basis for building relationships and having fun together.
The final night, as it is with all youth conferences, is the dedication night. Here you are seeing our mission director, Jun Rafael, encouraging the young people to let Jesus Christ be their true strength and that He indeed can be trusted to satisfy their souls and their every longing.
Seeing these young people yielding their lives to Christ, rededicating themselves to His purposes, made all of the work and planning worthwhile. After six days of hard work, many kilometers traveled, and countless hours of planning, the youth conferences came to a close. However, we look forward to seeing these youth next year, and many more like them, for they truly are the future of the church here in Cambodia, and it is a blessing to see how God is preparing them to step forward and take charge of His church.
Our mission director, Jun Rafael, turned 45 this year, and we had a great celebration at his house. With the Filipino team as emcees, we took turns roasting Jun and expressing our thanks for all that he means to our lives.
Here you are seeing Pastor Vande singing a song in Tagalog, the main language of the Philipines. He had learned this song during his two years of studying in the Philippines, and it was a blessing for Pastor Jun to hear it sung by one of his disciples here in Cambodia and by a product of the ministry to which he has dedicated so much of his life.
The Filipino team did a skit where they imagined Jun after another 45 years. Pastor Kenji played Mamel and Pastor Glenn played Jun in this hilarious skit that prompted Jun to comment that he did not wish to become 90 if that is how he would have to act.
Of course, because it was a Filipino birthday, we had great, Filipino food. Here you are seeing one of our students, Som On, cleaning up the soup bone after everyone was finished eating. 
The next celebration that we want to share with you is the dedication ceremony of Esher Eirene Fernandez. She was born on July 21st, and we have been blessed by her addition to our ministry team here in Cambodia. 
During the ceremony, Esher was dedicated to the Lord, and we joined in prayer for her life and for her walk with the Master. Here you are seeing Pastor Fitz giving a blessing to Greg, Resie and Esher.
After the ceremony, we were invited to a party on the Saydot court where we sang songs together, and then feasted on the great cooking of Pastor Fitz. He and the rest of the team had spent the day butchering two goats and then preparing several delicious Filipino dishes. The food was excellent as was the great company of Khmer, Filipino, Japanese, and American friends and co-workers.
Here you are seeing a picture of us with our new guest teacher, Mam Grace. She had previously taught in the Philippines for many years, being sent out by Immanuel General Mission from Japan. She is a great blessing to have here in Cambodia, and is a great teacher for our students.
The final celebration that we want to tell you about is the birthday of Jairah, the daughter of Jun and Mamel. She turned eight this year, and we celebrated her birthday with a party. Here you are seeing Jun and Pastor Keith from Kampong Cham lifting Jairah up for a photo opportunity after she blew out her candles.
Mam Grace prayed a special prayer of dedication over Jairah during the party. We all lifted Jairah to the Lord, and prayed that God's special blessing would be upon all areas of her life, her schooling, her relationships, and most importantly her desire to continue her walk with the Lord.
