These posts were transferred from the original Hope Cambodia web site.
August 12
David L. Meyer
Today is filled with some sadness as our 30 Days of Hope has ended but more so with great joy because of all the good that has been done. In this photo are some real heroes of the faith and people who have given their hearts and souls to help Cambodia. I wish I could tell each one of their stories because if I could you would be so proud. We touched the lives of well over 160,000 people that we know of; over 54,000 of them accepted Christ. I can think of nothing else that tells the story any better than that. Tens of thousands of lives that will never be the same!! Thank you to all who have prayed and supported this cause in any way. To quote our good friends Delirious?-”This month we all became History Makers!”
August 11
David L. Meyer
Each day Joyce and others have delivered powerful messages to the Cambodian people. Joyce, in particular, encouraged the people to not live in fear but to be bold in their faith. In this country, the Christians have been a very small minority for a very long time but we believe something has changed in the spirit realm during these 30 days and Cambodia will never be the same.
August 10
David L. Meyer
Wow! What a night! In all my years of missions, I have never experienced what just happened here in Cambodia. Right before Delirious?, Darlene Zschech & Joyce Meyer (my mom) were about to hold an indoor blow out service for about three thousand people, several men from a local government office came and tried to shut the meeting down. They were able to successfully get the power shut off, even though they had no authority to do so. We decided to take the meeting outside. Joyce had to climb the fence just to get into the courtyard and the crowd went crazy. We all proceeded to worship God, led by Darlene Zschech and Martin Smith, and hear words of encouragement from Joyce—all through a bullhorn! God works all things out. He is absolutely sovereign! It was truly a historic moment for the church of Cambodia!
August 9
Martin Smith (Delirious?)
Being a part of Hope Cambodia has been a life changing experience for all of us. Whether it’s been a visit to the Hope Center, which cares for the wholeness of local Cambodian children, or a trip to one of the many amazing medical centers, God is at work here and it's a privilege to see it first hand. It’s as though we are reading one of the great books about revival. Now is the time. It's good to be here. It's good to be alive.
August 8
David L. Meyer
Dave and Joyce have arrived in Cambodia and today they got the chance to visit one of the sixteen medical clinics we will have conducted during the 30 Days of Hope. Dr. Mitch & Leah Duininck, who are with In His Image, have headed up the last two weeks of clinics. In His Image is a ministry that mobilizes health care professionals to impact the world for Christ by improving health and meeting the spiritual needs of the unreached with the love of Jesus. That vision accurately represents our heart for the entire Hope Cambodia outreach. By the conclusion of the 30 Days of Hope, the medical teams will have ministered to over 8,000 patients!
August 7
David L. Meyer
A common form of mass transport, these trucks helped to bring thousands each night to our final provincial events in Kampong Cham. Our dear partners from Church of the Harvest & Victory Church brought teams of over 40 people to help minister. This is what the gospel is all about! They visited those in the prisons, dedicated Hope Centers, taught the leaders, ministered in churches, and rocked the house at the nightly festivals.
August 6
Dan Meyer
Today was incredible! We dedicated another Joyce Meyer Ministries Hope Center. This Hope Center will house about 12 orphans and will daily feed an additional sixty children. In addition to being fed and cared for these children will also be educated through the program on a daily basis. Although I have been to many of our children’s outreaches across Asia and around the world, every time I visit a new one I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for the partners of Joyce Meyer Ministries that are making all of this possible. It is the faithful support of our friends and partners that allows us to reach out to children all over the world and gives us the ability to do so much more.
August 5
Nicol Meyer
Today we visited the new “Hope Center” in the village of Khnarthom. It was awesome to see all the faces of the children that will be fed and taken care of there. What a privilege to be a part of changing lives. Thank you partners of JMM for making it happen!
August 4
David L. Meyer
The 30 Days of Hope outreach is taking place in the midst of the rainy season here in Cambodia. Life for the people here changes dramatically during these months as parts of the country become covered with water. The conditions--by Western standards--become unthinkable. But here life must move on. Unfortunately, because of these conditions there are many sicknesses and diseases. We thank God that because of our medical teams and the 15 new homes we have built many of these people will have some relief.
August 3
David L. Meyer
Over the last number of days, the city of Kampong Thom has witnessed a concentration of Christian outreach like they probably haven’t seen in many years. Our medical teams treated over 2,400 patients, our leadership conference drew over seven hundred people, and there were over six hundred in attendance at our women’s conference. In addition, we dedicated a new hope center, conducted a prison outreach, and our evening festival meetings drew over 20,000 each night for four nights! A special thank you goes to Victory Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma for all you have done!
August 2
Scott Norling
The average Cambodian only visits a doctor once every 3 years. It is not difficult to see why the average life expectancy in Cambodia is only 49 years, according to the World Health Organization. We decided early on to make medical missions a key component of our Hope Cambodia campaign. Each week of the campaign there will be a team of thirty medical professionals facilitating a four-day medical camp in a chosen province in Cambodia, providing free medical care to everyone in the community. We are also committed to long term healthcare here as we are currently building a hospital and shipping a mobile medical clinic into the country.
August 1
David L. Meyer
As we have passed the half way mark of the 30 days of Hope, I thought you might enjoy some statistical information concerning what has been accomplished so far. Over 40,000 people have attended our events, with 22,286 of them receiving a book about the love of God. Just fewer than 4,000 medical and dental patients have received care. Before all is said and done, there will be over 800 visitors to Cambodia, all coming under the banner of Hope Cambodia. And even though we love the big numbers, at the end of the day it all comes down to adding value to another’s life, one hug at a time. We are thrilled with what has transpired in the first half of the outreach. Some of our bigger events are still to come, so stay tuned. It is amazing what can happen when we all come together for a common cause. Thank you to everyone!
July 31
David L. Meyer
With rainfall averaging between forty and two hundred inches per year, many Cambodians have been forced to live in less than desirable conditions. Numerous areas in Cambodia have entire villages called “Floating Villages”. Here an entire community can survive continually without ever leaving the water. They eat, drink, sleep, play, work, and worship all on the water. I recall telling my daughter as we took the five hour drive to Battambang last week that in Cambodia you can drive for hours and not find a place where there is not water everywhere. The climate has two seasons--rainy and dry. We are currently right in the middle of the rainy season.
July 30
Shelly Meyer
As I reflect on our visit to the village of Arng for the dedication of the community center, the face of one lady stays in my mind. There was nothing particularly outstanding about this woman except that she was the only person I saw in the whole crowd who looked like she was more than 50 years old. I have heard statistics quoted that up to 50% of the population of Cambodia is below 25 years of age. That is hard to believe but I saw evidence of it in this crowd. There truly is a motherless/fatherless generation in Cambodia. Where are the elders of the church gathered here? Where is the mature Christian who will show these young people how to live and grow in the Lord? They are not here. Their generation was almost destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. I don’t know this lady’s name, but I stopped and hugged her on my way out of the church. I will long remember her face and wonder about her life. How many of her family members did she see killed? Was she tortured or forced to work as a slave in the rice fields? I do know one thing, she is a survivor and she stands and praises God this day and gives hope to the next generation.
July 29
Scott Norling
In a place like Cambodia, a place of lost hope and an unrelenting cycle of poverty that plagues this Kingdom of 13 million, working together to achieve a goal is vitally important. When we began piecing together a vision for Hope Cambodia, we understood that unity among the various churches and their congregations was an essential ingredient in making our vision a reality. Over the past several months, pastors and lay leaders all across Cambodia and from across denominational lines have come together in the spirit of hope for their ailing nation to help facilitate this extensive outreach. With the first week of service behind us, I can honestly say it has been the work of the dozens of pastors, working side by side, that has laid the foundation for success for this ambitious vision.
July 28
Stephanie Meyer
Hope Cambodia is an awesome concept and right now we are seeing it come to life. It is such a privilege to see the church coming from all over the world to this small country in Southeast Asia that could so easily be overlooked. We are in the middle of history being made. The church is uniting to be the church and bringing the hope of Christ to the world. I believe that the lives of the hundreds of people from all over the globe that are coming to serve are being transformed right along with the people of Cambodia.
July 27
David L. Meyer
One of the powerful elements of Hope Cambodia is the ability to help equip local organizations with tools that will help them minister more effectively. We were able to buy this Tuk Tuk for the Cambodian based ministry White Lotus. Sherry Lile & Debbie Tetsch are Co-Directors of this very effective ministry, which reaches out to abused girls. A Tuk Tuk is a very common form of mass transit here. You see them all around the cities.
July 26
David L. Meyer
Tom McKaskill, Australian director of Joyce Meyer Ministries, led a team into one of the many prisons that we will be distributing the hygiene gift bags to. Upon completion, all the prisons will be visited by members of our team or representatives of Prison Fellowship, a ministry here in Cambodia headed up by Linda Chisholm. There are 25 prisons with an inmate population of around 11,000. We have seen this outreach touch so many lives globally. It is an incredible example of how simple acts of kindness can make a big impact.
July 25
Pastor John Siebeling, Life Church of Memphis
For me, the most touching moment of Hope Cambodia was touring the medical outreach taking place here in Battambang. I don't even know what it was in particular; I was just so moved by the compassion that I saw. I guess it just blew me away to see all those doctors and nurses from all over the world in those steamy hot rooms, armed with an interpreter at their side, doing whatever they could to help the hurting Cambodian people.
July 24
Pastor Dino Rizzo, Healing Place Church
As a church, we have been a part of some amazing moments where we saw God touch lives. But being a part of Hope Cambodia has given me a whole new vision of connecting with others to touch the world. Never have I seen so many people work so hard for one common cause — to see a nation transformed with the love of Jesus. It has been a huge win for me personally.
July 23
David L. Meyer
The Battambang meetings were concluded over the weekend. We saw what the Lord can do through the power of teamwork! Three churches came together and sent fifty volunteers to help touch the people of this province. Over 20,000 people attended services filled with anointed music and the word. As Pastor Dino Rizzo (pictured) ministers to over a thousand people jam packed into the hall, many more thousands are outside watching on a big screen. Thank you to everyone at Healing Place Church, The Life Church and Celebration Church for all of your help.
July 22
David L. Meyer
This past week launched the first of four weeks of the medical/dental teams. Mark & Doreen Babo (pictured) have been very instrumental in organizing the 80 plus professionals that are traveling to Cambodia throughout the 30 days. In the first week just completed, in the Battambang province, 1,685 patients were treated, many of which have had little or no access to this type of care. We believe very strongly in mixing social justice with God’s love. This week we all had a part in relieving suffering and I think God really likes that.
July 21
David L. Meyer
This little girl was simply too cute not to share with you all. She lives in a slum area in Phnom Penh and the living conditions there are deplorable. The good news is that JMM is building a Hope Center close to where she lives which will provide children like her with nutritious meals and an education. So, soon we will be helping her to live a better life.
July 20
David L. Meyer
This picture was taken at one of the many “Killing Fields” that still exist throughout the country. No one really knows how many Cambodians were massacred during the Khmer Rouge years but it was at least two million. One of the reasons we felt that God led us here is because of the country’s genocidal history. No one deserves this type of treatment and if we are able, through acts of kindness, to help with the restoration process, we have done our part. Love always wins over hate!
July 19
David L. Meyer
The power of television never ceases to amaze me. This picture was taken in a village in Cambodia. As you can see, they are watching Joyce’s “Enjoying Everyday Life” program in the local language of Khmer. Worldwide, we currently broadcast into 32 languages. Here in Cambodia, we are on three of the top local stations. This particular TV program was being watched in a bamboo hut near a garbage dump city. Just down the road we are currently building a “Hope Center”. So, together we are helping the area both physically and spiritually. Cool, huh?
July 18
Shelly Meyer
Today our family had the opportunity to participate in the first official “Hope Center” dedication. We traveled to a village called Arng and even though it was a long, rough two hour drive each way, it was well worth every bump on the road. We had a great time meeting the people from the local community and church who will use this building. They were kind and beautiful and excited about the center. The dedication included lovely Cambodian traditional dancers and heartfelt worship to Jesus. The pastor of the church talked about how they would use the building not only for their services, but also for many outreach programs, like caring for orphans, teaching job skills, teaching English and helping HIV patients. David also spoke and told the people how happy we were to be a part of bringing help and the Good News to their village and that God loves and cares for them. It was an amazing day and I can’t wait to see what God does in the coming days.
July 17
David L. Meyer
Logosdor, headed by Simon Hood along with his team have partnered with Focus on the Family to conduct children’s worker’s training all this week. They will train some 1,500 workers by the week’s end. This is so significant because many of the workers have come from the provinces and have never had the opportunity for this type of training. In addition, we are providing them valuable resources to help them train the beautiful children of Cambodia. We have had a great start to Hope Cambodia. Thanks for your continued prayers.
July 16
David L. Meyer
Today we launched the “Million Leader Mandate” training program, with over 700 in attendance. If each of these leaders train ten other individuals like the program calls for, there will be 7,000 new leaders equipped in Cambodia. This three year curriculum developed by John Maxwell’s EQUIP organization is one of the best programs I have ever seen for training international leaders. MichaelShar Joyce Meyer Ministries is currently training in three countries (Cambodia, Rwanda & India). Cambodia, due to the Genocide that wiped out so many of the leaders, has a huge need and we are thrilled to help fill this need.
July 15
David L. Meyer
Day two wrapped up five performances by Hillsong London over the weekend. In each one they gave everything they had to the Cambodian people, leading them into praise and worship. When all was said and done over 6,000 people attended and several thousand gave their hearts to Christ. Each person was given a book by Joyce Meyer on the love of God and will be followed up by local churches. I can think of no better way to open up this 30 day campaign than to honor our Creator for all He has done in our lives and especially all He will be doing over the next few weeks.
July 14
David L. Meyer
Hope Cambodia— 30 Days of Hope began with great expectancy. As Hillsong London took the stage the crowd both inside and out went crazy. Thousands of people filled the theatre as well as the outdoor overflows. Pastor Gary Clarke’s encouraging message on worship along with Peter Wilson and the Hillsong London band’s always uplifting praise and worship masterfully brought the Cambodian people into the presence of God, something that is rarely seen here. We want to thank God first and then all of you who have been praying for the 30 Days of Hope. Tonight we saw Jesus show up and honor it all. Please continue to pray as we still have 29 days to go and a lot of great ministry to Cambodia.
