Changing Life Archives - New Life Fellowship Cambodia

Success stories from youth in English and computer classes

admin — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 06:09:11 +0000

MEN SOKNINEATH

My full name is MEN SOKNINEATH. I’m 19 years old. My hometown is PHNOM PENH. I have been studying at NEW LIFE for almost a year. NEW LIFE is like my home; and of course, I learned a lot from here, specially how to build relationships with people. NEW LIFE helps me to improve my English. I’m working as a cashier now. Only one word which is “THANKS” to New Life for teaching me a lot. It isn’t only English but I learn a lot of things such as friendship, and speaking English confidently.

SRUN DAVY

My name is Srun Davy. I’m 19 years old. I’m from Kompong Cham Province. I’ve been studying here at New Life for 1 year. I’m feeling happy when I study here and I find good people and good relationship with classmates and good teachers. M teachers always give me good advice. I am working as a cashier, earning 180$ per month. For me, I love all people at new life. God loves all of us.

PHANHA SEN

My name is Phanha Sen. I am 20 years old. My hometown is in Kompong Chnang Province. I have been studying at New Life for 9 months.I feel like I’m better at listening in English now. Especially for Computer skills, I could improve more and more, and in fact before I was so bad at computer. I didn’t know anything about it, but after I learned it at New Life, I could see that I can use it for my job now. I’m sure that I’m better because there are many good teachers in this school. I really love and I feel so blessed. Sometimes I Feel regret that I have just gotten to know this school.

MAO NAREN

My name is Mao Naren. I'm 21. I'm from Prey Veng Province. I've been studying at New Life for 1 year. I feel like my life is amazingly changing. I feel I came to the right place. Of course, I learnt so many interesting things at New Life not only English, but also how to prepare myself to reach my dream job. New Life helps me a lot with my English, building connection with people, and self-prepared for a job. Currently, I'm working as a teacher. I teach GEP students at The Cam-bridge Center for Education (CCE). My last words for New Life are that I'm really thankful for all teachers at New Life. You have made me different and made my dream come true.

She committed to carrying the cross of Jesus.

admin — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 05:55:01 +0000

she decided to confront her father during the ancestor holiday.

Theary , one of our intern volunteers, shared her confrontation with her father during the recent ancestor holidays, Pchum Ben.

Some of you might know and some of you might not know much about the holidays that were held last week. It is called Pchum Ben Days, the time when Khmer people follow their rituals at Buddhist temples. They bring over food, and gifts to the temple believing that those things will be transferred to the in spiritual world to their ancestors. It is also believed that their deceased parents or relatives’s spirits locked up in hell are released for the first 15 days of the dark moon in order for them to come to get food because they are hungry. At 4 AM in the morning during these days, they prepare balls of sticky rice on trays for their nearby temples. People gather there to listen to monks chanting and invite the spirit to come, then they start to scatter the food around the temple building.

During this time, children are supposed to help their parents carry food to the temple to offer to Buddhist monks. Out in a community village, there is social pressure if you don’t do it. Theary who chose Jesus a few years ago, had faced this sort of pressure when she did not want to comply with doing the ritual. Every year, her father kept talking negatively about Christianity, he disliked the fact that his daughter chose to follow Jesus. Theary felt emotionally disturbed and rejected because she loves her parents, and her family but she doesn’t want to come against her conviction either.

She told us that she had been praying about her visit to her parents during this holiday, and hoped that her parents would not force her to practice any rituals. Unlike a few years before, this year her father seemed to be different. He did not pressure her to do anything, but accepted her presence when she paid the visit. Theary really thanked God for allowing her to be able to spend time with her family, and set aside those rituals.

In Khmer society, religious discrimination can still be seen. To be a Christian means a big sacrifice in life. one has to be ready to accept rejection not only among their peers, but also among their family members. It is just like what the Bible talks about carrying the cross. You have to be ready to be denied by people you love. Yet, when we obey, and embrace His Love, we will gain more.

In Theary’s story , we saw that her prayers really softened her father’s heart. She believes that sooner or later, her father and other members in the family will come and be saved like her.

Once a dropout, he has now become a community changer

admin — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 05:41:49 +0000

Channan was a hopeless young boy who dropped out of school in grade 6. In order to survive, he came to work in a factory with his older brother in Poipet City. One day, a NLF-Poipet pastor invited Channan to church and allowed him to live in church. Channan had a big dream to become a pastor – he wanted to serve in the Kingdom of God.

The Children at Risk project sponsored him to study the English language for 4 years. He is hardworking and studies his English diligently. Now he can speak good English and is able to use it to minister in his church as an English teacher to young children. He also volunteers as an interpreter when short-term teams visit the church.

Channa is now 20 years old and is a church planter of New Life Fellowship Poipet City and is the home church leader in Pailin City.

My Life transformed during my stay in Student Dormitories

admin — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 04:57:11 +0000

A life story of a young man who is staying in New Life Fellowship’s dormitory. Hello everyone, my name is San Reatrey. I am 20 years old. Currently I am staying in NLF dormitory. Here, I wanted to share with you my life story and how God has dramatically changed my life.

Born in a rural area, I grew up being influenced mostly by my family. Though I was provided all the things I needed, I was taught so many misconceptions about Christianity. I lived with the world desires. Thus, I did not like Christians, and neither did I desire to know about God. Every time Christians came to share good news to me, I would resist or persecute them.

One day, my grandmother who is a believer, brought me to her church about 4 kilometers away from her house. I agreed to go along with her only because I wanted to receive some free cake. As I returned, my family blamed me because I had been involved with Christians. Though I felt very discouraged, my grandmother kept encouraging me to continue attending the church service. I did as she suggested. I attended the church service regularly. My wrong perceptions about God was fading away. Later on, I accepted the Lord as my savior. Seeing my life change, my mom also decided to accept the Lord. When my family started to receive Jesus, my neighbors in the same village began to persecute my family at every means. Even though we felt pressured and persecuted, we felt victorious because Christ gave us strength, and helped us move on.

When I started my grade 10th, I lost my faith in the Lord and made many bad decisions in life. I worshiped idols, I received religious splashing water for good luck, involved myself with fortune tellers, and participated in other religious activities against God.

However, all glory to Jesus because everything changed when I entered my high school grade 12th. I was called again through New Life Fellowship. I registered to join Growing Tree Internship program and was allowed to stay in NLF‘s dormitory.

I had never known anything about Growing Tree Internship or dorm ministry at all. Yet, after spending time going through the internship and the stay at the dorm, my faith in Jesus increased. I felt spiritually touched more deeply in the relationship with Jesus. Through staying in the dorm and sharing my life with other youth, I increased my courage, and I learned to be more humble, to serve others, and is submissive to the leadership, and of course learn to be a young leader.

I really thank God for everything He has done in my life, all the miracles He has done just for me but also for many other people in the dorm and the church.