This past summer, Tim and a few others from church, went to Cambodia with many different directions and goals. It was eye opening to say the least, as Tim saw many areas of growth needed for people to maintain the essentials of life as we had everything at our fingertips back home. After much debriefing with Kim and follow-up conversations with Pastor Sophea, Tim felt called to go back to again tackle the business needs of the church in Cambodia.
This second trip, he challenged a co-worker to come beside him in the journey 15 hours ahead of us and see first hand how God can use them for His children in Cambodia. Josh and Tim flew on points which meant a bit longer in air travel without a direct flight so the first day and a bit was all in the air or spent in airports. Don't feel too bad for them…they still managed to fly business class with flat, bed-like seats and plenty of nice food. God once again, provided safety over the 10 day trip and gave Tim more clarity as to how he can help our brothers and sisters across the ocean. God has blessed Tim with the gift of business and he has thoroughly enjoyed blessing others with some of the knowledge he's been given over the years.
Last trip, Tim met a mango farmer who had land but no trees. Through fundraising, Addison (more mommy) was able to raise enough money to purchase 200 mango trees for that family but, unfortunately, they lost 1/2 of them due to lack of water. Before Tim left, he was able to purchase another 100 to make up for the loss and was able to give some advice to help keep all the trees green and alive. Addi enjoyed hearing about how she helped someone and seeing pictures, was able to make a connection to those across the world. We used Tim's trip as a social studies lesson as well, studying the land, history, and kids in the area. Brings perspective to a rather spoiled little girl who sometimes wants everything but, has all she needs. The kids were especially weepy this time Daddy was gone but telling them he was sharing Jesus with other people did ease the tension in the evenings. I'm praying we never get too comfortable or "spoiled" that we forget what others don't have and never give thanks for what we do have.
Here are a few tidbits from Tim's journal and some pictures from the 10 day trip…
Day 2 excerpt....
Brian and I spent the morning discussing strategy for this trip, who is targeting what, and why. Both of us again, don’t know exactly what we are going to do, if anything, but know we need to be here and can help in many ways.
Brian, Kim, Kate, Anne, and Josh all left and went to see an organization called Reaching Cambodia which takes kids in.
I stayed back and met with Vibol, the financial manager for the church and compound. When I left last time, he and I had just started diving into financial planning for the church itself, and we were finding that they were missing tons of opportunities to generate income with their facility. So we started right where we left off. It became evident immediately that he had no idea what he was doing. He had 10 spreadsheets that don’t match, tallying into one big one, which is basically a ledger. He expressed how Sophea (head pastor) is having a hard time taking risks and moving forward with expansions and plans. He spent quite a bit of time talking about it. But once I saw what Sophea was being presented, I immediately knew what the issue is. Type A, visionary leaders take risks, expand companies and organizations, and lead intentionally - but only when they have confidence in the plan there are moving forward with. Sophea has no plan, and he’s relying on a financial guy with the experience of a high school graduate here. So when Sophea asks for a financial breakdown to make decisions from, he freaks out (my assumption), and slows things down.
I spent 4 hours with Vibol, looking at their financial picture, and assembling a projection for the next 2 years, based on historical information, market research, and opinions about what we felt the property could do if they had the proper tools and took the steps. I a new spreadsheet that was comprehensive with who they were going to target, how they were going to do it, and what kind of revenues that would generate. When we built the spreadsheet in the way I like to see things (from a Type A / visionary perspective) immediately Vibol said “ah… I now see.” He could see how he was presenting things to his leader, and how it would only confuse him. It was a great breakthrough moment for him.
All in all, we took the property and increased it’s revenue by 40% in 1.5 years, with only a 10% increase in overhead. The freedom that comes for their church when they have that additional income is huge! I am going to spend the next few days finishing the package, and then we are going to roll it out to Sophea. I’m praying it’s received well.
I later met with a businessman who owns a tortilla making company. We sat down, me, him (Sothy), his wife Chanthy, and Sophea. He gave me his package of tortillas, which I immediately knew were a high grade product. They are fresh, packaged nicely, and weighed about 2x what ours do. He explained how he got into the business, and that he wants to expand but doesn’t know what to do or where to go. We quickly identified that he is the ONLY tortilla making company in the country, that his only competition is from the states and Australia, and he is selling his product for 1/2 of what his competition is. I of course stopped the conversation and asked him to repeat what he had just said. Seriously! They started their business and with fear of failing, the underpriced their product and now are stuck. So I put a plan together with them for increasing their margin by 40% on each package. We are going to lose a few customers, but in the end he’ll still be making more money, working less, and will be poised for profitable growth.
We also identified that he has a desire to change lives of some locals. So I explained how people want to be a part of something but most never take the time, or think they have the time. So he needs to be transparent with his customers, and let them know that he’s taking 3 kids off the streets a year, and teaching them trade. He needs to market it, put it on his packaging, etc and then report yearly to his customers about what they were part of this last year. He was pumped about that idea and immediately got how the transparency would help create more value in his brand and would ultimately result in higher sales.
By the time we were done, he was so jacked up! It was awesome. He also wants to start a Mexican restaurant here, so I told him when the time comes, I’ll get some restaurant folks to come over and help him take the first few steps. He could not believe that we’d do that.
{ Pastor Sophea & Tim meeting with the owners of the tortilla company }
Dinner then was with the entire group, and pastors from the Life Giving Network. This was really cool to be a part of. Dan finished his 3 years of training these pastors. They have had to send him monthly reporting every month for 3 years, trained them on site 4 times a year, and has poured time and energy into them teaching them purpose driven church model, systematic theology, etc. These guys were incredible. It’s such a testimony in how they have set up their model for reproduction of pastors. I want to stay behind them on this front as it’s huge.
It was so cool to hear Dan talk about each guy and what they have accomplished through the process. Not only are all of them pastoring churches, they have led thousands to Christ, baptized thousands, one is translating the ESV bible into the Khmer language, one is running a televangelist radio show, they are all moving into the surrounding villages for mission work, one is pastoring a 300 person church and growing rapidly, teaching English to students, etc. It was absolutely amazing. And on top of it, in everything that was discussed at dinner, all the successes, etc. Everything was done to glorify God, and they gave credit over and over to the fact that it was cause of Christ and his movement on their lives. It was so great.
{ Dan speaking at the graduation ceremony and dinner for the pastors who went through the PEACE plan and training. }
After that we had the driver deliver us to the motorcycle shop to get our bikes. I was nervous as all get out! I have never ridden a dirt bike style bike, and am used to my bike which is big, but solid. These are worn down, rattly, and old. But they assured us they drive well. They took our passports and will hold them until we return the bikes. I really wish I would have brought my helmet. I did however bring Matt’s pair of sunglasses for riders which have pads that keep the air out of the eyes, and these were a life saver.
We got on the road and went for it. I don't think my sphincter muscle has been that tight in years. I was dripping with sweat, anxiety, nerves, excitement, etc. It was absolutely terrifying and invigorating at the same time. What a rush! We were ducking and diving cars, driving in oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road, merging the wrong way, etc. Everything they do here, we were doing. It was so much fun. You realize once you are out there that they have a mutual respect for each other on the roads and people just watch for each other. It’s amazing.
{ The beginning of the adventure bike rentals. Brian and Josh were thankful for Tim's bright shirt as they were a few in the chaos of many on the streets navigating through cars, scooters, and other bikers. }
{ This face tells me to worry. Thankful he at least has a helmet on as law states that just drivers are required to wear them and all other passengers- sometimes up to 5 on one scooter - are not. }
Tonight Brian and I spoke at a class for students. There was about 150 of them there and we spoke about business development, how we got to where we are, and what it takes to maintain a business. It was really interesting. It was also fun. Brian and I just feed so well off each other and pitch crap to each other that it’s hard to not enjoy it. We just have a blast together. Listening to the questions though, from the kids, it’s clear they all want to be business people but have no concept of what that means. They associate it with being rich, having an office, and wearing a suit. One guy was going to school to be a contractor who builds high rises, roads, bridges, and homes (kind of a wide stretch) and he was wondering how to go get all the business to come to him after he had his degree. He has no concept of starting at the bottom, learning the trades, developing a reputation, how to market himself, etc. I think it just hit me today how much the Pol Pot Regime totally wiped out everything about these people. I asked our driver today what it was like here before it all happened. He told me that Shanghai and other cities, were modeling their towns after Phnom Penh. It used to be the jewel of the south ease Asia area. Now it’s a pit. So sad.
After that we went to Sophea and Jenny’s house for dinner. WOW…. We would struggle to live in that environment. They have a girl there who just moved here from a church in northern Canada. She felt led to come and serve the pastor and his family here so she moved here at 17 years old, last month. She will be here for 2 more months and then will go home. What a great experience for a kid of that age. Would love to see our kids do this or YWAM.
Today we started with breakfast as normal. I ended up getting up early and reading Isaiah. How cool that prophets were given visions and words from the Lord that foresaw the coming of our Savior. Good way to start the day.
Next we got on our bikes and rode out to Koy’s place in the country. Koy is with Teen Challenge and he manages 2 complexes. One is in the city and it houses all the women, who they help out of addictions and take off the street and then give them a home, help cure them, teach them about the Lord, teach them how to work, etc. The other one is in the country and it’s for the guys. This complex is quite something. They have agriculture and gardens for the food, pigs which they grow and sell for money, a scooter repair shop which they use to teach the kids how to work and skills, and then a dorm and a small school for them.
Last time I was there I felt called to send people to help Koy. I feel the same after our meeting today. Koy is still struggling with 50% piglet loss of life, and when pigs are your main source of income, that hurts hugely. They are barely making it, and getting zero support from the main Teen Challenge organizations corporate headquarters.
{ Pictures from the slum area near the capitol. Puts EVERYTHING into perspective. No toilets or running water. What you see is what they have...}
{ Koy, the leader of Teen Challenge, with some of the kids in the slum areas. }
It seems for me on trips like this, there is always a day that changes things. Today I think was that day. We had a quick breakfast and then went off to church. At the breakfast though, Brian and I were chatting and I told him that this trip feels different. I have begun to feel indifferent about it a bit. The first trip was scouting, figuring things out. This trip was supposed to be a deeper push, learn more, help more, and figure out what we want to do. After a couple days we both felt that we have to be here for longer periods of time to make a dent. Much like Greg when he goes to Haiti. He goes for a few weeks. We both feel we need a few weeks here, planned properly, with a team, and then we can do some specific damage that will help the church and believers locally. But this morning we both agreed that it felt like we were at the point where we now know, we just need to dive in or move on. We left the discussion un-ended….
Pastor Kim was preaching at Sophea’s church. We had already met with Kim and he had instructed us to sit separately and engage with people instead of hanging together. I think he also did this so he could focus points towards us.
Worship was crazy there. People in other countries, that aren’t washed out with appearance issues and success, just have no issue being who they are in worship. This crowd was jumping, cheering, clapping, shouting, etc. I captured some great video. It was totally fun. We spent some time in prayer with individuals, holding hands and praying over each other.
Then Kim got up to preach. The church was about 75% full, probably 300 there, and they are a younger crowd, mostly in their 20’s and 30’s I would guess. Kim’s message was about the vision he had earlier this week over this church, and over the LGN and what it’s going to be in the future. His vision had to do with this young church being a nation changing church, a church that would plant 10 churches in 10 years, expand way beyond it’s roots, save children from poverty, equip leaders, etc. He shared how he saw a big fire, and people were throwing themselves into the fire and being consumed by it. The fire kept getting bigger and bigger, and eventually, people started leaving the fire with small fires of their own, and spreading out. Wherever those people went, people in the surrounding areas started jumping into their fires as well. Pretty soon, the country was a blaze. The fire obviously was the church. With all his passion, he lit that church up today.
In his message he talked about how we limit God, we make Him small, but God is “able to accomplish infinitely more than we are able to ask or even comprehend”. This resonated with me as I see this in my life. God has done more with us than I ever would have imagined. I was fresh off an email from a gal to my wife who said that my wife, on that specific night talking to the group of women in Bellingham, was “a miracle” to their marriage, and helped save it. God has used us, and still is. I have also been hearing while I’m here that I need to come and help them get the church infrastructure off the ground, as they will not be able to see it until it’s done. I have now built the bulk of their business plan and am almost ready to roll out to the church. I don’t know how that works with my family, and with what we have going on already and what we feel called to do.
Kim mentioned in his sermon that he believes this church is going to be a church that impacts marriages locally as well. It was at that moment that God spoke clearly to me and said that I will come down here, build the infrastructure with the church, take a team or two to make it happen. I will lead the trade partnerships for the pigs and agriculture that I have been feeling led to do, and focus also on the church. I will come alongside the businesses that I have been mentoring, work with them on a daily basis for a while, and help them really take things to the next level. My wife will spearhead a marriage conference while she is here. The local churches, which are all connected, will market it, play the video’s at church service, advertise it well to the local community and surrounding villages, and we will then have a weekend dedicated to marriages in the church locally. We will speak, share our testimonies, and have a marriage conference here, where I highly doubt there has been one as they don’t have the resources.
As I sat there, writing this down and reviewing what I felt the Lord had said, I was asking God if this was Him speaking, if this was real, or just a thought in my mind. While I was thinking / praying this, I was distracted from the message briefly. But right then, after I asked God if this was real, Kim spoke clearly and it was like the room went silent and it was just him and I. He looked right at me and said “God is choosing people from all over the world to come here, to build this church up, to help it expand and become a national influence with the Word of God. There is a reason YOU keep coming back here. It’s because the Holy Spirit is at work, the harvest is ripe, and YOU are supposed to help. Right here, right now.”
I broke, and couldn’t hold back the tears. After the discussion at breakfast, the feeling that I’m getting some clarity and direction, it was like the Lord just opened my eyes and said “here’s the plan.”.
{ The three guys out for a dinner at Malis. }
Day 6 was a bit of a blur. We left early on our bikes and rode through the country! It was a blast. Stopping at shacks for lunch and a beer, driving through caves, on dirt, gravel, driving on the shoulder, weaving in and out of traffic, cows, bikes, scooters, cars, buses, etc. It was a rip!
Sadly one of the guys had a crash and we ended up in a hospital. Eye opening to say the least. It did not mess with me though, he made a dumb move, and didn’t have a backup plan. The driving we were doing wasn’t necessarily safe in US standards, but there it was, and everyone else is trained for it as well.
We ended up staying in a villa on the river down by the coast. Very cool setting!
{ The hotel beach where Tim stayed on the coast. Below is the map showing the distance from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville where he spent one night. }
{ Rather than have a driver, the guys decided to rent adventure bikes to get around. }
{ The view from the top of the mountain overlooking the coast. }
{ Vibol took a wide corner and lost control resulting in a dislocated shoulder and some cuts. }
{ ER looks a little different than ours here in the states. So does the price tag. Over night stay, two ambulance rides, drugs, and care…drum roll…$300!!! }
{ Love these kids. So excited to sell flashlights to the guys as the entered the cave. }
{ Someone needs a shower. }
Day 7….
Got up early, and back on the road for our trip home. It was a great ride, great roads this time, and we hauled. What a blast!
I went to the place where Kim / Anne were doing their training with the church team. I sat in the back and listened and really picked up quite a bit and felt even more of a clearer direction for me.
{ Big FAT no thanks on this one. Way to go Brian and Josh for trying crunchy tarantula legs }
Day 8….
Off to the airport!
The kids and I were able to drive south to pick up Tim from the airport and bring tired Daddy home. Tim REALLY struggled with jet leg this time as he for days later, would be snoring at 7pm on the couch. I'm happy to report he's back on our time and ready to go again!
