CIF - Pioneering Foster Care in Cambodia

A couple months back I received from my field partner, Cathleen Jones, a copy of the Children in Families program evaluation report that was put together by representatives from Substitute Families for Abandoned Children (SFAC), a UK based organization which exists to help organizations in developing and emerging nations to establish Foster Care and Kinship Care programs. It was really encouraging for me to read this report from an independent source and I want to share some of the highlights.

One of the exciting things for me was to see an outsiders' view of how vital this ministry is. In terms of addressing needs in Cambodia, it really is cutting edge. Here is what the authors of the report had to say: "CIF is pioneering Social Work practice, believing that children have better outcomes in life when raised within families, rather than in institutional care. The development of their family strengthening, Kinship Care and Foster Care programmes is impressive bearing in mind it appears to be the first of its kind in the country and possibly within the South East Asia region. There is evidence of good practice being developed with locally recruited families where home visits are conducted to ensure an accurate assessment of needs is done prior to the placing of any children. Equally there is good practice in the preparation and support of these families in terms of training, financial, practical and emotional assistance. This demonstrates good levels of knowledge with regards to Social Work practice and a growing expertise by the national staff employed by CIF, in a concept not previously known in the country."

Additionally, the authors indicate that the program is well received by the Cambodian government. "Recently CIF were inspected (at CIF’s own cost) by Cambodian Government officials from The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans & Young People (MOSAVY). They concluded that CIF are leading the way in Cambodia in developing family care alternatives for children living away from their family. They were extremely impressed by what they witnessed asking CIF to help in developing Kinship and Foster Care models across the country."

I have shared with many of you that I really see this as a strategic ministry and I think that this report helps to illustrate that. The fact that this ministry meets critical needs and is held up as a standard for practice, even by the government of Cambodia, while operating with an unapologetically Christian approach makes it a great means of demonstrating who Jesus is to the Cambodian people by doing the kind of thing that He calls us to do. I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of it. You can have a part in it too! If you haven't already, please consider joining my team of partners in being His hands to help bring hope and healing to Cambodia. Contact me and I'll be happy to tell you more about it. Also, if you would like to read the full report put out by SFAC let me know and I'll send you a copy.

Good News & Bad News

"Okay, I've got some good news and some bad news....." I posted this yesterday and somehow it disappeared. I know the blog site was having some technical difficulties. I'll try to recreate the gist of it.

Well, starting with the good news, I had requested some Khmer (Cambodian) language materials at one time from Here's Life Australia, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. I received an e-mail from them the other day saying that they need to recruit help from someone who can read and write Khmer for online evangelism and discipleship via e-mail. They are receiving 10 e-mails a day from people in Cambodia who want to know more about Jesus! It is so exciting to me to see how God is at work there, opening their hearts and minds to want to know Him.

Now for the bad news. There are people there, just like here, who are distorting the message of the gospel. Maybe you've seen billboards proclaiming May 21 to be "judgment day." A misguided individual has convinced himself and wants to convince others that he can prove from the Bible that May 21 is the beginning of God's' judgment on the earth. He is spreading this misinformation through billboards around the United States. Well, apparently they have made their way to Phnom Penh, Cambodia as well.

Check this out:

I'm sad to see Christianity represented in this way in a place where so many are in need of the true knowledge of Christ. Please join me in praying that people will not be deceived and subsequently disillusioned with Christianity by association with this false teacher. Pray that young believers there will not be confused and taken in by this teaching and that the believers there will be equipped and motivated to spread the real Good News!!

How Beautiful

I was driving back to my current home in Minnesota from Iowa the other day and I had to pop in an old Twila Paris CD. I wanted to hear her song, "How Beautiful," because I was reflecting on the encouraging two weeks I had just had being with some of God's people in my home town of Inwood, Iowa and the surrounding area. It was one of those times when I think of Paul's words to the Romans of how he anticipated being "mutually encouraged by each other's faith" when he was able to be with them. I was getting to share what God has been doing in my life and what He has in store for me in Cambodia, while also getting to hear of the ways that He has been at work in other people's lives - it was beautiful! Then I was at a Wednesday night Lenten service and got to hear the song again. I'm looking forward to experiencing more of the beautiful body of Christ as I continue on this partner development journey!

If you haven't heard the song in a while and would like to you can hear it on grooveshark.com by clicking here

Praying for Japan

I look at my last post in light of the tragic devastation in Japan and now it seems kind of trite. It did not feel trite at the time - I just wanted to share about receiving a loving hug and encouragement from my Heavenly Father in a time that I needed it. Not because I needed my netbook, that was just the means that He used to remind me that He was in control, that He's always in control and working everything for good. That was what I needed to know then and definitely what I need to keep in mind now. It is so hard to see so much suffering but I know that God is going to work through it. I know that because that is just what He does. I am praying that those who are suffering in Japan will find Him to truly be the God of all comfort. I am praying that through the darkness His light will shine. I am praying that believers will be mobilized to be His hands to help bring hope and healing to Japan! All who love Jesus, please seek Him now for how He would have you respond to this and please follow through with how He leads you.

See how easy that was?

Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

God's been dealing with me lately about my struggles with fear and anxiety. Today He did it in such a sweet way. For several days I've been trying to find the power cord for my netbook, the battery of which was completely dead. I was getting so frustrated with the time that I was wasting looking for it when I kept coming up empty. Today I just said, "Lord, I'm just going to stop looking for it. There are so many other things that I need to do. Please just show me where it is." Seriously, it could not have been more than an hour later that I just came across it in a place that I definitely did not expect it to be. I was grateful to God for His answer to prayer, but even more for His tender encouragement that followed. I laughed at His sense of humor immediately after I found it and then I felt as if He were saying to me, "See how easy that was for Me? Everything else that concerns you is just as easy for Me." Wow! Yes, I definitely need to hang onto that!!

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