Meet Joot Red

My name is Joot Red and I am 68 years old. I am part of the Community Leaders Base (CLB) in the Life with Value program. I started participating in this program in 2016. I love being involved in this group because this program supports my community. It is helping my community improve in the health sector. 

While in this program, I received great, valuable lessons. I was trained in the practice of “starting a fire,” where we as a community learn to initiate practical activities to support the community. We received information regarding matters of migration, women and children’s trafficking, drug and substance abuse, domestic violence, dengue fever, and measures of protection for COVID-19 and dengue fever. Through this vital information, I began to pay more attention to the needs of my family and community.

During the pandemic, I have worked hard to protect my community alongside FOH by sharing information and safety measures. As a vice-village chief, I am worried and tried all that I could to support my community so that we can learn how to fight against this new disease. I am grateful for the work and the cooperation from FOH. I am happy that the villagers heed the information and try to protect themselves as well.

I am grateful and feel proud to have programs from FOH. I see that it is very beneficial to my community. It has given me great aspirations I had not thought of before. I began to understand and reflect more about the problems at hand in my community. I am glad too that my community is healthier and learning new things through this program.

I ask that this program will continue to support us so that we can learn new things. The local authority alone is inadequate to support the community. FOH gives a better voice and support for the needs within this community. 

Finally, I hope that FOH’s program will continue to run in this village and continue to support us here. And, as a request, I hope that in the future when we do a campaign like for dengue fever, there will be other practical materials to support the communities as well. Thank you.  

Meet Voeunn

My name is Voeunn and I am 54 years old and a farmer. My husband’s name is Heng. We have eight children (five daughters and three sons). 

Before I participated in the FOH training programs, like the Leaders of Safe Community, I didn’t know what FOH was. Based on the name, I thought it was just some organization that provided clean water. Yet, I was curious and thought maybe they would teach me how to use and produce clean water. 

Once I entered the training program, I began to understand the many projects FOH provides to support and strengthen communities; health, general hygiene, and other initiatives to inspire the community to cooperate, work together, and help one another. Through the FOH training, I learned about relevant topics impacting my community; community mapping, the dangers of drug abuse, impacts of domestic violence, HIV, trafficking, and various other health-related topics. 

I am happy to work with FOH to share useful information with my village. I want my community to know how to prevent drug abuse problems, trafficking, and domestic violence. 

I want to say thanks to the teachers in FOH that are willing to come to my community to teach, educate, and provide useful information so that I have sufficient information to share with my community. 

Meet Somrach

My name is Somrach and I am 63 years old. I am a cell church member. I became a widow over 29 years ago. I have four children; two sons and two daughters. All of my children are married already.

The cow bank project has been a wonderful program for me. It is a great project for the poor and needy widows like myself. I am grateful that I received the loan of a cow to care for and keep its offspring. I used to have buffaloes. With the OSV training, I learned how to care for cows as well. Thank you, Fountain of Hope and its partners, for providing this program to poor widows. I am truly glad that I could be a part of this program – it has changed my life for the better. Caring for the cow has lifted my current conditions, especially now when I am at my old age.

As for my faith, I had not heard much about Jesus. Thus, it was difficult to understand why I needed Him. However, one day when a cell church leader came to share with me, and she came to invite me to participate in the Cow Bank Project training. There, I received more than just the knowledge, I received the good news! As I learned about Jesus, I noticed His character and how He cared and loved the people around Him. Plus, it was easy to see His love because of the believers at the training. They were friendly. After that training, I was intrigued so I continued to learn God’s word at the cell church. I began to understand more and more about God. It was great too that the cell church is near my village. At the time, I was intrigued with the Lord rather than the cow bank, since I did not receive the cow yet. I am often reminded of these words, “If you need something, please pray and ask the Lord; He will provide”. So, I began to learn how to pray for the needs that I have. Then, sometime later I heard that I was on the list to be a receiver of a cow. A month or so later, I received a cow. I was so happy and even more so because the cow was three months pregnant! Thank God for the joy in my life.

I am grateful to the Lord that He answered my prayers. I will continue to care for the cows as well as I can, so that they will produce healthy calves, and alleviate my needs too. The cow bank is wonderful. I pray that it will continue to flourish to support many other needy widows in other communities like it has for me.

Meet Ni

My name is Ni and I am 49 years old. I am married and have three children; two sons and one daughter. I wash motorbikes and earn between 40,000 riels to 60,000 riels (10 – 15 USD) daily. When I heard about the Our Strong Village program, I got interested especially in the soap-making training. Soap is essential in my line of work. The FOH staff first taught me how to grow lemons. Right now, my lemon trees are growing quite well.

Later, the FOH staff brought us all together to learn about soap-making techniques. With eagerness, I participated. After the training, I began making my own soap! At first, I was worried that the soap would be unusable. Along the way, I sought the FOH teacher for support. My soap turned out really well – I am so happy. Before, I bought soap from the market, but now I can make it myself! Daily I need around 5 to 8 liters for work. I save money since I make it myself! My family uses the soap for their other cleaning needs as well. 

I am so glad that the FOH teacher continues to encourage and help me. Through the OSV program, I now raise chickens. So right now, I have three successful jobs: chicken and fish raising, and motorbike washing. These various jobs have supported my family and allowed my children to be in school, especially when two of them are in high school (requiring a substantial amount of expenses). I have much hope for my family – and that my children will be able to go to university! 

I want to thank FOH and the FOH partners for the support for these programs. I know that OSV has helped not just my family, but many others in my community. What I learned has helped my wellbeing and other needs within my community. There is a growing awareness and families are starting to grow their own vegetables as well. This will help keep families healthy. It is surprising to see a Christian organization doing such great work. I am intrigued and want to learn more about this faith since there are a few in my group who put their faith in Jesus already. Thank you.

Meet Kimhorng

My name is Kimhorng and I am 44 years old. I am a member of the Our Strong Village program. I joined the program when a FOH teacher told me I could learn about vegetable gardening. I wanted to learn more about how to grow vegetables effectively. Plus, I could participate in chicken raising training. 

Through the OSV program, I learned about planting, how to make soap, and how to raise chickens. After the training, I planted pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers and cabbage around my house. I now raise chickens and make soap. I learned about growing other vegetables too but they are more difficult to maintain and too costly.

I love the program – it has helped meet my family’s needs. I am more capable; I can do a lot and use the resources that I have. The FOH staff encourage me throughout the process.

In the future, I would like to learn more about raising chickens. I like OSV and I hope it will continue to be a
part of this community. Please pray for my family to stay healthy. Pray also that the Lord will bless the work that I do raising chickens.

Meet Sol

My name is Sol and I am 45 years old. I live with my husband and son, who is four years old. I do not own any large farming land, just the space around my house. I am part of a cell church. Before I participated in FOH’s programs, I was quite desperate. I felt uneducated and my husband had to travel to faraway places for work for many months at a time. While staying home with my son, we searched for edible plants to sell and to provide for our daily needs. There were times when we had nothing to eat.

After I came to know the Lord Jesus through FOH, I joined the cell church and participated in the Our Strong Village (OSV) program. After I finished the OSV training, I discovered the resources I had around my house. I planted vegetables and my small land became a garden. In fact, all around my house became a garden. The FOH staff continued to teach and help me with my garden. Now, I have a family garden where the produce is adequate for me to sell and support my daily needs. The blessings overflowed and I shared what I had with my neighbors and cell church members, too. I saw the benefits of these vegetables firsthand. These vegetables are healthier for my family; they are all-natural with no extra chemicals added to them, making them safe for people’s consumption. I am grateful that through the OSV program I received technical training and the seeds I needed. I get to serve the community by selling organic vegetables to them. I am happy that my family’s livelihood is improving. 

Finally, I would like to give thanks to the Lord Jesus and Fountain of Hope for the encouragement and new wonderful ideas so that I can learn to develop myself and my family. I can see that my cell church and community are improving as well. I am grateful that I have the privilege to know the true God and be saved from sins through faith in the Lord.

Meet Mum

Greetings, my name is Mum. I am 42 years old and live in the Tbong Khmum province. I am married and have four children, three boys and one girl. I went to school only until grade two. I can read a little bit. I work as a traditional Khmer musician, along with my whole family. 

I grew up practicing Buddhism. As a musician, I played a significant role in playing music for the Buddhist ceremonies. Every year I would play for the spirits of the ancestors. I was involved in many other ceremonies too. I performed so that I could ask for blessings. I believed that if I didn’t do these things, my family would become ill or experience other dangers. Because of this, I lived in fear and lost hope. My life was filled with unending weariness and anxiety. It got so bad that I figured I would not accept any more invitations to these ceremonies. My performance seemed unproductive and did not help my fears. However, I did not know of any other choice. It was tradition that told me what I should do or not do. All of my relatives and neighbors practiced these beliefs and I didn’t want to be disrespectful to my parents. 

One day in August of 2018, I heard the gospel through a Fountain of Hope (FOH) staff member. She came to visit my aunt, who lived next door. Then, the teacher came to visit me. I had heard about the good news before, but didn’t know what it was all about. And I really didn’t
like Christians. 

I praise the Lord that on September 17, 2018 the FOH teacher continued explaining God’s word to me. God has the power to help anyone living in fear. He is a deliverer for those who are in sorrow and hopelessness. In Matthew 11:28 I discovered that God gives us rest. In John 1:12, God has given us the power to become His children. In Luke 10:19, He has also given us the power to step on the head of the serpent; power over the enemy. God gives us power over what causes us pain. Once I understood the good news about Jesus, I made the decision to believe in the Lord. I accepted God to be my Savior over my life. 

I desire to follow God’s ways from now on. I want to live under the power of God, because living under Satan was really difficult. I am really grateful that the Lord has forgiven me. He delivers me from the power of Satan; from bondage to freedom. I praise the Lord. I am glad that I can participate in the new believer training and receive water baptism. I praise the Lord that the foundational training has helped me to know God even more. The Lord is truly helping me to be free from fear. 

Thank you Lord, for saving me and growing my faith in you more and more as I learn your word. Amen.

Meet Oul

Greetings, my name is Oul, I am 39 years old. My father passed away when I was a little girl and my mother is a farmer.

Every morning as a child, I would sit on the stairs watching other children go to school. Some were riding bicycles. Others had lots of fun chatting and playing around. I really wanted to go to school like the other children. At that time, I was almost six years old, the age to start school. However, what I had anticipated was cast aside. I could not go to school because I was crippled. I had not been able to walk since I was four years old. I was told that when I was little, I had a really bad fever. My mom called a village doctor to care for me and the doctor gave me injections. Because of these injections, I could not use one side of my body; I was unable to move my hand and leg. 

I was filled with despair. I could not go to school. I knew that no one would want to marry me. My mom often encouraged me that if no one wanted me, I would always have her that she would always be right by my side. Even though I had encouragement from my mom, I could not find peace. 

One day, a man riding a blue motorcycle visited my home. His name was Mr. Sreng Peach from Fountain of Hope and he was pleasant. He greeted me and asked how I was doing. He encouraged me with truths from the Bible. He shared with me that in this world there is something of greater importance. We live in a temporal world and our true home is not here. He encouraged me to not be disappointed, because there is a God who is waiting to help me; His name is Jesus Christ. God loves everyone, especially me, a cripple. He loves me so very much. 

That day as I heard those words, I began to believe and asked the Lord Jesus into my life. Mr. Sreng Peach continued to teach me and introduced me to a support group, where I learned about acceptance and my value. He taught me how to pray to God. I started to pray often to the Lord and found encouragement through the word of the Lord. God asked me not to look to man, but to Him alone. Now my life is filled with peace, and I have fellowship with other believers. 

I am so thankful to God for loving me. I no longer want to end my life like I used to. I am no longer worried because I have the God who cares and encourages me. I would like to ask for prayers for my mother’s health. May the Lord bless her with health and help her to trust and have strong faith in the Lord. Amen!

Meet Cheh

Greetings, my name is Cheh and I am 54 years old. I was raised in a poor family. I have five children who are all married and four grandchildren. I have been a widow for over ten years now. 

I first learned about the good news through Fountain of Hope. I became a Christian and am now part of a cell church in the Pursat province.

Being a widow has been really difficult. I had to become both parents for my children and address all of the family’s needs. Some of my children who have children of their own moved to Thailand to work because they did not have enough income here. Taking care of their children became my responsibility. 

I have often wished that my family was wealthy and had better lives; but this is simply not reality. One day the staff from Fountain of Hope explained the Cow Bank Project to our cell church. The Lord had heard my prayers and answered. I consulted with my children and we decided participate in the cow bank. I received training and learned all the policies of the Cow Bank Project. After about two months, I was chosen to receive a cow! The cow was eight months old when I began raising it and I have learned so much through this experience.

I am truly grateful that the Lord has blessed me with a female cow. I have raised and cared for the cow for over three years now. The cow has produced offspring including a female calf that was recently born. I prayed for a female calf and the Lord blessed me! It is a joy to see the results of my hard work and how this has helped my family’s livelihood. Our poor community has benefited from this program as my cow was the offspring of another widow’s cow. 

I am committed to this project and will try my best to look after the cow so that it will continue to produce well and serve others through its offspring. I want to bless all the FOH staff and partners with God’s grace and blessings. Thank you for serving and caring for poor widows like me. 

Meet Rhatt

Greetings, my name is Rhatt and I am 29 years old. My wife and I are farmers in the Battambong province. We have five children, three daughters and two sons. We currently work for our neighbors in their potato fields. There are not a lot of options for work around here. Sometimes we have to go into the mountains to search for wood to sell, so that we can support our family.

Growing up I practiced Buddhism because my parents and their parents also practiced Buddhism. Though I had a religion in my life, I felt somewhat useless. My parents had a difficult time raising me because I didn’t care about them. 

One day, I was called to follow the Lord. The Lord has changed my heart, and He transformed my whole life. I never thought the Lord would call me to be a cell church leader. But I have found that it is wonderful and encouraging to be able to praise God and lift up one another in difficult times. I became a Christian in 2015; I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior through the Fountain of Hope staff. I remember when they visited my home and shared the gospel with my family. I am thankful to the Lord that He has chosen my family. Despite our difficulties, we have peace, joy and contentment with whatever the Lord gives us. 

We have faced persecution from our neighbors because we are Christians. Yet, we have peace and joy because of Jesus’ promises.

I am so thankful to the Lord that He blessed us through the Our Strong Village program with some goats (1 male and 4 females) and training to start our own herd. These goats will help meet my family’s daily needs and increase our income. 

Finally, I’m truly filled with joy because the Lord God has blessed my family. He knows what is best for us and He hears our prayers. May the Lord bless all the FOH teachers and partners for the Our Strong Village projects and provisions. May the Lord give you and your family peace.  

Meet Chanthou

Greetings, my name is Chanthou. I am 15 years old and in sixth grade. I live with my three siblings and grandmother. Since my family struggles financially, my parents decided to migrate to Thailand for work. Living with my grandmother and caring for my little siblings has been a big challenge for me. There have been times when I’m not studying that I have had to search for work to support my family. I can make around 15,000 riels ($3.75) a day chopping potatoes.

I was really glad to participate in the Joy of Our Children program because I was able to play and learn new things, especially about health. When I grew older, I was invited to participate in the Buddy System training program where I learned more about being a “Big Sister”. I learned the role of a Big Sister and am able to have compassion since I understand the hardships that the other children are facing. Through the program, I got the chance to hear more about the good news of Jesus. I learned that Jesus can save me, and He is full of love. As I learned more about His love, my life began to transform. One day I decided to believe in Jesus. 

Later on, I participated in the teen cell church. I learned more about salvation. I am truly thankful for the Lord Jesus, who gave His life on the cross to save me and all people. 

Finally, I would like to thank all the teachers that came to teach me. May the Lord bless you and your organization. Thank you!

Meet Sila

Greetings, my name is Sila. I am 13 years old and in sixth grade. I live with my parents, who are both farmers, and four siblings. 

Before I participated in the Joy of Our Children (JOC) programs, I did not know much about health. I used to have a prejudice against very skinny people because I thought they had HIV. I frequently had stomachaches and diarrhea. I did not like staying home to help my parents. I often disobeyed them and went out with my friends instead.

After I joined JOC, I began to understand a lot about health, such as HIV, STDs, ways to prevent illness and other useful information. I got to participate in a special Buddy System program. I have learned so much: how to care for myself, and how to protect myself and others. The teachers also encouraged me to be obedient and helpful to my parents. I learned how to care for younger children in my community in many ways, including helping them in their studies and with cooking rice. These things have made my heart happy. When I finish school, I want to become a good teacher. 

At the moment, there are many people in my village who are addicted to alcohol and gambling. I want to see my villagers transform. And, especially, I want the children in my village to understand more about health and wellbeing.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to the JOC teachers for coming into my village to teach me. May all the teachers stay healthy and continue to teach in my village. 

Meet Srey Korng

Greetings, my name is Srey Korng. I am 16 years old and am the second child and have a brother and sister. Right now, I am studying in the seventh grade.

My family practices Buddhism. On every Buddhist holiday, we would burn incense and pray for happiness and good livelihood. I always observed how my mom practiced these rituals every time. I also witnessed things happen to my neighbors. I saw an evil spirit manifested in my neighbors many times. These evil spirits like Khmer traditional music and would go away only when the traditional music was played for them. Seeing these events over and over again made me very afraid. I lived in fear.

After I heard Bible teachings from Fountain of Hope, I began to understand the bondage that evil spirits put on people. I learned why the evil ones wanted to cause harm on my neighbors. Then, I learned about God, His creation, His salvation and forgiveness of sins, the freedom from bondage through His power, and about having faith in Jesus through His death and resurrection. I now believe that Jesus can save me from my sins and can free me from the bondage of the evil ones. 

I am very thankful to the teachers from Fountain of Hope that come to my village to teach me. I am thankful that because of this, the children in my village can know and believe in Jesus as well. I really want them to have salvation and hope. I want to see them free from sins and Satan’s bondage. Amen.