The FEM offers renewedhope and joyto the Khmeryouth asthe programempowers them with skills they can use in a lifetime. Also, they are nurtured spiritually during the course.
In May 9, 2008, the 12th FEM Closing Program awarded certificates and basic mechanic tools to nine (9) young men. To date there are now a total of 116 FEM trainees who finished the short-term courses, and about 50 % have found jobs. The rest use their skills in their daily activities. Others have turned more active youth leaders in their local churches.
In July 2008, we plan to have the 13th FEM Training with the second set of FEM women trainees. We are hoping for a positive response from the churches to turn in women applicants. This endeavour is not just new for the Methodist Mission in Cambodia (MMC), but in the Kingdom of Cambodia. This is an opportunity of empowering our women to gain skills and find jobs that were only used to be offered to the men. We also include basic English conversation and computer skills. We further share them of God’s love through Bible Studies, Devotion and Counselling.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRIES :
The Children’s Resource Design Team of the C. E. Ministry distributed the Sunday School Book 4 to our 150 local churches through the District Superintendents in March, 2008. We aim to distribute the S. S. Book 5 this August, 2008. We praise God for the chance of bringing salvation to the Khmer young children through these S.S. curriculum resources for the teachers.
The MMC Sunday School Teachers’Training for 2008has been held in district levels.We have served theS.S. training in five districts already and would continue with three more districts. Local Pastors and Lay serve as the main trainers and facilitators. The trainers claimed that this opportunity and experience have empowered them as church leaders. We aim to continue to train the church leaders towards a Khmer-led and Khmer-sustained Methodist Church.
CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM:
The 2nd Discipleship and Training, a continuing education program for Pastors and Lay held in February and March, 2008 was participated by 220 church leaders. The MMC was divided between the Northern and Southern area and the trainings were held in Siem Reap and Cambodia Methodist Bible School respectively.
Trainers for the Discipleship and Training are Cambodian Clergy. The 3rd Trainers’ Training for the Khmer Trainers would be held in August, 2008 and the actual third session would be in September, 2008. The Core Committee that prepares and plans for this program is chaired by missionary Beverly Barte.
Email Received on January 23, 2010 from Beverly, Emmanuel and sons.
Dear all,
Sabaidee from Laos! We have arrived in Laos in January 18, 2010, and
we were greeted with a cool weather. As Filipinos, we arrived with our tourist visas, and next week we would start processing our business
visa. The Inspire Centre for Higher Development, run by Singapore
Methodist would be my sponsor as an English teacher. Em, together with
the kids, would apply temporarily as 'Dependent' while we explore the
possibility of him getting also a business visa. There''s just a
liitle challenge as the Inspire Centre has not received yet its
renewed license and so we have to wait for the government to issue
that before we can finally work on our business visa.
In the past few days we were busy getting kids back to school,
attending to their assessment and meeting with the school heads and
personnel - in Vientiane International School. Finally, they would
start classes on Monday (VIS started the semester last January 18.) I
believe they would easily adjust as the VIS staff and students are
nice people. We have as well been searching for a house for our new
home here in Vientianne. Without any Lao language, we had been
exploring the city in a tuktok. We found a nice house with a good
yard, with mango and jackfruit trees, and where our three sons can be
able to set up a basketball court.. Finally, we move to our new home on Sunday afternoon.
Well, people think we are Laotians, except that we are
English-speaking Laotians. We find the people very nice and hospitable.
Today, we bought English-Lao dictionaries, aswe really have to learn
the language fast. we have no hired translators like what we have in
our office in Cambodia.
We were not able to visit some of the Methodist churches yet, as we
have just been here for 6 days, and we were caught up with getting
settled. But that would eventually happen. We have several religious
restrictions. But we are glad to know that there are several English
worship services amongst the foreigners here, and an active Christian
youth group where are children can be a part of. We have learned we
can actually freely visit local churches, as worshippers, as we did in
December, 2008.
We hope to also get registered our own UMC-sponsored English school,so
please be praying for that.
In general, we are fine. We hope we can work on our business visa
soon, to make our stay (to work) here official. Just please continue
praying for us as we undergo this new transition in our life and faith
journey.
You can continue to email me in this same email address for the next
six (6) months. I would share with you an alternative email address
sooner or later.
