Blog – Pleroma Missions in Cambodia

Expansion by God’s Grace – Our Vision for Project…

Heather Hui, Assistant Field Director (July 7, 2018)

Thanks to the grace and guidance of the Lord, today we are sharing with everyone the new visions God has given us, Project 20/20. Every time God gives us a new task, we always have mixed feelings, because we know clearly that it is not an easy task. But the harder it gets, the more we see His grace.

In 2011, Pleroma Home for Girls was established in Phnom Penh to provide home-style Christian holistic services for some underage girls who were trafficked and sexually assaulted. After seven years of development, we have positioned ourselves aptly as an NGO in Cambodia, and the team has matured. But we have not stopped there. On the contrary, we put efforts to respond to the needs of Cambodia in terms of its social development.

In the past few years, although the number of underage victims has decreased, the number of victims who have been deceived and forced into marriage to China has increased. At the sometime, globalization has also increased human trafficking. Therefore, this year in May, we launched the Pleroma Home for Women to provide residential services for adult women. As the one and only Chinese Christian organization in Cambodia that provides services for those who were trafficked and sexually abused, we are pleased to see that the Cambodian government is committed to go after some fraudulent NGOs that weren’t doing their job. However, this is the current situation: the government no longer issue any new permits to new NGOs, they also set up different rules to regulate existing NGOs. For example, the land area of our location should not be less than 2,000m^2. The government’s requirement is reasonable, and our homes are indeed too small. In the past, there were many girls who asked to go out for a walk. It is really important to give space for girls who felt trapped and suppressed physically and spiritually.

In the past two years, due to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, many land in Phnom Penh has been purchased by Chinese people in large numbers. The price of land and rent keep skyrocketing. If we don’t own our land and property, rent will become a big burden. And now is the time to buy land, because the land price has dropped slightly due to the general election at the end of July. It is predicted that when the election end, the price will rise again. From these considerations, we must enter a new stage – purchase of properties for long-term planning, so that the development of ministry is no longer passively influenced by the owner of the property, whether terminating contract with us, or bringing the rent high up; It is also our hope that our services will no longer be affected by renting situation, we hope we can develop some service facilities based on needs, such as sports therapy, horticultural therapy, and etc.; we also hope to provide enough space for people to be free from their physical and spiritual shackles, as well as sharing resources between Pleroma Home for Girls and Pleroma Home for Women.

Since the beginning of this year, we have been searching for a suitable location. Recently, through a friend’s connection, a landlord is in urgent need of money, and is willing to sell us at a price lower than the market price. The land area is 3500m^2and the price is US$159,250. The distance between the new location and the Pleroma Home for Girls is about 45 min by car. The new location has water and electricity supply; primary schools nearby; and the area is under the same government department that has been working with us. This is the best location we have seen, but the terms and condition is this: we must pay 50% of the land price on June 25, and the other 50% had to be paid in three months (i.e. mid-September). We hope we can complete the construction by the end of 2020 and relocate Pleroma Home for Girls and Pleroma Home for Women.

We ask the Lord to prepare and help us complete the fundraising by September 15th with the goal of US$159,250. The ‘cost’ for Pleroma Home for Girls and Pleroma Home for Women is expensive, but aren’t the lives and souls of these women more important than money, which will eventually fade away anyways? It is not easy to raise money, but as we have seen it time and again: in the eyes of our Father, these children and these women are loved by the Father and are precious to Him.

Will you continue to pray for us and support us financially? As you partner with us in this ministry that God the Father has given us, we shall experience His amazing work together.

(Translated by Himki Wong)

What I Learned These Eight Years in Mission Field

Humble Submission and Embrace Challenges – What I Learned These Eight Years in Mission Field
Debbie Choy, Field Director

Looking back at the work of Pleroma Missions in Cambodia for the past eight years, everything has been God’s grace and his wonderful work. Thank you for letting me experience His riches and His endless love.

In the days of serving in Phnom Penh, I truly realized that God has His own timing. We only need to boldly follow and whole-heartedly believe. This is also my biggest lesson learned. Many times, people dealt with problems by their own wisdom and ability. But in the past few years,
God has taught me to learn to “trust always, hope always, and persevere always”. Everything needs to be done one step at a time, because God has his own plan.

The ministry of Pleroma Missions in Cambodia has been expanding. Apart from Pleroma School for Girls and Pleroma Home for Girls, the Pleroma Home for Women and the Pleroma Community Centre have started operating in the past six months. Thus, we need to add more staff and their workloads and challenges have increased as well. Thanks to the Lord, there are also many different short-term mission teams supporting us. This is the grace and goodness of the Lord. It is also an opportunity for people in the local frontline and overseas churches to work in one Spirit for the expansion of the Kingdom of God.

In the past three to four years, the Cambodian government has gradually befriended with China diplomatically. The external environment is constantly changing. This also reminded us to keep abreast of the recent news and resources, and reevaluate the new challenges in mission fields. The first new challenge: The relationship between organizations and the Cambodian government. Because the political climate has changed, the government no longer welcomes the services of foreign non- profit organizations as it did ten years ago. Instead, it has begun to regulate NGO in different ways:

1. It terms of taxation: one must pay 10% VAT (consumption tax). For example, if an organization rents a bus, and the bus company does not pay taxes, the organization will be responsible.
2. We have to deal with different government departments, including the Interior Ministry, the Treasury Ministry, the revenue authorities, the Land Administration Bureau and the Ministry of labour, thus increasing Administrative work and cost.
3. The requirement for opening a school and a shelter has become more stringent, and the medical insurance and missionary visas for employees continuously fluctuate. On a positive side, it is a very responsible act for the Cambodian government to regulate non–profit organizations. But this also adds challenges for us. We need to constantly adjust and cooperate in terms of our work and personal adjustment.

In addition, influenced by China’s the Belt and Road Initiative, many foreign investors bought land and invested in Cambodia’s infrastructure, which changed the economic situation in Cambodia. The development of Phnom Penh accelerated, and land prices and consumer price continue to rise. The local people’s demand for learning Chinese language is also rising. I am sometimes tired of adapting to these new changes; but I must constantly adapt and seize opportunities, because these changes are affecting our mission in Cambodia.

The second new challenge: the attitude of working with fellow co-workers. We have always been taught to be task-oriented. May the Lord give me patience and adjust my mindset, not just focus on the achievement of the ministry, but the personal well-being of co-workers as well. Thanks to the Lord for stretching me in these things, I have developed some projects that I didn’t feel able to do before, and how to effectively delegate the responsibilities, and continue to learn that “there is no fear in love” through God’s grace. Thank you Lord for letting me experience all these, and putting this calling in my heart. Although we continue to face different developments and challenges, we are grateful that God’s started and established the ministry in Cambodia through Fullness in Christ Fellowship.

Through the years, God has enabled me to see His mercy and righteousness and to learn to humble myself like Jesus did.

(Translated by Himki Wong)

An Incredible Mission Trip

This past winter, I was fortunate enough to embark on a truly incredible mission trip to Cambodia. Specifically, I went to the Pleroma School for Girls for what was going to be a journey of a lifetime.
Read more “An Incredible Mission Trip” →

Expansion by God’s Grace – Our Vision for Project…

What I Learned These Eight Years in Mission Field

An Incredible Mission Trip

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