This week, we pray for Cambodia and the positive impact that savings and loan groups are having on some of the most vulnerable people. Let’s enter this week with a focus on thanksgiving and celebration for lives transformed through Tearfund's Transforming Communities training at work through the local church.
Sunday 18 May
‘Every day I had to walk long distances, carrying a basket of clams on my head,’ says 68-year-old Oum. ‘I struggled every day.’ Lord, we lift to you people like Oum Ngak in Cambodia. Lord, may they know you walking beside them as they endure long hours of labour, often working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Amen.
Monday 19 May
‘Things changed when I started believing in the Lord,’ explains Oum. ‘My house was built by the church and I was given bags of rice. Now everything has changed. God is always helping me.’ Praise God that Oum is now part of a church cooperative that has provided a more productive way to sell clams.
Tuesday 20 May
When Yon’s husband died she didn’t know how she’d manage without his income, but help came when she joined a church group with others facing economic hardship. Lord, we pray for others, like Yon, who have lost loved ones and are struggling to support their families alone. Amen.
Wednesday 21 May
Yon is now in a savings group with 13 others. ‘We meet and pray together once a week,’
she explains. ‘If a member is in difficulty, the rest of the group discusses how they can help them and gives them a loan if needed. Nobody is too poor here now.’ Thank you, Lord, for the power of community. Amen.
Thursday 22 May
Twenty years ago, Pastor Eng started his own church in Cambodia. ‘People believed that everything depended on the pastor,’ he says. Lord, we pray for energy for other church leaders across Cambodia determined to motivate their congregation to step up and help each other. Amen.
Friday 23 May
Pastor Eng’s church took part in Tearfund’s Transforming Communities training. Praise
God that today the church and community are working together to farm and sell fish, inspired by the biblical training. ‘Their success is in starting to work together,’ says Pastor Eng. ‘It’s not about the fish, it’s about using resources together.’
Saturday 24 May
Sometimes it can feel like we have so little and can give so little. But in Matthew 14:13–21, Jesus feeds over five thousand people with two loaves and a few fish. Let’s meditate on the truth that we can trust God to multiply what we have. He doesn’t see the lack, he sees the incredible potential. We praise you, Lord.
