March 22, 2004

38 people joined us for one week in an intensive effort to demonstrate the love of Christ to Central Cambodia. A fifteen person medical team spent a day in each of five villages treating more then 1400 patients. In addition to the usual infections, malaria, and babies with diarrhea, people brought two men with broken pelvic bones. When told they needed to go to a hospital and we even offered to take them to the nearest facility, they refused saying they would go to the “Chinese doctor” (herbalist). When our physicians tried to convince them that if they did not go to a hospital they would most likely never walk again they held fast to their decisions and went away in a 2 wheeled cart just as they had come.

The villages where the team worked were villages where churches were planted after the medical team was with us last year. This gesture will impress on the village people our commitment and the love of God for them and many more will no doubt accept the Master as a result.

Two of the villages were recipients of wells we have drilled. All day women came to those wells to bathe, wash clothes and carry fresh clean water home to cook with. For $760 we provided fresh well water for several hundred people in these two communities. We would again encourage you to help drill a well and provide fresh water that will save lives. Parasites and bacteria infest the open water sources most of them are forced to use and for $500 to $1000 you can help us change that. Maybe your Bible class or seniors group would like to pay for a well?

A young university Student that Tiffany Dahlmann has been studying with, accepted the gospel and obeyed her Lord in Baptism last week. They have been studying together three times a week for six months.

12 workers from France came to help this week. They are a part of the “Christians With A Mission” group from Marseille which is made up of young people that devote one year of their life to developing spiritually and this year their trip abroad was to Cambodia. They taught the local church a lot about Children’s work and we are hopeful the local Christians will start a program of their own now.

William E. "Bill" McDonough, Director
Partners In Progress
Phnom Penh, Cambodia