Update on Uch Tith's Surgery

Thanks so much for your generous donations and prayers for Uch Tith's heart surgery.  He was seen by the US Christian cardiologist on February 20th and I just got this follow up report:

"He has severe MS and pulmonary HTN, class II NYHA.  We have added metoprolol 25 mg twice per day and will reevaluate him in two months.  He will need a Mitral Valve Replacement in the future. We have to triage our patients.  We have so far already scheduled 13 patients for open heart surgery, and will probably have 15 other patients who need surgery now.  We will have to try to get funding for the other 15 patients.  Our other patients, class II to III will have to wait until next year".

Dr Tim who is the Director of the MMC Clinic here in Phnom Penh went on further to explain: 

NYHA is an abbreviation for the New York Heart Association classification rating the severity of the disease. 1 is mild and 4 is severe. Since he is a 2, and there are those who are more severe than he is, he has been put on the waiting list. The balance is making sure that we don't wait too long. He may be stable for the next year on medications but it is possible that he would deteriorate. They are certain that he will need a Mitral Valve Replacement (MVR) in the near future. 

So this is both good news and bad news.  The bad news is that he will need the valve replacement surgery and they have a number of more severe cases that the visiting cardiac team from the US have prioritized to treat first.  This means that the US surgical team will most likely not be able to do Uch Tith's surgery on this trip.  The good news is that his disease is not yet at an advanced stage and he will be re-evaluated in 2 more months to determine how soon they will need to schedule his surgery.

This is one of the challenges of living in the developing world where there are only a finite number of heart surgeries that can be done at a time when this visiting team of US cardiologists come to Cambodia for short-term medical ministry...  They are doing surgery on the ones who are most critical and who have a good prospect to be helped.   Uch Tith will need the surgery but there are others who are in even greater need than him right now so the US cardiologists have had to prioritize.

In terms of how to pray,

1.  I have been in close dialog with Uch Tith's pastor who has explained this to him.  Pray that Uch Tith and his family would have God's peace and sense of God's care in the midst of this.  This can be a good opportunity for him to grow and exercise his new found faith
2.  Pray that the medications would be effective in holding off more damage to his heart and the Lord would work out the perfect timing for his surgery.
3.  Pray for the US cardiologists to have wisdom from the Lord as they make the very difficult calls about the people they need to prioritize for these surgeries and of course pray for these many people who need these surgeries.

I know it is disappointing that Uch Tith will not be getting this surgery right away.  I want to assure you that the funds that have been donated for his surgery will be kept for him until his surgery is done.  As there is clarity on the timing of his surgery, I will be sure to keep you posted.

In Christ, Dave Manfred, C&MA Mission, Cambodia

Finances for Uch Tith's Heart Surgery have been met

Dear Praying Friends:

We are so thankful to the Lord and to God's people that the full amount for Uch Tith's heart surgery was just committed today.

We thank all of you who either gave or prayed for this need.  I spoke with Uch Tith's pastor today and Tith was overwhelmed by the response of so many strangers as he heard that we were getting close to the amount that he needed for the surgery.  This has been such a boost to his new faith and such a powerful testimony to both his close family and extended family.  Thank you for being an answer to his prayers and giving him a new chance at life.

For your ongoing prayers, he is scheduled to meet the cardiac surgeons on Feb. 20 and then a date for his surgery will be set.  I will let you know with a follow up email after the surgery is completed.  If there are those of you who would like to get an ongoing update on how things are progressing, I will post the surgery date and any other significant details on this blog as they develop.

Thanks once again for your faithfulness in praying for this man and for this good work that the Lord has begun...  and that it would be brought to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Blessings, Dave and Chris

What in the world is God doing in Cambodia

As the field Director overseeing a team of about 30 very gifted and committed International Workers, one of my privileges is to see the big picture of what God is doing in and through our team.  I just completed my 2012 annual report and wanted to share with you some of the things for which we praise God over the past year:

Dave, Chris, and Jenna in front of a 1,000 year old bridge

• The C&MA Mission continued to strengthen our church planting training program in cooperation with the Khmer Evangelical Church (KEC).  More than 40 KEC church groups have been started by the KEC in the past 2 years.
• C&MA International Workers have been intentionally and directly involved in a number of new church plants in addition to the ones done by the KEC.
• International Workers serving with our team have had the privilege of leading several hundred people to Christ over the past year, all the way from generals to poor people on their death beds.
• 21 students are studying full-time at the C&MA's Elim Rural Ministry Training School.  For the first time in the 4-year history of the school, there were more applicants to enter the school than places for students.  This signifies that the school’s reputation is growing.  We continue to see good fruit from the lives of the graduates of this intense 2-year residential program to train young people as leaders in the church and as church planters
• More than 240 people are currently enrolled in the 2-year Theological Extension by Extension program to train church leaders.  This is a course that meets once/week at local churches.
  
• At the KEC annual youth conference in April, the plan was for 500 youth to attend but nearly 700 young people attended.
• At a KEC regional youth meeting in October, 178 youth attended.  At the altar call, about half of them committed or recommitted their lives to Christ
• The Mission assigned our first worker to Stung Treng (Joyce Johns), one of the least reached provinces in Cambodia.  She will begin her ministry there this Summer.
• The number of baptisms in the KEC increased to 413 in 2012 which is an increase of 18% over last year.  The total baptized membership of the KEC is now more than 4,300 people which is  a record high.  The number of people who attend KEC churches is actually several thousand higher than the number of baptized members.
• Samaritan’s Purse and CAMA Services are working with the mission to support an ambulance ministry in Banteay Meanchey province.  In 2012, our Cambodian staff conducted more than 300 ambulance runs and trained Cambodians to successfully operate an Emergency Medical Services program throughout the province.
• NewHope schools helped more than 350 Vietnamese children with grade 1-5 education.  Most of the children are from very poor, sometimes destitute, backgrounds.  They learn reading, writing (in both Cambodian and Vietnamese languages), arithmetic, and the Gospel.  Most of these children are now believers.  For the students who graduate from the NewHope schools and then matriculate into the Cambodian educational system, they have a track whereby they can become Cambodian citizens.  Previous NewHope school students, who just this year completed high school, have now matriculated into university level classes for the first time ever this year. 
• The C&MA Guest Home built four more guest rooms. In addition, the number of people staying at the Guest House increased by more than 50% in comparison to 2011.
• Gene and Carol Hall, retired C&MA Cambodia International Workers, spoke at our annual prayer conference.  It was great to hear their testimony from the significant spiritual harvest period from 1970-1975.
• The HIV/AIDs ministry in Battambang continued on under Cambodian leadership.  The mission now has only limited input and oversight into this ministry.  It continues to move forward with four teams of church volunteers going out twice a month to provide physical and spiritual support.  They are currently helping 47 people living with HIV/AIDS who are being served by this ministry.  Many of these 47 have come to faith now along with some family members as well.
• In partnership with four of our International Workers who have been secunded to the C&MA from Wycliffe Bible Translators, Bible translation progressed significantly in two languages:  Bunong and Kuy.  The Bunong New Testament is now more than 50% done.  The Kuy New Testament is about 25% done
• A new initiative began to encourage Bible reading groups amongst the Bunong people in Mondolkiri province.  They are learning to read their own language through the newly translated portions of the New Testament just completed.  About 150 people come out each week for these Bible reading clubs.
• The mission, in partnership with CAMA, helped set up a solar power system at a prison in Mondulkiri province.  This is the first electricity available in the prison.  This helps the prisoners in a general way but it also helps the prisoners, who learned literacy and the Bible from one of our International Workers, to be able to read the Scriptures and other Christian literature at night.  Some of the prisoners are now believers.

Prisoners installing the solar panels

We know that when you see a list like this, it can seem likes it's just a list...  maybe even a bit overwhelming...  but in reality, each of these bullet points mark significant progress for the Kingdom of God in a land that has been ignorant of the Gospel for many millennia.  Each bullet point signifies real people who are being changed by Christ in profound ways. 

We praise God for the ways He continues to build His Church here in Cambodia. We couldn't do this work without the Lord's provision and enablement.  We also couldn't do this work without the prayers and support of people like you. 

Some prayer requests for us include:

• Pick any one of the bullet points above and pray for God's ongoing work in the hearts and lives of the people involved.
• Pray for the upcoming 90th anniversary celebration of the gospel coming to Cambodia which will be held Feb. 15-16. The C&MA pioneered this work in 1923 and there is quite a celebration planned. Pray that it would all honor Christ
• Chris and I return to the US in June for our one-year home assignment.  We will serve again as the International Workers in Residence at Crown College for the year.  Pray that we would finish well over the next few months in Cambodia and the Lord would lead our team as they elect a new Field Director in early March.
• Our daughter Janelle is a 2nd year nursing student at Crown College.  She plans to go on a 2 week trip to Macedonia in June to assist the C&MA work there along with some other Crown students.  Please pray for the Lord's provision for her in this ministry.

It is through the Great Commission Fund (GCF) that we are able to continue our ministry and live in Cambodia.  Thanks for considering supporting us by clicking on the links to the right.

In Christ, Dave, Chris, and Jenna