March Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends:

One of the great privileges in serving as Field Director is working with an amazing team of more than 30 Alliance International Workers serving in seven locations throughout Cambodia.  One of those amazing couples are Bounoeuy and Chanthan Kes who minister with the Jarai people in remote Ratanakiri province in the NE corner of Cambodia.

Ratanakiri is a place where the number of Alliance churches have grown from 0 to 28 churches over the past 14 years... truly amazing growth for the Gospel!  In August 2008,Alliance Life ran an article about the Kesses and their work in Ratanakiri.  The article was the story of a Christian family (Yane and her husband, Hert) who dared to break with the centuries old Jarai tradition that after a woman gives birth, she and the baby are put on a bamboo bed over smoky coals for the first 3-6 weeks after the baby is born and the woman is not allowed to eat any meat or vegetables during that entire time.  These practices mean that women often do not produce enough breast milk to feed their babies, both mom and baby develop horrible coughs, and of course all of this leads to incredibly high infant mortality rates.  The Alliance Life article was the story of Yane who was the first Jarai mom who dared to break with this tradition.  She and her husband listened to the Kesses counsel that new moms needed to eat healthy food and breath fresh air.  They dared to follow this "new way" under the threat of their family and many people in their village who predicted that great harm would befall them for daring to break with the ancient traditions.  The article ended with the story of how this Christian couple had a baby boy, whom they named Timothy.  Yane was full of praise because she was able to produce all the milk that the little boy needed and he was healthy and strong.

How we wish the story ended there.  Tragically, about the time that the Alliance Life article was published, Timothy who by this time was a toddler, tipped over a pot of boiling water on himself.  The family tried to get him to the nearest children's hospital but that was a 12 hour drive away.  By the time the family got him there, it was too late and Timothy died the next day.  I remember praying and crying with Bounoeuy when we heard this sad news (we were together at our annual mission conference).  We were of course sad for this family however we had even greater remorse because the people who believed in these evil practices and the evil spirits who inspired them would clearly cry out "We told you so!" thereby setting back both the work of the Gospel and healthy practices for newborns.

Yane and Hannah

After returning from Home Assignment in July 2010, I spoke with Bounoeuy and Chanthan about how things were going in the Jarai villages since Timothy's death.  They answered to my surprise that since he died, other Christian women had decided to follow the example of Yane.  In spite of Timothy's death, Christian moms dared to break with the traditional way of not eating meat and vegetables and lying for weeks with their newborns on the bamboo beds over the smoky coals.  They bravely decided, despite the threats of their families and non-Christian neighbors, to eat nutritious food after their babies were born and to breath clean air. Included in this group was Yane who became pregnant again and has now delivered a healthy baby girl, Hanna.

The Kesses told me that since Timothy died two and a half years ago, more than 20 Jarai mothers have followed this new path.  What is also significant is that several of the most recent young moms to try these new practices are non-Christians who are also beginning to see the benefits of this "new way".  As more and more Jarai people see these benefits for moms and babies, it could eventually transform the practices of this entire people group.  Since the Christians were the ones to spearhead these new practices, it also demonstrates the love of Christ in very practical ways that will continue to open doors for the Gospel.

Scripture reminds us that the Evil One has come to "kill, steal, and destroy".  This Enemy has had his hand over these people and their practices for centuries and will not give up easily.  Please pray for God's mighty Hand of protection over these little ones and the brave families who dare to break with these traditions.  Pray also that the light of the Gospel will continue to grow and transform the Jarai people both now and for eternity.

We praise God that He is using His Church to bring Salt and Light into these villages in ways that directly benefit the Jarai people.  We praise God for the courageous witness of Christian families who are willing to break with centuries of demonic-inspired traditions.  We praise God for faithful servants like the Kesses and their willingness to live in challenging and remote areas to be transformation agents who are positively changing a culture and joining with Jesus to build His Church.  We praise God for our sending churches whose sacrificial giving and praying allow us to serve long-term in hard places, learning the language and culture in ways that open doors for God's power and Spirit to confront evil and bring Good News.

Thank you for your investment so that we can serve here for the long-haul. The primary investment vehicle to support our work is the Great Commission Fund. Contributions can be made through your local Alliance church, online at http://www.cmalliance.org/give/ or by sending a check to the C&MA, PO Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500. If you would like, you may designate your gift “for the support of Manfreds" (or Kesses for that matter) on the memo line. This personalizes your gift and helps us carry out our ministries.

Thank you again for your partnership with us.  Your hands and voice in Cambodia,

Dave and Chris