Ellis family November Missions Update

Ellis family November Missions Update

Cambodia: Floods and Reincarnation

Cambodia: floods & reincarnation

Trying to put all of my experiences in Cambodia into words is quite a challenge.

I went to Cambodia to teach the book of Romans in the Bible school, but felt like I was the one who had so much to learn during my time there. I had just finished reading an excellent book called “First They Killed My Father”, a first hand account of a woman who was 5 years old when the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot took over Cambodia. Her horrific tale of suffering can only give us a glimpse into the pain these people have gone through. 1 out of every 4 Cambodians was killed during this time of their history. Despite this, I found the Khmer people to be full of life, often breaking out in smiles and laughter.

Reincarnation?

One of the things that left a lasting impression on me was a question and answer time that we had with the students and staff of the Bible school. Typically, I field questions on the Bible from “Who was Cain’s wife?” to “What is Revelation about anyway?”. I was not prepared for our discussion that night, which was dominated by the topic of reincarnation. Reincarnation is a central teaching within Buddhism, the major religion of Cambodia. These young, intelligent Christians have to struggle not only with their views on reincarnation, but their families who think that they are crazy for not believing in it. I had never thought through what the Bible has to say about this, and was challenged to have a well thought through response. The whole night showed me again the need for the Bible school in Cambodia, and the struggle for truth that lies ahead of the church there.

The Flood

The last part of the time that I was in Cambodia, there was heavy rainfall. Without proper drainage and sewer systems, things flood quickly in Cambodia. One day, I was coming back from a run early in the morning. While running, I had seen extensive flooding like you see in the picture above. The first floor of the simple homes were mostly underwater. As I came back to the house, the Bible school leader and his family drove up. They had woken up that morning to find the house had flooded while they slept. Their little boy was sleeping in a Pack-n-Play just right on the floor! Not only had God protected him from drowning, but he had slept through it all. When my friend woke up, he tried to save his laptop computer. Reaching for the cord, he began to be electrocuted. He still doesn’t know how he let go, except for a miracle from God. He was shaken up, but was fine later. Unfortunately, much of their furniture and belongings were ruined. All of this reminded me of the price of being in missions, and how fragile life really is. Things we hold onto can be gone overnight, and our very lives are the most precious gift from God.

Project Updates

We listed out some of our financial needs and projects in our last update. Since then, we have had some praise reports.

School Tuition

We had a donation of $500 come in! This leaves us with only $2,500 to go.

Cambodia trip

All the money to cover my trip came in! Airfare, visa, and travel expenses were all covered.

If you would like to give, you can do so in one of three ways:

1. Online: you can go directly to www.ellisupdateonline.com and click on “Donate” in the top right of the page. This is set up through Paypal, and you can give with your credit/debit card or Paypal accounts. This is an easy way to give, but we aren’t able to send a tax receipt for this.

2. Send a check to Youth With A Mission Montana, Attn: Accounting Department, 501 Blacktail Road, Lakeside, MT 59922. Do not write our names on the check, but make them out to YWAM. Include a slip of paper saying it is for us, and they will send you a tax-deductible receipt in the mail.

3. Put your check directly into the offering plate at Living Waters Christian Church in Kentucky.

Thank you for all of your prayers and generous donations! We couldn’t be in missions without you.

oevemb