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We need Cambodia more than Cambodia needs us. 

If you are newer to Tenth Church, you may not know that the nation of Cambodia has been our central global focus for the past 15 years.  We’ve had many mentors and leaders provide wisdom for us in the early days as we launched this vision to bring healing to the killing fields.  People like Brian McConaghy (Ratanak), Craig and Nay Greenfield (Alongsiders), Kila Reimer (Hagar) and David Collins (founder of Food for the Hungry Canada) have been significant voices in our journey.  

David Collins challenged us to understand that we need relationships with poor people more than poor people need us, and in the same vein, we need Cambodia more than Cambodia needs us (see note below).

A large part of what David was getting at is that we are humbled and changed through mutual, enduring, and transformational relationships with others from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds than us.  As we continue to stand with our 10 partnerships in Cambodia, we are continually encouraged by the faith of youth Christian churches in Cambodia who walk more by faith than by sight.  When we loose the chains of injustice…. our healing will quickly appear.  Isaiah 58:6b,8b (read Isaiah 58 for the wider context).  

In honour of standing with our Cambodian friends and partners for 15 years, I will be taking a special Justice Journey to Cambodia from November 7 to 20, 2022.  We will celebrate the fruit of what God has done through key leaders and movements, while continuing to lament the residual impact of violence and social hardship. If you would like to contribute to this journey with Tenth Pastors Ken Shigematsu, Aisling Zweigle, and Patrick Elaschuk, please give to the Cambodia fund.  Spaces are closed for this 2022 journey, but for those that have been waiting and praying to go to Cambodia on a Justice Journey, we will be opening up registration in December 2022 for our 2023 Journeys which are to Mexico - May 2-7, 2023 and Cambodia - November 18-26, 2023.   More info here. 

Here are some brief updates from Cambodia partners:

  • Serey from DOVE – shares about a transformational adventure retreat. 
  • Kevin from Manna4Life – gives an update from students in Oudong Village. 
  • Zak from Extreme Love – will be getting married November 25, 2022 in Cambodia to Andrea (who I have known since she first arrived in Cambodia more than 10 years ago).  I will be there together with a few others from Tenth. Zak serves with Extreme Love, which works with a network of government officials, social workers, and NGOs to rescue children being exploited, trafficked, or sold locally for sex or labor.  Please pray for Zak and Extreme Love as they work in a very dangerous field of exploitation.  

Ways you can engage with our Cambodia vision:

  • Pray for Cambodia:  Next prayer time is October 18.  Register here
  • Give to the Cambodia Fund: Give here 
  • Participate in Just1Morning with Craig Greenfield on October 29:  Register here
  • Consider going on a Justice Journey:  Email Patrick here
  • Learn more:  Here 
  • Share about the Cambodia vision with your friends.

NOTE: It is hard to quantify this statement (from paragraph 2), but what is 100% true is that we all need each other to fulfill our purposes in God. 

Patrick Elaschuk

Pastor of International Missions