FRIENDSMISSION.COM

Cambodia

The churches of Friends Southwest first became involved in Cambodia in 1994, in response to the invitation of some Cambodian-American members of Long Beach Friends Church (LBFC).

After a time of prayer and discernment, in 1997, Ray and Virginia Canfield, and Gary and Christine Colfax were commissioned by Friends Southwest to strengthen and build upon the pioneer work of those at LBFC. Afterward, a number of other Friends missionaries followed the Canfields and Colfaxes to Cambodia to assist with the work. In 2023, this field joined with EFM.

Friends missionaries in Cambodia have had the same goal—that is, to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed, and to build up a strong Cambodian church. Much good work has been done. And there’s still much work left to do.

Cambodia is also currently a potential future mission field being explored as a part of the Luke 10 Initiative and Five- Year Goal.

What Does the Ministry in Cambodia Look Like Now? (Written by EFM Missionary Scott Sward)

At present, we believe God has called us to two main tasks in Cambodia.  We sometimes refer to this two-pronged assignment as “Friends and Beyond.”

In a very imperfect way, we’re attempting to follow the model and methods of the Apostle Paul.  He relentlessly pressed ahead to the “regions beyond,” while also occasionally circling back (whether in-person, by proxy, or by letter) to encourage the fledgling communities of disciples he helped establish.

Our first task is to minister to the unreached, overlooked, and under-resourced.  Stung Treng, where we’ve lived since 2018, is one of the most under-resourced provinces in Cambodia, and includes multiple unreached people groups.

Our second task is to strengthen and support existing Friends churches.  This typically involves making periodic visits, and more frequent phone calls.

As it pertains to our work in Stung Treng, we’re focused on four overarching goals:

  1. The gospel for every people group (Khmer, Lao, Cham, tribal, etc.)
  2. A church in every commune
  3. Training for every leader
  4. Discipleship for every area of life

Are we looking for new teammates? If so, for what type?

YES!  Although God has done a whole lot in Cambodia, especially since the mid-1990s, the needs here (both spiritual and otherwise) are still immense.  Of the roughly 17,000 villages in Cambodia, 14,000 are without a church.  The number of Christians is still less than 2% of the population.  Unreached people groups, such as the Cham (a Muslim minority group), have been largely untouched by the gospel.  Major social problems like poverty, addiction, domestic abuse, mental illness, witchcraft, female illiteracy, and unemployment are widespread.  On top of this, most church leaders are first-generation Christians with huge hearts, but usually with little training, and often with significant emotional wounds and spiritual baggage.

The harvest really is great, and the laborers few.  As a result, we’re praying for new teammates with a consuming passion for Christ, a love for Cambodia, and a sense of call to strengthen Friends churches here, and/or to invest themselves among the unreached, overlooked and under-resourced.

More than any specific skillset, we’re looking for teammates with a few key characteristics.  Borrowing from Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Ideal Team Player, we’re looking for people who are:

  • Humble – teachable, team-player, invests in others
  • Hungry – dedicated, driven, self-directed
  • Smart – self-aware, socially-aware, definite abilities, skill-acquisition (i.e. knows how to learn)
  • Resilient – people with grit; those who get can knocked down and get back up
  • Flexible – can tolerate ambiguity, discomfort, and not being in control

The Sward Family

EFM Mission Field: Cambodia
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