I am a physical therapist serving children affected by disability in Cambodia, along with their families and communities. My goal is to model to these families and those around them the value that God places on each individual as someone who has been created in His image and for whom Jesus Christ died, ministering alongside Cambodian staff who are doing the same. Among the many marginalized peoples in Cambodia are those who are disabled. Families affected by disability are likely to be among the poorest and face discrimination and barriers on numerous fronts. Additionally, fewer than 3% of Cambodians have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I envision an open door for the Gospel message through caring relationships and the transformation of lives and communities in Cambodia.
After having worked as a physical therapist in the U.S. for more than 18 years, I moved to Cambodia in 2012 to work with the Christian Cambodian non-governmental organization, Children in Families, whose mission is equipping and strengthening families and communities to provide a nurturing environment for children, through family-based care, community development, and educational support. I have helped to develop the ABLE Project, which targets the unique needs of families caring for children with disabilities. More recently I have had opportunity to help in equipping Cambodian staff from other organizations by developing a six-week curriculum on community-based rehabilitation which my CIF colleagues and I delivered to 24 non-governmental organization staff from seven different organizations.
Major Challenges:
1. Determining the best ways to empower people rather than creating dependence.
2. Overcoming stereotypes and discrimination toward people with disabilities.
3. Bringing the Gospel to people in a way that is stripped of Western cultural trappings which make Christianity unwelcome as a “foreign religion.”
Prayer Requests:
– That the Lord would continue to open the hearts and minds of the Cambodian people to see the truth of Christ and be transformed by His love.
– That people with disabilities there would come to see their real value in Christ.
– For the Lord to prepare me for new opportunities to use the gifts He has given me.
Blogs and Articles on WorldVenture:
– He Saw Little Hope in His Situation
– Why Cambodian Children Need Their Communities, Not Orphanages
