Flighting back to Cambodia...

So I am currently in a Bangkok Hotel room wait for a flight out as I miss my flight yesterday... by less then 5 minutes - long story. Anyway God is good, I am flying out today and am looking forward to returning back to Cambodia.

below is me enjoying a thai salad I made at a cooking class I attended

Ministry has Begin for Heartland Thailand

Yesterday we return visit the Lahu tribes that we had visited early to find people that are poor and don't have warm cloths, we met some of those people - two lady's and had the opportunity to pray for healing for both of them. God has just begun in this nation...

Undate from Thailand

Heartland Thailand has begun, we have done many things in order to build a strong foundation for God to move in the nation (I am very excited about the future of this work) to date we have made contacts with Chiefs from Lahu tribes about working in their areas, they are looking for major needs in their villages. Last Friday night Pastor Eliah preached at a youth meeting, he shared how God has made us more than conquerors. It was amazing to see him preach in his own language (his face was glowing) he was so happy.

We have also found a house, praise God for answering prayers it is a great place and they are very happy with there new home. (see the below picture)

I love how God does those little thing in our life that you end up seeing to be such a awesome blessing, Pastor Eliah and Jit are experiencing allot of first moments in the life right now (for example... the first time they are living in their our home as a family) and it is quit a huge thing what is happening here... for many years they have lived with other people and have always had friends around them - so how amazing is God that he has sent them to live in a place called Phran Mit, which translates to mean Friendship Village and already they have met with people in the area to pray with them, soon they will start a home cell. Please keep them in your prays.

Its a new day...

Happy New Year

It is 2009 even in Cambodia, Heartland Cambodia enjoyed seeing the NY in - we danced, prayed and worshiped all night long. View the photos below...



It is a new day for Heartland International - as you may already know Heartland is beginning and new work in Thailand, this week on Thursday - myself and the newly appointed National Chairmans of Heartland Thailand will leave Cambodia and travel to Chiang Rai. Please keep us in your prays, as we travel and begin to work in this area (see below picture - a map of Chiang Rai)

Stay turned in for updates from Thailand...

Cambodia won this one... but I am still standing strong

Cambodia can be a really humorous place to live; things that seem simple or are a small problem often turn out to be catastrophic here. When these times arise we say, “Cambodia wins again…” This week I feel like I have had many of these times, don’t get me wrong we have all had a get Christmas and yes of course we have miss our families and friend heaps. It just that there seem to have been many moments when we’ve said Cambodia win again… For example… the main ones all relate to the trip me a Steph went on to Phnom Penh (photo on the right: me and Steph in our matching MooMoo's) – Our purpose was to renew her visa (so she can legally stay in this country) in the bus on the way to Phnom Penh I got very sick and I was sick for most the time we were there, At one point I was feeling good, so I headed out on an adventure by myself to the markets everything was fine until I begin to feel very weak because of the little food I had eaten –so off I went to a western food place (thinking I should eat something that I know) but I’m in Cambodia who know what will happen. I went to pizza place and o chose salad and spinage pasta – but the waiter brought out Seafood pasta, so you could image what I was thinking (when he gave it to me it was like “OH well we made the wrong thing, you can just eat this…”) and I know this sounds stupid to you all but you need to understand I was hungry, tired and really just didn’t want to make a fuss so I tried to eat what I could they then charged me more for my meal, cause it was seafood… Cambodia wins again… Steph was told that she could get her visa renewed over night, but it was actually finished two hours after we had to leave to come home – so she has been separated from the passport which is not the nicest feeling in a 3rd world country, the last day in Phnom Penh – I was still not feeling great and in a moment of delusion, I left my mobile on the tuk tuk – just prior to this I received an sms from a beautiful friend back home say… she was praying you. (I love you Candace – keep praying) we tried to get it back but… Cambodia wins again… so at the moment I don’t have a phone, but I will have to by a new and try to get a new sim card with the same number (this may take a few days) although even when I do get a phone again I have no-one phone number so if you can all email me at kassie_rassie@hotmail.com your number I will get in touch as soon a “Cambodian possible”

Cambodia may have won this one but I don’t intend on give up with out a fight…

(below photo - is me in a pretty shirt my mummy sent me)

"Thanks Mum..."

So it seems that I have found it quite hard to stop longer enough to send an update and that is because the past 3 week have been the most hectic time of my trip, additionally the most inspirational. I have felt God so much in the past few weeks, He has started to speak and share more of His heart for this nation and the nations then I have ever really seen, but not in a super-spiro way – in a down to earth practical way and I really fell as through God has revealed to me the what I can do to help Heartland.

But before I continue here is a brief update of major events from the past few weeks, starting the Heartland Impact Team that recently visited us here; you are all fantastic people and was truly amazing help to us here and I just want to say thank-you to all the awesome people that blessed me and inspired me.

While the team was here we had some church growth and His name is Raffa, the son of the new senior pastors (Channa and Simmy) He is the most gorgeous thing ever...

(see below photo)

During the past few week my Hospitality Student have been gaining allot of experience in Customer Serve, I have seen great improvement in there confidence and ability to speak English with customers while taking the orders, we have also had many comments about the taste and quality of the coffees that the girl are making. Last week I have some customer that had travelled though-out South East Asia that said, that our coffee’s where the best that they had seen or tasted. This made me very happy and proud of my girl.

This past weekend was a landmark moment for Heartland International; it was the hand over in leadership from Pastor Elijah to Pastor Channa. The reason for this is that Pastor Elijah and his wife Jit are return to the homeland (Thailand) after working here for the past 4.5 years as the Senior Pastor and have started this work here, so with their return they will set up Heartland Thailand. I will be joining them in Thailand for a few weeks to help them in any way possible as they set-up Heartland Thailand.

Pastor Ejliah and Family

The beginning of something new...

So... during the past two week I’ve had the awesome opportunity to start working with some young girl from a different NGO here. I am training them in hospitality skills; we have plans to open a coffee shop. The girls that I work with have gone through unbelievable family trauma and major personal distress often caused by poverty which resulted in the breakdown of these young girls quality of life. I believe that with opportunities like workplace training and development for these girls will consequently give them hope for future and leave countless choices in their hands, not in someone seeking to destroy their quality of life. Praise God for His word which clearly confirms to us that this is His purpose for all own lives (Jeremiah 29:11). Therefore I would like to encourage you to look past your current situation and ask God for help, because He is waiting for you to ask. (the photos below are of some coffee's the girls made)