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Many Stories ... One Author
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Behind every person coming to Christ is a story written by one Author.
Though every story may have similarities, each one is different because the Author is creative. This is the first in a series of those stories.
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The Cambodian church gathers
at the Water Festival
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Newly baptized Makara Tha with Rinn Sim
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Rinn Sim baptizing Heung Keo
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Every August Lowell, Massachusetts, is the host of the Water Festival, a gathering of Cambodians from around the United States. Thousands of Cambodians line the Merrimack River to watch boat races, eat special Cambodian food, enjoy the cultural entertainment and simply to mix with friends.
This year there was another event to watch. The New Life Cambodian Christian Church used the Festival as an opportunity to baptize two young men into Christ.
The first was Makara Tha. Makara, or Mak, was adopted by American missionary parents while they were serving in Cambodia. Unfortunately, this marriage ended in divorce and Mak ended up going from foster home to foster home for many years. Despite these turbulent years, Mak retained his faith in God-even if it was not well-informed.
Eventually, Mak moved to Lowell and came into contact with the New Life church. Here his faith began to grow and flower, and he eventually saw the need to be baptized into Christ. The Water Festival provided the perfect opportunity for him to be baptized.
At the same time, Heung Keo was baptized into Christ. Heung came to the church through the invitation of his mother. Heung spent some time in jail for not obeying a court order, and the jail time caused him to think about the eternal things of life. Prior to jail, he had been meeting with the Jehovah Witnesses, who baptized him. But when he went to jail, the Witnesses failed to minister to him. He came to realize that they were not as supportive as he had been led to believe.
Heung's mother knew of his need and asked Rinn Sim, minister of New Life, to visit him while in jail. This started a relationship of trust, and Rinn was able to help Heung better understand the person of Jesus Christ. Heung made the decision to be baptized again.
Praises:
• Mak and Heung and their new life in Christ
• The boldness of this church to baptize during the Water Festival
• A faithful leader like Rinn Sim
Petitions:
• Growth for Mak and Heung
• The witness of this church in Lowell
• Fruit to come from the seeds planted during the Festival
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The Cambodian Water Festival
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