Dear CCAM Partners and Friends,

What an awesome sight! Early in the morning, 27 students lined up on the beach in Kompong Som, patiently waiting for their turn to be baptized. One by one, as their names were called, they waded out into the gently swelling sea to meet Sophun, who asked them questions about what they were about to do. Then they pressed further out into the blue-green water, where Pastor Oung Rien was waiting to baptize them.

In preparation for this event, we had spent weeks teaching the students about the biblical basis for baptism and what it signifies. After the first week of lessons, about 14 students said that they were ready to be baptized. However, by the end of the next week, there were 21, and by the following week, 27. At that point, we began to counsel each of the students individually, to make sure that they truly understood the scriptures, and also to lead them to confess their sins and be reconciled to anyone as needed.

All of the CCAM students, even those who were already baptized, memorized 8 scripture passages* and 7 songs for the 3 baptism worship services to be held on the beach. That way, the Word of God would be forever inscribed upon their hearts, and they would not need to take their Bibles and song books so close to the water. The worship team was led by Buntheep with her guitar, Naitra with her recorder, Rany with her tambourine, and Hieng with his hand drum. Pastor Oung Rien preached several inspiring messages, and nine baptized students gave moving testimonies of how the Lord Jesus had saved them. All of us were sensing the strong presence of the Holy Spirit, continuing to convict, cleanse, and empower us all.

The beauty of God's creation was freshly impressed upon our souls as we viewed the breathtaking panoramas of the sea, sparkling with sunlight at noon, or tinted by passionate colors at sunset. The fantastic creatures swimming or crawling near the water's edge also reminded us of God's infinite creativity.

Before, during, and after the trip, we were all filled with a sense of awe at how much the Lord Jesus loved us by providing this amazing experience. And not just the spiritual side of it, which of course was the main event, but also the fun activities that accompanied it. Most of the students had never ridden on a tour bus, or stayed in a hotel, or eaten in a restaurant before. They had never even seen the sea. They had never walked on the beach or splashed in salt water. They had never built castles in the sand. They had never tasted shrimp or squid. Never, until now!

One evening after prayers, we watched a video about the marvelous creatures that God had created to live deep in the waters of the earth's oceans. On another night, we watched the video "Finding Nemo," a fish story which illustrates many biblical principles. On the journey home, we stopped along the way to eat spicy pork and a dessert of coconut gelatin frozen inside a coconut shell. Students purchased snacks of many kinds of dried fruit using their allowance money. Later we stopped again to play at a roadside park having swings, slides, jungle gyms and statues of animals for kids to sit on. During the bus trip, students sang songs, recited scriptures, prayed, and continued sharing more testimonies using the bus microphone.

When we arrived at home, we thanked God for keeping us all safe during the trip and for guarding our Phnom Penh center while we were away from it. Then we retired to bed and drifted off into peaceful sleep. The days following were busy with writing essays about our experiences. And today, we hung up two wind chimes made of shells, one for boys and one for girls, as perpetual reminders of this gift from God.

Please praise the Lord with us. And thank you for your prayers, financial donations, and practical assistance in so many ways.
Gioia and Noren

*Matthew 3:1-2, 7-12; Acts 2:37-38; Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27; Ephesians 4:1-6; Acts 22:16; Revelation 21:10-11, 27