March 31, 2026
When Anna returned from Cambodia on March 27, her head and heart were still full of the laughter and singing of children — songs led by youth leaders who serve faithfully week after week in the villages. Watching them lead children in worship, assist pastors in ministry, and step naturally into roles of leadership, one conviction became clear and unshakable: these youth are not just the future of the rural churches — they are already the emerging leaders and the backbone of the ministry today.
In both Sisophon and Pailin, youth leaders are an essential part of daily church life. They are not helpers on the sidelines — they are active co-laborers in ministry. They lead worship and prayer at church gatherings, assist pastors with teaching, home visits, and travel, and direct children’s ministry in villages and schools. Many of the ministry fruits we have shared — children joyfully singing, hundreds of students hearing the Gospel, and new believers being baptized — are made possible because these young people quietly and faithfully serve alongside their pastors, guided closely by Pastor Say Yon, Pastor Phearum, and Pastor Niya, who are deeply committed to training and discipling them well.
Yet every one of these youth leaders comes from a very poor family, and in Cambodia even basic secondary education requires tuition, transportation, and supplies. Without help, they are forced to drop out of school and leave ministry to find unskilled work just to survive — pastors lose their most trusted co-laborers, and children’s and youth outreach in the villages begins to suffer. Supporting their education is the key that allows them to remain in ministry, just as Paul instructed Timothy: “The things you have heard me say… entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).
Meet Chontha, a 16-year-old youth leader from a rural village in Banteay Meanchey Province, serving alongside Pastor Say Yon at the Cambodian Baptist Mission Church. Orphaned at a young age, he lives with his grandmother and helps support his younger sister while faithfully assisting in church ministry.
And meet Kim Yan, a 16-year-old youth leader and Grade 11 student from Banteay Meanchey Province, also serving in the Cambodian Baptist Mission Church. Coming from a very poor family, her parents migrated to Thailand for work, leaving her and her sisters behind — yet she has remained faithful in church and is committed to continuing her education so she can one day become a teacher.
We are prayerfully inviting you to partner with us in supporting 15 youth leaders at $60 per month per leader — providing school fees, educational supplies, and transportation to school and ministry sites. This is not a temporary fix; it is a strategic investment in the next generation of Gospel workers who are already serving on the front lines. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few — together, we can raise up and sustain the very laborers God is calling.