Meet Thorn

My name is Thorn; I am from the Takeo province. I am married and with three children. My main job was PassApp driving (3-wheel motorbike taxi). But for the past five months, it has been difficult for me during the COVID-19 season. I had trouble finding customers and feared that I might get COVID-19 if I continued with this profession. So, I decided to stay home to take care of my wife and children for the time being. 

I am thankful that I learned about creatively using the resources around my house from Fountain of Hope. I applied the knowledge I learned through the Our Strong Village program about growing vegetables, making soap, raising livestock, and having proper financial management. I started to grow vegetables around my home that yielded great results because we utilized correct growing techniques. By getting this training, I provided food for my family that is safe and better than before, and even have extra to share and sell. We spend less on food now. Even though I cannot get out to do my regular job, I am earning some money to support my family through this simple work. I am truly grateful for all the training I received. 

I am so glad that growing my own vegetables provides such great benefits for my family and that we can become a good model for our community too. I want to see my community learn to grow food to support their family and stay healthy.

Finally, I want to thank all the FOH and Partners International teachers for coming to share and provide various technical classes that we can apply.

Meet Somrach

My name is Somrach and I am 63 years old. I am a cell church member. I became a widow over 29 years ago. I have four children; two sons and two daughters. All of my children are married already.

The cow bank project has been a wonderful program for me. It is a great project for the poor and needy widows like myself. I am grateful that I received the loan of a cow to care for and keep its offspring. I used to have buffaloes. With the OSV training, I learned how to care for cows as well. Thank you, Fountain of Hope and its partners, for providing this program to poor widows. I am truly glad that I could be a part of this program – it has changed my life for the better. Caring for the cow has lifted my current conditions, especially now when I am at my old age.

As for my faith, I had not heard much about Jesus. Thus, it was difficult to understand why I needed Him. However, one day when a cell church leader came to share with me, and she came to invite me to participate in the Cow Bank Project training. There, I received more than just the knowledge, I received the good news! As I learned about Jesus, I noticed His character and how He cared and loved the people around Him. Plus, it was easy to see His love because of the believers at the training. They were friendly. After that training, I was intrigued so I continued to learn God’s word at the cell church. I began to understand more and more about God. It was great too that the cell church is near my village. At the time, I was intrigued with the Lord rather than the cow bank, since I did not receive the cow yet. I am often reminded of these words, “If you need something, please pray and ask the Lord; He will provide”. So, I began to learn how to pray for the needs that I have. Then, sometime later I heard that I was on the list to be a receiver of a cow. A month or so later, I received a cow. I was so happy and even more so because the cow was three months pregnant! Thank God for the joy in my life.

I am grateful to the Lord that He answered my prayers. I will continue to care for the cows as well as I can, so that they will produce healthy calves, and alleviate my needs too. The cow bank is wonderful. I pray that it will continue to flourish to support many other needy widows in other communities like it has for me.

Meet Ni

My name is Ni and I am 49 years old. I am married and have three children; two sons and one daughter. I wash motorbikes and earn between 40,000 riels to 60,000 riels (10 – 15 USD) daily. When I heard about the Our Strong Village program, I got interested especially in the soap-making training. Soap is essential in my line of work. The FOH staff first taught me how to grow lemons. Right now, my lemon trees are growing quite well.

Later, the FOH staff brought us all together to learn about soap-making techniques. With eagerness, I participated. After the training, I began making my own soap! At first, I was worried that the soap would be unusable. Along the way, I sought the FOH teacher for support. My soap turned out really well – I am so happy. Before, I bought soap from the market, but now I can make it myself! Daily I need around 5 to 8 liters for work. I save money since I make it myself! My family uses the soap for their other cleaning needs as well. 

I am so glad that the FOH teacher continues to encourage and help me. Through the OSV program, I now raise chickens. So right now, I have three successful jobs: chicken and fish raising, and motorbike washing. These various jobs have supported my family and allowed my children to be in school, especially when two of them are in high school (requiring a substantial amount of expenses). I have much hope for my family – and that my children will be able to go to university! 

I want to thank FOH and the FOH partners for the support for these programs. I know that OSV has helped not just my family, but many others in my community. What I learned has helped my wellbeing and other needs within my community. There is a growing awareness and families are starting to grow their own vegetables as well. This will help keep families healthy. It is surprising to see a Christian organization doing such great work. I am intrigued and want to learn more about this faith since there are a few in my group who put their faith in Jesus already. Thank you.

Meet Kimhorng

My name is Kimhorng and I am 44 years old. I am a member of the Our Strong Village program. I joined the program when a FOH teacher told me I could learn about vegetable gardening. I wanted to learn more about how to grow vegetables effectively. Plus, I could participate in chicken raising training. 

Through the OSV program, I learned about planting, how to make soap, and how to raise chickens. After the training, I planted pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers and cabbage around my house. I now raise chickens and make soap. I learned about growing other vegetables too but they are more difficult to maintain and too costly.

I love the program – it has helped meet my family’s needs. I am more capable; I can do a lot and use the resources that I have. The FOH staff encourage me throughout the process.

In the future, I would like to learn more about raising chickens. I like OSV and I hope it will continue to be a
part of this community. Please pray for my family to stay healthy. Pray also that the Lord will bless the work that I do raising chickens.

Meet Sol

My name is Sol and I am 45 years old. I live with my husband and son, who is four years old. I do not own any large farming land, just the space around my house. I am part of a cell church. Before I participated in FOH’s programs, I was quite desperate. I felt uneducated and my husband had to travel to faraway places for work for many months at a time. While staying home with my son, we searched for edible plants to sell and to provide for our daily needs. There were times when we had nothing to eat.

After I came to know the Lord Jesus through FOH, I joined the cell church and participated in the Our Strong Village (OSV) program. After I finished the OSV training, I discovered the resources I had around my house. I planted vegetables and my small land became a garden. In fact, all around my house became a garden. The FOH staff continued to teach and help me with my garden. Now, I have a family garden where the produce is adequate for me to sell and support my daily needs. The blessings overflowed and I shared what I had with my neighbors and cell church members, too. I saw the benefits of these vegetables firsthand. These vegetables are healthier for my family; they are all-natural with no extra chemicals added to them, making them safe for people’s consumption. I am grateful that through the OSV program I received technical training and the seeds I needed. I get to serve the community by selling organic vegetables to them. I am happy that my family’s livelihood is improving. 

Finally, I would like to give thanks to the Lord Jesus and Fountain of Hope for the encouragement and new wonderful ideas so that I can learn to develop myself and my family. I can see that my cell church and community are improving as well. I am grateful that I have the privilege to know the true God and be saved from sins through faith in the Lord.

Meet Cheh

Greetings, my name is Cheh and I am 54 years old. I was raised in a poor family. I have five children who are all married and four grandchildren. I have been a widow for over ten years now. 

I first learned about the good news through Fountain of Hope. I became a Christian and am now part of a cell church in the Pursat province.

Being a widow has been really difficult. I had to become both parents for my children and address all of the family’s needs. Some of my children who have children of their own moved to Thailand to work because they did not have enough income here. Taking care of their children became my responsibility. 

I have often wished that my family was wealthy and had better lives; but this is simply not reality. One day the staff from Fountain of Hope explained the Cow Bank Project to our cell church. The Lord had heard my prayers and answered. I consulted with my children and we decided participate in the cow bank. I received training and learned all the policies of the Cow Bank Project. After about two months, I was chosen to receive a cow! The cow was eight months old when I began raising it and I have learned so much through this experience.

I am truly grateful that the Lord has blessed me with a female cow. I have raised and cared for the cow for over three years now. The cow has produced offspring including a female calf that was recently born. I prayed for a female calf and the Lord blessed me! It is a joy to see the results of my hard work and how this has helped my family’s livelihood. Our poor community has benefited from this program as my cow was the offspring of another widow’s cow. 

I am committed to this project and will try my best to look after the cow so that it will continue to produce well and serve others through its offspring. I want to bless all the FOH staff and partners with God’s grace and blessings. Thank you for serving and caring for poor widows like me. 

Meet Rhatt

Greetings, my name is Rhatt and I am 29 years old. My wife and I are farmers in the Battambong province. We have five children, three daughters and two sons. We currently work for our neighbors in their potato fields. There are not a lot of options for work around here. Sometimes we have to go into the mountains to search for wood to sell, so that we can support our family.

Growing up I practiced Buddhism because my parents and their parents also practiced Buddhism. Though I had a religion in my life, I felt somewhat useless. My parents had a difficult time raising me because I didn’t care about them. 

One day, I was called to follow the Lord. The Lord has changed my heart, and He transformed my whole life. I never thought the Lord would call me to be a cell church leader. But I have found that it is wonderful and encouraging to be able to praise God and lift up one another in difficult times. I became a Christian in 2015; I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior through the Fountain of Hope staff. I remember when they visited my home and shared the gospel with my family. I am thankful to the Lord that He has chosen my family. Despite our difficulties, we have peace, joy and contentment with whatever the Lord gives us. 

We have faced persecution from our neighbors because we are Christians. Yet, we have peace and joy because of Jesus’ promises.

I am so thankful to the Lord that He blessed us through the Our Strong Village program with some goats (1 male and 4 females) and training to start our own herd. These goats will help meet my family’s daily needs and increase our income. 

Finally, I’m truly filled with joy because the Lord God has blessed my family. He knows what is best for us and He hears our prayers. May the Lord bless all the FOH teachers and partners for the Our Strong Village projects and provisions. May the Lord give you and your family peace.