Sophie in Cambodia

 

Newsletter July 2026

Exciting Things Ahead

We are having a baby

Some of you will already know our exciting news, but for anyone who has not heard yet, we are expecting our baby girl in October this year. We feel so grateful for this little blessing already, and we are so thankful to God for this precious little life. I have mostly been well so far in pregnancy - except for the worry of when I had Dengue fever a few months back. Praise God that illness does not seem to have affected baby girl, and she is growing well. Being pregnant in Cambodia has brought a whole new level of reliance and trust in God for this season. My lifestyle here is very different from when I was in the UK, so I have had to adjust a few things to keep myself and the baby safe as I continue to minister and serve God here. Sarun has been wonderful in taking care of me, but we have both felt the distance of our families being so far away at this time. Sarun’s family is 3 hours away from us, and mine are all the way over in Northern Ireland. I have been more emotional and definitely missed those connections with family and loved ones during this season. I am evermore thankful for video calls, but sometimes I would love to be in person with those people to journey this time together.

This time last year, we were preparing to get married, and now we are preparing to become parents. The weight of this and the joy of all we have been blessed with is never lost on us. Please pray for us as we continue to navigate the medical care available here and having our baby girl in Cambodia. Most people have to pay for medical treatment in Cambodia. We unfortunately found out that the general health insurance that I have for living overseas does not cover maternity costs, so this is an area that we pray and trust God for the financial provision we need for my prenatal care and for giving birth here.

In amongst growing our baby, we have had a good few weeks in ministry. We have continued the village work weekly in the new area that I shared about in the last newsletter. Sarun and I were asked to begin leading the adults' group as they were continuing to come each week and listen to the children’s stories. So we decided at the same time as the kids club, we would meet with any adults who came along to get to know them and to share about our lives.

We have been amazed at the different people who seem to randomly show up to join the conversations and hear about Jesus. We know God is leading them to hear about Him, and it is a joy to share with them. In the last month, we had an 87 year old Buddhist nun come and she heard about the love of Jesus for her. She listened intently the whole time, and afterwards she said she was happy to be there that day and enjoyed listening. We also had a lady who has suffered with an illness that has affected her since birth. She has been somewhat isolated in her community, but the first day she came, one lady helped her to sit on a bicycle to bring her to the meeting as she finds it difficult to walk. I could tell that she doesn’t get much human interaction, but when we talked to her and welcomed her, I really felt that she knew we valued her. She came again the next week, and we pray that we will see her again. 

So far, Sarun and I have shared our testimonies and about Jesus’ love and forgiveness. We have talked about the purpose for our lives here on earth and shared a lot about God our Father. After each meeting, we ask the adults if there is anything they want to pray for. We had to explain what prayer was and encourage them not to be shy if they had any issues or problems that they wanted to pray for. We have been encouraged by one man who has come every single week, and he has started to share requests with us, and he joins in to pray. Every week he arrives with a big smile on his face and he has started to join in the kids worship songs before we meet together.

Please do pray for the children in this area as well. It has been a joy to watch them learn a few worship songs and to see them sing each week. They are also learning to pray and learning different stories from the bible. The children always arrive for the kids club early and they always go back home laughing and with smiles on their faces.

We see God moving in this place and opening doors further into the community. Last week we went to visit a lady who had joined the adult meetings a few times. She had just given birth 4 days ago.  She allowed us to pray for her and her little boy.  We know that we need to continue faithfully in this work and, most importantly, continue on in God’s timing.

These pictures are of the children and parents that come to the kids club. Making their way home in sunshine and in rain.

Other ministry areas

Sarun and I are continuing to support and serve with one local village church. We have committed to help with preaching and working alongside the pastor and his wife.  We enjoy serving there as we continue to build relationships with the local people in that community.

I have recently started serving in a new organisation that is very similar to Be Free Cambodia. My friend who is involved in this organisation is currently at home on furlough and had asked me if I could go and take her place for a few months, leading devotions and teaching life skills to the girls that work there. The very first day I visited, it felt like home. I felt so comfortable in that environment with the ladies there, as it was similar to the role I had in Be Free Cambodia for many years.  These women also come from difficult backgrounds, and this workplace provides them a safe place to learn and earn a wage. So far, I have enjoyed leading the devotions with the ladies, getting to know them and praying together for their families.

I have been busy continuing with my reading and writing skills in Khmer. I am happy because I can see that as I continue to study each week, it is helping me gain back my confidence after moving to a new area. In each province in Cambodia, you will encounter different accents, slang words, and different phrases, so it has taken me some time to adapt to the way people speak in Siem Reap.  I have also been leading studies in Khmer again and I am finding that with that, it helps my reading skills too, and I am able to read more and more. Language learning is definitely a continual journey and one that I need new grace for each day.

These pictures are of me leading the women’s ministry at church and Sarun translating for a visiting team at the youth group at church. The other photos are of church members making their way home from the village church and visiting one of the members at her home who has recently been sick.

We need YOUR help!

One of the biggest blessings on this mission journey has been the amazing group of prayer and financial supporters God has brought into my life. Many of you I have known for a long time, and others I only recently got to know.  I am so grateful for every single person, and I honestly wouldn’t be able to do this work here in Cambodia without you all.

Many times I have had people say to me that if I ever have any specific needs, then please let them know. So after much prayer and believing in the importance of being vulnerable and honest about my situation, I have a few important needs I will share below. Sarun and I are both busy with ministry every week, and unfortunately the economic situation in the country is difficult right now. With the ongoing problems between Thailand and Cambodia, it means that previous ways of earning extra income in country are not as easy as before.

So, I ask that as you read these needs, that you would pray with us, believing for God’s provision for us.  I have seen His faithfulness time and time again, and I do believe He will provide for our family once again.

Health insurance and maternity hospital costs
1. The first thing is that my health insurance, which is required annually when living overseas, has risen a lot since last year. This is essential for in-country cover in cases of emergency, and I was able to make good use of it earlier this year when I was in hospital with Dengue fever, to help cover some of the costs. As I stated above, this insurance does not cover any maternity costs, so I was disappointed to find this out, as I had hoped it would help us to cover some of the financial need for this season.

The medical provision and costs for the care in Cambodia can vary greatly. We have done a lot of searching and speaking to other families. We believe we have found a good hospital, with a doctor who has so far been really good with communication and reassuring me along this process. The cost for prenatal care and to give birth there is reasonable for the care that we will receive, but it is a lot of extra money for a missionary. 

Before we made our decision about where to give birth, Sarun and I prayed about this, and for different reasons we settled on Cambodia, in Siem Reap. So as we have sought this decision with God, we do trust Him in advance for all that we need for our hospital care. 

Visa and work permit
2. In the next few months, my annual visa and work permit are due to be renewed. Both of these together cost around $600 for the year.

A new mode of transport - a car!
3. Finally, this is a big ask, but it has come about as an answer to prayer. When I found out I was pregnant, one of my main concerns was how I was going to safely travel around as my body grew. For the last 5 years, I have ridden my moto almost daily and even survived one moto accident. I am so thankful for the provision of this moto, and I do hope that our family can still use it after our baby is born for shorter distances and for market runs. However, a few months back, in the Cambodian heat and as we travelled long distances out to the villages, my body was starting to feel sore and tired in ways that I hadn’t before. We also were seeing and hearing of more fatal accidents on the roads. The safety and peace I felt on the roads before was slowly changing.

So Sarun and I brought these worries to God, but we never specifically asked for a car, because we always felt buying a car here would be out of our budget and means. We left it with God, but as time has gone on, it has been increasingly difficult for me, and I find that a ride out to the village now sets me back for a day after in recovery as my body is just tired and sore.

So we shared one day at our weekly church prayer meeting and asked for prayer for my health and strength (without mentioning a car), and to our surprise, a good friend of ours said that she and her husband had already been discussing our situation. They were worried for mine and the babies' safety, and they wanted to help us out.  They are a family who knows about cars and someone that we can trust. They said that they had a well-used, older car but one that is perfect for travelling Cambodian roads, and they wanted to sell it to us for a good price.  We said that we were so grateful for their thoughts and care for us but that we didn’t have the money to buy it now. They said that they would be happy for us to take the car and pay it off as and when we can, with no interest added (this is not the normal here, and also buying a 2nd hand car can be risky if you don’t know the people selling it. We know of too many people who have been taken on by buying used cars that very quickly end up unusable).

We really believed this was God’s way of showing us that he heard our prayers and that he sees our physical needs, and we were being given a great offer. The cost of the car is $5000. Sarun has already been able to take his driving lessons, and he passed in preparation for this car. We hope that we can start using the car within the next few weeks. My home church will be running a fundraiser soon to try and help us towards the costs of the car. I will post more details soon when they are available. If this is an area that you are interested in helping us with, and feel able to, please get in contact, and I can share more information on how you can help.

If you feel led to help with any of these needs that I have shared, they can be supported with one-off donations or through people signing up to help financially on a monthly basis. One of the easiest ways to do this is through the Elim Missions link that I will post below. Alternatively, please get in contact with me if you have any questions or want to know some more information.

You can click on the donation link below or use it to find out more information about giving. 

It’s not easy to talk about or ask for money, but I have felt a real challenge to share these needs with people who care about and pray for us, to make the needs known in advance and to pray and believe that we will see how God will provide. I was just sharing in church on Sunday about trusting God for every provision in our life and I shared from one of my favourite passages. I will end this letter with these verses as an encouragement to myself and possibly to you as well in whatever you may be facing in your life.

“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭28‬-‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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