Sophie in Cambodia

 

Newsletter September 2026

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus 

A Massive Thank you!!

I want to start by thanking everyone who reached out and blessed us after we recently shared some of our upcoming needs.  We have been overwhelmed by the love and kindness shown to our family. God has used this time to show us again how serving God here in Cambodia is part of a much bigger picture and family in Christ throughout the world. I also want to say a very BIG thank you to my home church, Coastlands Elim. Two of our good friends, Elaine and Grace, recently did a skydive fundraiser to help us raise money for the cost of the car that we need for ministry and our growing family. These 2 ladies did an amazing job, and we have been blessed with FULL provision for the car. We thank God for His provision for us and our wonderful friends who did the skydive and all of the generous people who gave toward this cause. 

Another praise report is that the cost for my annual visa has also been covered, and it has already been passed for another year.  This was my first time applying for the visa through my marriage to Sarun, and we are both so pleased that it was accepted and came back quickly.

I am now in the final few weeks of pregnancy. Baby girl is due in around 5 weeks time. We also thank God that she is growing well, and we are very excited to meet her soon. We would really value your prayers for us as we prepare for her birth and for peace in our minds as this time gets closer. Sarun and I are so thankful and excited that we will become parents, and we are seeking God for His wisdom and guidance as we enter into this exciting new season ahead.

We are now in the rainy season in Cambodia, although the rain hasn’t been as heavy as in other years. Whilst we welcome the cooler-than-normal temperatures (we still have daily temperatures around 30degrees), the rainy season can bring other problems. We have seen some flooding, the return of colds and flus, and the biggest concern - mosquitoes and dengue fever. The local hospitals have reported being overwhelmed by the number of dengue cases in the last month. Please pray for our protection at this time and for the children and families out in the communities that we work in. They often won’t have the means to protect themselves against some of these challenging elements. 

At the end of August, I finished the 2 month period that I had committed to teaching at the women’s organization in Siem Reap.  It was such a precious time spent there with women who are all from vulnerable backgrounds, who have been given a safe and sustainable way to earn money.  One of the ladies said to me that she will now use the life skills and bible lessons that I taught in her own community. There are older women there that she wants to reach out to. So I praise God for how He has used this time to bless me, the ladies in the organization, and further afield. This is a place that I am seeking God about being involved with again after I have our baby girl. Caring for and supporting vulnerable, exploited women is very close to my heart, and it is a great area of need here.  I am blessed to still be in contact with some of our graduates from the BeFree programme in Phnom Penh, where I worked for 5 years. One girl and I still study the bible each week together online, and this time is an encouragement and blessing to both of us. She recently told me that God has been speaking to her and challenging her through our studies together, and she has felt a real burden lift from her life. These are the precious women that I get to work alongside and still support. My heart would be that I can continue to do this, and I am open to the new opportunities that God is bringing along. 

Trip to Battambang and Phnom Penh

In the last month, we made 2 visits to places we have been planning to go for a while. The first one was back down to Phnom Penh for a few days. We had some work to do there, but it was also a good opportunity to connect with our friends from Elim Cambodia. It was good to see everyone, as many of them haven’t seen us since we found out we were expecting. We are thankful for these kingdom friendships that continue as we serve God at opposite ends of the country. Then we went to visit our family in Battambang.  It was good to see Sarun’s parents and his sisters, who are all keeping well. They are excited for their new grandchild to come soon, and we are thankful that each time we spend with them, there is always an opportunity to share our faith and all that God has been doing in our lives. We still continue to pray for Sarun's Mum to accept Jesus as her saviour in her life. 

Village outreach

Our lives are full and busy, and we continue to go out into the village each week. What a blessing this time is.  We have a small, steady group of adults who meet each week to listen to the word of God. We have just finished teaching the creation story and shared more of God’s purpose and plan in creating mankind. We keep coming back to sharing about the love of Jesus for people and that no matter what nationality we are, what language we speak, or where we live, Jesus’ love is for all. The children also continue meeting for their kids club, and they are learning more bible stories, and they enjoy praying and worshipping God. We had the opportunity to go into this community again this week after our meeting, and both Sarun and I sensed that there are still so many people there that don’t yet know about the good news. Please pray with us as we seek to build more relationships with the kids, adults, and their families who come to learn each week, as we want to be more present in their community and to have more opportunities to visit them at their homes. 

We have continued to help out at the village church on Sunday afternoons and have had more opportunities to preach there. Next weekend, we will join a prayer and fellowship morning as the leaders of this church meet to pray into some of the issues that the community is facing and to seek God for His plans for this place moving forward. 

One final story is from a new village area that we visited last week. A group of young people has been meeting there to hear about the gospel, but as of yet, there hasn’t been anyone to share with the adults. Sarun and I joined the meeting that was quite a bit outside of the town, and we were asked to share with the adults that day. We love the simplicity of these situations and how God uses 2 ordinary people to tell others about all the GREAT things God has done in our lives. After we finished sharing, the group of ladies said to Sarun that he has such a sweet voice, and they could listen to him talking for ages. This is not the first time he has been told this. I genuinely do believe his life is such an important testimony to those in his own culture and home country; he is a great witness of a life truly transformed and turned around by the saving grace of God.

We will continue our updates as and when we can over the next period of time, as we will be busy getting prepared for our baby girl’s arrival. Thank you for your time to read about our lives and for supporting and loving our family. We are so grateful.

Love from Sophie and Sarun and soon-to-be baby girl

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