An Entire Planet of Stories Worth Telling
In 2018, $43,239.46 was given for animals which included the following: hens, roosters, rabbits, turkeys, pigs, goats, sheep, cows and water buffalo. Animals benefit children at ICCM schools and projects in several of the 33 countries where ICCM has work.
#ICCMCambodia 🇰🇭️ – the girl in the video is waiting to be sponsored. Call us today – 317.616.4740 – or sponsor a child online: http://bit.ly/SponsorICCMChild
Children are rejoicing even in the midst of flooding challenges. Sixty families connected to the House of Love, House of Joy and house of Peace have received funds for relief.
If you’d like to contribute to Cambodia Flood Relief, click here. (Put Cambodia Flood Relief in the Comments + Child Number box.)
Philip, the ICCM Cambodia National Coordinator (pictured below) shared this in a text:
“The picture you used in Tuesday’s Child broke my heart. The girl (pictured here on the left) has left school. She is working in Thailand; she has a younger sister in the program, we fear for her future. We are all
praying for her.”
The fragility and vulnerability of the children in each of our ICCM programs, particularly our ICCM Cambodia program, has never been clearer.
Cambodia (CMB) is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking. The traffickers have reportedly organized crime syndicates, parents, relatives, friends, intimate partners, and neighbors. Despite human trafficking being a crime in Cambodia, the country has a significant child sex tourism problem. Some children are sold by their parents, while others are lured into what they think are legitimate job offers. Children are often held captive, beaten and starved to force them into prostitution.
God has created every child with dignity. ICCM CMB, a holistic child development ministry, is committed to upholding and preserving every Cambodian child’s dignity. It is opposed to all forms of child exploitation and abuses that harm and affect a child’s development and growth.
The ICCM Cambodia Child Protection Plan states:
• We, the ICCM CMB together with our Free Methodist Church (FMC) leadership and pastors, firmly believe in and support the ministry’s values of respect and care for the children.
• We aim to focus on children’s protection in the weekly learning activities of children.
• We will provide intentional education about all forms of child abuse and exploitation to all CMB Free Methodist Church leaders, pastors and ICCM staff who directly interact with children and parents.
• We will educate village leaders in new church planting areas.
The children who attend programs at the different houses (Love, Joy, Peace) get together to play traditional games. They have a lot of fun and sharing over a simple, delicious meal.
The children from the House of Joy had a field trip. This adventure included a trip to the Royal Palace, to the Killing Field, a tragic period in the history of Cambodia, and to the Mall, a big market. They were really excited to see a lot of new things, especially how the people in the city live.
Bun Chandara, a holistic child development teacher at House of Joy says, “My students learned a lot about our country’s history. They can learn and know new things in Phnom Penh. Praise to the Lord for the trip. I love my ICCM students!”
The children at the House of Peace were so excited to play games with ICCM teachers. We have planned programs before, during and after the holiday for the students to keep them safe. Too many times teenagers and youths have died in accidents when they go out somewhere on Khmer New Year.
The ICCM Cambodia team and children are thankful for the many sponsors who give to help children in Cambodia to grow up holistically and learn a lot from new things in life.
In a few countries, ICCM sponsors children of pastors (PKs). One of our most vibrant, successful programs for PK’s is in the Philippines. Pastors’ families deeply value the encouragement and practical assistance of sponsorship because of the financial hardship and the stigma of being Protestant PKs in a Catholic-dominated culture.
For several years, ICCM Philippines has conducted leadership development camps for ICCM sponsored PK teenagers. April 2017 saw the very first camp for 9-12-year-olds. Sixty-eight PKs at the “Stand Tall” themed event shouted, “#ProudtoBeAPastorsKid!”
Group activities and speakers helped these children see themselves as God sees them. The goal was to help them learn to appreciate their worth and realize their potential as participants in their families’ ministries. They also learned about human trafficking, children’s rights, and online safety and boundaries.
Fun-packed days began with group devotions and presentations by ICCM alumni and staff. Kids made up their own dramas and showed great creativity in crafts.
Singing lively action songs, playing games, making new friends, learning how to swim — what’s not to love? Stand Tall Camp was a roaring success!
ICCM in the Philippines has often led the way for our global team, envisioning and implementing great ministries. Youth camp for teens led by ICCM alumni was one such innovation, resulting in many teens committing their lives to Christ and embracing their calling to serve Him in ministry. Now younger children are benefiting from the special love and intervention of our excellent team, led by Pastora Charita Encarnado (pictured below not in green T-shirt). We salute you, Charita!
I learned that it is really important to have a devotional time with God. … I now understand why I need to be filled with God’s word every day.”
– Jan Angel, 12
I enjoyed the camp so much. I learned about human trafficking and how important it is to protect myself, knowing I can use my voice.”
– Angel Janen, 9
We sponsor PK’s in some “Creative Access” countries. Ministers of the gospel in those countries are often interrogated, harassed, arrested and even imprisoned. Children in those settings who experience this trauma gain strength from meeting other children with similar struggles.
In other countries, the biggest concern is extreme poverty. Pastors in places with virtually no cash economy rely on small gifts of produce from church members and often must work in other jobs to keep food on the table. ICCM sponsors’ support for their children’s education and essential needs is a much-appreciated blessing.
Freedom Sunday 2011 featured our first anti-trafficking project, the Lahu Hostel in Thailand. For five years, 20 vulnerable children have lived together in safety, learned about life and God, attended school and experienced a future and a hope they would not have known without our care.
This was my first visit to meet the children and get better acquainted with the house parents, Pastor Anan and Nanci. I was accompanied by Belle Villanueva, ICCM Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia, and Americans Corey and Connie Persing, who live and work in Thailand.
The children greeted us by performing beautiful songs and presenting us with gifts of woven bags, handmade by Nanci, which involved several months of painstaking work.
Nanci is also a great cook. When I asked what the kids love about being at the hostel, they said “The food!” And … “Singing!” Nanci loves to cook and Pastor Anan loves to lead singing with his guitar, so their gifts suit their roles well.
Everyone chipped in — older kids helped to prepare the meal. Younger kids lined up to get their photos updated to send to sponsors — and they smiled! We all got in on the feasting, picture-taking, gift-giving, soccer-playing and all-around fun of a day together as family.
FMWM personnel Corey and Connie Persing and their daughter Ikaiasha have visited the hostel several times over the years. Corey will now begin his role as Acting National Coordinator for ICCM Thailand. They are excited to be a part of this great work of blessing and protecting children.
I begin with thanksgiving, thanking God that I was raised in a Christian home with two good parents and was introduced to God at a young age. I don’t remember a specific day when I first accepted Christ, but it was probably in one of our camps when I was 12 years old that I fully understood the gift of salvation.
I grew up as a PK (a pastor’s kid). Growing up, I watched my parents undergo a lot of sacrifices and hardship in their ministry; God was real and was doing something real in their lives. I was challenged and inspired to taste and see, so I become a pastor like them.
My papa died when I was 14. I am sure he’s proud of us for the legacy that continues in me and now in my brother. Being a PK has given me the privilege to avail ICCM sponsorship and scholarship. ICCM has afforded me an opportunity to be who I am. My life has been changed and helped through ICCM.
I’m so happy I’ve been able to give back as one of the staff in an ICCM project, the Door of Hope. What I do is amazingly challenging yet rewarding. Being a Project Director was really a huge responsibility for me and at the same time, I am a part-time Assistant in the National Office. My first thought was not to accept that job, but God assured me, “I can do all things THROUGH HIM who will strengthen me.” Indeed a challenge was given and accepted. There may be some hard times but there’s also great joy in serving God by engaging in the lives of the children. I also learned to improve my communication and leadership skills every day with everyone I meet. I learned to be a cheerleader, an encourager, and a listener. I love the fact that I did it! Thank God! It was far from my personality — I was a shy and a silent one. He is really a God of Transformation.
What I like most being part of this is all the people I work with and the friendships I have developed. The atmosphere of working together is one factor that encourages me, and to have that heart and vision to help these young ones succeed. Being here year after year was a humbling experience with the best and expanding friendships. The respect and trust have always had an indescribable and positive effect on me.
What I am most grateful for is to be one of the workers here in ICCM. I am proud of it. Most of all I am so blessed and thankful for the guidance of all the people I look up to, my mentors and co-workers. Their availability and support has truly made a huge difference and made me feel not alone.
Thank you ICCM Family, for the gift of being there, for the trust given to me. I thank God every day for these wonderful experiences I have and will be ahead. There will be millions of more children to be touched and changed and shared God’s love through ICCM. Cheers!! Blessings.
Note: Nova wrote this two years ago. On Dec. 6, 2015, she tragically died in a fire. She is missed throughout the Philippines and by all of us who knew and loved her. She was an amazing and gifted young woman. Nova is pictured at left with a sponsored child and at right, second from the right, with her ICCM co-workers in Door of Hope, Davao City