God is so faithful at bringing beauty from ashes! We have seen so many layers of Jesus’ glorious redemption over this last year, even over old dreams. One of the very first dreams that we had as a pioneering team over 11 years ago was to open a location near the riverside area in Phnom Penh. This part of the city has one of the largest red light areas in the city and is a hot spot for trafficking and exploitation. At the beginning of this year we felt God say to us repeatedly “it’s time” to move in, so we pursued finding a location in faith.
Many prophetic words over the years have spoken about “coming into the promised land” and as we were looking at properties to rent there, the estate agent who came to help us was a Cambodian man named “Jericho”. This is not a normal Cambodian name and very unusual for a nation that is ≈96% Buddhist. He showed us a rental property in the heart of the red light area and as soon as we saw it, we knew this was the place we were meant to rent. We felt it was important to begin using this space for prayer and worship first. “The Well” has been open for nearly 6 months now and we have had many beautiful times of worship and intercession with our team and with other churches and ministries in the city.
Since opening “The Well” we have seen increased fruit in our outreaches in this area, several new missionaries joining our team, new strategies and new connections and an increased unity with other ministries in the city. It feels like the start of something special. In the near future we hope to start a church there and to use the space for regular discipleship and training. We have seen that people in this area are so hungry to know Jesus and to know Him more deeply. We are so thankful for Gods’ restoration and redemption, especially in bringing old dreams back to life!