Cambodia

In 2022, as a church we were invited to join what God was doing in Cambodia. Since that time we have witnessed the unfolding of a stunning symmetry – one that we could never have imagined or planned – as God led us into relationships with partner organisations that beautifully, incredibly mirror the heart and mandate that we, as LifeHouse, have been given.

New Life Fellowship 

New Life Fellowship (NLF) has seen incredible growth in the city campuses we partner with. Steung Sen has continued to flourish under Pastor Phanna’s leadership, while the church plant in Suong has emerged from a time of transition, with new leaders Ps Lay and Vanny taking the church forward in strength.

STEUNG SEN

Sunday services - 30 adults, 35 children

Outreach activities for 150 children from 3 communities each weekend

80 children in weekly after-school classes

10 students in computer and music outreach classes

25 youth at weekly gatherings

30 children & youth in discipleship classes

40 youth in sport ministry

30 student families reached with home visits

3 adult connect groups 

10 youth baptisms

Blessed by the donation of a 14.5 x 50m block of land

SUONG

Sunday services - added 15 new members to the 35 regulars

50 youth at weekly gatherings

35 people attending monthly Leadership Training

191 students learning English, Khmer & Computer Skills at the Community Learning Center 

27 baptisms

35 people graduated from the Discipleship & Bible Study course

Village Church Planting 10km from Suong, with 20 adults & 60 children

56 people meeting across weekly connect groups

Our church relationship continues to grow stronger each year, as our annual young adults short term mission trips build friendships, cultural awareness and appreciation of each other’s faith, experiences and outlooks.

Mother’s Heart Organization

Mother’s Heart Organization (MHO) – closely aligned with the heart of our local pregnancy support service Lilyrose, Mother’s Heart also comes alongside girls and women in crisis or unplanned pregnancies, to give support that is not offered elsewhere in Cambodian society due to social stigmas and cultural practises. 

In 2024/25 we were able to support Mothers Heart as they cared for:

• 57 mothers under the age of 18

• 100 girls and women abandoned by their partners, families and communities, many of whom suffered violence or abuse

• 34 mothers with physical or learning disabilities or mental health challenges

• 151 children, including 45 newborns

• Of those 151 children, thanks to the love and support of Mothers Heart:

• 106 were able to stay with their mothers

• 36 are in kinship care

• 9 are in loving foster families

• 0 are in orphanages.

In Cambodia, orphanages are full – not just of children whose parents have died, but largely due to parents simply not being able to afford to feed their children, or not being equipped to cope if their children have a disability. This is even more the case for single mothers.

That’s why education and economic empowerment are key elements of the support provided by Mothers Heart, after both mum and baby’s health and safety are first taken care of. When mums can work to earn a living, and know that their children are safe while they study or work, then they don’t have to place their child in an orphanage. As part of this program, 

• 37 mothers have found employment in healthy occupations

• 22 have started small businesses and are being supported by family members

• 9 are attending vocational skills training

• 4 girls returned to school

• 8 mothers are receiving family mediation support

• 140 received healthcare cards so they can access government support services

Children In Families

Children In Families (CIF) - combining the mission of Ability & Beyond and our Foster Care ministries, CIF also believes that children thrive best in loving families, and their programs are designed to support this goal, with a particular focus on children with disabilities.

The programs:

FOR-1

focuses on preserving families and providing kinship care, helping to keep at-risk families together.

ABLE

offers respite care for families with children who have disabilities, providing much-needed support for these dedicated parents.

The impact in 2024/25:

• 92 families were supported in caring for 132 children.

• 35 children were safely re-integrated back into families and the community after the sudden closure of an orphanage.

ACCI Field Workers Chad & Corrie Irons

On-the-ground accountability, transparency and cultural understanding are all elements integral to a healthy and lasting cross-cultural relationship, and that is exactly what Chad and Corrie Irons continue to provide. 

Their influence ranges from membership on the governing board of CIF, to helping train teams at Mothers Heart, to liaising with New Life Fellowship in culturally sensitive ways, to coming alongside our short term mission teams. And they do all of this alongside their work with other NGOs, serving their local church in administrative roles, mentoring staff and teams in a social enterprise for women who have come out of trafficking trauma.

Pray

God has brought us incredible partners in Cambodia, where only a tiny percentage of the population is Christian. Let’s be praying regularly into each of these ministries – over those who run them and those whom they serve.

Give

2025 Collective Giving Goals: 

• New Life Fellowship Church Plants: $65,000

• Mothers Heart: $11,000

• Children In Families: $6,000

• ACCI Field Workers Chad & Corrie Irons: $6,000

Go

Interested in knowing more about any of these mission partners? Keen to join a future short term mission trip? Get in touch via missions@lifehouse.net.au