JOY HOSTEL

Sot Thida, Manager of Joy Hostel, Cambodia.

Joy Hostel houses and reaches out to university students in Phnom Penh. It meets the needs of youth who need to leave their hometowns and provinces in order to embark on university education in the capital city of Phnom Penh where almost all the universities are located.

Party to welcome the new students.

Besides providing accommodation and a safe place for youth to live, study, and work part-time, Joy Hostel also exists to provide Christian care and discipleship training for the residents. Our mission is to reach out to students with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to nourish them with the Word of God so that they will grow as disciples, and in turn share the Gospel with others.

Our mission is to reach out to students with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to nourish them with the Word of God.

Special visit from Foochow Methodist Church team.

The ministry was started by Lucy Yeo of Foochow Methodist Church in 2008. It began with a few young people as a home away from home. To date, more than 120 youths have passed through the portals of Joy Hostel and have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our goal is to reach 150 students by 2025, nurturing them throughout their four-year stay at Joy Hostel as disciples of God and cultivating them as servant leaders in their spheres of influence.

Students worshipping at Prek Tual Methodist Church on Sundays.

Currently, there are 33 youths under our care. 19 of them are believers and the rest have yet to make a commitment to the Lord. Despite this, we are thankful that God is continually working in the hearts of these young men and women. Recently, we experienced a great joy as five of them have shown openness to Jesus and have come to know Him as Saviour!

Thursday night discipleship training using MATHETES book.

Just like everywhere else, the hostel has also had its fair share of students who caught the COVID-19 bug and had to be quarantined and cared for during the height of the pandemic but have since recovered. The pre-believing students saw God’s hand in terms of His providence and care, and became more receptive towards the Gospel.

Students meeting online with Pastor Hongly and the Foochow Methodist Church team.

During the pandemic, studies had to be done online. Similarly, the hostel’s daily evening devotions were also done online for students who had to return home to the provinces at the urging of their families who feared for the COVID19 situation in Phnom Penh. Studying online was sometimes frustrating as the internet connection was unstable, affecting the delivery and effectiveness of school lessons and devotions.

Yearly Retreat.

However, the students persisted as they could see the strong commitment of the hostel leadership team. Foochow Methodist Church, a long-time strong and faithful partner of this ministry, also rendered help in many ways. They continued to meet on Zoom with the students regularly in order to encourage them. They helped with the food costs when prices increased. And they provided scholarships for students who were not able to support themselves financially for university studies.

Farewell Party.

Most of the students, who went back home when the COVID-19 situation was at its peak, have since returned to the hostel and are resuming their daily lives.

Christmas Celebrations.

New Year gathering.

Making New Year resolutions.

TESTIMONIES

Heng Bethany

When I was in Grade 9, there were always conflicts at home, which led to my parents’ divorce. I had never stopped praying to God for my family and I trusted God to answer my prayers. For three years, not only did I pray by myself, I also shared with my friends and pastor to ask them to pray with me. When I was in Grade 12, my parents reconciled and came back together again. This was the greatest blessing for me in 2021! God answered my prayers after three long years of praying and trusting in Him. I am grateful to God for answering my prayers. I will not stray away from God. I want to always trust God in prayer and have a close relationship with Him.

Heng Bethany

Keit Maiya

Maiya has never heard about Jesus before staying at Joy Hostel in 2018. At first, she did not really understand what the Christians were doing, such as worshipping with songs, Bible reading, small group Bible study, or big group devotion meetings at the hostel or church. In the second year, she slowly started to link about 20% of the Bible with another scripture that she was taught to believe from childhood. Over time, Maiya gained more and more knowledge and was able to understand more and more of the Good News of Christ through the various spiritual programmes in the hostel and church.

Maiya was attracted to the idea of salvation, which was different from her childhood faith. She discovered that Jesus could save her from her sin if she believed and put her faith in Him. Although Maiya believed, she was not ready to pray to receive Christ yet.

In 2021, Maiya went through many good and bad new experiences. She will always remember July 2021 to be a turning point in her life. She went to the hospital for a PCR test and later received a call from the hospital informing her that she was COVID-19 positive. Upon hearing the news, she broke down and cried. She was so afraid; the fear of the disease and the fear of being rejected by people around her weighed heavily on her mind. It was at this lowest point in her life that she experienced God being by her side. She could feel that God, who made everything, did not abandon her. God healed her from COVID-19 and she was soon well.

Since putting her faith in Jesus, Maiya’s life has changed. She thinks more positively about everything that happens to her and everyone around her. Her faith is growing day by day. Now she is able to share the gospel with others, especially during outreach programmes. She can sing, and recite Bible verses and The Lord’s Prayer from memory. She is also able to lead others during daily devotions.

Keit Maiya

Pray for Joy Hostel

• Pray for the good health for all the students. Pray for wisdom for their studies.

• Pray that the students who are pre-believers will open their hearts to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

• Pray that the students who are already believers will stand strong in faith in the Lord, amidst worldly influences and pressure from their peers.

• Pray for the renovation of a new hostel and premises. Pray that it will go smoothly and be completed by the third quarter of 2022.

Birthday Party.

Sharing love on Valentine’s Day.