Short Opportunity Description:

The internship is a ministry of building relationships, teaching English, and leading Bible studies in the church dorm, as well as a short time teaching English in two rural villages.

Qualifications:

• Spiritual maturity and personal responsibility are extremely important.
• The ability to interact and work well with others is required.
• An openness to cultural differences is also essential.

Location:

Church of Hope, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Length of Service:

• Mid-term: 1–12 months
• Other: 4–6 weeks, May–mid June 2024

Ministry Description:

The majority of the time will be spent in Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh is rapidly developing with lots of traffic and lots of opportunities. As an intern, you will be sharing a bedroom in the missionaries’ small church, which also functions as a women’s dorm for eight university students. In the dorm, you will be expected to share the role together in leading a devotion or Bible study one to two times a week, as well as building relationships with the girls, learning Cambodian life and culture from them, and sharing Christ’s love in their lives.

In addition to the dorm ministry, you will also become involved in the services and other ministries of Church of Hope, a church planted by the Romdenhs in January 2021. We would ask you to have some lessons and activities prepared for the kids at church. If you have any musical inclination (such as playing the guitar, piano, singing, etc.), you would have an opening to help lead worship or share a special time of music.

Third, it will be expected for you to teach English. Your students could be a variety of ages and at a variety of speaking levels (it means that you could be teaching children at a very beginner’s level, or teaching youth or university students at a more advanced or intermediate level). You should have several lessons prepared on a variety of subjects and give consideration to bringing along resources to aid in learning (recommended children’s books, visual aids such as pictures and other small objects).

While the majority of the time will be spent in Phnom Penh, you will have the opportunity to visit at least two other provinces (more rural geographic areas), including Takeo Province and Siem Reap Province. You will spend several days in each province, learning the provincial cultures and ministering alongside our ministry partners, Pastor Poleak and Pastor Arun, and their families. Ministry on these trips could include: teaching English, children’s ministry, visiting house churches or small groups, and more.

While these are the main ministry focuses of the internship position, it may be possible, in conversation with the missionaries, to provide exposure to other areas of interest.

Quick Facts:

• The massive Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap spreads across 400 acres and holds the honor of being the world’s largest religious structure.
• From 1975–1979, Cambodia was ruled by the communist Khmer Rouge. During that time, between 1.5 to 2 million people died or were killed. Consequently, 65% of Cambodia’s population is under 30.
• Over 95% of Cambodia’s population is Buddhist.

Cambodians consider the head as the highest and most sacred part of the body, so it’s extremely insulting to touch or pat someone’s head.