Video auf Deutsch
With less than 3 Month to go. Lots of people come and ask: “What if it doesn’t work? What if you can’t handle the climate? What’s your plan B?”
It’s usually a good idea to have a plan B. In our case it’s not.
We are planing to build something that requires our full attention.
In order to focus on making it work we need to close all back doors. A plan B can get in the way when times are tough.
A plan B will make it easy to escape the battlefield.
We will have a plan B. but we will start thinking about if it plan A has failed after 3 years.
We trust God, that he will make a way. We trust him to send people that will support us. We trust God, that our effort will bring fruit.
Plan A: build a center of hope for people living in Siem Reap.
Thank you for your support ahead of time.
ND & Sophal Strupler
It was a great challenge for Sophal to speak in Khmer at the ICF Conference. She learned the words only 2 weeks earlier. The crowed gave her a standing ovation. Enjoy the video.
Elias Meier will join the ICF Cambodia team this Summer for at least one year. We are very exited to have this young, talented and passionate man come with us to strengthen the start-up team.
We asked him some questions.
Where did you hear about ICF Cambodia?
Through Facebook, shortly after I returned from my holidays to Cambodia in 2011.
Why are you moving to Cambodia?
During my time in Cambodia I got a deeper insight of the country, the culture and also the people’s problems. For the first time returning home didn’t feel like coming home. This country, but especially the people I met touched my heart deeply. This passion for Cambodia finally was the turning point in my decision in starting the process of moving to Cambodia.
How long do you want to stay?
Two to three years depending on my financial situation.
What are you expecting?
I believe that ICF Cambodia will change many life’s and will met many needs of the population. Cambodia’s potential is big and I want to help unleash it!
Personally I hope to have an enriching time finding good friends
and coming closer to God each day.
What would you say to a person that is also thinking of coming to Cambodia?
“The brain can tell us where to refrain from. But the heart can tell us what we have to do.” – Joseph Joubert
In which ICF church are you involved at the moment?
ICF Mittelland
Elias Meier, 14.10.1990, Nottwil (Switzerland) - Elias Meier Blog
More about the ICF Cambodia Team
After our presentation of ICF Cambodia to the leaders of ICF Nürnberg a woman approached Sophal and me. Her eyes looked like she has been crying. With a soft voice she told us of a vision that she had during our presentation.
Photo by Scott Lechner
“I saw a deep army boot-print in the ground. A print so big it covered the whole country of Cambodia. The bloody history of the country left this print. A print of fear. Into this print God as placed your family. But the boot-print is far to big for your family to fill it out. God will bring people of love that will fill this massive print of fear. This country will heal just because you are there and bring the opposite of fear – LOVE.”
We where deeply moved after hearing this vision.
Our wish is to find people with the same heart and passion to step into this footprint and fill it with the love of God.
Join our mission of love
- ND & Sophal Strupler
Something new is starting this year. A new adventure.
Big dreams, great visions, with a blank sheet of paper.
It takes a special kind of people to build a team that will start a new church.
We don’t want to copy & paste what we have learned form Europe over to Asia.
We will learn, adapt and crow a Cambodian version of ICF as we know it.
Now we are looking for people that are up for this adventure.
Some characteristics of the people we are looking for:
- open minded
- willing to serve
- connect with strangers
- invest in others
- spend time in prayer
- think outside the box
- build something form scratch
- handle frustration if it doesn’t work at first
- survive set backs
- willing to stand in the gap
- work hard
- learn a new language
- understand a different culture
… and the list goes on. You get the point. read more…
Sorry, this entry is only available in Deutsch.
Two of our most proven people will leave ICF Zurich this summer 2013 with their whole family. ND & Sophal Strupler will plant a new ICF church in Cambodia. They are ready for a really big adventure.
We (ICF Zurich) asked how all this happened.
Interview with ND Strupler
How on earth did it come about that you decided to move to Cambodia with your family? Your wife Sophal is an adoptive child from Cambodia…
This has to do with our first decision we took over 20 years ago: We where part in the ICF project and are prepared to go “all in”. Now it’s the same just with another challenge. It is a consequence of our first decision wanting to have an excited life in the kingdom of God. Sophal was the one who took the initiative to plant an ICF in Cambodia. It wouldn’t have been my choice, I would have picked California (another place with “C”…). But when she vocalized this, I also realized that like a puzzle many pieces fit together and it really made sense.
Where in Cambodia will you start and why?
After a time of research we chose the city of Siem Reap. At the moment, this is the fastest growing city in Cambodia because it is a tourist spot which attracts many Cambodians from the surrounding provinces. Unfortunately, it’s not near to the sea but one flying hour from Siem Reap.
What is your and your family’s motivation to take such a step after such a long time of active church work in ICF Zurich? You are not 20 any more…
Exactly this motivates us! read more…
147 days to go
My family and I are in full transition mode.
We are giving away or selling almost everything that we have accumulate over the las 12 years.
It’s a good feeling becoming lean again.
Reducing to what’s really important and letting go of things we don’t really need.
In 147 days we will leave Switzerland with just suitcases and a load full of passion.
Passion
Our sails are set for a new adventure.
We will learn the Khmer language and build a team to launch a new ICF church.
Our kids are fired up and Sophal and I can’t wait to go.
Before we go
There is still 147 days till we go.
We are spending them as smart as possible.
Our focus is on family and friends.
Telling people about our plans and getting people involved in our journey.
Over the next five month I will travel to 9 cities to speak about our dreams and show the ONE DAY film.
This will be a great opportunity to inform and challenge the people we leave behind.
What we need
We need your prayers.
It’s a stressful time for our family. Even if we feel our family grow together, we feel the pressure of the unknown come over us now and than.
So, pease keep us in your prayers.
Stay informed
Register for our newsletter.
Thank you for standing with us.
Last week Sophal & ND spent 5 day with Barbara & Koni in Siem Reap.
We took a lot of time, planing, strategizing and praying about the next steps for ICF Cambodia.
During this time we all felt the like-mindedness.
We had some interesting thoughts and encounters.
Sophal tried to get her Cambodian ID Card during that week. After going twice to the Police station we are back to square one. No ID. The feeling, that it’s going to be a challenge to get the ID without bribing is growing. But we will not give in! Sophal will get her ID very legal!
There are still many open questions, but we are more confident than ever, that we will make the right steps.
It’s still more than 5 Month till the Strupler’s will go to Cambodia. But as we all know – time goes fast.
Thank you for your prayers.
Today was epic! We had our first ICF Cambodia team meeting ever. We spent the day talking about vision, dreams and the future. One thing was very clear, we are all exited about what gad has prepared for us here. To be in a place where God is, and knowing he has the plan is just awesome.
We will spend the next days talking and praying about the things to come.
PRAY
For wisdom as we plan the next steps for the future.
We are very exited to spend 5 days in Siem Reap. The goal is to have time for teambuilding and strategic planning. We hope to make some big decisions for the coming years.
Pray
For Gods leading.
We will make a short vision trip to Siem Reap in February.
The goal of this trip is…
- Teambuilding with Family Schwarz
- Looking at possible location for the church
- Register our Kids for School
- Network with other pastors
- Meet with locals for a Q&A
PRAY
- For a save trip
- Wisdom on making decision for a church location
- Finding favor, when meeting with other pastors
- That our Team will grow together
- That our kids will have a great time with their grandparents during this time.
Thank you.
ND & Sophal Strupler
We liquidate our entire household.
Wir lösen unseren gesamten Haushalt auf.
Darum verkaufen wir Allerlei zu Schnäppchenpreisen.
Samstag 26. Januar
13- 16 Uhr
Leehaldenweg 24, Rümlang
Es ist ein Tag der offenen Tür.
Jedermann und -frau kann vorbeischauen, einen Kaffee trinken und dabei stöbern und kaufen.
Mit dem Erlös, werden wir uns in Kambodscha ein neues Zuhause schaffen.
Wir freuen uns auf dich.
Für Fragen melde dich bei Sophal.
Anmelden kann man sich via Facebook oder einfach vorbei kommen 
Cambodia was ranked 157th among 176 countries in T.I’s annual Corruption Preceptions Index last week, making it as among the most corrupt countries in the world.
Om Yentieng, president of the government’s Cambodian Human Rights Committee says:
“2013 is the year of anti-corruption”
Pray
Please pray that 2013 would indeed be turning point in Cambodia’s way of thinking.
Pray the Church across the country would not be silent but would truly be salt and light in a very needy society.
Pray that the new ICF Church will play a big role in this.
Barbara and Koni have attended ICF Zurich for many years. This unique Family has decided to move to Cambodia to follow their passion. They have been living in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap for a total of about 3 years. Their prayers have always been to see an ICF church plant für Khmer people.
Last summer we (Family Strupler) met them in Siem Reap for a few days. It became clear that we will be a good fit for the first ICF church plant in Cambodia.
Since the summer we had almost daily contact and are planing the next steps together.
Join us in prayer as we go forward.
Awesome People!
If you don’t know Barbara and Koni Schwarz – you should definitely meet them.
Here is a short video Koni sent me (ND) the other day.
More about the ICF Cambodia Team
