Cambodia Trip Q&As

The team will first receive two weeks of ethnomusicology training at the WEC UK headquarters near London. From there it will travel to Cambodia to work with national Christians to development indigenous worship music with a focus on Khmer culture. Ministry will be in both Phnom Penh and in rural settings.

• Singers and instrumentalists who love missions, worship and exploring different types of music
• Preferably people with formal training, but those with good musical literacy and competency can apply, too
• We expect all team members to have a reasonable level of musical competency.
• We seek people with (figuratively speaking) big ears, big eyes and small mouths who are eager to respectfully learn about Camobodian culture

• Empower Cambodian Christians to worship the true God through Jesus Christ by helping them develop their own heart music
• Build up God’s church among Cambodian believers through prayer and service
• Learn Cambodian indigenous musical styles, songs, dances and instruments
• Share in worship and music events with local believers
• Facilitate the composition and recording of new songs in Cambodian styles and languages through song writing workshops. This is the major activity the team will do.
• Encourage local believers in emerging churches through visits
• Use performing arts to effectively communicate with Cambodians
• Facilitate recording and dissemination of the new music
• Encourage use of the new music in worship and other venues
• Experience the dynamic multicultural ministry environment in Cambodia and England.

• What it’s like to be immersed in Cambodian culture both in urban and rural settings
• How to appreciate and affirm different musical styles and values; learn Khmer musical instruments, trills and yodels.
• How to study and perform musical styles from various cultures and languages
• How to organize and hold Scripture song writing workshops
• The joys and frustrations of cross-cultural relationships
• Serving in a musical team from diverse cultural and national backgrounds
• Serving in Cambodia among a diverse multicultural team of workers
• How you respond to it all, a long way from home and well out of your comfort zone

Cambodia is a nation that LOVES to sing, that LOVES to dance. It’s a music-orientated nation, and God is calling Cambodia to be a worship-orientated nation. We believe that the challenge of raising up Khmer heart-worship key for the Gospel there.

Spiritual darkness persists in Cambodia; that darkness is seen in the ubiquitous spirit shrines, Buddhism’s opposition to any ideological rival and a general moral collapse. However, the great suffering of Cambodians in the past with the Khmer Rouge has been transformed into great responsiveness to the gospel as many and diverse ministries see sustained fruit.

From only a few thousand Christians surviving into the 1990s (0.07% evangelical in 1985), believers may now top 3.5% of the population. This growth is almost entirely through church multiplication, and done by indigenous church planters and evangelists.

WEC mission coach, David Hall, has 20 years of mission experience, including 15 years of service as a WEC missionary in Côte ďIvoire, West Africa. He is a trained musician who has played professionally (French horn) for a number of years before being called into missions. He has led ethnodoxology teams previously to Senegal and France.

You will be coached through a comprehensive pre-trip preparation. An extensive 15-day orientation and training will be held at WEC UK's headquarters, Bulstrode, near London, England. There you will be joined by a Resonance team headed for Spain. Resonance teams are recruited from England and Europe as well as from the USA. Your debrief will also be held at Bulstrode.