“Full Circle” seems to be a recurring theme in many lives this season. Dictionary.com says when something “comes full circle” it completes a cycle or returns to its beginnings.

I want to share a miraculous account of something coming full circle in my own life. I have recently accepted the position with Extreme Love Ministries as their new director for the Kids Justice House of Prayer (KJHP). Pastor Carol Koch, founder, and director of Children on the Frontlines founded the KJHP 2 1/2 years ago in one of the poorest areas here in Phnom Penh, a slum community. The slums are strategic areas where we minister due to the strongholds of poverty, prostitution, trafficking, addiction, and the like. There are over 200 slums in Phnom Penh, and as a ministry, we are currently ministering in seven of them.

Several years ago, at a Women on the Frontlines Conference in the States, Pastor Carol spoke up front, and at that point, I had never heard of her before. Captivated, I listened intently to her share about how the children under her ministry were hearing from God, experiencing His presence, seeing miracles as a result of their prayers, having visions of Jesus and heaven, and so much more. Something ignited deep within me. Although I was an academic teacher and had been for many years, to be honest, academics was never my passion, to begin with. My heart had always been for children and teens, but rather the mentoring and discipleship side of teaching.

She offered for those whose hearts were stirred by what she shared to pull her aside and that she would pray for and impart to them what she carried. Sure enough, later that day, I passed her in the lobby. Pushing past the introvert side of me, I reached out to her. “Please pray over me! I want what you have and to do what you do!” So she did.

Quickly getting my hands on all of her materials, I couldn’t wait for God to open up the doors for me to mentor children in this way. God saw my heart, and at the end of that same year, through a “random” occurrence, God supernaturally connected me with three highly at-risk children who lived close by, ages 12, 7, and 6. Whenever Holy Spirit would prompt me, I would go by and visit. The little girl would crawl in my lap and sit motionless for hours. Our household helped provide food and other basic needs.

Eventually, this three-generational family asked me to commit to meet regularly with them, as they felt uncomfortable going to church. As honored as I was, and as much as I wanted to and prayed into it, I did not have peace to move forward with the plan. However, I purchased three copies of one of Pastor Carol’s books, Glory School for Students. I felt that if I was not the one to minister regularly to them during this season, then at least I could provide good materials. My heart longed to work with this family, yet I knew I needed to be obedient. The mother of the children shared that her son, the oldest of the three, desperately needed intervention and was suicidal.

Leaving the books with the mother, I released the children back to the Lord. Weeks went by and I didn’t see them or hear anything. One day while getting out of my car, the mother was walking by and called for me. What she said next blew me away!

“You’ll never guess what happened after you gave us those books! One night, my son was still up and it was four in the morning. I asked him, ‘Son what are you doing up? It’s so late!’ He answered, ‘I’m just reading this book, Mom.’ He actually stayed up all night and read the book cover to cover!”  It gets even better. He proceeded to hold “class“ for his younger two siblings, one having autism. He would make his mom leave her master bedroom so that he could turn it into a classroom, and he proceeded to teach his siblings chapter by chapter through the whole book.  When mom would try and come into the room, he would say, “Mom, this is my deal. Please stay out of your room.“  The little girl wanted her mother to stay, however, as mom was pregnant and the girl “wanted the baby to hear about Jesus.“ (The mother ended up losing the baby not long after).

Had I moved forward and not listened to Holy Spirit, I would have robbed this precious young man from the joy of finding Jesus on His own and then in turn, teaching his siblings. I am honored that years later, here I stand in Cambodia with the most vulnerable of children, and God has given me the honor to do what I have desired to do all along. Last weekend, Pastor Carol and her amazing team were here, and they commissioned me into this new role.

Full circle. All in His perfect time. Glory to God!

“I definitely see very, very, clearly… children, children, children… I see children.  And the Lord’s even going to increase your heart for children.  He’s actually going to break your heart for children. I see a swelling of the heart and a breaking of the heart all at once.  The Lord says He’s going to give you strategies and insights and creative ways to even reach children… He’s picking up children and by name, showing them to you… and you’re going to carry them and get strategies for seeing their breakthroughs.  He’s going to give you a spirit of faith to see breakthroughs for children, even in the most devastating situations… And I see children of different ethnos… you’re going to impact children in Nations.” –Excerpts from a Prophesy to me by Patricia King 2014

Written by: Cathy Cupp
Published on: 6/16/18