Dr. Sahara V. Chea

Two seminars will be offered, one led by Rev. John Haberlin on the topic of church planting, and the second seminar, on mission and evangelism, will be led by Rev. Sahara Chea.
...
Rev. Chea is pastor of the First Cambodian Presbyterian Ministry in Tacoma.Read More

Dr. Sahara Chea
...
Dr. Sahara CheaDr. Sahara Chea is the vice chair of the National Cambodian Presbyterian Council and serves as the First Cambodian Presbyterian Ministry Consultant.He was pastor of the First Cambodian Presbyterian Outreach Ministry in California.Dr. Chea survived the Cambodian killing fields and witnessed the horrific deaths of many of his people.Today he shares Christ's message of forgiveness, comfort and freedom.

Rev. Sahara V. Chea

Born : 5/8/68 in Phnom Penh , Cambodia ; naturalized U.S. citizen , 3/94

Family : Sahara lives with his mother , sisters and brother in Bakersfield ; his father was a military officer before and during the American involvement in Cambodia , he disappeared in 1975 when the Americans left and the Communists took over and was presumed dead ; however , he contacted the family again in 1996 ; he has a govermnmnent position in Cambodia.

Killing Fields of Cambodia : In 1975 the family was forced out of Phnom Penh at gun point and taken to concentration camps in the countryside ; they were separated into age groups ; Sahara did hard labor in the rice fields from age 7-11 ; the Khmer Rouge tried to brainwash the children using their Red Book ; they did not have enough food ; many Cambodians died , including a brother of Sahara.

Refugee Camp in Thailand : In 1979 Sahara found his family and they escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand ; they worked for food and learned English ; Sahara heard the Gospel from a missionary lady and became a follower of Jesus.

In the United States : In 1983 the family came as refugees to Houston , Texas ; in 1985 the family moved to Bakersfield to get away from gangs and crime ; the family started going to First Presbyterian Church in Bakersfield ; Sahara grew in hs Christian faith and commitment.

Education : Sahara had no formal education in Cambodia because they had no money for bribes ; attended school in the United States.

• 1984 Jackson Middle School in Houston , Texas ; first formal education ; received an honorary diploma to go on to high school ;.

• 1987 graduated from Highland HS in Bakersfield ; valedictorian of class ;

...
In this unlikely inland city , a strong ministry to immigrant Cambodians is emerging with its own Cambodian Presbyterian pastor , Rev. Sahara Chea.He is the only ordained native Cambodian in the Presbyterian Church ( U.S.A. ).

On Sundays at 9 : 30 a.m. , about 25 Cambodians , mostly adults with some youth , come to worship Jesus Christ together at the ministry's Cambodian Presbyterian Outreach Center , located in the part of town where most of Bakersfield's Cambodian immigrants live.

Come to the worship service and it's hard to miss the gratitude these people express toward their Savior.Every week , Cambodians are sharing their personal testimonies.The ministry has started recording these stories of their personal journies on tape so others can benefit and be encouraged by them.Many of these people have endured almost incomprehensible loss at the hands of arguably the most brutal regime in our lifetime , the Khmer Rouge , and have survived Thailand refugee camps and travel to arrive at this place.
...
Finding a less expensive , more spacious location in the target area is an answer to prayer , says Sahara.

Cambodians don't just live in Cambodia.

continued in back of the book