Loss of a Hero

Yesterday I received word that Mickey Sampson, a friend and our main contact in Cambodia, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He was one of my heroes of the faith, a brilliant scientist who used his abilities to bring holistic change to the poverty of Cambodia and who was then able to share the hope of Christ to the hungry hearts of those he served. The scope of his influence for the Kingdom is hard to overestimate.

In 2006, his organization produced over 25,000 ceramic water filters for use in Cambodia, saving the lives of thousands of Cambodians. (1 in 5 Cambodian children die before the age of 5 due to water impurity issues.) He also oversaw programs to improve health and hygene, education, agriculture, and farming. He began using Karaoke videos to educate the culture about various safety and life matters. He even developed an educational television program that became the top-rated children's show in Cambodia. Just over a week ago he was one of the key note speakers at a conference in Atlanta for the Center of Disease control on his work in Cambodia. And just last week he was working on the finishing touches for a portable, ceramic water filter factory with the intentions of sending it to Sudan to help the refugees of Darfur.

Please pray for his wife and their five children. Please also pray for God to use this to bring salvation to the hundreds of thousands of Cambodians who have been impacted by Mickey's work.