By Rich Brown
Globe Columnist The Joplin Globe
December 19, 2010
Rhonda and Mark Benz (very back row) pose for a “family” portrait for Christmas 2009 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with their daughters and extended family of orphaned children. This Christmas will be the seventh one the Carthage family has spent at the missionary house. Courtesy Bykota House
JOPLIN, Mo. — Missionary work is demanding, especially at Christmas and when dealing with a lot of children in a faraway land.
Mark Benz will testify to that. Benz, a former Joplin Globe circulation director who made a career change into the ministry shortly after leaving his newspaper post in 2002, will mark his seventh Christmas in Cambodia next Saturday. His mission is not getting any easier, even though the rewards are worthwhile.
He and his wife, Rhonda, head a home for 24 orphan children in Phnom Penh. The orphanage is called Bykota House and is one of the primary mission outreaches of Bykota Ministries, of Carthage. In fact, the Benz family still considers Bykota Ministries their church home and the sending church of their ministry.
As wonderful as it is to celebrate the birth of Christ around this time of the year, preparation for the celebration can create angst for missionaries.
“Holidays are tough times,” Benz said. “That is the bottom line. We may be the ones who answered the call to care for these children but that didn’t somehow immunize us against the lonely times and homesickness.
“Like everyone else, we miss loved ones and friends back home. At times it is excruciatingly painful. We take solace in the fact that while we are loving on these little ones, God is able to take care of those we wish we could be with. We have to trust in Him completely.”
There is another aspect of Christmas that applies to his situation.
“Think of the preparation that goes into having a holiday,” he said. “Christmas baking, gifts, special memories, it can be hard even for a family with three kids. Well, try it in a family with 24, plus our own five. 29 children. It is best to be taking your vitamins.”
One of Benz’ children, Kati, a sophomore at College of the Ozarks, will leave Sunday to join her parents. She and four of her college classmates are giving up their three-week Christmas and New Year’s break on a mission trip of their own at the Cambodian orphanage.
In addition to helping out at Bykota House, the college students will also renovate and reorganize the main storage room for High Tower Ministries, which is the ministry started by her parents that supports the orphanage.
Kati Benz is no stranger to Bykota House, having moved to Phnom Penh with her parents but returning to attend college.
“I was 15 years old when we moved to Cambodia and I personally felt a God-given call to Cambodian missions on my life,” she said. “My mom always referred to me as her right hand and I was considered as much a part of the ministry as my parents.”
As if orphans don’t have a tough time as is, Christmas can make it even tougher, she said.
“While all of the children came to us abused and broken, through God’s loving kindness, we have been able to bring restoration to their lives and give them the experience of living in a loving family setting,” said Kati, who is pursuing a nursing degree and hopefully a master’s with thoughts of continuing her Cambodian ministry upon graduation.
Her parents got interested in opening the orphanage in Phnom Penh shortly after adopting two Cambodian orphans themselves.
“Ironically, what we thought of as an effort to bring two orphan children to the U.S. resulted in our entire family moving abroad to live full-time in Cambodia,” Mark Benz said. “Today we still consider Carthage as our home. We are supported, prayed over and financially funded by family, friends and individuals who share our vision and commitment to care for the children of Cambodia. We also have church leaders and members who visit us regularly. Through these visits, photos and even Internet phone calls, the children of Bykota House have a much larger extended family than just myself and Rhonda.”
Benz said the home is based on the God-given model of a family.
“I am dad and Rhonda is mom,” he said. “It is quite a challenge at times and when we realized that we were going to have to take on the responsibility of their education through out private Christian school, School of the Nations, the workload increased exponentially.”
Address correspondence to Rich Brown, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802, or e-mail rbrown@joplinglobe.com .
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