March 3, 2011

March 3, 2011

Dear friends,

We are thankful to report that Sinath’s wife, Sopheap, has begun to attend the services. She is not yet willing to be saved but her heart appears to be softening. Two weeks ago their 16 year old daughter, SreyNik, made a profession of faith. She has been studying with Miss Eng for the past several weeks and finally came to acknowledge her need of salvation. Two weeks ago Sinath finally got the courage to begin taking part in our Saturday soul-winning and visitation ministry. This past Sunday evening, during testimony time, he shared about the blessing of being able to learn how to win others to the Lord. Please continue to pray for Sopheap to be saved.

While passing out tracts this past month I had the opportunity to meet Chenda. He is 26 years old, a university graduate and currently works for the Ministry of Education (Department of Education). His responsibility is to travel to different government schools and collect money. Several years ago he worked for a very large “christian” organization here in Cambodia. During the three years that he worked for them he said he had heard some Bible stories taught but to his recollection he had never heard the plan of salvation. A couple of years ago be decided that he wanted to go to church but he did not know where to go. So he began visiting different high profile “churches.” He visited one very popular “church” here in Phnom Penh and told them that he wanted to know more about God. They took him to meet the pastor. According to Chenda the pastor sat down and merely showed him the weekly schedule of events that were sponsored by their group. Then he proceeded to offer him a salary if he would be willing to help promote their ministry. Even as an unsaved man he saw how shallow and counterfeit that ministry was and he never returned. For some time now he has been highly suspect of anyone who purported to be a Christian, assuming that all groups were alike. He told me that he has wanted to go to church but he did not know who he could trust. It seems like he is clicking with us and thankfully he came to the services last week and stayed afterward to share lunch with our family. This past week he came to meet with me for several hours and had many questions about why we do things the way we do. (IE: we don’t focus on big buildings, don’t give away money to come to church, don’t pay salaries to our members who go out soul-winning, don’t use English classes as bait to draw people to church, etc…) Please pray that Chenda will keep coming and that we will be able to lead him the Christ very soon.

We met Teven a couple of weeks ago while passing out tracts and I was able to have a brief conversation with her in her home. A few days later Brother Keo was out making a visit in the area and gave her a tract as well. Teven has been studying with the Jehovah Witnesses but was not fully indoctrinated with their teachings. We were able to take the Khmer Bible that the JW’s had given her and place it side-by-side with the Khmer version of the New World Translation (translation made from counterfeit Greek manuscripts). I think it shook her faith in the JW’s teachings when she was able to see obvious contradictions. Brother Keo has been able to get close to Teven as well as her neighbor and has spent hours with them helping to explain to them the Gospel. After the service this past Sunday morning she approached Brother Keo and told him that she wanted to accept Christ as her personal Saviour. Praise the Lord! Please pray for Teven to grow as well as to have the courage to refuse to spend any more time with false teachers when they come to her home.

Please pray for a new family that we are trying to reach. Mr. Narith (48) and his wife, Nary (31), and five children have been studying with the Mormons for several months ago. Two weeks ago I met them while passing out tracts door-to-door. Debbie and I have been able to spend time with them and they seem to respond to our friendship. Last week I spent 3 hours trying to show Narith that the Jesus or Mormonism is quite obviously not the Jesus of the Bible. The Mormons have conveniently chosen not to teach him aspects of the Mormon religion that they think he would have a hard time believing. He has been under the mistaking notion that he has trusted the Jesus of the Bible and is on his way to Heaven. It was sad to hear their 8 year old son tell me that Jesus and Lucifer are brothers… I am certain that the Mormons know of our visits and are likely focusing even more on this family. Please pray that God will give us favor with Narith and Narin and that the door will remain open to influence them.

This Saturday we will have workers teaching in two different Muslim villages. This past week there were two Muslim adults who made professions of faith in one of the villages. One of the young men said that there are others who may be close to getting saved. Please pray for the safety of our workers as they are doing the Lord’s work in places that are virtually impossible for us to go.

Please pray for the following adults that Bro. Keo and I are still seeking to reach: Chan, Sopheak, Saroeun, Sochee, Narith, SreyPeou, Phearak, Samphors, Mr. Hok and his wife.

Once one leaves the United States and moves to a third world country they are immediately confronted by just how addicted to possessions the average American is. Tonight Debbie and I were looking in the closet and we began a conversation about clothes. I noticed two new blouses that she had purchased on clearance before leaving the United States but has never worn. She told me that she does not wear them because she feels too badly and chooses instead to wear some of her clothes that are more than 10 years old. Even though they are 10 years old they are still much nicer than the clothes of most of the people whom we are reaching. You see most of the people we work with would not think of spending more than twenty-five to fifty cents on a shirt. If they had a closet, and most of them don’t, their closet would not be filled to over-flowing with clothes like most of ours are who live in America. Most of us in America have become accustomed to buying much more than we actually need. As Americans most of us would not dream of wearing clothes until they wear out. We give them to places like Good Will and run off to the mall to replenish our wardrobe. The clothes that are rejected by Good Will and other second-hand stores often are shipped to places like Cambodia and the people gladly wear them. (On a side note – It was a bit comical last week to see the lady who sells fruit at the open air market where we shop each morning wearing a Pizza Hut employee shirt that she purchased for about twelve cents at the side of the road.) Materialism and a Temporal Value system is alive and well here in Cambodia just like it is in America but the truth is that many of our new believers seem to be very happy and content with their lives. One example is that of Sinath and his family. His family of 5 (soon to be 6) live and work in a room that is smaller than the average master bed room of most American homes. Yet I have never heard him complain once about wishing he had a bigger place in which to live. Another example is of Maldy and his wife, Sitha, and their two children who, for three months, have faithfully attended every Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and Saturday soul-winning since the first day of the church. They walk nearly two miles one way each time they come to the church. On Sundays that is 8 miles. Not only do they walk but they also have to carry their 3 year old daughter who has downs syndrome. Never one time has Maldy complained to me about walking so far to come to church.

For those who are seeking to discern the times it would appear that we are witnessing the downward spiral of western civilization. Could it be that God is trying to get the attention of believers in America? (Deuteronomy 8:10-20) How content would you and I be if we lived under some of the circumstances that the majority of the world lives under? How far would you and I be willing to walk carrying a 30 pound baby in order to go to church? Indeed we all have much to learn from our brethren here in the third world about learning to be content with such things as we have been given.

Because of God’s grace,

Dave, Debbie, Joshua, Jeremy, and Jason