October 1, 2012
Dear Friends,
It has been awhile since we have had the opportunity to write and give you an update. Things have been moving quite rapidly. We arrived in the States and were able to get three weeks of treatment for my herniated disks at a clinic in Michigan. We thank the Lord for a godly doctor there who made his clinic available to us. I am grateful for the dramatic improvement that I have seen in my back over the past several weeks. At this point it seems virtually certain that surgery will not be necessary. Please continue to pray for my back and a total healing.
We just completed teaching a one week missions intensive course at the Bible College in our home church in Long Beach, California. There is such a great spirit in the college this year, and the student body, overall, seems to be seeking God’s will. We were able to invest time in some of the college students who feel a strong call to Southeast Asia as missionaries. At the present time there are eight of the students who are training to do church-planting in Southeast Asia and several others who feel called to the mission field but are not certain which country God would have them to serve. Additionally, we were able to conduct the missions orientation for three more missionary families at our home church. One of the families will be leaving for Laos in January, Lord willing. Another young man will be leaving to join us in Cambodia just after the first of the year. The Vong family has just begun deputation as missionaries for the country of Cambodia. Join us in praying that God will give them a speedy deputation. They have been faithfully serving God and their own people in Long Beach for many years. They are equipped already for the foreign field and we need them there as soon as possible. God is doing so much in Cambodia but there is much more to be done. Pray for the Vong family, Adrian Torres, as well as the family leaving for communist Laos.
The children’s ministry continues to go forward in Phnom Penh as well as several of the surrounding villages. The need in Cambodia to reach children is immense. We regularly have evangelistic skits as part of the children’s services. Ra, one of our faithful national men, is affectionately known as “Super Christian.” Each skit features him as the hero who helps rescue the tempted Christian from evil. Please continue to pray that God will call more laborers into the harvest field to reach the children of Cambodia. Our nationals are doing a wonderful job but there is so much more that could be accomplished if we just had more workers.
We have been friends with Sreng and her children for several years. Just before we left Phnom Penh she came to visit us at the house. Sreang’s husband committed suicide just before we arrived back to Cambodia in 2010. It came as a serious shock to everyone. Sreang is not saved but we are hoping that we will be able to reach her once we return to Cambodia in three months. She has given us some signs that she is opening her heart to the Gospel. Please begin to pray that God will soften her heart and draw her to Himself. She has let us know that once we return she would like to be closer to our family.
We are excited about Sovann and his family. He was saved through another ministry many years ago and has been, in his own way, trying to do ministry for some time now. His young adult son, Samuel, has a heart for the Lord and has been doing his best to “pastor” the family. Some of our nationals were out doing visits some time ago and met this family. Through a series of events it became evident that God wanted them to become a part of our ministry. They attend the church services faithfully. Samuel has been attending Bible Institute classes. Sovann’s youngest son, Isaiah, has recently taken some real steps in his Christian growth. Other family members are being reached as well. Please pray for Sovann and his family. Our church is quite different from anything he has experienced in the past but we believe that God wants to use him and his family in a great way for His eternal purposes.
Ooeun and Srey Touch have been attending the village church for just over three months now. Ooeun had made a profession of faith prior to coming to the church but had been away from the Lord for some time. Srey Touch is still not a believer but has an open heart and is searching for the truth. The week before we returned to the States they were both in a very serious motorcycle accident which landed them both in the hospital with grave injuries. Their five month old baby, Linda, was killed instantly. Just before we returned to the States we had the sad responsibility of conducting a funeral service for Linda. Ooeun and Srey Touch were still in the hospital and were unable to attend but they made it clear that they desired to honor the Lord through the funeral. This was the first Christian funeral service that this village had every had. The men of our church built the casket and dug the grave all during a heavy thunderstorm. The baby is buried in the front yard. This has caused concern in the village due to their various superstitions. We are thankful for Ooeun’s desire to be a strong testimony. They have both been released from the hospital and are at the services each week. Srey Touch is not yet saved but we believe that she will be very soon. Please pray for Srey Touch to be saved and for this family to be a bright spiritual light in their very dark village.
We want to thank you for your prayers for our ministry. There is much to be done in Cambodia and we anticipate returning very soon. In our next update we hope to be able to give you information in regard to a new outreach that has been started which targets the Vietnamese people.
Here is the link to a 3 minute video update that we did this past week. https://vimeo.com/50448107
Because of God’s grace,
Dave, Debbie, Joshua, Jeremy, and Jason
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