April 1, 2018

Dear friends,

We had wonderful services at each of our locations this morning! It was a blessing to be able to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with so many folks who have been saved here in this country because of your faithful involvement in the ministry. Thank you for your faithfulness over these many years.

We shot a short video update just after the service this morning where I introduced Bro. Vong’s father, Sareth. Sareth and his wife, Vorn, are in the process of relocating from Long Beach, California to Cambodia to be involved in helping to reach their own people with the gospel. I had the privilege of meeting and leading Sareth and Vorn to the Lord back in 1994. We had the opportunity to serve together in Long Beach for many years and we’re looking forward to seeing how the Lord will use them for His glory here in Cambodia. They are not coming here as missionaries but as volunteer laypeople who have seen the need here for workers and have willingly agreed to allow God to use them. Of course they are fluent in the language and many of the customs of Cambodia, and are able to jump right in sharing the gospel with anyone who is willing to listen. PRAY THAT SARETH AND VORN WILL HAVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO  THEIR NEW LIFE HERE IN CAMBODIA AND THAT GOD WILL USE THEM IN A MIGHTY WAY AS THEY GET INVOLVED IN OBEYING THE GREAT COMMISSION HERE AT PACIFIC BAPTIST CHURCH.

The second half of the video is a clip that I took from a missions class that I taught this past week at Pacific Baptist Bible College in Long Beach on the topic of discipling new converts on the mission field. The class was live-streamed  here from Cambodia which meant that I was teaching from midnight to 1:00 a.m. our time. In the clip I share a short testimony of how one of our faithful teen boys, BouKong, was saved and is now faithfully serving the Lord.

It is ironic that today is Resurrection Day and all around the world Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Saviour which proved Jesus’ power over the devil and the grave. Yet, today all around Cambodia thousands of Cambodians gathered at graves to worship the devil and ask favors of their deceased ancestors in observance of a religious festival. (សែនផ្នូរ) It was a great blessing this evening to be able to hear many folks give testimony of how God has changed their lives since they have been saved and are growing in the Lord. Several gave testimony of how blessed they are to be free from the bondage of the devil, and of their burden to see their loved ones saved as well. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE NEW BELIEVERS HERE IN CAMBODIA TO BE SHINING LIGHTS OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AS THERE ARE SEVERAL OCCULTIC FESTIVALS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE. These festivals always involve demon worship, ancestral worship, drinking, gambling, and immorality. For some of the new believers it will be the first time in their life that they do not partake in this part of their culture, and they will be under great pressure from their unsaved family.

Tomorrow we will begin our 9th term in the Bible college. We are blessed to see how each of the young people faithfully serve in the various Children’s ministries and village outreaches that are a part of our church. PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR STUDENTS TO REMAIN FAITHFUL TO THE LORD AND TO COMPLETE THE THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED OF THEM AS A PART OF THEIR TRAINING.

ROMDENG VILLAGE

It is always a blessing to see how God is working in the lives of the new believers who live in Romdeng village. You may recall that Romdeng village is located about 5 hours from Phnom Penh. Yet, each week faithful workers from Pacific Baptist travel there to spread the gospel as well as disciple new believers. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE NEW BELIEVERS IN ROMDENG TO WALK WITH THE LORD AND BE A BOLD WITNESS. We are hoping and praying that there will be young men from Romdeng who will get saved and be willing to enroll in the Bible college. We know that in the long run this new outreach needs to be led by nationals who are living there full time and are able to lead their own people. Help us pray to that end.

Because of God’s grace,

Dave & Debbie