April 1, 2020

Dear friends,

There has been so much going on here in Cambodia since the last time we were able to update the blog site. Thank you for your prayers and support for the work here in Cambodia and Southeast Asia.

The Coronavirus has caused the authorities to prohibit public meetings including all schools and religious groups here in this country. At the present time, we are meeting as families and very small groups until such a time as it is presumed safe to do otherwise. Thankfully, from the time we started the church, we have emphasized the importance of fathers fulfilling their role as the spiritual leader of their home. Please continue to pray for our family, our team, and our members scattered throughout several Provinces to be light and salt during the uncertain times we are all facing. Even as I write this update, the government here is debating in the National Assembly regarding the next step that will be taken to hopefully curtail the spread of the virus here in this country.

BUILDING UPDATE

Please click on the video below to see a quick tour of the progress that has been made on our new building.

So many of our members have willingly jumped in to help with the building project however they are able. Lord willing, this building will be used to reach many families with the gospel in the years to come. We look forward to having the building completed in a month or so and having our opening service as soon as we are allowed to do so by the powers that be. If you would like to give toward seeing this project completed, please contact me directly and I will let you know some of the items that are still needing to be purchased.

PACIFIC BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE

We have the Biblical conviction that it is the responsibility of the local church to disciple those who have been saved in order that they might know and obey the commands of Christ. Our Bible college is an effective way for us to disciple some of our own young people. This past month we experienced great joy as well as sorrow because of the events that took place in the lives of three of our students.

Sane and SreyLeak were both reached as young people here at Pacific Baptist Church. They were both faithful to the Lord as well as serving in various ministries here at the church before they began studying in the Bible college. It was a great joy to see them joined together in marriage this past week. They had planned to have a typical church wedding and reception. However, because of the current prohibitions on public meetings due to the spread of the virus, they were married in a classroom with a very small group of witnesses. We are so blessed and encouraged by their joy and example of gratitude and I know that they are going to continue to be used by the Lord to win their own people. Please pray for Sane and SreyLeak as they grow together as husband and wife.

Hout was led to Christ by Brother Has about three years ago. Having already graduated from a local university with a Bachelors degree, he enrolled in our Bible college in order to gain a better foundation in his life as he pursued his life’s purpose. Hout was involved in a couple of our village ministries and had a true burden to see older folks be reached with the gospel. He had a vision to use traditional musical instruments as a tool for soul-winning. For the past couple of years he had been taking private lessons from a prominent music teacher at the school of fine arts here in Phnom Penh and learning how to play several traditional instruments. We had many conversations of how he planned to train the next generation of young people to play the instruments and then create a music group that could go from village to village singing and preaching the gospel.

Sadly, several days ago while on lunch break at his job, at around 3:00 a.m. he was brutally murdered by approximately nine individuals. This obviously came as a huge blow to all of us. Hout’s family was all saved here at the church just prior to him coming to know the Lord and their example during this trial has been a true testimony of the grace of God. Please pray for this dear family during their time of grief.

We covet your prayers as we need wisdom during this time of transition to the new property. Many things will change about how we structure our public service times but we believe that, over time, new doors will be opened to evangelize new villages and see scores of folks saved, baptized, and discipled. Thank you for “holding the ropes” there at home.

Because of God’s grace,

Dave, Debbie, Joshua, and Jason