SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
September 3, 2017
Dear friends,
Greetings from Long Beach, CA! We have been reporting to churches over the past several weeks about just some of the miraculous things that the Lord is doing in Cambodia! It has been a blessing to share with churches and friends how many lives are being changed by the power of the gospel. In more than one church we have seen tears flow down the faces of American believers as they listen to the testimonies of some of the national believers while watching our dvd. Thank you for being a part of seeing many Cambodian, Cham, and Vietnamese folks turn from darkness to light.
“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” Mark 10:29-30
It was a real blessing for us to have the chance to see these four ladies in the Cambodian service this morning. We have known each of them for over 25 years and have a rich history with them and their families. An unfortunate reality for missionaries is that we are constantly saying “good-bye” to those we love and those who love us. These four mothers not only know the Lord but they are burdened to see their own people come to Christ as well. Each of them are blessed to have one of their adult children serving on the mission field alongside of us in Cambodia. I know that they miss their children and grandchildren but I’m thankful that they have an eternal perspective and have not sought to be a stumbling block to God’s will for their children’s lives. Their prayers and support for their children are reaping blessings in this life and will reap eternal rewards in heaven one day. What would be your true response if God called one of your children to the foreign mission field?
Thirty-three years ago God allowed us to begin working with Cambodian refugees in Des Moines, Iowa through the bus ministry of our local church. Each week we would invest countless hours with them in their homes, learning the Khmer language and culture as well as striving to help them understand their inability to earn God’s favor and their need for a personal Saviour. Every Sunday our bus would pick up scores of Cambodian, Lao, Vietnamese, and Hmong children and parents for church. It was a great blessing for us to see Mary in the services today! She rode our bus back in Des Moines when she was only 3 years old! She has been away from the Lord for many years but recently came back and is allowing God to make changes in her family life that would bring honor to the name of Christ. We are so happy to learn that her daughter will be attending the Christian school this year. Mary’s older brother, Vattanak, rode our church bus as well and today he is serving as an assistant pastor in a church in northern California. Some of you who read our blogs were faithful workers and supporters of the bus ministry at the church we were a part of back in the early 80’s. It is impossible to know all of the fruit of the investment that you and many others made into the lives of refugee families, but we want to remind you that your labor was not in vain! There are still folks serving the Lord who were reached with the gospel many years ago – back when none of us really had a good understanding of how to effectively minister in a cross-cultural setting. Thank God that His Word does not return void and thank you for your spiritual investment into the lives of Southeast Asian believers over these many years both in the United States as well as overseas!
I had the opportunity to share the gospel with Sareth for an extended period of time this weekend. He is the father of Bounna Has, one of our faithful missionary team members in Cambodia. He wept for nearly the entire time that I taught him, yet he would not yield his will to the will of God and accept the free gift of salvation. I have arranged to meet with him once again in two weeks after we return to Long Beach from reporting in several churches in southern California. Please pray that he will respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit of his inability to earn salvation and for his need of a personal Saviour.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
We are so excited to report to you that Bountoeun and his wife, Srey Touch, have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour! They are the parents of SreyLeak whom we wrote about in a past update. They came to Christ as a result of the testimony of their daughter and son-in-law and the miraculous change that took place in their personal lives and marriage after they were saved. Bounthoeun and Srey Touch are already growing in the Lord as well as getting “plugged in” to the ministries of the church and we look forward to seeing them follow the Lord in believers baptism very soon. Please pray that Bounthoeun and Srey Touch will continue to let their light shine so that their unsaved family members and friends will see their good works and come to glorify their Father Who is in heaven!
The gospel is continuing to be sown and bear fruit in the Stung MeanChey outreach. Over the past several weeks there have been a number of folks come to Christ through the efforts of Brother Man and his wife, Kanha, as well as the faithful soul-winners and workers who are a part of that extension ministry. Srey Neath is just one of those who have come to know the Lord and who are now faithfully being discipled. Thank you for praying for this new ministry. There is so much potential in that part of town to reach thousands more with the gospel. Please pray for the workers in Stung MeanChey to remain close to the Lord and continue to have the compassion and strength that is required to see the multitudes come to Christ.
The new outreach to Romdeng village (150 miles from Phnom Penh) is bearing fruit! Thank the Lord for a faithful Cambodian believer from America who is in her 70’s but who has a true love for the Lord and for the lost! She attended our church in Long Beach many years ago but we had lost contact with her over the past 20 years or so. About two years ago she found us in Cambodia while she was visiting her family in Prek Pnou and learned that missionaries from Long Beach were there handing out tracts and sharing the gospel. She has become a true friend in the ministry, and though she does not live in Cambodia, she is burdened to see her people come to Christ. A few months ago she put us in contact with a family in Romdeng village who was hungry to know the truth about God and His Word. By God’s grace there is an open door into the village and Bro. Keo and some of our national believers are making regular trips to that village and planting the seed of the gospel. There have been 6 or so adults now who have come to know Christ and are being discipled. Sophan is the most recent prospect to be saved from that village. We look forward to seeing the new believers follow the Lord in believer’s baptism very soon. By God’s grace we hope to see this small group of believers become a church in 2018. Please continue to pray for the extension outreach to Romdeng village and Preah Vithear province as a whole.
Brother Sinath and his wife, Sopheap, have been reaching out to Rathana and SreyWan with the gospel for several weeks. It is a great blessing to report to you that Rathana recently humbled himself and called upon the name of the Lord to be saved! Sinath is now working to disciple him in his new faith. Please pray for Rathana as he is growing in the Lord. Likewise, please pray that SreyWan will come to see her need to be saved and turn to God from idols.
Because of God’s grace,
Dave, Debbie, Joshua , Jeremy, and Jason
Thy is the mother of one of our faithful teen girls named NeyNey. She has been attending our married couple’s class for the past several Sunday evenings and I believe that she is close to accepting Christ as her Saviour. Please pray for Thy to be saved soon. 
SreyRoeuth is the mother of two of our faithful folks here in Phnom Penh. Her son, Noi (20 years old), recently began leading our Sunday morning song service and her daughter, SreyNak (16 years old) faithfully services each week in the Phnom Penh church as well as one of our village ministries. Both Noi and SreyNak were reached several years ago through the Phnom Penh Children’s Ministry. We are so blessed to see that their mother seems to be opening up to the gospel. Please pray for SreyRoeuth to be saved soon.
Savong lives just a couple of blocks from the church and has been witnessed to by several of our ladies over the past few weeks. Last night she attended our married couple’s class and was welcomed by everyone. This week she will receive an mp3 player loaded with evangelistic teaching that will help her to more clearly understand her need to be saved. Please pray that she will allow the Holy Spirit to work in her heart and that she will be saved soon.
This past month our Bible college students were able to go on their very first foreign missions trip to a “creative access” country. The purpose of the trip was to expose them to the needs here in this part of the world and to help direct them to other cultures and people groups who are in need of the gospel message.
The students were able to experience what life is like in another culture and in a place where they don’t understand one word that was spoken. Each student shared a testimony in church this past week of how the Lord worked in their hearts as they saw the needs outside of their own country.
While we were in the “creative access” country our students were able to experience what it is like to attend an underground church service. Because most of our students don’t speak English, I preached in Khmer for the benefit of our students and the missionary serving in that country (who is from Cambodia) translated the message into the language of the people there in the village. It was definitely an experience that none of us will soon forget. Thank God for the freedom that we currently enjoy here in Cambodia.
It was a blessing to be able to present SokDen with a new Bible during the Sunday morning service after he completed a Bible study on the Book of Mark and answered about 100 questions. As you may recall, we had the opportunity to lead SokDen to the Lord about a month ago. His work schedule makes it so that at this point he is only able to be at church on Sunday morning but we are hoping that his hours will change in the future. He works in a local restaurant as a cook. Our Saturday morning soul-winning group met him while going door-to-door with gospel tracts and after being rejected by hundreds of other people in his neighborhood. 
This past week we had the opportunity to hold our first family camp. There were 175 of our folks who were able to get time off of work and attend. We we able to find the perfect location in Kep which is located a little over 3 hours from our church.
Our family camp lasted for four days and was filled with many teaching and preaching sessions, times of competition, great food, and a couple of field trips to visit local attractions. We have heard many testimonies over the past few days of how much the camp has meant in the lives of our church family.
There were just over 50 folks in our married couples split session. I taught on the topic of “The freedom of forgiveness and the bondage of bitterness.” Many of our folks have expressed that the Holy Spirit dealt with their hearts as a result of the lessons.
Bro. Has taught the teens and singles during the split sessions. He taught on the importance of having a heart that is right with God. Thankfully our young people are flexible and were willing to meet outside on mats.
The food was awesome and we all likely ate more than we should have. For many of our people this was the biggest trip that they have ever been on in their entire life. I know that there were memories made that will last for a lifetime.
Leng is a real blessing to all of us! She is over 70 years old but at times she is the life of the party. She loves the Lord and regularly shares her faith with family, friends, and strangers alike. Sunday night it was raining very hard yet she rode her bike to church as she always does. She told me that she had to ride through flood water that was nearly up to her knees. She is a great testimony of the joy of the Lord. It was a blessing to be able to spend some time with her at family camp.
In our last update we asked you to pray for SokCheat to be reconciled to his estranged wife, SreyLeak. I am happy to be able to tell you that God has answered your prayers. SokCheat convinced his wife to attend family camp and she did. Not only did she attend camp but she also trusted Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour after one of the services! They have been separated for 9 months but are now back together and rejoicing at what God has done in their lives. 
In our last update I asked you to pray for Chhay and the various contacts that he and others are making in the city of Oudong. I am happy to report to you that Chhay was able to lead Leng to the Lord this past Sunday afternoon! Chhay has been witnessing to him for quite awhile and has been very patient in allowing the Holy Spirit to work in Leng’s heart, convincing him of his need to be saved. 
In our last update we introduced you to a family that has traveled on several occasions from Preah Vithear Province to meet with us. Their village is located about 220 kilometers from Phnom Penh and it takes them many hours just to get here. This is their fourth time to come and see us. They come for one reason – they are hungry to learn the Word of God.
This weekend they came to see us once again but this time theyย brought another family to meet us as well. This family lives about 4 miles from their village. They profess to be saved for nearly 10 years but they readily told me that no one has discipled them and they are baby Christians. They expressed their desire to have someone help them grow in the Lord. SokKim is a member of an ethnic minority group here in Southeast Asia known as Kuy. They have their own language and culture that is separate and distinct from Khmer. Her husband, Brat Sok, is Cambodian but also speaks the Kuy language. Myself, Bro. Keo, Bro. Vannak, and a couple of our Bible College young men are planning to take a survey trip to their villages in about a week. 
The key to reaching any country with the gospel is in effectively discipling national believers. We have so many open doors but are in desperate need of more leaders. So many of the folks are actively serving right now but we need to increase the number of laborers who are able to go into the harvest field. We were previously told that there are 8,500 villages here in Cambodia without any gospel preaching church. However, this past week I read a report from a large ministry that reported there are actually 11,000 villages in need of a church. 
We just came off of the extended Buddhist holiday season here in Cambodia. It is a legally recognized holiday that is only supposed to last about 3 days but like every other year it seemed to drag out longer than that. Of course the believers in our ministries don’t partake in the majority of the cultural aspects of the holiday that are associated with the occult but the holiday does affect the ministry here because if interrupts momentum. It is always a challenge to get folks to return back from their home villages and get back on track with our regular church schedule. I feel like we are just not getting everyone back on track.
SreyGa was saved several weeks ago and has been faithful to the church services from that day on. This morning I was able to present her with a new Bible after she completed our 100 question booklet about the gospel of Mark. She was so motivated to earn her new Bible that she worked all night and was able to complete the booklet in just one day. It normally takes folks a couple of weeks to complete all the questions.
We were blessed to have baby Joanna in church this morning for the first time since being born. Her parents, Taiwan and Sokeng, are a great example of the power of the gospel. Before being saved they both hated Christianity but are now both bold witnesses of His mercy and grace. We sure love this family of six and count it a privilege to serve along side of them to help reach this Country with the gospel. 
It is always a blessing to see the folks enjoying fellowship together after the Sunday evening service. They come from different economic and social backgrounds but they are made one through their faith in Jesus Christ. Thank God that there is a church where they can fellowship together!
Our Phnom Penh church had a special service last year where we honored mothers. We encouraged many of our teen young people to invite their unsaved mothers to participate in the service. SreyLeak’s mother, Ya, did attend and we were all happy to see her. At that time she was not open to the gospel but she didn’t try to prevent her daughter from being a faithful Christian. Over the past year her mother has been watching her example but she was always burdened down by the trouble her teenage son, Pov, caused her.
Pov was quickly headed down a road that would end in prison or death. One day a few months ago some of our national leaders began reaching out to him and he responded by accepting the gift of salvation. At salvation his heart was radically changed and he began getting involved in church activities rather than running the streets causing trouble. His mother obviously noticed the changes in his life and God began to use his example to show her that she needed a Saviour as well. Three weeks ago Ya called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and was saved! It is such a blessing to see her in our Sunday evening services and to see the joy on her face that has come since being saved. Last week she shared with me that her co-workers have begun to persecute her, insinuating that she should find another place to work because at her job “there is no room for Christians.” Last Sunday evening after our Married Couples class I asked her how she felt when they told her she needed to find another job and she told me, “I cussed them out!” ๐ I was trying really hard not to laugh but as I looked at her face I just couldn’t help it – after gaining my composure I reminded her that she is supposed to be a light that shines in the darkness and that God would not want her to cuss them out. She told me, “I know, Pastor. After I cussed them I felt bad and knew that I was not a good example.” She has such a tender heart and I know that she is going to become a great testimony at her job, assuming that she is not forced out. 
My Saturday soul-winning team recently spent around 3 months handing out tracts in a certain neighborhood in Phnom Penh located about 15 minutes from our church. Though we went door-to-door and handed out several thousand tracts, we didn’t have anyone who expressed interest in speaking with us. In fact, many people tried to avoid us. About three weeks ago a young man, SokDen, who lives in that neighborhood began to express interest in knowing more about the gospel and Bro. Sinath and myself began meeting with him and sharing the gospel with him as well as answering the many questions that he had. Over the past three weeks we have invested around 14 hours teaching him. Many of you have been praying for him as you read about him on our Facebook or Instagram posts.
I am so pleased to be able to tell you that SokDen trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour yesterday morning in my office! I really believe that he is going to grow by leaps and bounds as he is discipled and as he gets plugged into the life of our church family. SokDen is 26 years old and works as a chef. During the recent Cambodian New Year festival he brought an mp3 player loaded with preaching to his home village which is located 4 hours from Phnom Penh. He had his family listen to some of the preaching.
It was a real blessing to preach in our PsaTricht church this past week. It is simply amazing to see so many lives there that have been changed by the power of the gospel. All of these ladies have been saved out of the spiritual bondage of Buddhism and Islam. Several of them have paid, and are presently paying, a great price for their decision to live for the Lord. Your hearts would break if I were to tell you of the situations these folks face because they refuse to betray the Word of God. One of them was recently beaten severely by a member of her family because of her dedication to the Lord and her desire to honor Him with her life. 
SokCheat was recently saved and is taking a very strong stand for the Lord. He comes from a very rough background that includes drugs and crime. He is well known by law enforcement and villagers alike. His sister and mother are saved and faithful to the Lord and his brother-in-law is a student in our Bible College. It has been a blessing to see the immediate change that has taken place in his life since he has been saved. 
Thank you for praying for our students who are studying in the Bible College. We just began our third term of study. We are gearing up for this group to take a missions trip in a few weeks to a “Creative Access” Country where we will visit two different ministries in two different cities at opposite ends of the Country. The students will spend nearly 45 hours traveling in a bus to get from Phnom Penh to the various places we need to go. The goal of the trip is to expose them to other places here in Asia that are in need of the gospel. Without a doubt there are thousands of villages here in Cambodia that do not have a solid gospel-preaching church but there are also other countries nearby that have great needs as well. 
For many months myself and a few of our folks were working to build relationships and witness in Elephant Den village located about 40 minutes from our Phnom Penh church. This past year when one of the new believers passed away just a few months after being saved, the whole village became very cold to us and to the gospel. Even though the man who died was nearly 90 years old, they blamed his faith in Jesus Christ and his refusal to offer sacrifices to the territorial spirits as the cause of his death. Almost overnight all of the children who were coming to the ministry stopped and our adult contacts wanted nothing to do with us whatsoever. Elephant Den village and the villages surrounding it are very dark places where the devil seems to have complete control over their hearts and minds. Many of the families in Elephant Den village support themselves by carving idols from wood and chiseling them from stone. There is an actual altar in the center of the village that is used to offer sacrifices to the devil.
This is the entrance to a Muslim village located about 29 miles from our church in Phnom Penh. Eleven years ago when God first brought us to this village there was not one believer there. Now there are many folks in this village ranging from the age of young children to nearly 80 years old who are saved and faithfully living for the Lord. To our knowledge this is the only Muslim village in the entire country with this type of a Christian presence. What God has caused to happen in this village is nothing short of a miracle and we know that the devil is not happy.
Meng Oeun was reached by Bro. Man and the workers at our Stung MeanChey outreach. Our soul-winners have been going to her neighborhood for nearly two years now and around 9 months ago we rented a building and have begun holding public services several times a week right near her house. Over the past 9 months several cults/religious groups led by Korean and Indian missionaries have moved into the neighborhood as well. Meng Oeun told the church this afternoon that every one of her neighbors have begun going to these churches because of all of the things they give away. I know that you will find it difficult to believe, but these groups literally use money to bribe people to go to their “churches.” A new group that was just started by Indian missionaries is paying adults $15 per week to attend their church. Needless to say, they are causing a lot of damage to the cause of Christ and we count them as enemies of the gospel. They are just one of several false churches in the neighborhood who are preying upon our folks. Not only do we not bribe people to come to church – furthermore, we teach them that God desires for them to honor Him with their time, talent, treasure, and influence. Meng Oeun is really troubled to see people she has been witnessing to for the past several months suddenly lose interest in the gospel and turn to these groups. Like it happens so many times here in this country, these groups will eventually either run out of money or accomplish their purpose (whatever it is) and either close down altogether or move on to another neighborhood and start their racket all over again. They move on, yet the damage remains…Like Stung MeanChey there are so many other villages that are in need of a true gospel-preaching church. We are presently looking at three new locationsย as possible church-plants where we have some converts but are not yet holding public services.
The PsaTricht church has been going soul-winning in Oudong City for several weeks now. Oudong is located just a few minutes from the church in PsaTricht and is a fairly good-sized city.
I was blessed to be able to help lead Chhay to the Lord about 10 years ago. Since then he has become a married man and now has three children. It is my privilege to disciple him on Saturday afternoons. His family is faithfully involved in the outreach in PsaTricht as well as other villages throughout the week. Bro. Chhay and his family live and work in Oudong and he has a real burden to see something started there in the near future. Chhay is an English teacher with a couple of hundred students and has been on purpose reaching out to his students in recent months. There are two young men, Heng and Leng, who seem to be opening up to the gospel. 
Three years ago we had an open door in Prak Pnou and were going there every Sunday afternoon as well as Tuesday mornings to teach prospects. Over time several folks made a profession of faith. However, through a series of unfortunate events that door closed. Bro. Bounna and Bro. Vong have continued to keep some contact with a few of the folks who were saved. We are considering returning to Prak Pnou and would love to be able to see a real work established in that city should the Lord permit.
Sinath is one of the adults who lives in Prak Pnou and who accepted Christ. I know that she would be thrilled if the door was open for our team to begin a work in her city. 
VanThy and his wife, Channy, have traveled to meet us in Phnom Penh on three separate occasions now. They were put into contact with us by a Cambodian-American friend of ours who, while visiting Cambodia, happened to go to their village. While there, she was witnessing to some of her relatives and Channy happened to overhear what she was saying. Channy told our friend that she and her husband have been Christians for nearly 3 years but that the things she was teaching regarding the gospel and the Word of God were things that they had never heard. She then asked our friend where they could learn the Word of God and our friend put her in touch with us.
We had great services this past weekend! It continues to amaze me how God works, and to Him be all the glory. It’s a blessing to remember that it is the grace of God that is at work in the lives of new believers and not something that is dependent upon our own efforts, wisdom, or strategic planning! We are seeing men and women move from darkness to Light, and as a ministry we are all blessed to be a small part of God’s larger plan. Philippians 2:13 For 
Noi was reached with the gospel through the Phnom Penh Children’s Ministry several years ago. He is now a 20 year old man who faithfully serves the Lord alongside his younger sister, SreyNak. A few weeks ago we began having Noi lead the song service during our Sunday morning service. We are training him to become an effective song leader. It’s always exciting to see young people grow in their desire and ability to serve the Lord. 
Jason has been given several opportunities recently to preach in the Cambodian language. We are thankful to have three sons who all desire to live for the Lord and serve Him with the talents they have been given!
The Lord is really using our Sunday evening small groups to help disciple our church members. It’s always a blessing to hear folks share testimonies of how the singles class is helping them to stand for the Lord. Every week we hear married couples share how they are grateful for a class that helps to equip them to lead their families for the Lord. We are privileged to have a part in their lives.
Sovann and Sina both came to Christ this past year. Their son, Veasna, was reached through our Phnom Penh Children’s Ministry several years ago. Today he is a student in our Bible College preparing to serve the Lord in whatever capacity He chooses. Sovann is working hard to save money to be a part of our church’s Family Camp in May. The other day Veasna told me that he has seen major changes in his family since his parents have been growing and putting into practice the things they have been learning in our Married Couple’s class. For the first time in his life Veasna is seeing his parents pray together and express their love for one another. 
Phan and his family were won to Christ by the folks in our PsaTricht village church over a year ago. A few years ago Phan went blind due to complications with diabetes that went unchecked for too long. Phan loves the Lord and everyone around him knows it! It is a blessing to see that he often takes part in our church-wide soul-winning each week in PsaTricht village. Even though he is blind he understands that God desires for the gospel to go to every person in his village and the surrounding villages. 
Bro. Ra and some of our men in PsaTricht began going soul-winning in a new village. They met Soun and have been faithfully witnessing to him for several months. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go with them to Soun’s village as they made a follow-up visit. The Lord opened the door for me to be able to witness to him for quite awhile that morning as well as answer some of his questions. It was a blessing to see him submit to the working of the Holy Spirit in his heart and accept the free gift of salvation! Thank God for the faithful men who have planted and watered the seed of the gospel week after week. 
Bro. Shainghi was led to Christ by Bro. Vannak about a month ago. It has been a blessing to see him in church as well as attend our Married Couple’s Small Group. Soul-winning in Cambodia is normally a long-term project that requires a lot of follow-up and return visits in order to clearly explain the gospel to the lost. The problem is not that the gospel is complicated – The problem is that the heart of lost man is hard and often rejects the Good News. I am certain that Vannak and others have been to see Shainghi on multiple occasions in order to see him saved. 
Bro. San and others have been witnessing to Cheat but he has always rejected the gospel, and in fact took part in persecuting the believers in his village. Several weeks ago some events happened in his life that caused his heart to be opened to the gospel. San was able to lead him to the Lord. He immediately had the desire to go and win his friends to Christ. He has become San’s new soul-winning partner. His unsaved friends and family have begun to sharply criticize him for leaving Islam. 
The Lord continues to bless in our Stung MeanChey outreach. Each week there are new visitors in the services and things are exciting. Stung MeanChey offers some unique challenges when it comes to presenting the true gospel, but Bro. Man and Kanha, as well as Bro. Kosal and his wife, Phalley, are being used by God to make a difference in the lives of many people! 
Touch is also a part of our Stung MeanChey outreach. She was saved at another church in her village some time ago but since moving to Stung MeanChey had not been a part of any church. When our workers were going door-to-door they met her and invited her to attend the services and she has been faithful ever since. Her teen daughter attends with her as well. It was a blessing to see Touch follow the Lord in Believer’s Baptism a couple of weeks ago. 
I met Vannak a few weeks ago as Debbie and I were out going soul-winning one Saturday morning. I was able to spend quite awhile witnessing to him and he seems to be opening up to the Lord. 
I had the opportunity to meet Heng and witness to him a few weeks ago. Bro. Bounna and Bro. Vong have been reaching out to him and his wife for awhile now. We were able to have a great conversation with him that lasted perhaps a couple of hours. He had some very good questions and I could tell as I answered his questions and reasoned with him from the Word of God he was coming under conviction. As of yet, he is not willing to be saved because he fears the persecution that he knows awaits him when he turns his back on idols and false religion. He told me, “I am a Vietnamese man living in Cambodia. I have to follow the religion of Cambodia. I don’t believe any of it but I must still go to the Temple and take part in the various religious festivals of Buddhism in order to fit into this culture. I could never have the courage to be the only Christian in this village.” We know that it is only God who can change his heart.
Chantha was reached here at Pacific Baptist Church a couple of years ago and is now a student in our Bible College. His mother, Navy, used to be the village drunk until she got saved. She shared a testimony the other day that the moment she accepted Christ as her Saviour she immediately lost her desire for the alcohol that had controlled her life for nearly 40 years! She is happy to see Chantha faithfully training in the college and desires to see him serve the Lord by one day taking the gospel back to their home village which is located several hours from Phnom Penh. Besides Navy, there are no other Christians in the entire village. 
SreyMohm and her family were reached with the gospel in a miraculous way that I won’t take time to detail here in this update. They have been faithfully attending the church in PsaTricht. When we announced that we were starting a Bible College SreyMohm immediately expressed interest. The Lord worked in the heart of her parents and they allowed her to enroll. Even though we have only been holding classes for about 10 weeks, she is already benefiting greatly from the things she is learning and from the example she sees while living in the dorm with Susanna and Michelle. It is such a blessing to our national young ladies to be able to see what a Christian home is supposed to be like – they are able to experience a Christian family through living in the dorm. A couple of nights ago Debbie and I heard the girls in the dorm laughing and enjoying a time of fellowship in the evening and it brought great joy to our hearts to realize that they are experiencing something that they would not have had the opportunity to experience were it not for the opportunity they have to live in the dorms. 
Sokun was reached with the gospel through the outreach in Stung MeanChey about 8 months ago. This past week she enrolled in the Bible College and has expressed a burden to know the Word of God and to be able to reach her own people with the gospel. 
This last month Debbie and I had the opportunity to assist our fellow team members in a “creative-access” country by conducting a family conference for them. We had a great time and it was a blessing to be able to invest into the lives of those who have been reached through our co-laborers in that country.
During the conference Bro. Adrian asked Bounmee to marry him and fortunately she said yes! ๐ Bounmee is a wonderful Christian young lady who was won to Christ and discipled for several years by faithful believers there and she will be a wonderful partner for Adrian as they serve the Lord together. 
Maldy and Sitha were in our very first service back in November of 2010. They came faithfully for several years up until about a year and a half ago. While Sitha was expecting the birth of their son, David, they got out of the habit of coming faithfully to church. I think it was difficult for them due to the distance that they have to travel in order to get here and the fact that they all rode on one moped. As is the case most of the time, when someone gets out of church they also begin to slip spiritually. Over the past several months they have been going through some difficult times that may have caused them to realize that there is no real walk with the Lord when we choose not to obey God by being faithfully involved in a local church. Over recent days they have gone through some issues in their family that has caused them great pain. God may be using their trials to bring them back to Him. Bro. Keo has reached out to them and it seems that God may be working in their hearts. They were in the Phnom Penh morning service last Sunday, and yesterday they came in the morning as well as the evening. 
Thank you for praying for Malis (Maly) to be saved. (We wrote about her onย 
We are happy to tell you that the younger brother and sister of Chhayry recently accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour. Somphahs is 17 years old and Veha is 14. They are part of the church in Psa Tricht village. 
We were blessed to have a great opening day this current session of Bible Institute. We are offering three classes this term: Spiritual Warfare, Bible Doctrine 1, and the Book of Matthew. It is a blessing to have 48 of our folks attending the classes. There are others who desire to be a part but who are unable to because of schedule conflicts. Believe it or not, only a small handful of these students are teenagers. The rest are adults – even if they do look like they are 14 years old. ๐ If we are able to offer a nursery in the future I am confident that there will be several young mothers who will be able to attend as well. Anyone want to volunteer to come here and oversee the Bible Institute nursery? ๐
