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“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

This past week we had the opportunity to gather with our C&MA co-workers in Cambodia for a prayer retreat. It was such an encouraging time for us as the “newbies” on the field to meet and pray with those who have called Cambodia home for much longer than us. We were reminded that for this season of our lives, Cambodia is the land that God has put in our hearts to call home.  We had a great time as a C&MA family praying for the people of Cambodia, the church in Cambodia and the government of Cambodia.  It is our hearts’ desire that God will heal this land that has endured its fair share of “sickness”.

When we left Canada over 8 months ago, we had the opportunity to share with many of you about our future ministry in the city of Siem Reap. We thought now would be a good time to update everyone as we are beginning to plan more for our move to Siem Reap on July 1. Right now, Joyce and I are finishing up our Level 4 Khmer course and will start Level 5 in April. After Level 5 we will spend more time exclusively focusing on reading and learning the Bible in Khmer so that we can be better prepared for our future ministry.

What is that future ministry?  Well, we will be working with the Samaki Vietnamese Church in Siem Reap. Siem Reap is about 300 km away from Phnom Penh which makes it about a 6 hour bus ride with the traffic and poor road conditions. Our team, including Kevin and Carol Lim, are starting to think more about the nuts and bolts of our future ministry in Siem Reap.  Overall, we will be giving leadership to this church and working with Phsar Leu Khmer Evangelical Church (Khmer C&MA) to train up new leaders.  We also will be overseeing a ministry that focuses on helping to provide education to the students.   In addition, these children and youth also attend Bible studies on Saturdays and Sundays in order to grow in their faith.

We were recently reminded of what it means to truly love another person. We need to love them by helping them to grow both spiritually and physically. This is where we truly need your prayers and God’s guidance so that we have wisdom in how to apply our resources to best grow His kingdom for His glory.  There are so many good things that can be done in Cambodia but we know that God has a particular plan for our family as we serve among the Vietnamese people in Cambodia.

Please continue to pray for us in the coming weeks:

  • Pray that God continues to heal the land of Cambodia
  • Pray for us to have wisdom and attentive ears to hear the voice of God as He guides us in our future ministry planning
  • Praise God! We have reached our Car Fund goal! Pray for us as we are looking for a car to purchase. The process has been much slower than we anticipated
  • Pray for us as we begin looking for a house to rent in Siem Reap. We want to find a place that is convenient for travel but want to be open to where God wants our family to live in Siem Reap
  • Pray for our family’s general health as we approach April which is the hottest month of the year. Our kids have been feeling the fatigue more & more as the hotter weather approaches.

Thanks again for journeying with us!

Dave, Joyce, Jadon, Elisabeth, & Josiah