December 23, 2009

For those of you that want more detail of what's going on in Cambodia, I'm going to start adding additional information at the blogsite and keep the newsletter more brief.

Many of you have been praying for baby Pheeq and I wanted to update you on him. He continues to struggle physically, and reached another crisis last month. We sent him to a children's hospital in Siem Reap where he was diagnosed and treated with TB. He is now back home and improving, but still needs continued prayer for God's Hand on his life. His dad has started working some as a carpenter's assistant, but it's only part-time work whenever the carpenter needs extra help.


Baby Pheeq and his mom


Our children's worker was married to the Buddhist man at the end of November. Apparently there were a number of issues at the ceremony, and when I talked with the worker and her family a couple weeks after the wedding, no one seemed very happy. This worker has stopped coming to church since the wedding, and I would ask that you pray for her. I don't know what the situation is, but Pastor Sophan will be visiting them and checking in with them this week. Please pray for this worker and her new husband, that they both will desire to follow Christ, and take the steps of faith to live for Him.

The political situation has improved some since November, but there are still many rumblings and talk of problems. I am grateful that the borders have not been an issue for me to cross, and I have been able to come and go as I have needed to. Please continue to pray for this country.

The Christmas outreach was a wonderful time this year. As I looked out across those attending, I was struck with how natural it now is to have men in the group!! It's no longer just women gathering together. Men are now very much a part of the congregation. Praise God!

I was also really burdened for the need for audio Bibles during this trip. We had several situations of new believers- briefly in our area, and as they went back to their village we had no audio Bibles to give them. Most of these people are illiterate, so giving them an actual Bible doesn't help them. One of the projects I am working on right now is obtaining more audio Bibles - and trying to get the recording on small mp3 players that we can distribute throughout the area. If anyone is interested in helping with this project, please let me know.


Sok and her audio Bible - Proclaimer


Some of you prayed for Pheap - a young man that wanted to go to medical school in Phnom Penh. He wasn't accepted in Phnom Penh, but he has been accepted into a 3 year diploma course in Battambang. At the end of this course he might be eligible to continue on in Phnom Penh at the medical school. We are grateful for God's provision into this course, as well as the funds for him to study.

We still need to work more on job creation in Somvovloun. Sophan is looking at mushroom growing and hopes to get some training for that done soon. We'd like to start it as income for the ministry center, but also use it for training for income for others in the community. Please pray that God will guide our steps and show us how to progress in this area of job creation.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. In spite of the challenges and difficulties at times, it brings us great joy to watch God working - and it's wonderful to get to be a part of that. Thank you for joining us and being a part of our team!

Blessings,
Gayle



Financial support should be sent to:
Mission to Unreached Peoples
PO Box 30947
Seattle, WA 98113

Please write our name and account number:
GGBTH1 - for personal support
GGBTH75- for Cambodia Border Project

September 2009 VBS

We just had a great week with our VBS in Sompovloun, Cambodia. We had an eclectic team this year - two people from Seattle, one person from Nebraska, 3 people from Phnom Penh, and myself. We also had some of the youth helping the younger kids with their projects. So it was a great team effort - and fun to have such a diverse group.


Our team:


Every morning we started with singing, memory verse, and a lesson on the armor of God.




We had a daily craft putting on the armor we learned about
each day.





After Bible time, the boys worked on their skill - carpentry.
They spent the week making a box with hinges and a lock.




The final product:



The girls each made a small quilt by hand:










In the afternoons the team had various projects.
Two afternoons they put in a garden for a widow that
had broken her wrist.



Two other afternoons the kids and the team
went throughout the community picking up
trash.



And the final afternoon we had a program for the
parents. They learned all about the armor of God,
saw the children's projects from the week, and then
shared a snack.




We praise God for many answers to prayer this week: the rain did not interrupt any of our activities, no one was injured from the tools or projects, the children learned how to stand strong in their faith and how to stand against the enemy, they gained knowledge in lifelong skills, and they helped their community.

Thanks to many of you who prayed for us through this week, and for giving financially to make this week happen.

Blessings,
Gayle

April 2009 Baptism

Praise God!! April 4th, 2009, marked the first baptism in the entire border region of Sompovloun, Cambodia. It’s amazing to look back to two years ago when God opened a way for us to work in Sompovloun. We had no idea what God was going to do. He took us to an area of Cambodia where there had never been a church, and there were no known believers. Last Saturday, 27 adults, youth, and children publicly professed faith in Christ and were baptized. We first gathered together at the ministry center and Pastor Sophan reminded everyone of the significance of baptism. Then we all walked together to the river behind the houses of K13 Village. It was raining softly, and the lightening that had threatened earlier was gone. One-by-one, Pastor Sophan baptized each person and we sang and praised God together. As I witnessed this event, I was reminded of the Book of Acts where we read of a person becoming a follower of Christ, and then they and their household were baptized. We had a group of five siblings that were baptized; a husband, wife and their child; moms and their children; and a number of individuals. It was a precious time of witnessing what God has done. We would like to ask you to pray for these newly baptized believers – that God’s Hand of protection would be over them, that they would grow in their faith, and that they would stay strong in the Lord.



Meeting together for teaching and prayer:






Walking to the river:




Several of the 27 that were baptized:

Chandra:



and his wife Samnag:




One of the youth:





Thang - an abandoned boy that lives at the minstry center:

Chanthu (the explosion boys' mom)

Teacher Mom

Pastor Sophan's mother:

Rein and her children:

Teacher Chantha:

Pastor Sophan baptizing his son Ezra:

Our group of newly baptized believers:

Praising God,

Gayle

January 2009 Update

What a wonderful way to begin 2009 - finalizing the purchase of the ministry center in Sompovloun, Cambodia. We are praising God as the purchase went through, and we are awaiting the finalized title in our name.

In addition to that, we are also praising God for the arrival of baby Ezra - Pastor Sophan and Sopheap's first baby. He arrived 3 weeks earlier than expected, but is well and healthy. Here are some photos:


Baby Ezra:





Pastor Sophan, Sopheap, and Ezra: