VBS 2013

 Thanks so much for your prayers for VBS!  Here are some photos and highlights of our week:

  

                        Pei teaching the Bible lesson using flannel graph.            

Sewing project with the girls - hand sewing squares to make a pillow.

Some girls didn't quite finish, but they were very close.  Here is the almost final product!

The boys made tool boxes.

It's amazing there have never been any accidents from using the saws!

One boy's decorated final product!

Baptism of one young man from the village.

....and another baptism!  Praise God!

Betsy taught the young adults two of the afternoons.  The lesson theme was holiness.

English lessons in the afternoons got interrupted by the goats going through the yard!

Painting the ministry center was another afternoon project.  It was an all team effort!

Painting was both inside and outside of the ministry center.

The youth enjoying time of worship together.  You can also see the final product of the inside painting!

Our final evening meal out with Sopheap and Ezra.

Pray for VBS 2013 - Theme: the Fruit of the Spirit!

PLEASE PRAY!!!!

VBS 2013 will be here soon, and we'd love to have as many people involved as we can!!  Even if you can't physically join the team, would you commit to praying for us?  We do really need it!! We want to see Jesus glorified in everything that we do.

Here is a daily schedule of our activities with the team.  Please remember that Thailand and Cambodia are 12 hours ahead of Central Time, and 14 hours ahead of Pacific Time.


Aug. 21st: Our team - Jeff, Betsy, Kevin, Liz and Matthew depart from Seattle.  Overseas departures can sometimes be stressful and hectic, so please pray for God's peace to surround the team as they leave.

Aug 22nd: Team arrives in Bangkok at 11:45PM!!  It's a really long flight to Asia.  Please pray for the team as they travel....for rest...and safety.  Please pray that they will get a good first night of sleep in Bangkok, and recover quickly from jet lag.

Aug. 23rd: We will have some orientation for the team and take care of any final details of preparation for the VBS.  We will also take some time to pray as a team together for the week ahead.  We plan to do a little sightseeing in Bangkok....and also hope to visit Gideon and Sophan in the hospital!!  Please pray this will be a team bonding and building time.

Aug. 24th: Sightseeing and team building in Bangkok continues.....

Please pray for Sarah and Kristin today as they travel from Phnom Penh to join the VBS team!! This will be an adventure for them to navigate their first travel to the province.  Please pray for safe travel for them to Sasada where we will be staying.  It will be all day travel for them.

Aug. 25th: Please pray for safe travel for the team today to Cambodia.  We will plan to leave Bangkok at 5AM, and Lord willing will arrive in Cambodia in time for afternoon Sunday worship.  Please pray for a sense of "oneness" as we worship - even though the team won't understand what is sung or shared.  We will also take time to finalize VBS activities with the Khmer team that is helping.

Aug. 26th-29th, VBS will be held in Sasada.  We are planning on 20 girls and 20 boys. 

Prayer Requests: 

-Please pray for Pei as she teaches the Bible lesson each day on the Fruit of the Spirit, and leads the memory verse and singing time.  This is the first time for her to do this as Pastor Sophan is usually here and leads the lesson time.  Pray that her words will be the Lord's....and pray that God's Spirit will pierce the hearts of the children with His Light - as well as the adults that stand around and listen.  Pray for Pei and the other Khmer helpers (Thal and Dee) to be energized by God working in THEM and through them....strengthening them.  Our national helpers are the ones that can speak directly to the students.  Pray that their words and actions would be pleasing and honoring to the Lord, speaking clearly how to believe and trust Christ as Saviour.

-Please pray that the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth will control the rain.  We will be holding the VBS outside under trees and sitting on tarps out in the open.  The crops need the monsoon rains, so we are asking for prayer for God's timing with the rains; that the farmers get what is needed for a great crop, but that the rains won't interfere in our travel or for the VBS activities.  God has so amazingly done this each year and we praise and thank Him for that...and pray the same for another year.

- Please pray for the children that come....that they would be attentive and listen to the Bible lessons.....that God's Spirit will work in their hearts to draw them to Himself.   These children do not attend church, but Thal has been teaching them as she has been able to, since the last VBS.  Pray that these kids will grow in their knowledge of the Lord and put their faith and trust in Him.  We also pray they will have fun this week and enjoy the activities.

- Please pray for God's protective Hand over all the activities.  Pray that everyone who comes will sense that this is a safe place....a place to learn and know about God.  Pray that the enemy would not be able to disrupt anything that God has planned for this week.

- Please pray for the team to have the energy and strength to work effectively in the heat, and adjust to culture and climactic changes.  Pray for good sleep each night.  Pray that the team will love the kids and be able to communicate the love of the Lord to them - even though they don't speak the same language!!  Pray for good health for each team member....and also for safety as we travel by motorcycle every day.

-We normally hold a closing program at the end of the VBS and invite the parents to attend to see what the kids have learned during the week of VBS.  Last year, not one parent came to the closing time in Sasada!!  Please pray that God will bring family members that HE is calling....that seeds will be planted of the Gospel.  Pray that they will desire to know Him.  Pray that God's Light will shine in Sasada, that many will come to know Him as a result of His working through the VBS.



Aug 30 & 31: We will hold afternoon sessions for the young adults.  The US team has prepared Bible lessons on holiness to share with these YA.  We will also have a time of singing and worship, playing games together and working on some English language skills.

Prayer Requests:  

-Please pray that God - by His Spirit - will touch the hearts of these YAs.  Pray that God will bring each person that HE wants there....and that they will learn how to please God by their lives, grow in their faith, and be convicted of areas of their lives that don't please the Lord!  Please pray for Sopheap as she translates the Bible lesson that the team has prepared - for clarity and understanding.

-All through the week of VBS we will also be prayer walking and painting the ministry center. Please pray that even through these activities that God will be glorified....for safety for the team....and for God to work in and through each of us through all that we do.

Sept 1st: Please pray for safety in travel as the team returns to Bangkok, and Sarah and Kristin return to Phnom Penh.  In the evening we will have a time of worship together, debriefing, and prayer.  Please pray for the team as they process all that they saw, heard, and did.  Pray that it will have lasting impact on THEIR lives and they will leave Thailand changed people.

Sept. 2nd: Leave for the US early morning flight.  Pray for safety in travel - and for rest.  Pray for their re-entry back to the US.  Give praise, thanks and glory to the Lord for all that HE did and for His provision and care.

"Father, thank you for the opportunity that you are giving us to serve you in Cambodia.  Prepare us- your team - for acts of love and good deeds.  We pray that we will be the "aroma of Christ" through all that is done each day.  Father, may our faith in YOU grow and mature through this time of service.  Shape us into Christlikeness...empower us by Your Spirit to do this work you are calling us to do....and may we keep our eyes fixed on Your face, Lord Jesus.  We pray, Lord, that Jesus would be seen in us, and the love of Jesus expressed through us.  May your name be great in the streets and homes throughout Sompovloun!!  Anoint our lips and prepare our hearts that we might be prepared to give the reason for the hope that we have....with gentleness and respect.  Use this week of serving together to further unify your people, and to further your kingdom.  May those we serve see how we love You and love one another, and may their hearts be drawn to You.  May Jesus be exalted and darkness pushed back in His mighty name!!

Father, we pray that the seeds of the Gospel that are sown in Sompovloun be watered by Your Spirit and produce an eternal harvest!!  Bless each member of the team with the presence of Jesus.  May many come to know YOU, oh Lord, Amen!!"



Thank you so much for joining our team by committing this work and these people to the Lord in prayer!!

In His Joy,
Gayle

Worship

It's been wonderful to watch the church in Kilometer 13 Village take responsibility on their own for Sunday worship.  With Pastor Sophan away helping care for Gideon in Bangkok, the church continues to meet together for worship - and they are growing and maturing!  Several people take turns sharing something with the group from Scripture.  The young adults meet later in the afternoon and their worship (as is typical of many churches) is very lively and loud!  They have developed some musical abilities and now have a group of two electric guitars and keyboard to accompany worship.  Here is a short video from this past Sunday:

It was very encouraging to hear many young adults sharing what God was teaching them through Scripture.  Please continue to pray for the church in Sompovloun - that they will continue to grow in their faith and be on fire to share it with their families and those God brings into their lives.

Changes

It's amazing to me that it's been six months since I updated this blog!!  So much has happened with Gideon and his diagnosis with leukemia, that all efforts have been focused there....and keeping HIS blog updated regularly!!  As things are settling down with him a bit and everyone is learning how to deal with new life changes, I had a chance to return to Sompovloun this past week.  It was a great time to reconnect with everyone, and I hope to submit several postings on this blog over the next few days to give you a glimpse of what has been happening.

It was amazing to see the roads completed!!  There are actual road signs directing traffic...and lane markers painted in the middle of the road!  That is certainly reducing the dust factor and making travel so much easier.  With the rainy season upon us the roads are no longer flooded and no longer deep with mud taking hours to travel.  Here are some photos from Kilometer 13 Village:

Christmas 2012

Here are some additional photos from the Christmas outreach,....but also some updates from around the ministry center.  Hope you enjoy them!!

There were some darling shepherds in the Christmas play.....

Ezra - Sophan and Sopheap's son

Cooking curry for 200+ people

.....and clean up by the youth.  Lots of dishes to wash!!

Sao was back home after being away for nearly one year.  

It was great to see her again.

Sopheap with their youngest child, Gideon.  He's a real sweety!!

Grandma Gayle with Ezra

As the newly arriving road has cut through much of the front of the ministry center, we have had to remake the entire front of the center with a new wall, and new gate.  Thanks to the generous gift from one of our supporting churches the new wall and front of the center is now finished.  It's a wonderful blessing to have this completed!

  

 The new front wall of the ministry center

Sopheap and Gideon at the new front gate.