Ahgun Yesu!

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him to her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. . . Luke 10:38"
This was the text of the sermon from NewBorn Church we visited today. It is a small church with all Cambodians. They were nice enough to translate the sermon for us! I was convicted by the message as I examine myself and our team on this trip. Jesus said that Mary chose the better thing by sitting at His feet and listening to His Word. How often I trade listening to the Word for work! Pray for us as we move out to the provinces early tomorrow morning. We have done preparation, but may we keep the teaching of Jesus as the focus and source of all we do.

After church, we went on to another church service in English held at the Beck's house. They are graduates of Masters and it was great to connect with 4 Masters alumni and see the work God is doing there. We visited Logos, the school they have for orphans, asians, americans, and anyone else! We also got to meet Bora's sister, who may come to Masters in the fall! It was a sweet time of communion, laughs, and pho! ^.^ Thanks for reading!

First VBS done!

So yesterday we finished our first 3 day VBS. It was good, and hot, and chaotic all at the same time. There were about 30-50 kids per day, all from a particular squatter community in a slum about 15 mins. from our hotel. That means the kids have literally nothing, they cant even go to school because their parents can't afford to buy them materials, etc. We played lots of games, did skits, sang songs, taught them Bible stories, and colored a lot! (Best craft to do with them :). In the afternoons we would teach them english, which was also quite chaotic. Different from my experience in Japan! But overall, it was a blessing to us and hopefully to them. The kids really grew on us and by the end we were sad to say goodbye. Please pray for these kids as we dont really know what the future holds for them. Pray for us as we continue to teach kids the most important news they will hear! Thank you for reading!

Day 1

So it has been almost 24 hours since we touched ground in Phnom Penh. The weather is humid, rainy, and kind of sticky. The streets are crowded and fruit stands are everywhere! It's hard to imagine that this city was a ghost town 30 years ago. Our first stop was our hotel, which is very nice. I was pleased to find out that we would be running our first VBS right here in Phnom Penh! We visited Tuol Sleng, a converted torture camp from a high school. I have some pictures to show, they say it all I think. Rarely has human depravity been so real and clear as yesterday for me. We also went to the killing fields, about 15 km outside the city. There is a huge tower filled with skulls and bones found from the mass graves. Although this part of Cambodia's history affects them today, it does not define them. They have a rich history that extends beyond the Khmer Rouge. Please pray that as we begin our ministry, the gospel of Christ would transform the hearts and lives of the Khmer people! It is a privilege to be here and see how God is moving.

Pre-Cambodia

I've never blogged before, this is my first one, so please be patient with it! ^.^ Several people have asked me to start a blog, so here it is! I will try my best to keep it as updated as possible, considering the little internet access I will have this summer. . thanks again for reading!

It is Sunday, I leave for Cambodia on Friday. Please be in prayer for our team as we prepare the Bible lessons, English lessons, and our hearts for the work to be done for God's kingdom this summer. We do not know what exactly to expect, but what I do know is this: Nothing significant will happen if God does not work in us and through us. Pastor Gary preached on Acts 21 this morning. The Apostle Paul only had an impact in Ephesus because God enabled him and a city was changed. This same God who has transformed lives from of old is doing the same today, but he must transform us first before we can be used to transform a community. This is my prayer for my team and for you. Wherever you are, know that if you are Christ's disciple, we as His people are called to bring transformation. May this summer be one of radical change in our hearts and through our hands and feet because of the favor and work of God.