THE WELCHS GRAPEVINE

For The Glory of GOD!

Greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia                         Volume 8, Number 1, January, 2013

Dearest family & friends,

We ring in 2013 with great joy—knowing of your love, prayers and support for us and for our ministries in serving our Lord in Cambodia.  The Lord has poured-out His blessings upon us.  We rejoice in our partnership with you in the Gospel message that is saving souls.  We pray that all is well with each of you and the Lord blessed you richly during the 2012 holiday season.  What a special place each of you holds in our thoughts, prayers and hearts.  Thank you deeply for your love, support and encouragement of our work here.  “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Thess. 1:2-3

We missed sending-out a newsletter for December so there is lots to report.  Here’s what’s in this issue:

• Lots of changes for the SNACK Program
• Visiting Teachers at the Cambodia Bible Institute
• Cambodia Bible Institute celebrates another Graduation
• Local Church Gift-Giving in SNACK Villages
• Baptisms, Weddings, Birthdays, and other news.
• Highlights of 2012

Noeurn cutting children’s fingernails

Staff praying with children

Ranut teaching the children

Children love their yummy SNACK

Children praying together

As of the end of November, 5 of the 6 SNACK staff decided it was time to move on.  This left Sharon in quite a spot as you can imagine.  After much prayer, reflection, and planning, the SNACK Program would begin to hire mostly new staff who have been well-trained in the Bible.  The current staff of 4 includes 3 Bible School graduates and another Christian with 3 years experience teaching Bible to children.  This means that SNACK is functioning with just 2 trucks.  The third truck is so old and in need of many repairs.  We hope to announce a campaign to raise funds to replace it and another of the trucks soon.  Sharon continues to work diligently to direct this program to be strongly evangelistic toward more disciples and churches.  We praise God for this opportunity to touch hearts for the Gospel while providing for these precious children.

New graduate KimSrauv preaching the Word

Some CBI Graduates attend special class

The Cambodia Bible Institute continues to be faithful in its mission to train men and women in Bible and ministry.  An important part of accomplishing this ministry is the teachers whom the Lord allows to come to teach at CBI.  Brother Greg Fleming from the North A Church of Christ, Midland, TX taught the students Jeremiah and Lamentations in January.  The best way to keep up with all the CBI news is to visit the Dolan’s blog at randrdolan.blogspot.com.

Graduation of Chhoeurn, Sokhorn, Ranut & KimSrauv, Dec 2012

Bible Study & Singing

Before Dennis taught a course on the 12 Minor Prophets, Greg Fleming joined the staff, students, graduates, and friends of CBI for another graduation ceremony as 4 more of our students received certificates from CBI and bachelor’s degrees from Sunset International Bible Institute.  By the providence of God three brothers are working with the churches they have planted in their hometowns and the fourth brother is working for SNACK as there is already a church with a local preacher in his hometown.

University church blessing the SNACK children

Giving gifts of kindness

Brethren from the Lavender Church of Christ in Singapore regularly bring boxes of used clothing and toys for the various churches to distribute according to local needs.  A number of boxes of toys were the perfect Christmas gifts for the University congregation to take to the children in 2 of the SNACK villages.  The Christians were filled with joy to be able to serve these children in this way.  Several specifically mentioned how touched they were by the experience.  Praise the Lord!

Piseth is baptized into Christ

Lougn Theary just after her sins were washed away

During the months of December and January there were several new babes in Christ born by the power of the Gospel.  Most of these new births took place among the countryside churches.  Ronda Dolan and Julie Broyles are faithful in posting news about the new Christians in the city churches.  On the right side of our blog there are links to their blogs with stories and photos.  Their blogs are also a good place to catch-up on other Cambodian ministry news including the Christian wedding of Try and Rotha.  You may recall that Try served Dennis as a translator and like a “Timothy” before and after he graduated from CBI.  He now serves as the preacher and evangelist for the University Church of Christ where we regularly attend.  We are so delighted to see him grow and mature.

Try & Rotha are wed

Try translated for Dennis regularly the first two years we were here. Now, Dennis is translating for Try for the first time

January brought an important birthday.  Our daughter, Theary turned 2 years old…as a new creation in Christ Jesus.  We celebrate her birthday each year with greater joy and enthusiasm than her physical birth date a couple weeks later.  What joy and blessing she continues to bring to us and to all who know her.  Theary, we are very proud of you!

Our daughter Theary’s Birthday Cake, celebrating 2 years as a Christian

During 2012, the Lord blessed us in many ways.  When we think of blessings, we tend to focus on what we consider to be good or profitable, and rightly so.  Sometimes we forget that the struggles are profitable blessings too (James 1:2-4).  Several places in the Scriptures we see the words, “BUT GOD…” followed by something that God has done for us (search your Bible program).  Along the journey of our service to the Lord in Cambodia, we have faced many different trials and struggles.  But God was always there for us (Isaiah 41:10).  We shall forever praise His name!

As 2013 begins, we are hopeful, joyful and growing—in our knowledge of our Lord, Creator and Savior, in our faith in Him, in our love for His church, and in our love for this country and its people.  Please join our prayer for greater strength, faith, wisdom and love.

Eternal love & blessings,

Dennis & Sharon

Theary loves to go fast so we treated her to a trip to the go-kart track to drive for the first time. Trackside boundary marker tires went flying, but she (and we) had a great time

]]> http://missioncambodia.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/cambodia-bible-institute-update-january-30-2013/ Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:00:32 +0000 Mission Cambodia http://missioncambodia.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/cambodia-bible-institute-update-january-30-2013/ The following is a report from Rich Dolan, Dean of the Cambodia Bible Institute, Phnom Penh, Cambodia where Dennis teaches.  CBI is a branch school of the Sunset International Bible Institute, Lubbock, TX

Hey friends,

Here’s some of what we’ve been up to. You can also see pics and other info on the blog –http://randrdolan.blogspot.com/

 CBI Update

January 30, 2013

Prayer Requests/Concerns:

• All the graduates and their various works.
• Transitions while students graduate out to start their works & new students who come in.
• Not been approved to receive a license for 15 passenger vans.

 Students:

Student Body:

• Currently have 16 students.  Had 4 graduate in December and added 3 new students in January.

Four graduate March 30^th:

• Sokchea will finish at the end of February. He is hoping to work fulltime with the Ship of  Life (run by Partners in Progress).
• Tola, Makara & SreyTouch will finish at the end of March. Tola hopes to work independently & help the local church. The girls are considering various possibilities.

This will be the 10^th group to finish training at CBI. 27 people will have graduated CBI

 Classes:

• November 19-23 – Evangelism Week
• November 27-29 – Water Festival Holidays
• December 3-21 – Jeremiah & Lamentations – Greg Fleming
• December 3-21 – Spiritual Living & Ethics – Rich
• January 1-25 – Revelation – Rich
• January 1-25 – Basics Class for New Students – Veasna Tol
• January 1-25 – Minor Prophets – Dennis
• January 28-31 – Evangelism Week

 New Students:

• Added 3 new students in January. Ponlu is about 18 years old and is a Christian. Chenda is a sweet Christian girl about 19 years old. Pream is the son of a Christian family. He was baptized into Christ last Sunday (27 January) at the Phnom Penh congregation. See their pictures soon on our blog.

 Evangelism Week:

• January 28-31^st. We divided into two groups and went to 8 different places, most of which have CBI graduates working with or to establish local congregations. (Had to stop on Thursday because Friday, Feb. 1^st through Monday, Feb. 4^th are national holidays to mourn the King’s death and have his cremation.)

 Teaching Graduates:

• In late December, 5 of our past graduates, along with the 4 who graduated then, received the Bachelor’s degree that Sunset gives.

 Graduates News:

• Borey continues to work at planting a congregation in his village. They regularly have 15-20 adults and many teens come to worship.
• Chheoun has moved to his village to start a congregation. They had 50 adults, many teens and many kids come to hear the teaching during the Evangelism Week.
• GimSrauv is working to plant a congregation in his village. Right now, just his parents & younger brothers are Christians. We had 8 adults come to the teaching during the Evangelism Week.

 Upcoming Classes:

• February 4-8 – Practical Work of the Preacher (all day) – Loren Hollingsworth
• February 11-March 1 – Galatians – Loren Hollingsworth
• February 11-March 1 – 2^nd Corinthians – Bob Jackson
• March 4-29 – Church Growth and Planting – Rich Dolan
• March 4-29 – Old Testament History 1 – Dennis Welch
• April 1-5 – Sacrificial Systems (all day) – Dennis Welch
• April 8-10 – Evangelism Week
• April 11-17 – Khmer New Year Holiday

end of Rich Dolan’s report

So, I have a great project for Theology, which is to represent Sinful Man in either a five to seven page paper, OR a form of artistic expression. Of course I decided to do a painting. (Hmmm… writing, or drawing? Choices, choices… ) So I’m showing you the beginning and middle versions of what will ultimately be a piece of art displaying my concept of Sinful Man. (they aren’t done, in other words. I just wanted to share the process.)

My premise is that we, as a human race, are made in the image of God. We are a reflection of Him. We were created to be in relationship with Him – to reflect Him, in other words. He shines down on us, and we face Him and reflect His godly qualities as best we can. This is our purpose. However, we have free will. So we turn from him, and our lives begin to reflect the world. In the process, we stop reflecting Light, and start reflecting darkness. When we are looking to the world, we become blind, because we see the world through darkened eyes, and not with the Light of God in us. When we are blind, we fall. When we fall, we can do one of two things. 1. Die. The wages of sin is death. To turn from the Light is to face your demise. Or 2. We can surrender. It is so much easier to see how much we need God once our mirror is broken. We look at our shattered world and see Jesus standing behind us, waiting for us to turn once again to Him, and fix our eyes on Him.

Lord thank you for accepting my broken mirror. You reflect yourself all over the place through my fragments. In my weakness, You are strong. Let me always reflect Your glory. When I turn, let me fall HARD so I can see once again how much I need You.

I love you,

Your image bearer, Kyla

Last week we made these tissue paper crosses in my CCD class.

I made a cross template and traced it on card stock.

Then I cut them out.

I think this step is optional since they probably could cut it out themselves.

I also bought tissue paper in a variety of colors.

I cut them into 1 inch squares and put them in baggies.

I usually get to class 15 minutes early and set the tables up for the craft.

I put a cross at each place and 5 squares of each color for each cross.

They used glue stick to attach the tissue paper to the cross.

This was the cross my son made.

He has his own way of doing things and I have learned to appreciate this.

The kids really enjoyed this project.

The bright colors are so cheerful!

If anyone is interested in the cross template just let me know and I will post it here.

A trip like this takes massive amounts of preplanning, research, and preparation. There are borders to be crossed, visas to apply for, and mountains of paperwork to fill out.
The past couple of years I have been getting ready for this mission trip and this past year I knew it was time to start the journey. I flew to Cape Town, South Africa and purchased the motorcycle I would need for this type of journey – a BMW F 700GS. It could handle the road and off road conditions I would be facing. I had it outfitted with panniers and duffle bags I would need to carry camping equipment and other essentials for traveling and surviving in the African bush.

I had no preplanned itinerary, no back up team or support vehicle following me. I was doing this solo – or should I say? ”Just the Holy Spirit and me “

It was a beautiful sunny morning when I left Cape Town and headed through the Western Cape up toward the Eastern Cape and then further north to Zululand and then into the country of Lesotho.

Just as the Lord promised, He was leading me by His Spirit to individuals and groups of people He had planned for me to meet. I was carrying with me a thumb drive filled with a one-year video Bible School taught by Dr. Jim Richards who so graciously gave it to me to share with whoever would utilize it. Little did I realize how many times I would see that Bible School downloaded all over the place and to some key leaders in South Africa, Lesotho, and Zambia.

As I traveled in the Western Cape I came across groups of people hungry for God’s Word and good, solid teaching. Many of these people didn’t have access to a church at all but were coming together to worship and study. This thumb drive would be a huge asset to their spiritual growth.
I also visited a few old friends from “back in the day” when I was a missionary in Africa. They had faced some difficult challenges in their life and I knew in my heart that God wasn’t finished with them or the call He had on their lives. They received the thumb drive with joy and it has already had a huge impact on their lives.
I had many wonderful opportunities to evangelize along the way. One day I stopped at a well to get some water and refresh myself. The well was crowded with African women collecting water. They brought me water to drink and to use to cool off. It was a very hot day and I poured water over my head to help cool me down. I later preached the gospel to all those women at the well. It was a glorious time and as I drove away I could see them dancing and rejoicing at learning about God’s love for them.

I later met a minister who is a major leader in one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in Southern Africa. We had wonderful fellowship. The Lord had been revealing to his heart truths about God’s grace and love. I shared with him the Bible School and he received it with joy. I later heard back he so enjoyed it he is going to make it available to all the ministers in their denomination.
I could not believe how busy I was and all the contacts I was making along the way. I finally made it into the country of Lesotho, “The Mountain Kingdom,” as it is known in that part of Africa. The scenery was breathtaking as I traveled into some of the highest mountains in southern Africa.
I met a pastor of a major denomination in that country who asked me to minister at his church. He was deeply moved by what I preached and was hungry to learn more. I let him copy the thumb drive and found out he stayed up half the night watching the videos of Jim teaching and his life was impacted greatly. I later discovered that he is the overseer of all the pastors in his denomination and plans to make copies of the thumb drive to give to them all.

  I traveled back into South Africa and visited with many other groups of people as I headed to Johannesburg. My two months were fast coming to an end before I would fly home to be with my family for Christmas.

     While in Johannesburg I met with many groups of people who were growing in God’s grace. They all were thrilled to have access to the Bible School.

One day I bumped into an old friend who I had not seen since I left Africa in 1999. We went to lunch and had an amazing time of fellowship. There I discovered he was now the dean of one of the largest Bible Schools in the nation. He loves the message of grace and loves Dr. Richards and was so blessed to receive a copy of the Bible School.
Because my time was running out, I flew to Zambia to speak at a Bible School graduation and was able to share the Bible School with the leaders of the school and many pastors, as well.
My two months went by quicker than I had imagined and the first leg of my trip far exceeded my wildest expectations.
I can’t wait to return to continue my journey this coming April after the rainy season is over. I know I will be visiting the countries of Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania for the second leg of the trip. I am very excited about where and who the Lord will lead me to, and what He has in store for me. I am also excited to be a part of Operation One Billion.

If you would like to follow my journey you can “like” me on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/TheVagabondEvangelist Or go to my website: www.edelliott.com

I wondered, as I dialed my friend, if it would be like talking to a stranger. Have I changed? Has she changed? Would we remember the same things? Would we find anything to talk about?

The experience at the Bible School had been intense, both regarding our experience of God from a global perspective, and our experience of knowing believers from other parts of the world.  This friend and I had become especially close.

We wrote, after our separation, on the blue airmail paper that was the primary way of contact back then. With the onset of the computer we did a few emails. But today we would see each other’s faces and hear each other’s voices again. After a few comments that reviewed our stories to each other all small talk was over.  Once again we shared only that which was deeply important to us. We shared with trust and with the familiarity of a proven friendship.

If you have had a close relationship that time has interrupted, I encourage you to make contact. It is a joy to know that we can pick up where we left off. Maybe, at a more significant place than where we left off as God has had 40 years to do transformational work.

I will be in Peru teaching at various Bible Schools, preaching, travelling, and perhaps helping with a building project. The cities I will visit will also likely include Tarapoto, Yurimaguas, and perhaps Lima, among other places. My return date will be, tentatively, in early March.

Look for the next “Daily Devotional” on Saturday or Monday. (I will be forgoing writing on Sunday’s, mostly).

Have a great week! Blessings, Christopher.

Meanwhile in the the Hall we have been enjoying the company of our many Christmas and New Year guests. It will be sad to see everyone leave tomorrow morning. But then it’s back to work as we look to have everything ready for the return of Bible School students on Saturday.

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True, Jesus died to save mankind from sins so we have to follow what He commands.  Samahan natin ang ating paniniwala sa Kanya ng pagtitiwala.  Hindi Siya sinungaling.  Pinangako Niya na kung saan Siya nandoroon ay dumuon din tayo, doon sa kaharian ng Kanyang mga Langit (John 14:1-4).

November 2012 Newsletter from Cambodia

Volume 7, Number 7, November 2012

 Greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

We are grateful for every one of you!

Dearest family & friends,

Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas is ahead.  These are two special holidays in American culture that bring to light how blessed we all are.  We are extremely grateful for you.  You have blessed us in ways you can’t imagine.  Yes indeed, thank you for the love and support you have provided to us to encourage us in our work.  Thank you for remembering us, your family and friends in your petitions to God.  Beyond those things, thank you that you stand beside us in our work in the army of God to bring light to the darkness in the Kingdom of Cambodia.  We are all commissioned soldiers of Christ in a battle against the forces of evil in this present age.  May God strongly bless you for your faith and courage to stand firm under fire.  We are in awe of your faith and dedication to His will.  Please say a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s providence among us all to do everything He has planned for us to do together in His glorious kingdom of light.

Dennis completed teaching the course on the Gospel of Luke at the Cambodia Bible Institute.  We have often heard it said that the teacher learns more than the students every time he teaches from God’s Word.  That was certainly the case with Luke.  Have you sat down and read through this powerful Gospel lately?  Wow!  The ministry and teachings of Jesus, especially His love and care toward the poor and outcasts have had a profound effect on our lives.  Jesus’ teachings concerning worldly wealth and our stewardship over all of our blessings continues to impact us strongly toward simpler lifestyles, recognizing our true needs (and the needs of others), and toward kingdom priorities.  How blessed we are to have the Word of God to reveal our Father’s perfect will for our lives.  Next up at CBI for Dennis is Minor Prophets Course after the holiday break.  Please continue to pray that these students of God’s Word be filled to overflowing with the Word and will of God.

CBI students enjoy a break at Peace Water Park just outside Phnom Penh

One Saturday we took the CBI students to Peace Water Park, a tiny version of a water park you might find in a big city.  It did have one good-size water slide that all of us really enjoyed.  The school cook prepared us a take-with-us lunch so when coupled with the $2/person entry fee it made for an inexpensive day of water, food, fun, sun and fellowship.

Children of the SNACK Program at Ra Village, Cambodia

Sharon continues to oversee the work in the villages through the SNACK Program (Supplemental Nutrition Aiding Cambodian Kids).  The work took an interesting turn last month which afforded the opportunity to shift into a higher gear concerning the goals of this program.  The SNACK Program is excited to announce an internship program for the graduates of CBI (the Cambodia Bible Institute).  By using the graduates we afford them an opportunity to make the sometimes difficult and awkward transition from a student, wherein they were fully supported concerning housing and food, to a self-supporting graduate with an effective ministry.  This approach will also provide more expertise in Bible teaching among our staff as they reveal the love of Jesus to the children and their families in the Cambodian countryside.  The ultimate goal of the program is to join with our Lord in His work of growing the kingdom of heaven.  Please pray for the success of this effective evangelistic benevolence program.  Your financial support of the SNACK Program is welcome and needed.

French nurse, Anne washing a child’s hair with lice shampoo

Nurse Anne and our daughter, Theary at Ra Village teaching the children about teeth brushing

The SNACK Program continues to be blessed by visitors wanting to help serve the children and families in the countryside.  This month we had a French nurse from the Ship of Life team-up with us for one week.  Anne was a huge blessing as she helped the SNACK staff and many children in the villages.

Harding University student group enjoy teaching the children at TNT village

A Harding University student serves a SNACK to a child as he serves the Lord in Cambodia

November allowed Sharon to host the Harding University Asia team once again.  This year the group consisted of 36 university students and their chaperones.  All had a wonderful experience and the children were blessed with lots of love and special attention.  We are so grateful for the time, effort and desire these young men and women have in serving the people of Cambodia which they all demonstrated by their love and actions.

Harding U. students washing children’s hair with lice shampoo at TNT village

The children of TNT village are served their SNACK by the group of Harding University students visiting Cambodia

Cambodia Bible Institute students preach the Word to some residents at the village of one of CBI’s graduates

The Bible school and the SNACK Program joined together for a CBI program we call Evangelism Week.  For five days in November we traveled to ten different locations to spread the Gospel and God’s love.  Six of those ten locations were SNACK villages, four of which do not yet have a church.  It was a strong blessing and encouragement to us to see the students and staff work together for the glory of God.  Please pray that our partnership between the two will result in more disciples and churches in Cambodia.

CBI students prepare to make the hike to the Chambok waterfall in central Cambodia

After Evangelism Week we blessed the students with a day-trip to the Chambok Waterfall Eco-Tourism Park.  One of the largest waterfalls in Cambodia is found at the end of a strenuous two-kilometer hike up a mountain trail.  We spent most of the day splashing and playing in the base pool, enjoying a warm day of fun among the beauty that God has created at this location.  Praise God with us for His spectacular creation.

The American missionaries join together for a Thanksgiving feast at a Phnom Penh restaurant

Since Thanksgiving Day is an American holiday, it is not typically celebrated here except among the American ex-patriots living and working in Cambodia.  Because of this, turkeys are hard to find and expensive.  All of the Americans who could do so joined together and enjoyed a delightful meal-time of laughter and fellowship at a Tex-Mex restaurant for our Thanksgiving holiday.  On another day we joined with friends for a second feast too.  We are so blessed.  Please continue to petition our Lord to provide all that we need for the work before us.

The Welchs and Teavs enjoy a holiday on a beautiful remote beach in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia

Normally, late November brings the Cambodian Water Festival holiday that includes long-boat races on the river in front of the Royal Palace.  Because the King Father had died mid-October, the Prime Minister cancelled the races.  We took advantage of the days off and traveled with dear friends to the Cambodian coast to enjoy a couple of days of fellowship and fun.

Dennis, Sharon and Theary celebrate Sharon’s birthday at a restaurant in the Intercontinental Hotel, Phnom Penh

We try really hard to fill these newsletters with exciting or interesting news about how God is using his servants in Cambodia.  We report like that to encourage you toward greater faith, love and good works.  However, please know that we have plenty of struggles, challenges and pain too.  We beg you to remember us in your prayers.  Please know also of how precious and dear you are to us.  We look forward to the day we stand beside you again singing that “new song” in heaven for all eternity.  Until next month…

 Eternal love & blessings,

Dennis & Sharon

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

JesusServant4U@yahoo.com

missioncambodia.wordpress.com

CBI students share what they are learning at the Bible school with villagers

Nurse Anne and the SNACK staff pose with the bread delivery that will soon be provide to poor children in the Cambodian countryside

2008 graduate Mac Shirley speaks at chapel.

Mac Shirley graduated from Pantego Christian Academy in 2008. He then went on to attend DBU, where he found his love for sharing Christ. Today, Mac Shirley is a youth pastor in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex and speaks at numerous schools and christian retreats. Shirley has a witty personality and has the ability to relate to the students in a way that most people aren’t able to. While watching and listening to him speak, I was able to see his real passion for Jesus Christ and getting young people to stay focused on him. In a world where the pressure is so high to look your best, be the strongest, the most charismatic, or the smartest. Shirley’s message was that at the end of the day, what are YOU striving for. Do you want to be known as the funniest, or do you want to be known for someone who followed Jesus Christ with all of his/her heart?

I know that I am not doing his message the justice it deserves, so I invite you to listen to him personally speak about his passion. Click here to listen to Mac Shirley’s 60 seconds of passion.

October 2012 Newsletter from Cambodia

Volume 7, Number 6, October 2012

 Greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 Dearest family & friends,

As you read this newsletter and catch-up on all the latest happenings in Cambodia, please join us as we praise God for His faithfulness in our mission and His guidance as we strive to offer a brighter future to the people of Cambodia. Thank you for your continued financial support toward the work, your encouragements, and most importantly, your prayers!

In this issue:

• Cambodia Bible Institute (CBI)
• SNACK Program
• Staff Training
• Churches in the Countryside
• Visit to Battambang
• Death of King Father Norodom Sihanouk
• Cambodia Bible Institute (CBI)

Cambodia Bible Institute

Dennis and Rich have recently had a very busy teaching schedule. They both have had back-to-back classes for several months; Dennis most recently teaching Ezekiel and Luke with Rich teaching Hebrews, Greek and Christian Family. The Bible school continues to go through periods of needing more instructors. Therefore, we are always thrilled when we have visiting teachers at CBI. A recent teacher visiting and teaching at CBI was Mark Hooper from North Richland Hills, Texas. Mark also works with Mission Resource Network and was a missionary to India. We are grateful that his schedule allowed him to come and teach the students “World Religions.” Phil Jackson, who also works with Mission Resource Network joined Mark during a one-week visit. While here, Phil strongly encouraged the Bible students, the Christians and learned more about the different works that are going on here in Cambodia. Currently, visiting instructor John Breeden is teaching 1st Corinthians. We appreciate the help and efforts of these Godly servants. Please join us in prayer that the students will be bold and courageous as they reach out, teaching and sharing the Good News.

SNACK Program

Malnutrition continues to be a common cause for major health problems and often causes death among children. Some of these problems result from a lack of work and insufficient cash to buy food for an adequate diet and other basic needs such as shelter, clothing, healthcare and education. As the SNACK Program continue to reach out to many children and villages, feeding nutritional snacks, teaching good health and hygiene and teaching the children Bible stories, we look for ways to improve the program. The last few months have been busy with evaluating new villages, meeting with village and commune leaders, hosting community meetings and measuring children. Sharon often expresses her joy and sadness as she gets more involved in the lives of the Cambodian families. Just seeing the poverty of these people is overwhelming, but seeing the lost state of their souls and their hopelessness brings tears to our eyes. Oh how we long for everyone to experience the peace and joy that comes with knowing our Lord and Savior! We are grateful for the numerous visitors who join the SNACK Program to serve and experience the joy and excitement of helping these children firsthand as they share the love of Jesus. Thank you!!!

Staff Training

The SNACK staff recently participated in their very first training seminar! This two-day conference focused on topics such as Leadership, Behavior Management Skills, Team Building, Community Health and Nutrition. This particular seminar is presented annually and designed to help in building Cambodia’s future. We were all encouraged and excited we had this opportunity. Please join us in prayer as we strive to serve the children and families in the countryside more effectively!

Churches in the Countryside

Christian fellowship is so special and we look forward to the opportunities we have to meet with our fellow brothers and sisters in the countryside. Oh what a blessings to assemble with the saints and see the great ways the Lord’s church is growing. Although their living arrangements are meager (homes, food, clothing, etc) including a lack of running water and electricity they appear to be filled with joy. We are reminded of having so much and that we don’t often realize it, taking our many, many blessings for granted. Furthermore, we are getting to see the fruits of many of our graduates from CBI who have returned to their villages to preach and teach. One of our visits included meeting with the church in the little village of Saang where two of our graduates, Sovann and Sokna live and work. They have now been married for almost 1 ½ years and are actively reaching out in their village, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and also teaching Bible and English classes. They have done a great job having some of the new Christians helping and leading parts of the worship service. We had a wonderful time gathering with them and pray they were as encouraged by us as we were by them. While taking a much needed trip for rest & relaxation (see more below) we joined with another small village church where our graduate Sokun and Soklee have started a church. We were extremely encouraged to see the good work they are doing for the Lord. While we were there we delivered a box of clothes that had been donated and watched as the clothes were handed out to the very poor. The people were encouraged and very grateful as they selflessly shared the items with one another! Please pray that God will continue to pour out His blessings on these students and the church.

Visit to Battambang

We recently made our 1st trip to Cambodia’s 2nd largest city, Battambang for a few days of much needed rest and relaxation. The last few months we have been putting in 14-16 hour days and needed a break. The Buddhist National holiday for Dead Ancestors is celebrated during the month of October so everything is shut down for a week. Therefore, it was a perfect time to travel. Furthermore, we were able to join one of our employees, Rasmey, who was celebrating his engagement with a party in his hometown near Battambang.

Death of King Father Norodom Sihanouk

The charismatic former King Norodom Sihanouk, who the people of Cambodia dearly loved and honored, died of a heart attack in Beijing, China on Monday, October 15th. His death has been a great loss to the Kingdom of Cambodia! Over the past few weeks there have been thousands of people mourning his death and honoring him. The Prime Minister declared a three-month mourning period to celebrate the late king’s dedication to the Cambodian people and his legacy as a great leader. If only all the people in Cambodia would celebrate and honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His death on the cross for our sins, acknowledging Him as their King! Please join us in prayer for the Kingdom of Cambodia.

We pray God’s richest blessings on you! Thank you again for your love and your great sacrifices for our Lord.

Eternal love & blessings,

Dennis & Sharon

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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