Updates:

November 22, 2009, As we approach the six month anniversary of our move to Cambodia, we are made to realize anew the many blessings that God has so graciously bestowed upon us. In the midst of the experiences of life it is easy to overlook, and/or to forget the goodness of God in every detail. The separation that we have experienced/endured from family, friends, and our nation itself has served to heighten our appreciation for that which is left behind. I am certain that the same realization will eventually come in looking back at our experiences in Cambodia.

As Thanksgiving approaches this week, our family is reflecting on God's goodness in providing us each other to love, our many loved ones in the USA, and the mercy of God in granting our people freedom to worship and endowing us with the rights and privileges of life and the liberty to pursue happiness in His Son Jesus Christ.

We are praying together that God will continue to preserve and protect those freedoms in America and that the blessing of liberty will expand beyond our borders and reach every corner of the globe. Surrounded by paganism, idolatry and humanism as we now are, we are able to realize just how blessed we have been.

July, 2009, Our family is humbled and blessed by the incredible support we have received from friends, family, and countless numbers of people whom we have not had the privilege of meeting as they have united in prayer with us as we have struggled with the recent illness of our daughter Beth.

We are deeply thankful to God for His mercy in delivering her through this illness, and are excited to see her gaining strength each day. As we face the years ahead in helping her to manage her remaining diagnoses of diabetes and celiac diseases, we are comforted to know that God is faithful to provide strength for every trial.

God willing, we will return to our home in Siem Reap tomorrow evening and will once again resume our effort at adjusting to life in Cambodia. We are thankful for the assistance of Elder C. Dwayne Shafer in coming to our aid in Bangkok, and are hopeful that he will be able to have a part in the ministry in Cambodia in the next few days.

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers, and especially pray for each of God's people in Southeast Asia as He continues to reveal His Son in them and open up doors for the proclaimation of the gospel.

May, 2009, We are thankful for all of the prayers and encouragement that we have received from so many who have expressed their desire for God's blessings on our family and the work into which we have been called. Our departure time is set for May 27, 2009, and our hope is to be in our new home not later than Friday, May 29.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we make our final preparations, and pray God's blessings upon His people in Cambodia that many doors will be opened to us for the gospel to be proclaimed and believed.

February, 2009, As the manifestation of God’s blessing and evident working of the Holy Spirit became clear, the burden and desire that I feel for the Lord’s church in Cambodia has become weightier. During the process of time, the Lord began to increase the desire and sense of urgency in both Rachel and myself to the point that by December of 2008 it was clear that we must be open to whatever direction God is leading us in this matter. With great fear, we As the manifestation of God’s blessing and evident working of the Holy Spirit became clear, the burden and desire that I feel for the Lord’s church in Cambodia has become weightier. During the process of time, the Lord began to increase the desire and sense of urgency in both Rachel and myself to the point that by December of 2008 it was clear that we must be open to whatever direction God is leading us in this matter. With great fear, we found ourselves acknowledging this reality and committing ourselves to prayer and obedience to whatever God may reveal His will to be in our lives.

January 18th, 2009, we departed the USA once again with a commitment to gain an understanding of what it would mean for our family to move to Cambodia and attempt to serve the needs of God’s church in this foreign land.

During our visit we were blessed to preach and teach in the westernmost municipality of Pailin, Kampong Thom province, as well as to return to the community of Varin to witness the growth and opportunities for further progress there.

By God’s grace and through much prayer, we have received the confirmation of His will for us to pursue this course with our family and our lives at this time. We have secured a lease for a home in Siem Reap for an initial period of one year. We anticipate moving, along with our four children, before the end of May and will, if God is willing, continue there for a period of at least one year.

We are committed to laboring for the establishment of the Lord’s Church in Cambodia upon the principles of the New Testament Church. We believe strongly in the local congregational government of the Church, and understand the importance of a local ministry that is skilled in the scriptures and in rightly dividing the word of truth.

With this understanding, it is not my intent or desire to pastor a church or churches, but rather to strengthen the hands and labor to sharpen the minds of the men that God has already called to service in this place. I hope to take part in the ministry through frequent preaching of the gospel particularly to the ministry of the various provinces and through laboring with each of the congregations of believers as they apprehend the glorious truths of God’s word.

The physical needs of the Christian community in Cambodia are indeed great. There is a need for the word of God to be made available.

• We hope to purchase and distribute Bibles in the native Khmer language.
• We hope to purchase and distribute medicines to help in treatment of all kinds of maladies both in old and young.
• We hope to provide basic hygienic instruction to parents of young children.
• We hope to assist in the construction of church buildings, orphanages, clinics, and water wells.
• We hope to learn the Khmer language on both a conversational as well as academic level to enable us to communicate freely with the people and to assist in translating sound writings from English.
• We hope to be an example for our children to encourage them in their future service and ministry and to enable them to be a part of active ministry in their early childhood.
• It is our hope that we will be able to be an example of faith in Christ and of good works before many who will glorify Christ with us.

We are thankful for each of your prayers to God on our behalf, and beg a continued interest in your prayers. We do not know what the future may hold for us, and there are certainly more uncertainties than not. However, we are confident in He who has led us this far and know that He will sustain us through the remainder of our journey. We hope that many of you will be encouraged with us and will desire to assist in this work through your fervent prayers, and where possible your own efforts on behalf of the Cambodian people.

We are thankful for so many who have walked in this way before us and have shown us an example of faith and evangelistic zeal. The ministry of the Primitive Baptist church for the past 30 years has exemplified a heart for the gospel and a true understanding of its importance in the world in which we live. It is by their efforts and God’s sovereign grace that His gospel has been proclaimed in all regions of the world, and as he continues to open new doors, we pray that others will have the courage and faith to enter into the labor to which he calls them.

Thank you all again for your prayers, words of encouragement, and continued support.found ourselves acknowledging this reality and committing ourselves to prayer and obedience to whatever God may reveal His will to be in our lives.

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