Weakness

I found it fascinating to visit with church planters, pastors and missionaries in the field.

I think it therapeutic to talk through failures and victories. Not everything in the mission field is glorious. There are huge obstacles in adapting to a new way of life and a new culture. There are real advantages to building up a team of national workers. But the work has to start with a spark. It will take a missionary to first reach them. The Gospel commission says "Go".

Last night we were visiting with a missionary in Thailand. She made a comment that I had not really thought of before:

"God not only calls us because of our strengths, but also because of our weaknesses." She explained that ability and God's calling are important for a missionary but also that the power of the Gospel is demonstrated by a missionary leaning on God to strengthen their weakness.

The Gospel is not only a set of doctrines and intellectual teachings. The Gospel has to be lived. We have to experience God being real in our lives. A real God that answers prayer. A real God that heals illness. A real God that solves the humanly unsolvable. This daily relationship-- this in filling with God's abiding presence, is what is the power of God unto Salvation.

As I thought about it, this need is not only in SE Asia. This is our need everywhere. This showing that God is real in our lives is what our young people in America need to see and then experience for themselves. We don't need more fun to hold the youth in Christianity. We need God to be real. They need God to make a difference in their life and through them in the lives of others.

So perhaps we need Spirit filled Christians everywhere. Then God will be ready to do something miraculous and will finish the work.

How can God be real to you today? How can you say yes to each prompting of His Spirit, "Yes Lord- I am ready for service or sacrifice."

I am thinking of the image of an Ox standing between an alter and a plow. The inscription reads "Ready for either!"

May this be the prayer of our hearts. And let there be a spark.

Return Home

For those of you interested in updates on our return, I will put notes into this post. We have traveled today to Bangkok, and are now in the mission guest room. Tomorrow we are up early for 6:30 breakfast, and then repack everything for the trip home. At 9:15 we will get two taxi's to take us to the airport, and then the flight saga home begins.

Daniel really wants to bring a few coconuts home that the boys harvested. I would be really fun to open them up to our group of family and friends back home. I doubt we will get them through customs, and likely should not try as we would have to declare them when entering the USA, and I don't want any problems. So I mention it to let you know we are thinking of you all.

Night!

Update: At gate ready to board from BKK to HKG, flight CX750.

Update: Landed HGK. Next to ORD flight CX808. Take off at 7:05 pm. Landing 7:35pm. It will be the longest 30 mins of my life. ;)

Update: We have landed in America! PTL for His mercies and protection over this past month.

Please keep praying for SE Asia. A spark is what we pray for, Lord.

The Difference

As we sat on the beach this morning watching the sun rise, with fishing boats anchored just off shore, my mind went to the story of catching fish in John 21:2-13.

The disciples had been working all night to catch fish, but they had nothing to show for their efforts. Their nets were empty.

Just like the the vast ocean of humanity here in SE Asia where so few know of Jesus.

Jesus asks his disciples, Do you have any fish? And they answer, None! Then Jesus says, Cast your net on the other side of the boat.

They obey Jesus' command and everything changes. Once where the waters were dead calm, now the waters surface boils with moving fish.

Somehow the most unpromising fishery becomes the most fertile ever known, and it happened in an instant. Their nets fill with fish of every type, and these are described as large fish. The Bible is very specific with the number: 153. One commenter I read years ago claimed there were 153 different species of fish in the region. I don't know if that commenter was accurate, but I look forward to converts from every kindred, tribe and people. We know that the catch was so great that under normal conditions the net would have broken. Another miracle: the nets hold. Not one of those precious examples of God's miraculous blessing was lost.

This is the kind of miracle we need in SE Asia. This must be the blessing we pray for in this land. 

Somehow Jesus will open the door to reach many here. But Jssus needs fishermen in the boat who have been working on the task before He gives this special blessing. We need to be on the ground in SE Asia, ready and working with the best tools that we know today.

How sad it would be if Angels had to finish the work without us! Will you be a fisher for God? Will you spread the net of the Gospel and pray for a time when God will work a miracle and everyone will be able to hear the good news? There is a great harvest coming. It is coming. It is even coming to SE Asia.

A ship is safest in the harbor, but that is not why the ship was made. We were not made to live unto ourselves. We were not made to amass wealth and goods while the rest of the world starves for the knowledge of God.

What can you do: Today? This week? This Month? This year? We must be ready when when the time is right.

Pray with us for a spark!

Three Things Needed

As this month long mission trip draws to a close, I am in awe of the challenge of lighting a match in a dark place. This land (SE Asia) is vast in scope and it is heavily populated. The penetration of the Gospel to this point has been limited (usually less than 1% of the population). The task before us immense.

But I did not come to this land to see the magnitude of the task and then run back home to forget of the challenges here. No challenge is too great for God. He can empower us to overcome the obstacles on every side.

My theme for this trip / blog has been "a match in a dark place". It takes three things for fire to thrive: fuel, oxygen and a spark.

As I have talked with church leaders in the field here, they suggest three factors that have proven effective in spreading the Gospel in the past:

1) Christian education

2) Medical missionary work

3) Church planters / Bible work

One day we drove across a vast land here, and a pastor traveling with us said, do you realize that for the last 4 hours of our travel, there is not a single Christian church? Not. One. Church.

No groups of people learning about Jesus. No Bibles. No hymns. No young people with clean faces learning to love Jesus in a Christian school. Nothing. For hour after hour after hour after hour of driving at hiway speeds.

At every house there is a spirit house with offerings to idols. On every high place of the land a golden spire rises to the sun. Along every road walks the saffron robed monks. In every village a large Buddhist temple is prominent and lavishly adorned. Idols are literally everywhere, and people are bowing and praying to them. Spirit manifestations are real here. We have felt them here. This is Satans territory, but we need a match!

I have a dream. I dream of a Christian school in every city, town and village across this great land.

I have a dream. I dream of a medical missionary worker who gives God the credit for the miraculous healing that takes place under the inspiration of God in working with the sick that are everywhere here.

I have a dream. I dream of a Bible worker / church planter in every village. 

I don't think everyone in Asia will convert to Christianity. But the Gospel commission demands they have the option of knowing of and perhaps choosing Christ. Presently generations are born, live hard lives of hunger, toil and disease, and die never knowing the name of Jssus.

Now our task is to pray, promote, educate, invest and serve that these three elements might spread. May it spread like wildfire.

Pray with us for a spark.

Bananas

We have always enjoyed bananas, but it has been very nice to walk down the street and see entire stalks of bananas for sale.

There are long yellow, long green and short yellow bananas. I liked them all, and all were quite a bit sweeter and with firmer flesh than the bananas we can get back home. I think it is a characteristic of these new varieties, and that this fruit has been picked tree ripened.

It was nice to enjoy a new set of flavors and tastes from an old friend: the banana.

Pray with us for a spark.

Weddings are Beautiful

Wedding complete. We think the footage we took is good.

I wore a longee for the service! Pictures shared privately for anyone who posts or sends a note wanting to see it. Those from our home church, I can wear it if we give a mission talk ;)

Off now to the capitol city, Rush rush.

More later. Pray for our travel.


Update: Safely in the capitol city again. As with the ride out, it was at times a hair raising experience. We almost ran into some cattle charging across the road. Another time we almost ran into a dark concrete barricade (as we drove in the dark) which had no reflective painting or warning lights. The large van was going full speed and we narrowly missed the barricade across our lane. No one else was around that area, no other cars. I hope others do not have trouble at that place like we did.

We were briefly halted at several police/military check points, but were then waved on through. This leg of our travels was definitely the most dangerous. Thank the Lord we are all safe and sound.

Pray with us for a spark.

Safely arrived for Sabbath

Safely arrived for Sabbath - PTL!

We had a safe trip here, and again our guardian angels worked over time around our large van today. Wow, there were some really close calls.

We went through some checkpoints, and our van was waved on through. There is some unrest near here, but we are safe. We saw an elephant by the road on the way today. Here is a blurry (moving) picture.

I am glad the hotel has wifi. The latency feels like it is satellite powered. We had a power black out earlier this evening, but the town power came back on after around 10 mins.

Lord willing we are going to Eric B Hare's school tomorrow after church! We will have to get special clearance with the local government to travel there, but our hosts say it should be ok.

There are lots of monkeys where we will be headed. They tell us that these monkeys are not nice if they think you have food, so we will try to not get bitten.

We are tucked into bed, and I thought I would post something for you as we rest. We are safe and sound.


Let's make a spark. One is really needed here!

The King of Fruit

Last evening we passed a night market with an impressive display of durian. They had some already out of the shell in a plastic wrap tray, and we got one of these.

I found it was a mild one, with minimal oder. It was soft and quite tolerable.

From this specimen, its reputation seems overblown.

Would I go so far to say that I like it? Well it may take a few more meetings with the fruit to decide on that.

Pray with us for a spark.

Longee's for Men; Skirts for Women

In Myanmar, I found that both men and women wear lower clothing made from a wrap around cloth. These cloth coverings are not interchangeable between men and women, so I don't think there is any gender confusion in this form of dress. The men wear longee's and they are tied in a knot in the front center, where a belt buckle would rest.

Women's skirts are tied differently, and are perfectly smooth where the men tie with the knot. The ladies secure their skirts via a strip of cloth extending from the top of the skirt that is attached via a clip to one side.

I find both genders dress very modest and beautiful. It is so nice to see modesty in these beautiful people. Just as a guess for the average general public: 70% of men on the street wear longed's and perhaps 90% of women wear beautifully colored, long and very modest skirts.


Now the question is, should I get a longee to wear to the wedding we will attend here on Monday? Leave your votes as comments!


Pray with us for a spark.

Asian Plum

I welcomed a new fruit friend into my life today. On our first day in Myanmar, I was served an Asian Plum.

It has flesh texture like a pear, but there is a seed pit in the center.

Other than the texture difference, it tastes a lot like a plum from back home.

Pray with us for a spark!

Thursday am Travel

This morning we got up early and are in line at the Bangkok airport at 7:30 am.

We fly to (closed country) this morning. Pray that everything goes well, the time is tight to get on the plane, and we have not yet gone through customs yet.

This is the final country in our trip!

Update: running through an airport with sandals: difficult.

We are on board, having gone through an extra security check. PTL!

Update: Arrived safely. Picked up by AWR rep. PTL!

Update: Ate a wonderful lunch at the Union Mission. We are now at the hotel. There is a metal detector / body scanner at the entrance of the hotel. First time I have seen that before.

Reminds me of the sign at a Cambodian hotel: 

No guns

No bombs

No durian

It is a real joy to be here! Pray with us for a spark.

Longin or Mein

Welcome to a small but special fruit, the Longin. In Cambodia, they call it Mein. In this first image notice the small balls in the pink bowl.

It has a leathery covering, that is best opened around the equator of the fruit. Inside is a glistening thick jelly covering around its large seed that is not eaten.

We would pop the inside in our mouths and then spit out the seed. The jelly is much like a grape taste, but as you would guess, it has its own flavor. It is sweet, and takes some work to get much volume, so it kind of had the feel of a dessert past time at the end of a meal. It takes time to open each one so it is kind of like opening hard nuts after a meal in America.

Please pray with us for the Sprit of God to ignite a spark in this land.

Salt

Bangkok is close to the ocean. They say the city was built on marshland, which was a source of physical protection from marauding armies at the time. The city sinks 2 inches a year and is slowly sliding toward the sea.

We drove out to the Tha Kha Floating Market and along the way saw large fields that were flooded with ocean water and then evaporated to concentrate the salt. This process repeated enough, they would have a solid white crust of salt that they could scoop up with a special shovel and transfer to wheel barrows. Then they would wheel the salt to the roadside and make great mounds with it.

The mounds were shaped to look like the base of a pyramid and then flat on top at the height of around 4 feet. The parimeter may have been 15 by 30 feet. I am not sure if this mound was for further processing or just for storage while they flood the salt flats again. It appeared the color of the sea salt they were selling by the roadside.

I appreciated the idea that these people were doing what they could, and using even a difficult salt marsh to their employment advantage.

Perhaps when the way we think we have to proceed seems blocked, we will pray and see that God can use the situation to His benefit anyway.

Pray with us for a spark.

Electricity

In the modern world, we have electricity. I have seen litteral shacks here-- barely a house, but it had electricity for a TV and a fan. Now getting this electricity around is another matter.

First let me say that I am a bit incredulous that any of it works. If you have heard the term rats nest, you can start to appreciate what power poles look like. This is a tame example from Bangkok.

In Cambodia one evening I saw a power pole with a ladder on it. Curious I looked up and saw a blue glow up in the darkness. As my eyes adjusted, I saw a man in street clothes making a new custom connection. He was using a cellphone screen to shed light on his nadarious deed.

Want a new connection? Just tap in.

I understand that the reason these countries send out 220 volts is that volts is the "push" of the electricity, and the higher voltage gives more push through the poor electrical lines.

A missionary here in Bangkok shared that one day she saw a strange glow up on a power line near her home. As she watched, it started to smoke, and she could see fire up on the pole.

She called the campus custodian, and he came over and looked at the pole with the missionary. He shrugged his shoulders, and went back to his work. As far as the missionaries know, nothing was ever done to that pole. They wonder if a line was affected in the conflagration. Since nothing was ever done, they think the fire must not have changed much.

What powers your outlook? Are you in 12 volt mode, thinking that others will finish the Gospel work, or you ready to receive the infusion of God's power in your life?

Pray with us that God will empower a spark!

Talk about Sour

Ok, I talk abut the sweet fruits here jn Asia, but let's balance this out a bit. There is a fruit that grows in a bushy tree that looks like a star in cross section. It is called a Star Fruit, but this may just be by looks, and I am sure it has a fancier Thai name.

Our host plucked one from a tree and brought it inside for a taste. Here you can see the slices.

I don't know if this is used in cooking, but wow is it sour. I don't mean astringent, just a super sour. They brought a saucer and filed it with brown sugar, and these little slices were coated on both sides and eaten.

It is hard to describe the sweet sour pendulum this takes your taste buds through. Perhaps it is the pulsating wave of sensations that drive the locals to eat it ;)

Pray with us for a spark.

Friends International

The best example of inner-city education, welfare, industry, vocational education I saw in Cambodia was Friends International.

Check out this video: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/globalhealth-jan-june12-cambodia_05-09/

Let's stand on the shoulders of others, cooperate (lift them higher as well), and make a spark.

Combine an Apple, Pear and Date

I have met so many new fruit and food friends, and I have been at a loss to how to describe them. Let's talk about a special dessert fruit, the Jompoo (Rose Apple) .

On the outside it looks and feels most like an apple. But that is where the apple comparison ends.

Inside its looks and texture are most like a pear.

But the taste is a very sweet pear- like a date mixed with pear. The very center where the seeds are is hard like an apple's core.

I don't think I have ever had something like this fruit before. It is sweet enough to feel more like a dessert than a fruit for the mixing with other foods in the beginning of a meal.

Pray with us for a spark.

Everything Stopped at 6pm

Our family enjoyed a public park named King's Park in Bangkok on Sabbath afternoon.

It was a beautiful park with flower beds, grassy lawns, trees. ponds and river flowing by. The park seemed to be a fairly good sized area.

Our host brought large mats and we set them on the grass in a shady spot. The men talked and dreamed of reaching Asia with media and personal contact. The boys and ladies explored the park, saw new bird species and took pictures.

As we were heading back to the entrance of the park and the parking lot, we found the entrance area packed with people. There were perhaps 500 people within view, all going in different directions and at different speeds. There was a main road way filled with only pedestrians. A perpendicular road was filled with people following a leader doing some exercise-- much like some excercise clubs I have observed in America. One leader and a microphone leading in motions with a loud music beat via speakers.

I was standing there just taking in the people and activity. There was a lot going on, in all directions.

Then there was a whistle blast, much like the ones that every traffic policeman loves to ply at any busy crossway. And the entire nation of Thailand stopped. Still. The exercise leader stopped all motion. The music beat stopped. People striding along the various paths froze.

My view had suddenly became a bit surreal. I looked as far as I could see, and the was nothing moving. The people were not facing any specific direction. People did not have their hand on their hearts, but everything was still and quiet.

Then in the distance I could hear at least two different locations in the city playing what I later learned was the Thailand National Anthem. I did not get a good quality preview of the anthem-- it was distant and a little hard to pick out the melody since I was not used to the tune or words.

But I had the impression that this was not just in the park, but all across the city and all across Thialand. It is a show of respect for the king / government, and the National Anthem is played twice daily across Thailand at specific set times of the day. And for that assigned time period, everyone that can hear the Anthem stops.

Being in a public pedestrian place was a dramatic introduction to this ceremony. This was the first that I had seen it, though the ceremony had been described in a prior comment by our host.

There was a reverence that was powerful. No one was changing body positions. They were really still. Everything was just frozen, and so was I.

In the distance the anthem ended. Another shrill blast was heard from some where nearby, and all the motion picked up again. Conversations resumed; people continued walking. Within a few seconds the exercise group was back to its loud music and gentle lunges, twirls and arm motions.

Everything continued on, but nothing was the same.

I saw a people who had respect for their country. Just as I appreciate my nation's anthem, I appreciated their respect for their own. Something deep in my heart felt good in seeing their loyalty to their country.

What are you loyal to? What cosmic anthem do you respect? Are you firmly under God's banner or do you accessionalily flirt the the enemy and defect? God wants your whole heart before He will trust us with the outpouring of His spirit which will sweep the globe in the loud cry. 

God is wanting you 100%. Then we will see a spark.

To Tell the Story

The key to photography / videography is to tell a story. This has been our task on this trip. So far we have recorded about a Terabyte of imagery data. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and video is 29.92 fps. So that is a lot of words each second.

So how do we make each word count? How do we best tell the story that would lead others into action? What could we say to you to prompt you to partner with Jesus to spread the Gospel in SE Asia? What would it take for you to see the needs and opportunities here? What would it take for you to see the 10/40 window countries as worthy of your devoting your life in service? What words would help you to grasp the need?

How can the work be finished with so few here to live / preach / spread the Gospel?

Rom 10:14 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

So, does this blog hit the mark? Are you more interested in mission service having read it? 

What is likely missing in this blog are the hugs from students who love their teachers and their school. They love learning about Jesus as a loving God who cares for them and their families. 

What is missing are the adults who say thank you for what ASAP has done to help them. 

What is missing is the incredible poverty and need here. 

What is missing is the realization that millions and millions live and die here never hearing the name of Jesus.

The need here is: huge. Your capability with God's power: huge. Check and check mate.

Pray that you will be the next missionary, and make a spark.

Status update: Thurs pm

Just a status update. This morning we left the hotel at 6:30 am to go to the Phnom Penh International airport for our flight to Bangkok. We are waiting now at thei airport. Each time we travel on the roads of Phnom Penh we marvel at the protecting graces of our guardian angels. Driving in traffic needs its own post, but I find it hard to describe.

All four of us are operating optimally. Daniel is over his fever, and Andrew is completely recovered from an earlier illness.

Today our group split up. About half of the group returns today to America. We are headed to Bangkok for video recording of pastor training.

It is sad to leave Cambodia.

Update Thursday eve: made it safely to BKK, no problems. It has been a joy to visit with Greg, Amy, Tyler and Ryan and to get to meet Ceeda for the first time. Greg and Amy work for Global Mission and live in the BKK Adventist Compound.

We are staying in guest rooms in the Adventist Mission compound, and it is quite safe here.

God is good. Thank you for your prayers. Tomorrow is cultural learning around BKK.

Pray with us for a spark.

Hard Workers

One thing I can say for Cambodia is that most of the people here are hard workers.

What they may lack in mechanization, but they make up for it with hard labor. As we pass by various shops going to and from our hotel, the shops seem always open for business. There is no 8-5 vacationing ethic here! We regularly pass a primitive looking welding shop, and each time we pass the owner is throwing sparks beside the road. Day or night the sparks are flying.

The little shops stay open late into the night, I am not sure how late, but I would guess till around 2 am, and I have asked several how long they work, and they say "early till late".

I guess this goes along with a survival economy, where people make so little margin that they have to work a lot in order to survive. But while they may be weary at the end of the day, I see a resilience here in their attitude about work.

I have seen some very interesting ingenuity along the road sides as we pass by, where groups of men are effecting various repairs. Things are created and hauled around in ways that we would never imagine in the west, and here it just gets done.

I looked over 100 dump truck piles of dirt in front of a brand new new Adventist elementary school, and I asked if they had a tractor to help smooth it out. The school master said, "Well, we will see how lumpy it is after we work on it a few days with hoes and shovels." I think this was a nice way of saying, "We don't need an expensive tractor to be hauled or driven here. It just takes some hard work, and it will be fine!"

Wow, that is refreshing!

I am all for labor saving, but sometimes it is just great to see a group of people who will not take "No" for the answer. If they have two hands, there is a way to proceed.

How about us reaching others? Do we need some fancy bulldozers like an religious Internet website, or nation wide TV ministries? Are we truly incapable of grabbing a shovel and just doing the job of reaching our neighbors on our own? What would it look like if each of us said, "There is a way! I will make it happen!"


Let's grab a shovel and make a spark!

Genocide

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/past-present-collide-cambodia/

"It’s now nearly 40 years from the April 17, 1975 morning when the Khmer Rouge Maoist guerrillas marched into Phnom Penh and embarked on a three-year, eight-month and 20-day reign of murder that killed at least 1.7 million Cambodians in a population then numbering 8 million. The country is still struggling to find its feet."

My heart goes out to these people. Anyone as old as I am lived through this time period, and remembers. 40 years is not long enough to really say this genocide was a thing of history.

Every person with glasses -- must be educated -- was murdered. Anyone with a book in their home -- was killed. Anyone with any connection to Christianity -- was systematically eliminated.

Almost a quarter of the entire population of the country was slain in genocide. The Adventist church of Cambodia was exterminated in the mid 1970's. It is very sad to learn about these things.

Lessons that come to mind:

1) Satan will push mankind under his control to great depths of depravity. When a group of people devote themselves to anti-God mentality, Satan then has full control to wield carnage, suffering and death.

2) Man has no goodness on his own. The natural inclination of the heart of man is oppression and cruelty to his fellow man.

3) Having gone through all of this, the people of Cambodia are incredibly kind and courteous. Seeing how sweet the people are makes the genocide even more tragic. I can only imagine it was sheep led to the slaughter.

4) The children are also kind -- the parents have not been so mentally damaged with suffering as to ruin the next generations outlook on life.


My heart goes out to these people. Who will strike a spark for Cambodia?

Buddhism

Faithful Buddhists are very moral people, they are concerned with good behavior and in self sacrifice. They want to adhere to five principles, similar to the last half of the Ten Commandments.

1) Do not kill.

2) Do not steal.

3) Do not commit adultery.

4) Do not lie.

5) Do not take intoxicating drugs.

But a key difference is that Buddhists have only their own will power, their own force of will to make and to keep them good. In contrast, the Christian calls for power outside of himself via the Holy Spirit. This outside force to the Christian is a force of superhuman quality and quantity. It is the power of God unto salvation.

There are close to a billion Buddhists in the world, and they are locked in a mindset of never ending life cycles till they can perform good enough to reach a higher state of existence. They are lost and do not know the path to salvation.


Pray that a spark can ignite the Buddhist world for Christ.

Pray

Our missionary group has been under steady attack with sickness since we came. But today two videographers enter a location extremely hostile to the Gospel in southern Cambodia.

Please pray for the safety of this small insurgent group as they head south for some specific video, and then return. There was an I--S (religious group regularly in the news) bombing here in Phnom Penh the other day, and our team is pushing deep into the territory of this religious mind set. The church planter there is concerned of being forced out of his village any day, and he thinks there will be more trouble after a convert is baptized in April.

We face danger in many forms as we go through life. But when you are a missionary, you are on God's errands, telling God's story. Prayer can make a difference, so please pray extra over the next 48 hrs.

Update: PTL, the team has returned with no trouble or uprisings. They kept a low profile, while getting video on that area. They have returned to Phnom Penh with lots of footage and experiences, but no problems or hostilities. Thank you so much for your prayers!

What is safety worth when God has a job for you to do?

Pray with us for a spark!

Roads

Today is Sunday on our side of the globe, we are traveling from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. This used to be a 2 day boat ride way around. Overland was just too dangerous with the KumerRuge controlling the countryside. When the war calmed down, road travel was possible, but because of the poor roads the trip was over 12 hours. Some claim this trip can be completed now in around 6 hrs, though with the road construction going on, the size of our group, and the videographers on board, I hope we make it in 10. (Took 11!)

This is the Cambodian National Hiway 6, and some of the road was nice. For the last 6 or so hours, I would say this road is like a rough washboard dirt road back home. We are traveling from 3-20 mph. The bus is bouncing, jostling and vibrating in the most vigorous manner. In some places the dust clouds are thick enough to cut with a knife.

I would say this trip is right up there in the difficult trip category. But it is not as difficult as others missionaries who have gone before us. Will you travel under hardship for Jesus? Will you sacrifice comfort for others? Will you come to Cambodia to help spread the Gospel?

Pray with us for a spark!

Ingenuity

When you don't have a tool you need for a job, you have to be flexible and creative to get the job done.

We call it ingenuity. I had ah-ha moment when I saw a child's swing made without rope. This is a well used swing at the orphanage. If you look closely, you will see that the rope is made of used engine belts.

How can you improvise for the gospel? What is it that you lack, that you could accomplish with a different perspective? Missionaries need to be adaptable and ingenious, so start now in developing this aspect of your character.

If you are asked to carry more than you can handle, it is just a matter of balance, like this bike. Be flexible, be adaptable, have a can-do attitude!

Pray with us for a spark!

Giants in the Land

When I think of a giant, I think of Goliath. Big, strong, perhaps even evil. But here in Cambodia, we have met true Giants. As I type this my eyes mist over and I briefly can not see my phone keyboard... The Giants here are not especially tall. They do not have super human strength. In fact, when I came, I could not see the giants, they looked like everyone else.

But within a few hours, key people I interacted with started to grow in my appreciation. And not that I am the judge of men, but I came to see clearer the character of self sacrifice.

These people would not be happy to be put on a pedestal. They see their lives with humility -- and would object to my highlight of their life of service. When I took this photo at the beginning of Sabbath School was one of the few times this week I saw them together. They simply say "it has been a busy week"-- and they say that with love and joy.

But when these people walk by in quiet self sacrifice, the earth should tremble under their tread. Their steps are rapid, for they have many tasks and attend to, but if you could imagine their stride in God's appreciation, it would be more than a giant walking by. Tim and Windy run a faith based ministry. They founded the training center, the school and the orphanage in what is called the SALT center. It is at their ministry compound where the camp meeting for all of Cambodia is being held this week.

Oh what is great in heaven is so different than how man considers greatness. It is not financial wealth, for true giants have given their all for others. It is not in houses and lands, for termites are attaching the homes here and turning them into rubble. It is not in how much power over others they wield, for they are servant leaders, willing to empower and grow others to good service.

Yes, there are many giants here. I see giants in the pastors, lay pastors, church planters and medical missionary workers. May there be many more.

Pray with us for a spark.

Mango

First a confession- mangoes in America have never been a favorite fruit of mine. This introduction is to tell you that things are different here. Mango is a wonderful fruit.

Mango is yellow here, and papaya is orange. Delicious!

As it enters your mouth, you feel a soft sweetness that feels like the fruit is melting in your mouth. It seems a lot like butter, but sweet and wholesome.

There is not a single fiber in the flesh of the fruit. It has a goodness and full flavor that is not over powering, but compelling. It draws you to have another bite, and so the introduction goes till you feel like a life long friend. I have to apologize for the strained relationship I had with mangoes in the past.

Pray with us for a spark.

Communication

I miss talking with our church family, and close friends. Last night was Friday eve here, and we had an hour after sunset at 6 till we would have our group worship at 7 pm. My first thought? Who could we call and talk to?

I miss you all. Not that I am home sick, but I want to share verbally as well as in text. And this blog is public so not really a personal conversation. I have young people back home that I would love to encourage to mission service. Not because mission service is glamorous, but because when you come here you realize it is all or nothing. We have none of the props of our former busy life to get in the way here. We came with a few suitcases, some electronics and we are surviving well. But our lives here are much different than back home. Our focus here is entirely about serving others, and I like that feeling.

I have met some young people here that I want to spiritually adopt as my own. They are precious and pure in their desire to serve Jesus. Many are poor, it is only as God opens the way that they can gain higher education.

But I digress, back to communication. The morning here is our busy time. We let the boys sleep as long as we can, since they are needing more sleep than we are getting. This means that when we do get up, the morning is filled with activity: packing up gear for the coming days video shoots, getting to breakfast and group worship on time, and being ready to be picked up from our hotel by faithful Caleb from the SALT center where the training center, school, orphanage and campmeeting is being held.

So morning are really busy for us. Morning here is evening back in America. Evening would be the time easiest for our friends back home to take a call. So we have only called home once.

Last evening at 6pm I was thinking, who could we call? I was not sure who would want a 6am call, so we did not call anyone. That block of time was one of our few snatches of free time we have had on the trip. We visited in our room with Christopher who has recently joined our mission group as a professional videographer.

Our evenings are less rushed, but they are your mornings when you are gearing up for the activities of the day. Being 12 hours off, it feels like the ryhems are just out of sync.

I stayed up and joined our staff meeting by video conference call at 11 pm here (11 am back at the office) and it was really hard to stay up!

What would I share with you if we could talk? Well I would love to share some of the experience here with you. I would love to share an excitement for missions. I would also like to share some of the minor things like prayer requests that don't seem critical enough to blog about, but that for which we really need prayer. Pray that Andrew gets over a sore throat, and thank you for his recovery of intestinal issues. We pray for the O'Carey family that are all ill this morning.

Sunshine is scurrying around and trying to get her men moving, so I will sign off for now. Would love to communicate with you! Heading to church now.

Parables of the 10 Virgins

Read Matt 25:1-13.

How many slept? All

When the cry goes out "Jesus is coming soon!" we will look back to last year and say, "What was I thinking? I was asleep!" We will all feel that we were out of touch.

Are you groggily waking up? Are you still sound asleep? How will you know it is time?

Let the cry be heard, the bride groom cometh!

Pray with us for a spark!

Jesus Loves Me

These are the words for "Jesus Loves Me, this I know."

Would you learn it with us?

Perhaps when we are back in America we could sing this together.

Pray with us for a spark!

Ambassador

"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:20-21.

What does it mean to be an ambassador?

In what ways does an ambassador work for the benefit of their people and country?

Pray with us for a spark!

Dirty Business

It is a fact of all living animals: poop. Sanitation is important because recycling e-coli brings violent reactions to the hapless recycler. As I mentioned before, treatment of sewage is a problem for many parts of the world, especially here in Cambodia.

An interesting thing to talk about is the facilities. It sure has captured our attention, especially when you need to use it.

Now, I don't want you to think that this is the only style of toilet here. Our hotel has western style toilets. But if there is a situation that needs an outhouse, or that does not have water pressure, this is the fixture that you will find available.

Now, I am not an official source of information here but I can share my deductions on doing the dirty business.

First, these facilities do not have toilet paper. Water is available, and if needed the left hand (dirty hand) is used. The right hand is the clean hand. You dish food, eat, shake hands on the right. The left hand is for dirty business.

The concrete water basin beside the squat toilet is for the flush. You can dip water out of the basin for the flush, and washing down the toilet.

If you look closely at the image, there is a widened porcelain area with traction ridges for each foot straddling the toilet trough.

It is named a squat toilet. Let the name instruct you.

One missionary of our group complained of falling over, so balance is important in this activity. Oh my. This is not a laughing matter, but... The joy of new things! All in all I would say that I appreciate these fixtures more than the experience of a pit toilet. They are cleaner in appearance and lack the oder of a pit toilet, as this offers a flushing action. I wonder how old this concept is... It would be fascinating to learn more.

Pray with us for a spark.

Rambutan

How about a bad hair day fruit? Let me introduce the Rambutan.

The closest thing I can compare it to is a plant version of a sea urchin, but the short bristle projections are not stiff or sharp.

You open the leathery outer shell and inside there is a jelly like interior, that looks a lot like a skinned grape. The difference here from a grape is that there is a single large seed, that you have to remove the jelly from.

The taste is sweet with a drawing flavor. I really am at a loss on how to adequately describe some of these new foods. It is fascinating how much variety is available, of which we know little about. 

I think the tree of life with its 12 fruits will be grand to explore. Perhaps in heaven I will have better descriptive words -- but then again we could just all enjoy it together. We wish you could be here with us now and experience these things with us.

May our lives be relished by others in Jesus.

Pray with us for a spark.

Education

In the words of a missionary who has been here in Cambodia for many years, and has built beautiful school, orphanage and training center: education is the way to reach the villages for Jesus.

This is not to say that the adults are un-reachable, but it is hard to break through. 

They see rapid results when a school is built in a village. The children come to the school and have an opportunity to learn and become a productive member of the community. They learn of the Gospel, and through them their community is more easily reached.

The government schools hold classes on Sabbath, and take Thursday and Sunday off. Adventist schools can meet Monday through Friday and cover the same curriculum and not have the Sabbath conflict of missing school days to follow the clear teaching of the Bible to keep the Sabbath Holy. It is God's day, not our own.

But what is exciting is that when young people graduate from the Adventist Schools, they become workers for God!

Every graduate is a medical evangelist. Every graduate is a lay church planter. 

Every graduate is a living proof of the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus.

It works! I have seen it work with my own eyes. A few days ago I talked with a graduate of Kanterok, who is now a head master of a new school. The head master is married to a fellow graduate of Kanterok, and together this young couple have as their mission to reach their village for Jesus.

Here is a picture of this new satellite school a few hours away from Kanterok. This new school will open for classes in two weeks!

The land, sturdy fence, three grade building, bathroom structure and well costs around USD $30,000. In Cambodia, this is the cost of reaching an entire village.

I don't know how to sustain the wage of the school master, as in many places the community is very poor. God knows a way. I do not see a smoldering wick, but a bright torch in these young people, called to ministry. May God open the way!

Kanterok graduates are much more than a spark. Please pray for more of these torches to be utilized and to spread through the entire country of Cambodia. They are gearing up for 20 graduates a year.

What if 5 families could sacrifice all or part of the cost of a school each year? We have to do something. The time is now to act.

Pray for a spark in my pocketbook that when Jesus comes there is nothing left there to burn.

Milk Fruit

A new fruit friend, with a soft purple hue and a gentle sweetness is the milk fruit.

The outside looks kind of like an apple.

There are interior seeds that are easy to separate from the soft sweet flesh. The rind is not eaten.

I wish I had some to share with you!

May the people of Cambodia learn the milk of the Word, and be drawn to the sweetness of Jesus similar as I am drawn to this fruit.

Pray with us for a spark.

What God has cleansed, do not call common

Read Acts 10 - the story of Cornelius and Peter.

"This vision conveyed to Peter both reproof and instruction. It revealed to him the purpose of God—that by the death of Christ the Gentiles should be made fellow heirs with the Jews to the blessings of salvation." AA 135.3

Peters eyes were opened. God loves all people. Every nation will be represented on the sea of glass. May there be one there because we are willing to be consumed for Christ.

Pray with us for a spark.

A trip from the school to city outreach

We were invited to join the youth in city outreach and the young people streamed from the campmeeting out to 4 open air trucks, and the piled in thick. We rode in one and it was a really fun ride from the school into Siem Reap.

The youth covered several blocks handing out Newstart health pamphlets and exchanging cigarettes for fruit that we brought from the school.

Here is a video clip of the ride.

People on the street seemed open to taking and reading the pamphlet. The school can do community service and talk with the public about health, but they can not directly advertise religious topics. Only  if a person were to want to knew more about the message could they be invited to the church, and at the church they could learn more about what the church teaches.


Pray with us for a spark.