October Update

"How many of us have said and sung with all our hearts 'Anywhere with Jesus,' but at the same time we did not realize all that it meant for us. Indeed at home, and surrounded by all that home means, we could not know. When the test comes we must not forget that 'anywhere' means for missionaries something different from life in England, and let us take very good care not to make a misery of anything that 'anywhere' brings us. To us in Algeria it must mean sometime or other, Arab food. Do we object to it? And mice, do we mind them? And mosquitoes, do we think them dreadful? In some parts it means close contact with dirt and repulsive disease. Yet if Jesus is there, what have we possibly to complain of? It means living among a stiff-necked and untrue people and struggling with a strange and difficult language. And yet let us evermore write over all our miseries, big, and for the most part very little, these transforming words 'With Jesus.' And then the very breath of Heaven will breathe upon our whole being and we shall be glad."



I found this quote from Lilias and it was exactly what I was thinking. She was a missionary in the late 1800's to Algeria, North Africa.





The first picture is at a youth retreat that I attended in August. Around 100 students attended and 7 prayed to receive Christ at the end of the weekend. I was able to share my testimony with them.




The second picture is of my tutor, Srey Hoeun.




The third picture is of the girl I am discipling, Roath.





The fourth picture is of a small bird that I ate. Yes, I ate it. Brain, beak and all. We were on a five hour bus ride to visit her family in Battambang and we stopped for a snack. Roath said I had to eat it if I want to be khmer. It was not that bad actually but it's the first time I have eaten a whole bird.







This is a buddhist temple that I visited. We just had the Pychum Ben Festival and that is a time where the Khmer people pray for and offer food to their ancestors. I went home with Roath during this time and we went to the pagoda with her family. However, we did not pray or offer food to the ancestors. Her family knew that we would not do this because we are Christians. We honored her parents as scripture says by going but we did not participate in the activity.





This is a picture of Roath' mother standing beside a buddhist statue. I am really working on developing this relationship with her. She does not trust many people but by the grace of God, she trusts me. I know there is a divine reason for this.