This is Angkor Wat. It is one of the wonders of the world. It is the pride of Cambodia. It is an ancient temple built by King Suryavarman II and was dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. Even though this is a beautiful building, it shows the depravity of man. Please continue to pray for the people of Cambodia.



I am still trying different types of Khmer cuisine. This is a plate of insects. Not too bad. A bit salty.

Roath's family took me on vacation with them at the beach. This is Roath's mom being pampered. Keep praying for my relationship with her.




This is a picture of one of the temples in Siem Reap.





More of the temples. They were built in the 12th century. This is an example of classic Khmer style architecture.

This is the province of Kampot. As of right now, we have all of our village ministries in this province.




Another picture of Kampot. This province has some beautiful mountains.

We had a medical clinic with a team from Texas. A Thai pastor and wife came along to help with the clinc. His wife was praying for me. (Some of you may recognize Eden Thangi in the background).



One of the short term team members was a physical therapist. She thought I was too tense and tried to help me. Interesting way of helping someone...

Roath was stressed about her exams so I took her to a place to relax. This is her relaxing!!!

Only by His Grace Update

What Do I Do?

This is the question that raced through my mind when I got the phone call one early Saturday morning. I was in the middle of cooking breakfast for Roath and a friend of ours who had spent the night. I got a call from my friend, Gioia (pronounced Joy-ah), who is the director of an orphanage. She said, “We have an emergency. Isaac has fallen down the stairs.” Isaac is a 1 year old beautiful Khmer baby boy. My mind began to race. What do I do? I began to wonder why I ever agreed to work at this orphanage.

It happened back in June shortly after I arrived back in Cambodia. An intern of ours was going to teach at this orphanage and she and I meet with Gioia. Gioia expressed her need for a medical person to come and take care of the ailments of the children. I thought to myself, “I am not the person for this job. I am just a nurse. I am not a doctor.” But I felt a very strong pulling from the Lord that I was to answer this call for help. It is not about my abilities or what I can do but it is about what He can do through me if I have faith to trust Him and let Him work. John 15:5. So I girded my strength and said, “I will help.” I immediately felt the weight of this decision on my shoulders. I was responsible for making decisions regarding the health of 30 children. I knew this would surely be an adventure of faith!!!

After I received the call from Gioia, I began to wonder why God had called me to this work. I felt unqualified, overwhelmed, and completely scared. I quickly told my friend that Roath and I had to leave. My first thought was that I needed to get to a phone to call a doctor in the states. You see, the other thing that was bothering me, was that the two doctors on our team were both out of the country. It was just me! I prayed fervently to God that He would let me get in touch with a doctor to ask for guidance. After several no answers and a bad internet connection, I was able to speak with an ER physician at my old hospital. Thankfully, he told me what I needed to look for and what to be aware of. After my very brief conversation with him (I lost internet connection), Roath and I raced to the orphanage. I thanked God for answering my prayers and I felt a little better about going to see the baby but was still anxious to know what condition he was in.

I arrived at the orphanage to find Isaac sitting in his mother’s lap. (His parents are Christian and work at the orphanage.) He had a very large hematoma (bruise) on his head but otherwise he was ok. I checked him thoroughly and felt confident that we needed to watch him closely for the next few hours but I felt sure he would be alright. The next few hours crawled by as the parents watched closely over Isaac to make sure he did not show any signs of head trauma.

I went to see Isaac the next day and he was doing great. His hematoma had already started to shrink in size and he did not seem to be suffering any kind of permanent damage. The parents were very thankful and praised God for his goodness. I began to feel the relief of knowing that Isaac was ok and that God had helped me through this. I was not alone. He provided me with a doctor to advise me but, most importantly, He gave me His peace and His grace to be able to look after Isaac. I know that I cannot do this job or any other work that God calls me to on my own. I cannot be a missionary by my own strength and knowledge. I must continue to see and acknowledge my weakness so I can declare His strength to the world. He is a mighty God.

Coming Home


When I was preparing to return to Cambodia after my 2 month stay in the states, I remember thinking that it would be different this time when I landed and I was correct and wrong at the same time. First, it felt like coming home instead of arriving at some foreign place. Second, I knew what to expect instead of always being shocked by the unexpected. Lastly, I had work waiting for me instead of waiting for the Lord to show me what work to do. So the second year definitely started off different from the first. However, I was wrong as well because there were things that had not changed. I still felt like a foreigner. I know some of you may be confused by this feeling but I desire to become Khmer. 1 Cor. 9:22. This is how God has called me to reach the people. I know that I cannot do this by my own strength or effort. God must transform me, but ultimately, I desire to be transformed more into the image of Christ.


I learned a very valuable lesson through a disagreement with a Khmer person. I learned that I look at things through Western eyes. Khmer people have a completely different perspective. There is not a right or wrong but different. However, I live here now so I must try and not only understand their perspective but learn to see it the same way. If God grants me this prayer, I believe it will open up the gospel in a whole new way to the people. It is about understanding where God has placed them in this world and how I can show them the love of Christ in the context of where they live. I learned that I need to listen more and talk less. I do not want to become the teacher described in 1Timothy. May God protect me from desiring “knowledge” but to only desire knowing Him and glorifying Him.


Relational Update

Roath’s family is treating me more and more like a family member. The last time I visited with them, her parents asked me why I came to Cambodia. I told them, “I wanted to help the people.” I did not say anything else. They contemplated my answer. They know that I am a Christian. I am slowly trying to bring the gospel to them more through my actions than my words. I can see that God has softened their hearts toward me. He has a purpose for bringing me into their lives and I pray that He will draw them into His fold.
One day, Roath and I were blessing our food while the rest of the family watched us. Her mom was talking but when we started praying, she stopped talking. It was the first time she had done that. I know God has a plan for this family. I am so thankful to watch Him work.


Books that I am reading:

Restoring Broken Things by Steven Curtis Chapman and Scotty Smith

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson



Prayer Requests


1. Pray for the Community Health Teaching Course. We will have 25 students from the surrounding villages. They have no medical training and we will be teaching them basic medicine. Pray for me as I attempt to teach in Khmer. We will also be presenting the course with a Christian perspective.

2. Pray for our medical mission team that will be coming in early Nov. Pray that God would use them to further His kingdom. Pray for their safety as they travel in this country and that they would stay healthy. Most of all pray that God will give them a greater vision of His love for His people.

3. Pray for me as I am feeling overwhelmed with the work. Pray that I will not lean on my strength but will lean upon God. Pray that I will remember that it is not up to me to accomplish His purpose. I am only to walk with Him and glorify Him in all that I do.

4. Pray for those who are raising support and/or making preparations to join our team in Cambodia: Luke Smith, Damon and Young Mi Cha, and Alex and Jeany Jun.

Pictures from Christina's Scrapbook

Christina was an honored participant in a Cambodian wedding ceremony.



Here she's holding gifts for the wedding guests.



This picture includes Christina with the team along with Roath and Michelle.



And this is the bride and groom.



Christina is carrying the bride's dress as they walked around the center piece about 5 times. She wrote, "I kept praying that I would not fall as I was wearing shoes that had a heel on them! It was one of the most difficult things I had to do."



Christina is standing with the other two bridesmaids. During a traditional wedding ceremony, the bridal party changes clothes many many times.



In January, Christina traveled to Myanmar for 2 weeks. She visited her close friend Eden. Christina wrote, "I asked Eden to order for me. She came back and gave me a dish with pig's heart, tongue, ears, intestines, and liver. It was a very interesting meal."



This picture was also taken in Myanmar. Christina was attending a Buddhist nun.



This is the whole team in Myanmar.



Christina wrote, "We asked the driver if he would mind stopping so I could take a picture. As I was standing on the wheel, I realized that this is not the smartest thing to do as I could get really hurt if the cows moved. Fortunately, they stayed real still for me. I thanked the driver and gave him a tip for being so kind. He was very happy and thanked me."



"This picture is me at Bagan. Bagan is a town in Myanmar that is famous for having 2,000 Buddhist temples that were built in 1100-1200 A.D. It is an absolutely incredible site to look out on the horizon and see so many temples. I have seen many temples throughout my travels but this time was different. I was in one temple looking at a Buddha god and watching the people bow down to it. I began to think of the people I know in Cambodia who are not Christians. I felt their bondage to this religion and I began to feel the evil powers at work. I know this is hard for some of you to imagine living in America but it is very real here. I had to get out of the temple immediately. Fortunately, I had my ipod with me and as I walked back to the van, I listened to some Christian music. As I sat in the van, I began to weep for the people. Please remember to pray for these people. It is so dark in this part of the world with very little light. Please pray for the light of Jesus Christ to grow."



Christina wrote, "This is our team with some Buddhist monks. It was the first time we had a medical clinic in a Buddhist monastery. This was in a village that was hit very hard by cyclone Nargis. There were still lots of human bones behind the monastery as they did not know what to do with them. The people had a look of shock still on their faces as many had lost several family members and friends. Please remember to pray for them."

February Update Letter

Dear fellow laborers of Christ,
Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.” I have always believed in this verse and so I have had the mentality of holding my plans with an open palm. I may make very good, sound, solid plans but, in the end, God will direct my steps and those steps may lead me to a different plan. That is what has taken place in the past four months. I am still living in the city and will be staying here for at least another year. God has closed all doors for me in regards to living in the village at this time. It is not time for me to go. God has shown this clearly to me in several ways:
• I still have so much to learn about the Khmer language and culture
• He has provided me with ministries in the city (discipleship with Roath, teaching medical students, new job as short term team coordinator)
• Our team leader and his family are taking their year-long furlough starting in July of this year. Dale and Nancy Knutson and I will be the only team members remaining. As a team, we do not believe that it would be a wise decision for me to start a village ministry with my team leader in the states
As most of you know, I waited ten years to go on the mission field. It is His pattern with my life that I am to wait. I hope to be working in the village one day but it is not time right now.
The ministries God has given me are wonderful. Let me clarify this statement. There are many struggles in the ministry and I know I am not adequate enough to handle these responsibilities. However, the truth is that God is in control. It is not up to me to make these ministries grow. That is God’s job. I am only supposed to be willing to trust Him and let Him use me for His glory. That is why the ministries are wonderful. Roath is growing in the Lord. We have had many problems and God has been testing our faith. We have seen Him answer prayer after prayer. Roath said to me one day, “Since you have come into my life, you have made my confidence in the Lord grow.” God is using me in her life and it is all for His purpose and His glory. Praise be to God who uses broken jars of clay to pour out His goodness and mercy.
Beginning in July, I will take on the role of short term team coordinator. It will require me to coordinate and host short term teams that come to work with us. This new job will stretch me in many ways and I am excited to see how the Lord will grow me through all this. It is hopefully a temporary job until God brings someone to fill the role on a more permanent basis.
The bible study with the medical students and the mobile medical clinics are progressing very well. God is definitely working through these ministries. Our vision is to continue to show mercy to the people so they hopefully will see God through us and come to know Him personally. Our medical students work alongside the doctors and see what it is like to provide Christian medical care. Some are believers and some are not. Please pray for these ministries and all involved.
I cannot believe that my first year is almost finished and I will be returning to the states in a few months. If it is God’s will, I will spend two months in the states and then return to Cambodia for another year of service. God has blessed me with these ministry opportunities and I desire to continue serving Him here. I am looking forward to seeing all of you and telling of the wondrous works of our Savior. Continue to pray for us.

By His grace and mercy,

Christina Thomas