The Harvest is Plentiful

I have spent the past six weeks teaching a Bible study with the female students from my English class. I have around 10-12 women joining me every week to learn about Jesus. As I watch their faces and listen to their questions, I see the struggle going on in their hearts. For some, this is the first time they have ever heard of Jesus. As they hear the gospel for the first time or, for those who have heard of him before, hear it on a consistent basis, I pray for their hearts. I cannot change them. I cannot convince them of the truth of the gospel and the lies of what they have believed for their whole lives. I can only share the truth of the gospel and live it out for them. This is where the rest of the verse, Matt. 9:37, is vividly shown. Living out the gospel is just as important as proclaiming the truth. I have known these women and been involved in their lives for the past 12 years. One year ago, I asked them to join a Bible study with me but none of them came. This time, they all stayed. When I asked them why, they told, “Because you have been faithful to us for a year.” I have been faithful to teaching them English and loving them and now they want to know about Jesus. Praise God that He has used this broken, wandering and inconsistent vessel to accomplish His will. He is drawing a people to Himself and it includes the students in my English class. Praise God!!

I ask you to pray for one particular girl named Leda. These English classes are part of an outreach in order to build relationships with the people living in Toul Sangke, which is where I live as well, in order to begin a church in about one more year. Since we are in the beginning stages of this church plant, I attend an established Khmer church every Sunday. One of my students, Leda, has been coming with me. She is 17 years old, extremely bright, and has a very gentle spirit. (Pray I don’t crush her with my robust spirit!) We had lunch the other day and I told her that I think she is close to believing in Jesus. She smiled and told me that I was right. She wears red bracelets made of string in order to ward off evil spirits. I am hoping and praying for the day when we can cut those strings because she has been set free by the grace given to her in the gospel and becomes a child of God. “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Relational Update

I have a very good friend here named Chenda. She is my Khmer tutor (still study every day!!) and she loves the Lord. She is my right hand man in so many of these outreach events that I plan. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with her and pray that our friendship continues to grow as we seek to serve the Lord and each other.

We have a new guy that has joined our team to help with the Toul Sangke ministry. His name is John Gim and he will be with us for 11 months. He is an IT guy so he is heading up the computer classes. I am so thankful to have him here helping us with this work!!! He is a wonderful brother in the Lord.

Thank You

Thanks to Rainbow Presbyterian Church for buying this motorcycle for me. It has been such a blessing and I get so much more work done now!!! Thank you very much. (The lonely bike in the background is still used for exercise purposes and short trips.)

Travel and Events Schedule

Feb. 29th-March 5th: Trip to Singapore visiting friends and speaking at Providence Presbyterian Church

March 16th-17th: SEAP conference in CA. I will be skyping in on this conference

Books I’m reading

When People are Big and God is Small by Edward T. Welch

All of Grace by C.H. Spurgeon

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Prayer Requests

-Pray for my relationship with the Lord. He is showing me the strong and deep idols in my heart and it is a time of repenting and rejoicing for me.

-Pray for the outreach at Toul Sangke

1. English classes for factory workers Wed-Fri from 5:30am- 6:30am and Sat 4:00pm-6:00pm

2. English classes for university students starting next month (there is a university in our community) Tues-Fri for one hour (time is not set yet)

3. English classes for children Mon-Fri from 5:30pm-6:30pm

4. Computer classes for factory workers and university students Sun from 4:00pm- 6:00pm

5. Business English class for local business owners starting next month

6. Bible studies on Sat evenings (girls and boys separate) and fellowship/bible study on Sun evenings (all together). The vision is to have the Sun evening time transition into the church service.

-Pray for my partner in this work, Paul Lee. He will be returning to the states with his family at the end of April for rest and support raising for this project. Pray for people and churches to have a desire to invest in this work through prayer and finances. We currently have enough money to keep the ministry going until the end of June.