July and August 05 Newsletter

Praise the Lord!

A few months ago, I wrote an article called the “Mango Tree,” which I accidentally inserted in 2 different newsletters. At the time I felt like a dummy because of the accidental duplication but, when I think about it now, I am thankful for my “mistake.” In that article I asked you all to be praying for a young man named Pisey [bpee say], who I thought was days away from accepting Christ. However, time went on and we were still waiting and praying. But, after the article was sent out again, Pisey decided to give his life to Jesus in baptism!

  I truly believe God is at work in our lives all the time, and I think He may have used my mistake to generate “extra” prayers from you on Pisey’s behalf. The Bible attests to the power of fervent prayer. Like the persistent widow, Jesus wants us to know that, “at all times [we] ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1). He wants us to persistently keep asking, seeking, and knocking just like the man begging his friend for some bread late at night (Luke 11:5-10). God listens to His people, especially when they take the time to talk to Him. This shows all the more that you are just as much a part of this ministry as we are, and we need your prayers! Please keep praying for Pisey; he’s only just started his walk with Christ...

  I have been proud of the way that he has endured the challenges of being Christ’s when the world around him just doesn't understand. The week after he was immersed, his sister invited him to their small home in a nearby village. She hadn’t told him, but his entire family was gathered to perform a Buddhist ceremony. It’s important to realize that, in Cambodia, older relatives often decide what a younger relative will study in college, who they will marry, and the religion they will follow. It would have been easy for Pisey to please his family and go along with the ceremony, but that day all of Pisey’s family learned he was a Christian and, when they did, a disapproving silence came over the whole family. Even the family members that he was closest to still haven’t spoken a word to him.

  Pisey was pretty down when he told me about what happened but, when I said “I hope we can go to your village one day and teach your family about Jesus,” he immediately brightened up and said, “Yes, I hope so too!” A few days later I heard his neighbor laugh at him when he found out about Pisey’s decision, but the next week Pisey brought that young man to meet with us for worship on Sunday! We thank you for the time you have spent in prayer for our work, and we ask you to keep praying, especially for Pisey.

Grace to You and Peace,

Nathan & Cheryl

The Annual Asian Missions Forum

In Early August, we were blessed to be able to attend the Asian Missions Forum in the Philippines, where missionaries from all over Asia had gathered together. They came from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, China, and even New Zealand (even though that’s not in Asia, for all you geography experts).

   We are so grateful that we got to sing and pray with such a large crowd of dedicated servants of the Lord. We got to meet with a lot of other missionaries who have been on the field for years. They gave us invaluable advice and greatly encouraged us in our work. We were also able to make a lot of contacts and form friendships with people who want to help us and our work in Cambodia.

  Another great encouragement was to see the work that some Asian churches were doing. For example, churches in Singapore were planted years ago by missionaries and are now sending out missionaries of their own! The Lord used this experience to give us new hope and vision for what could one day happen in Cambodia through the power of God, dedicated workers, and your loving support.