September 2004

Dear Christian Family,

            Greetings in the name of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Cheryl and I hope that you are all doing well—that God is blessing your lives in rich ways just as you have blessed ours. We have heard word from many who are thinking about us and we feel it is important to share with you the things that have been happening so that you may “know our affairs” and that your “hearts may be comforted” (Eph 6:22). 

            From the beginning of our trip we experienced the power of your prayers. The pressures of trying to sell our house and belongings, packing, settling our personal business affairs, preparing to leave family and loved ones, and so many other things made August an especially stressful time. But as the time came to leave for the airport your prayers were at work. Our family at North Brevard asked God to strengthen our marriage in all of this and, even in a time of anxiety, we were blessed with the peace that passes understanding. I remember acknowledging, as we prayed together in the plane, that our peace was because of your fervent prayers. Thank you! 

            From the time we arrived in Phnom Penh, we have been busy teaching conversational English (5 days a week) using biblical study materials to those who want to learn. It is so gratifying when they begin to ask fewer questions about grammar and vocabulary and more about the God of the Bible. I feel that several of our students are getting close to making the right decision. It is so hard to be patient but it is essential in this work. Buddhism is a central element in the Khmer family and community, so the decision to leave that cannot be done without a great deal of reflection and a real decision. It is not only a decision to give up a life of sin, but in a sense to give up a big part of one’s own culture. Also, since the Buddhism in Cambodia is blended with ancient traditions of Animism (which is polytheistic in nature), it is not difficult to inspire belief in the living God. But it does take time, patience, and the power of the Gospel to call others to have “no other gods before Him.” That is our goal, and that is why we need patience, wisdom, and endurance. 

            But we haven’t just been teaching—we’ve been learning. We have not been able to find a language school here yet, but we have hired a tutor and have been studying Khmer daily. It takes a great amount of time to become fluent in any language and Khmer is much more difficult than Spanish, French (or any of the Romantic languages), and even Thai. The pronunciation is like learning how to speak all over again and the writing system has twice as many letters as the English alphabet (even the numbers are different). But we both love studying Khmer and feel that all of our efforts are worth it. In the future we hope to preach and teach in the heart language of the Cambodian people. Plus, it’s a great secret language for the times we’re back in the States (Some people have cracked our Pig-Latin code).

            The housing situation in Phnom Penh is amazing to say he least. Beautiful French-Colonial architecture is seen all around the city. Many foreigners rent huge mansions costing well over $1,000-$2,000/mo. while native Cambodians dwell in a spectrum of different sized villas, houses, apartments, or shacks. We wanted a place that would not alienate us from the people we were trying to reach. But, we also knew that crime is a major problem, and foreigners are targets of robbery, so we needed something safe. We looked at the houses on the market that fit into our budget—from the shacks that were literally falling apart, to the beautiful 6 room villas with a courtyard. But, we finally found a place that we now call home. It is safe, comfortable, and secure, it is significantly under our budget, and will not put up a wall between us and those we’re trying to reach. Of course it is nothing like an American home, but we feel blessed to have it. 

            Like most of the houses in Phnom Penh, we have electricity and indoor plumbing. We cook over a gas flame, and have a small refrigerator. We don’t have a washer or dryer, so we use the bathtub and a clothesline just like Grandma used to do (it’s a little tricky to dry clothes during the rainy season though). We even have a small air conditioner in our bedroom, and ceiling fans other parts of the house. At night we always have a lot of geckos on our walls, but we don’t mind because they eat the bugs. I wish I could send you all some pictures of things here, but it isn’t currently possible.

Our love for the Khmer people grows everyday as we see the beauty of their gentle hearts and their longing for something better to sustain them. And our love for you grows as we miss you all day by day. For all those affected by the hurricanes in Florida, we are praying for you, and hope all is well. We suffered a lot of damage to our house, and now the roof is beyond repair, which has postponed the projected selling date, but God will work it all out and is able to calm any storm we may face in life. We thank you for your prayers, and we look forward to hearing from you. Please tell us how you are and know that we’re praying for you.  Please continue to remember us to the Father. We are with you in Spirit, as you are with us. May He bless you! 

In Christ Jesus,

Nathan and Cheryl Wheeler

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