End of July 2026 Update
Good morning, Vietna...Cambodia!"
We're baaaaaK! And WHAT a welcome we received — from the wildly enthusiastic greeting of our pastors at the airport, to the joyful shrieks from the receptionists at our apartment, the actual tears from waitstaff at our local restaurants (Peter tips exorbitantly), and the summoning of the entire staff at our favorite coffee shop! We could hardly feel more loved and appreciated than if we were celebrities.
And how blessed was our trip! Many of you prayed for smooth passage and "travel angels" to help us... thank you LORD, for one of the easiest trips we've ever experienced. I had only two anxious moments: first, a horribly tight connection in Seoul (overcome by a supernatural...he may have been an angel... attendant who propelled us through the second security check), and second, when my AirTags (mendaciously) reported one bag hadn't made the tight transfer and was still in Incheon, Seoul. But all was well — every piece of luggage present and accounted for, and we were safely installed into our rented apartment within two days of leaving Hawaii!
Once here, we had little choice but to hit the ground running, as the much-anticipated, much-prayed-for, face-to-face meeting with our Pastors and Leaders Zoom participants was scheduled for the week after we arrived. And what a celebration it was! EVERY SINGLE invited participant came, some undertaking 11-hour bus rides to do so. It was a blessing to greet so many of them again, hear their testimonies, get their feedback, and identify those who may continue training with us as we launch the Cambodian Ministry Essentials Training Program — a one-year Bible course — next year.
And of course, we've been visiting and catching up with our ministry partners here. At each location, we've been humbled at the scope of their Kingdom reach. These leaders, pastors, and churches don't need anyone to urge them toward outreach; some run as many as four outreaches a week in different locations, sending out their trained youth teams to teach the kids who flock to attend. Some of these places are appallingly destitute — kids hailing from cemeteries, garbage dumps, and recycling collection stations where they forage with their parents for a living. But our LORD is there, changing lives one at a time.
Sadly, we've returned to a battered and bruised Cambodia. The border conflict with Thailand has cut deep — these two nations have been longtime allies, and the rupture and betrayal is felt by everyone. Oil prices have climbed with the Iranian war, and the rising cost of living has only worsened with the gas hikes. Tourism has dropped off noticeably too, hurt by publicity around the trafficking scam centers and economic decline in the countries that would normally send visitors. All Cambodians are anxious — none more so than the rural farmers who were already struggling.
This is exactly why the training can't wait. The nation is desperate and seeking.
Our plans for the next few months? While we'll continue training the 50 pastors and leaders on Zoom and visiting many of their ministries, a huge focus will be preparation and organization of the one-year Bible school launching next year. Our goal has always been multiplication: multiplication of disciples by training disciple-makers, multiplication of pastors by training believers leading church plants who have neither the education nor the experience they need. While we're here, we're working with 14 Group Leaders, as well as Local Coordinators, who will assist us in 2027 with the training of pastors. The following year (2028), God willing, they'll be able to carry this essential Bible training to others in more remote areas. The doors to the Gospel are wide open in Cambodia... but we don't know for how much longer. We must work hard now to equip indigenous pastors to carry on.
Shortly before we left Hawaii, our whole family gathered on the beach for Judah's dedication to the LORD — not far from where his dad, Aaron, was baptized many years ago. Watching that circle close, generation to generation, right there on the sand, is an image we carry here in our hearts.
Technology has plagued me plenty during our months of Zoom video production. Still, I’m deeply grateful for the ability to FaceTime our precious Judah and hear his commentary on all subjects! How DID missionaries bear it years ago when letters and still pictures were the only way to stay in touch?
We thank you for the prayers that helped bring us here smoothly and accomplish the first part of our mission so successfully. Now, would you pray with us for a few specific things:
*Wisdom as we structure the one-year Bible school for 2027
* Provision for training the pastors we have now, and financial preparation for 2027, requiring translations, printing, venues, and leader travel costs
* Our 14 Group Leaders, as they step into a role they've never carried before
* Strength and stamina for Peter and me as the pace picks up (I’ve already had to restrict the number of commitments he can make a week!)
So yes…we have "miles to go before we sleep" (Robert Frost) and covet your prayers and partnership.
“The LORD your God is bringing you into a good land…” Deuteronomy 8:7