End of May 2026 Update

You know how a roller coaster creeps upward ever so slowly, laboriously, seemingly taking forever, until it finally crests — and then… everything happens at once? That's exactly how Peter and I have felt this past month, with answered prayer following answered prayer, one right after the other in rapid succession.

“This is the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” — Psalm 118:23

So let me tell you how the LORD has answered:

First, our Fort Worth son, Peter, passed his PhD comprehensive exam and is now in full-on dissertation-writing mode! By proxy, we all know a GREAT deal more about missiology than we did!

Second, we received a whirlwind 5-day visit from our LA kids, Jason and Katie, to see us before we return to Cambodia (although we suspect Judah may have been another inducement!). Katie was suitably adoring of HRH, while Jason admired him from a safe distance…he’ll develop rapport when Judah can hold a golf club. What an unexpected joy the visit was!

Third, the remaining 500 InTouch Ministries Khmer Bible-loaded Messengers arrived (thank you, LORD, as they were on a different ship than the first order, and it was iffy whether they’d get here). They are already packed in donated suitcases, and the considerable extra shipping costs were underwritten by a gift from our church here in Hawaii. Praise God for the shipment’s arrival, and the shipping costs are covered! What a blessing they will be in Cambodia!

Fourth, a year-long search for a more advanced and credentialed Ministry Essentials Training Program for the year 2027 has borne fruit at long last! In a truly God-ordained sequence of events, we reached out to someone who knew somebody who knew something about a curriculum specifically designed for training pastors in third-world countries….and voila! It is not only an amazing and appropriate curriculum, most of which is already translated into Khmer, but we’ll have the administrative support of a team that has helped implement this training with 45 teams in developing countries. Incredible!

Fifth, the last but not least of answered prayers, is that we were finally able to add a new God’s Purpose and Plan course in the jail portion of the prison in which we minister. Our hard-working and determined chaplain just kept pushing against a host of bureaucratic obstacles to get more programs for the incarcerated ladies. Oh, how I wish I could tell you details of our visits, but we’re legally bound not to. Just imagine the joy and privilege of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His healing, and His freedom to ladies from whom almost everything has been stripped away. Unbelievably wonderful!

And, of course, while God has been blessing us here in Hawaii, our partners have been working tirelessly in their own countries.

Pastor Jaime Blandon in the Dominican Republic has been madly assembling bunk beds and lockers for more mission teams who are scheduled to visit their Mission House this summer and fall. Short-term mission team members will be busy missionaries, indeed, as Jaime has a full slate of ministry and building projects always at the ready for people to tackle! Recently, he took 110 teenagers to a type of Youth Camp and ran a series of Haitian conferences, where many new believers came to the LORD.

And here in Hawaii, we watched as 108 believers from New Hope Windward Church made a public declaration of their faith by being baptized in the ocean! It was incredibly moving to hear the testimonies of those whose lives have been transformed by the power of the LORD and witness whole families being baptized together as a commitment to serving God as a unit. God is on the move in Hawaii for sure!

AMG Cambodia’s church planters and Kids of Destiny children’s ministers continue with their amazing work in remote villages. Recently, they sent a year's worth of data on how God has increased each of their small works, and of the many new believers and the dozens baptized. This is a faithful ministry that continues to bear much fruit.

Glory Church in Phnom Penh has not only several children’s outreach ministries, run by their young adults, but also a Disciple Making Training Team that travels to rural areas, training groups over a period of six weeks on how to make disciples who make disciples. Their mission is to ensure every believer understands his/her responsibility to share the Good News, and to give them the tools to do so effectively.

And lest you think things are dull in Hawaii, we’ve had two events to keep us on our toes. The first began with an all-too-familiar thumping on the sliding glass window; at first, I thought it was another lost duckling, but no. Instead, it was a cane toad (or, in this case, two), a highly invasive species some genius introduced in the 1930’s to control agricultural beetles (which, incidentally, they didn’t). They are so toxic that they are now a major hazard to pets and local wildlife across the Hawaiian Islands. The smaller male hitches a ride on the female so he can be Johnny-on-the-spot when she decides to lay her eggs. The second excitement was a 6.0 earthquake on the Big Island, which was felt throughout the islands (the whole bed shook!), but was far enough away that we sustained no damage and there was no tsunami. With Kona Lows, volcanoes, and earthquakes, life in Hawaii is eventful.

And what of Judah? At nearly 7 months, he’s developing new skills and more personality daily. Traditional crawling is still not in the cards; although he can and does execute perfect full-body planks, balancing on toes and hands. When wanting to move forward, he prefers Army crawling… and can make astonishingly quick progress. Liz’s first month back at work has been quite tolerable; that’s because Aaron (who is an amazing baby dad) has been home on paternity/study leave. He, too, is working on his PhD…Judah is hearing a lot about geopolitical issues!

When we arrive back in Cambodia, God willing, Phase 2 of our Ministry Training Program will begin, when all 50 participants will travel to Phnom Penh for a face-to-face meeting and training over a weekend. This is the costliest phase of our training, as we need to help them with transportation from the rural areas and provide accommodation and meals for the time they are with us. This is when we will assess their progress and visit their individual ministries to see which merit further investment financially and educationally.

Prayer requests:

1) I have submitted three new grant applications with the hope of defraying the costs of Phase 2. (Sadly, my first two grant applications were rejected, but I learned a lot and am hopeful of future success.) Please pray for additional funding for Phase 2.

2) Pray that we can accomplish all we need to wrap up our ministries and obligations here promptly.

3) Pray that everything we are bringing, though legal and properly documented, does not cause difficulties or attract attention with customs in Cambodia.

4) Pray that Judah remembers his Grandpa and Gramma while we're in Cambodia!

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer, encouragement, and support.

The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand." — Deuteronomy 28:12 NKJV