October Ministry Update

Flooding Update:

Flooding in Downtown Kampong Chhnang

Two weeks ago, we were concerned about the 10 year flood that Cambodia is experiencing.  Already a national disaster, if the waters had continued to rise it could have turned into a catastrophe.  Even though we live on a hill, our backyard turned into a pond and we were concerned that the water could come into our house.  We were also concerned that National Road #5 could  become too flooded for us to drive to Phnom Penh.

We asked for prayer.  Soon, the rains stopped for a few days allowing the water to subside some.  Even though there were a couple more rainstorms last week, the flooding is beginning to go down. There is no more risk of getting cut off from Phnom Penh, where we must go for supplies and medical care.

One more adventure that came from the flooding was that we found and killed a snake in Benjamin’s

playroom.  We can’t figure out what kind of snake it was.  There are 86 species of snakes in Cambodia and 17 of them are venomous.

Snake found in Benjamin’s Playroom

We thank God that Benjamin did not disturb the snake while playing.  We will need to be extra careful   when we move old boxes in preparation for moving to Phnom Penh on December 6.

Trinity Institute of Cambodia

Darryl started drafting the constitution

The future home of TIC

and Human Resource Policies in October.  Lord willing, the board will approve everything in December or January so that we can move forward.  TIC will sublease office and classroom space in a school building probably starting in December if the building is completed. Certificate classes could begin as soon as March, 2012 but there is so much to do between now and then.

  • Please pray for wisdom and unity for Dr. Kwong (CEO), Darryl (COO), the board, and future teachers.
  • Please pray for efficiency and wisdom in establishing the constitution and policies that will help keep this institution true to its Christian founding.
  • Pray for financial provision for the set up of the office, classrooms, staff, and student recruitment.

Book Update

Darryl and Doug are making final revisions to their book, Christianity: Reasons for Faith. In November, they will begin turning in chapters to Fount of Wisdom Publishing for translation into the Cambodian language.  Lord willing, the book will be published in English-Khmer bilingual format in early 2012.

  • Please pray for special wisdom in the editing, translation, translation checking, and publishing process.
  • Please pray for wisdom and provision in setting the final budget for this book.   God has blessed us with a large portion of the funds already.

Anchors of Faith Radio Program

Darryl has written 12 scripts for the Truth segment of the 30 minute radio program, Anchors of Faith: Truth, Relationships, Experience. The staff at FEBC Family FM 99.5 in Phnom Penh have produced around ten complete programs.  Lord willing, the weekly program will start being broadcast,  on the radio station beginning in January 2012. Around half of Cambodia’s 14 million population live in the broadcast area of this radio station.  After broadcast the program will be available in areas that don’t get the radio signal on CDs or MP3.

  • Please pray for wisdom and stamina for Darryl and the rest of the FEBC team to be able to produce 52 programs each year.
  • Continue to pray for FEBC Cambodia’s finances.  They have had go off the air on Saturdays.

Family Prayer Requests

Thank you for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and support for our family  that God uses to empower us to continue or ministry in Cambodia.

  • Please pray for our family’s health and protection. Especially for Benjamin who recently seems to be in danger from sickness,  falls  etc.
  • Please pray for strength and stamina to finish our time in Kampong Chhnang well.
  • Please pray for guidance for Darryl as he prepares 3 devotions for Tahas Bible Institute and 2 sermons for Toul Ksaich Church, and delivers them in Khmer language.


Flooding Update

Please pray for the flooding in Cambodia. So far 247 people have died and 13% of the rice crop has been destroyed. To buy supplies or go to the pharmacy Darryl has to wade through flood waters. We are concerned about the flooding in our backyard because it could eventually get into our house.

Downtown Kampong Chhnang-Flooded
National Road 5
Our backyard, now a pond.

September Ministry Update

Our friend, Jun, tries out a Cambodian bicycle powered water pump.

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38 NKJV

Since the visit of the prayer team from Japan the end of August, we have experienced greater spiritual protection. September, could have been a very difficult month because of the attacks that came, but through prayer, the fiery darts continue to be deflected.  For example, Benjamin was sick twice this month for around 10 days each time.  The first time, around Sept. 8 he spiked a fever of 104.5 F.  It was evening and we were in Kampong Chhnang so it was just too late to safely drive the hour and a half to the hospital.  All we could do was pray and ask for prayer.  By the next morning his fever dropped to 101 and he recovered from there.  Kayo and Darryl had food poisoning as well.  But, these illnesses did not become nearly as severe as they have in the past, so there was minimal disruption to our lives.  At the beginning of October, we are actually more refreshed than before the trials.

Reasons for Faith Book Update

As of September 30, Darryl and Doug finished collecting feedback from their editors.  In October, they will make final adjustments and revisions to the manuscript.  Lord willing, Darryl will be able to start sending the first chapters to Fount of Wisdom’s translator by the end of October.  This book started as an idea in 2009 and, Lord willing, in 2012 it will be published.

  • Please pray for special wisdom in making the final edits to this manuscript.
  • Please pray for the translators and translation process.

Trinity Institute of Cambodia Update

The first of many steps toward developing a Christian university in Cambodia took place in September.  Darryl’s work during the month was to write the MOU to make TIC an official subsidiary of Tabitha Services, a Cambodia based organization.  He also began researching accreditation standards and started writing the constitution and other administrative work.

The decisions that are made during this stage are very important to the future of the Christian university.  The challenge is to achieve high quality education without compromising the Christian values.  For example, Harvard University was started by Rev. John Harvard, “to advance learning, and perpetuate it in prosperity; dreading to leave an illiterate ministry, when our present ministers shall lie in the dust (What If Jesus Had Never Been Born, 53).” Sadly Harvard, Princeton, and many other “ivy league” universities have abandoned and rejected their Christian heritage.

Providentially, Trinity Institute of Cambodia is starting just as Cambodia is emerging from the shadow of war and destruction. We have an opportunity to raise up a new generation of Cambodians who will be prepared lead their churches and transform their nation

  • Please pray for wisdom for the board and administrators of TIC as we set the course and lay firm foundations.
  • Pray for wisdom and provision for the finances necessary to start this university.

Anchors For Faith Radio Program Update

Darryl has written 10 scripts for the Truth segment of the Anchors for Faith: Truth, Relationships, and Experience radio program.  The staff at FEBC family FM 99.5 so far have been able to produce 8 programs.  We are thankful for the progress and we are looking forward to the time when we will have enough programs recorded to begin broadcasting on the radio station and distributing recordings to places where the signal does not yet reach.

Darryl will be meeting with the FEBC staff on October 13 to discuss the future plans for the radio program.

  • Please pray for continued wisdom and guidance for all those involved in the production of this radio program.
  • Please pray for financial provision for FEBC 99.5 FM so that they can resume 7 day a week broadcasting, they recently have had to  go off the air on Saturdays.

Toul Ksaich Church Update

The local church in Kampong Chhnang seems to be going through a time of deepening their relationship with Christ.  It seems that after a season of storms and refining that the overall health of the churches in the area are also improving.

Pastor Kita (Japan) praying with Pastor Moen, wife, and head elder at Toul Ksaich Church.

Darryl will continue to speak there monthly until December, when we move to Phnom Penh, and may return periodically to preach in the future.  Now that he has completed his apologetics series to help the church understand that God’s Word is true, he is moving on into encouraging the church to learn the “whole counsel of God.”  In August, the Japan Prayer Team gave the pastor a Bible Handbook and Commentary Set in Khmer language.  In October Darryl wants to give the church members a one-year bible reading plan and will continue to encourage the church to move more toward a more systematic pattern of bible teaching instead of random topical sermons.

  • Please pray that this church will become a church that is truly well- grounded in the Word.
  • Please pray for protection and discernment for the Pastor and other leaders so that they will not look at situations from the outward appearance, but truly see the heart conditions of the people in the church and to have the courage to apply the Word.

International Fishers: Christian Evidence Ministry Update

We’ve closed down our website www.wwnet.org and transferred most of the apologetics articles to www.sgwm.com/record/if.  In the future, Darryl will post new articles here.  This is more efficient than trying to maintain two websites.

Family Update

Benjamin discovers basketball

We have agreed to rent a house for five years in Phnom Penh starting on December 6.  We are blessed that the house is owned by a Singaporean Christian family, is in a great location, is very clean, and is in a safe neighborhood.  In addition to being a safe haven where we can work and live, we will also have enough extra room to host our missionary-friends who work in the countryside but must come to Phnom Penh.   If/when short term teams come to visit us, we will also be better prepared to host them.

  • Please pray for our continued physical health and protection.
  • Please pray that we will be able to “finish strong,” in Kampong Chhnang.
  • Please pray for special wisdom and provision as we prepare our 2012 budget to meet expanding ministry and family needs (Benjamin’s education etc.).
  • Please pray for healing for Darryl’s mother.