YouTube Milestone and Apologetics Class on Zoom

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

Giving God the glory for 100,000+ views on www.youtube.com/evidencecambodia.

I would like to thank God, my Cambodian ministry partners, senders, and viewers for helping my YouTube channel reach 100,000+ views! This channel only has Apologetics/Evangelistic videos in the Cambodian language. Based on the mostly positive comments I have received, it has reached Christians and non-Christians. One person told me recently that she sends my videos to equip her Cambodian parents, who are new believers. These videos are also used as teaching aides in evangelism classes at a Bible school in Cambodia. In addition to YouTube, I also share my videos on www.internationalfishers.com/khmer and in several pages and groups on Facebook. I do not know how many views these videos have received, but most of my videos are more popular on Facebook than on YouTube. Since my last update, I was able to make one more video in the Cambodian language entitled, “Is God Imaginary?”

My Apologetics Class On Zoom

From September 6-17 I taught an intensive Apologetics class primarily on Zoom. I had never led a Zoom meeting before so Benjamin and Kayo had to teach me what to do. The class went well in terms of teaching and the students were actively engaged despite some technical issues with the computer and internet. The students asked a lot of questions such as, “Why did God create humans knowing that we would sin?” and “What happens to those people who never hear the Gospel?” etc. For their assessment the students wrote scripts and made videos answering questions about the truth of Christianity.

During my two week intensive class, Kayo was busy taking care of the family and supervising Benjamin’s online schooling. She is also busy with the worship team at the church and helps local Cambodian organizations. Benjamin continues to do well in online school. The government is beginning to allow some schools to open but their requirements are so strict that Benjamin’s school has not yet been able to open yet. Please pray for Benjamin’s school to reopen.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Arrows in the Hand of a Warrior

“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.” Psalm 127:4 NKJV

Please pray for my next Apologetics class via Zoom (September 6-17)

Thanks for praying for Benjamin’s summer break from school, especially since we couldn’t visit the US or Japan (Lord willing, summer of 2022). Benjamin, totally on his own initiative, started helping with my International Fishers apologetics/evangelism ministry! He improved the graphic design of the title slides and Cambodian language Bible verse slides of my videos using skills (and software) he learned in school. He even wrote the rough draft (which I reviewed and edited) for a video entitled, Fact or Fiction: the Battle of Jericho. You can watch the video in the Cambodian language at: https://youtu.be/Bp172pctWGo and read the English script at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7m5x8mottu2qyjw/Fact%20or%20Fiction%20Jericho.docx?dl=0

Thanks for praying for our health. It has improved so my video ministry could be more productive again. Since the last update, with Benjamin’s help, we could release three Apologetics/Evangelistic videos: 1. Covid 19 and the Bible 2. Fact or Fiction: The Battle of Jericho 3. Love and Sin.

Please pray for my Apologetics class, September 6-17 (via Zoom) at the Cambodia Bible Institute. Pray for wisdom, stamina (it is an intensive class), and the ability to communicate well over Zoom.

Kayo continues to be active helping organize the worship team for the online services. I video the worship team and help with the video editing. In Cambodia, only 15 people can gather so small churches/cell groups can meet but large church services must be online.

Kayo also continues to help local Cambodian organizations which help poor children and at-risk women in various ways. We were able to go to the countryside with one organization. Kayo shared her testimony to the group of children and parents at a food/clothes give away to help them make it through COVID-related poverty which compounds their previous economic problems.

Please pray for the safety of US citizens who live outside of the USA, not just missionaries but everyone (Christians and non-Christians). The situation in Afghanistan may encourage enemies of the US to attack or abuse US citizens abroad more now because they may think that the USA will not actively protect its citizens abroad (just stating my honest assessment, trying not to be political here). Of course, we trust God for our ultimate protection but many Americans abroad are not believers so they don’t have the same hope that we have. This is why we are mobilizing prayer cover and also will be a bit more vigilant (Cambodia is reasonably safe right now).

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

In Everything Give Thanks

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I’m thankful that this passage says “In everything” instead of “For everything”. We can be thankful in the midst of various trials even when we can’t be thankful for the trials themselves because we can’t see the big picture.

The past month has been an “in everything” kind of time. We have had a lot sicknesses, some more serious than others. One hospital wanted to admit me (Darryl) as an in-patient for high fever (probably a stomach flu) but the government requires a COVID test before they could treat me. I was too sick to travel around the city looking for a COVID test, so I had to ride out the sickness at home. Kayo mobilized prayer and my high fever went away soon. A Cambodian Christian doctor prescribed some medicine for other symptoms online, free of charge. We give thanks that I recovered just in time to record our mission report/sermon video for Tokyo Chapel and then go on a prescheduled family trip to the seaside. Kayo has also had some minor/annoying aliments but also recovered just in time so that we haven’t missed any important ministry or other activities.

This month, because of sickness, other projects, and travel, I could only release one video in Cambodian with English subtitles: “Who Created God?” Kayo also translated the video into Japanese for our mission presentation. I plan to upload it to the internationalfishers.com website soon. Currently, I have two more videos in process so we should be able to get back on schedule and track with video production in August.

On a side note, a Cambodian Christian organization called Bethel Grace Mission took a copy of all 40+ International Fishers videos in the Cambodian language with English and Cambodian scripts. They plan to use them as teaching materials for teens and adults in various locations.

Kayo continues to be active with the international church’s worship team, ministering to Japanese in Cambodia, and advising Precious Women Organization (which ministers to at-risk Cambodian women). Benjamin has spent the summer reading apologetics books and helping me with script writing for an upcoming video. He will start seventh grade in just a couple more weeks.

We have much to be thankful for including people like you who faithfully encourage and support or ministries during times like these.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

With You In Spirit

“For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.” Colossians 2:5

Even though we could not travel to the USA or Japan this summer as we had hoped due to COVID restrictions, we are thankful that we can feel close to our families and senders in both countries. We thank God for communication technology that allows us to communicate so that living on the other side of the globe now feels like living on the other side of the state felt a few years ago. We are thankful that we could even do some online shopping in the USA for a few essential items and books for Benjamin and have them shipped to Cambodia. This too is a blessing.

Right now, we are working on a 45-minute video for the mission service at one of our sending churches in Japan the first part of July. The video will have a mission report in Japanese by Kayo, a translated message by Darryl (Finding God in Difficult Times), and hopefully, we will be able to include the Japanese version of a short video “Who Created God?”. There are many pieces to put together so please pray that we can get everything put together in the right way for this project.

Benjamin’s online school finished its school year. Benjamin won an academic achievement award. During his first week off school, Benjamin helped me (Darryl) with the Cambodian version of the the video “Who Created God?” by applying some of the graphic design skills he learned in school. We were even able to find some opportunities for Benjamin to swim, play badminton, do archery, and even ride a horse during a short vacation in our neighborhood.

Since the last update we have released two apologetics/evangelistic videos in the Cambodian language: 1. God and Science 2. God and Right and Wrong. The video “Who Created God?” could be released but I am waiting until I can put English subtitles on it so it will be ready for release in a few more days. Please pray for wisdom in selecting and researching new topics for future videos.

Kayo continues to be very active with worship team at an international church in our neighborhood. We record the videos for the online service each week because the Cambodian government only allows 15 people to gather at a time. She also continues to encourage and minister to other Japanese missionaries who are serving in Cambodia and continues to partner with local Cambodian organizations that minister to women and to the poor though these activities are mostly online due to COVID.

Thanks for being there as partners around the globe for us. We are thankful for your prayers, encouragement, and support in various ways.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Do Not Be Worried

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25

Thanks for praying for us during the past month. We went through a three-week lockdown for COVID. Now, the restrictions have been eased to a level that we don’t feel stressed by them. During the, lockdown it was difficult to get accurate information about the various strict restrictions. This was the most stressful part of the experience. God carried us through that time of great uncertainty. Please continue to pray for others who are still under very strict lockdowns. By God’s grace the COVID situation has stabilized and improved somewhat in Cambodia. Still there are others around us who are struggling in various ways.

By God’s grace, we could continue our regular ministries even though it was at a slightly slower pace. Darryl was able to produce two videos in the Cambodian language: 1. Why and How Christians Should Be United 2. The Bible and Parenting. The reason for the first video was that many Christians were dividing on Facebook over how to spell the name of Jesus in the Cambodian language. Thankfully, this conflict has cooled off since then. The second video helps to overcome the misconception by many Cambodian parents that they own their children when in reality God is the true owner of everyone and parents supposed to be good stewards of their children. Right now, Darryl has two more apologetics/evangelistic video scripts in process.

During the lockdown, Kayo organized various families in the local international church to video themselves singing worship songs for the online worship service video. She also encourages and ministers to other Japanese missionaries and expats living in Cambodia. She maintains her relationship with Precious Women Organization but there is not so much work for her to do right now.

Benjamin will be in online school for the rest of the academic year. He is doing pretty well but online school comes with its own set of challenges and stresses not just for Benjamin but also for the family.

Thanks for praying for our driver’s license renewal. The lockdown ended just in time for us to renew and all of our supporting documents were still acceptable.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Lockdown

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;” 2 Corinthians 4:8

This is the same verse that I posted last month when we were merely perplexed but now, we really are hard-pressed by police barricades on all sides of our neighborhood. After a year of being blessed in Cambodia with low numbers of COVID cases, the COVID numbers continue to rise and it has not been contained yet. So, the capital city of Phnom Penh is now in lockdown. We are not allowed to leave our neighborhood and only two of us are allowed to leave our apartment three times a week for groceries and supplies. There are steep fines, prison terms, and deportations with no re-entry being handed out to people who violate various orders. So, we need to be really wise and careful in our daily lives.

Please pray for: 1. That COVID would be contained ASAP so that Cambodia can return to normal. 2. That God would meet the needs of the Cambodian poor because they cannot work and most charitable organizations and churches are not able to operate due to the lockdown. 3. That God would give us wisdom and grace to guide us during this confusing time.

Yet, we are not crushed. Darryl’s apologetics/evangelistic social media video ministry continues and should be able to continue despite the lockdown. Since the last update, Darryl produced and released two more videos in the Cambodian language: 1 Jonah and the Great Fish 2. How to Recognize False Christs. The second video was made because there is a new cult operating in Cambodia that teaches the Jesus Christ has already returned and is living in the form of a Chinese woman. There was a long Khmer New Year holiday this month so it was only possible to produce two videos instead of three. Darryl also has been editing the English subtitles for Light Times Magazines new video project. Please pray for Soksan the founder of Light Times and his family. They went camping on some land that they own on the outskirts of the city and got caught out there when the lockdown happened now they can’t return to their home so they may not be able to work until the lockdown is lifted. Please pray for wisdom, creativity, and inspiration for Darryl to write more video scripts that will best meet the needs of the Cambodians during this season.

The Chinese language apologetics/evangelistic video and other projects are on hold because Darryl cannot meet with Pastor Samuel during this time. One good thing is that Pastor Samuel has purchased some audio recording equipment and is taking online classes to learn how to make high quality audio recordings on his own. Please pray for wisdom about how to move forward with translation and recordings for videos even though we may have to wait until after the lockdown to do the video production part.

Even though Kayo can’t meet with the Cambodian women’s organization, she has been busy ministering to other missionaries and foreigners living in Cambodia in addition to taking care of the family. A few nights ago, she got a call at 2am from a young female Japanese missionary who lives in our apartment building that a man had somehow gotten into her apartment. We don’t know the motive. By God’s grace, the missionary woke up and screamed before the man had a chance to steal anything and he ran away without harming her. After receiving the call, Kayo and I rushed upstairs to help the missionary. She was too scared to stay in her apartment that night so she spent the rest of the night in our living room. In the morning we helped her communicate the situation to the landlord’s family. They had another apartment available that is bigger and more secure for the same price so we moved her that morning.

Now, Kayo also organizes and arranges for different members of the worship team to record their own worship videos at their homes, since the worship team can no longer meet. Darryl combines the videos and sends them to another missionary who adds lyrics and then sends the video to be combined with the sermon etc. for the local international church’s weekly Facebook service video. This ministers to a lot of missionaries and other foreigners living in Cambodia.

Benjamin’s (Badminton) Baseball In Our Living Room Is A Good Analogy For What Our Life Is Like Right Now! : )

Despite the lockdown, Benjamin’s online school continues, by God’s grace. We weren’t sure that the teachers would be able to teach because they might not have been able to retrieve their teaching materials from school now that they have to teach from home but so far things are going smoothly. For one of Benjamin’s PE assignments he had to demonstrate proper baseball batting, pitching, and catching technique on a video. The challenge was that he didn’t have a bat, baseball, glove, and we are no longer allowed to play sports outside. So, Benjamin had to use a badminton racket, a handball, and make the video in the hallway and living room of our apartment! Benjamin’s video turned out fine and there was no damage to the apartment. He even edited the video himself.

Also please pray for our Cambodian driver’s license renewal in May. Please pray the the lockdown will end before our licenses expire so we can renew them on time.

Thanks for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and support. You all mean more to us than we can express, especially in times like these.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Perplexed But Not In Despair

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;” 2 Corinthians 4:8

Years ago, when I first started driving a car in Cambodian traffic jams I used to think about being “hard-pressed on ever side.” : ) Now that COVID (105 new cases yesterday) is spreading in Cambodia there are few traffic jams. Now, the “pressing” feels more like three people trying to do work, ministry, and online school in an apartment with few outings. By God’s grace, we were able to move into a two bedroom apartment, last month, before this latest COVID outbreak hit.

High-Tech Meets Low -Tech: Benjamin using a computer, iPhone hotspot/flashlight on a claypot, and a candle for online school during a recent electrical blackout.

We thank God that we are able to continue to reach out to the people of Cambodia via social media. Sometimes we are “perplexed” with questions like, “When will we be able to return to in-person ministries with our Cambodian partners?” “When will we be able to visit the US or Japan?” etc. But, we are not in “despair” because God is with us, has met our needs so far, and we trust Him to be with us in the future.

Some of the reactions to Darryl’s apologetics/evangelistic videos in the Cambodian language.

Since the last update, Darryl has been able to produce and distribute three videos in the Cambodian language: 1. Are Genuine Christians Hypocrites? 2. Is God a Trinity? 3. How Should Christians Relate to Our Cultures? Now, Darryl has two more videos in process for the Cambodian language. In terms of video production, Darryl is able to produce more videos during the times when COVID is bad than during normal times because other ministry activities and errands are stopped.

Please pray that we will be able to work out a safe way (given the current spread of COVID) to translate, record, and synchronize more audio tracks for Darryl’s apologetics/evangelistic videos in Chinese (Mandarin).

Please pray for Kayo as she misses her in-person ministries and activities the most. She still keeps busy helping to organize the worship team at the international church for the weekly video service. She keeps in touch with her Cambodian partners but there is not as much work for her to do now that she can’t go to the office. She also is busier with the family when Benjamin is home on online school.

Benjamin is doing well both in-person and online school. He misses being able to hang out with his friends as much as before. Still he is handling it all pretty well. He also is disappointed that we won’t be able to travel either in Cambodia or internationally for some time due to COVID.

Thanks for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and support as God enables you to bless the people of Cambodia and beyond through your partnership with our family.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Perserverance

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9

We just found out that there has been another outbreak of COVID and so Benjamin’s school will be online at least for the next two weeks. We don’t know whether churches will be online or not yet. Everything was open for a month after an outbreak the end of November. This outbreak in Cambodia combined with the COVID situation in the USA and Japan make traveling this summer to either country seem very unlikely.

Despite our disappointment that COVID has not cleared up as fast as we had hoped, but now it looks like it may linger for awhile, our lives and ministries in Cambodia are going better than we expected given the situation. For example, Pastor Samuel is forming a team to translate and record Darryl’s apologetics/evangelistic videos into Chinese. I the past month we were able to translate, record, and produce the video Life: Creation or Chance in Chinese.

Darryl also produced and distributed two videos: God and the Environment and Is Jesus Really God? in the Cambodian language through social media. He also researched and wrote three scripts for future videos.

Light Times Magazine has been unable to produce a paper based magazine for some time due to COVID. Now, they are in the process of starting to produce videos for social media distribution. Please pray for this transition and for Darryl’s role in helping with the new videos.

Kayo continues to be very active with the worship team at the international church. Benjamin is doing well in school despite the changes between in-person and on-line school. We are thankful that we could move into a two bedroom apartment in the same building for the same price as a one-bedroom (due to Covid). Benjamin is happy to have his own bedroom instead of having to sleep in the living room.

Thanks for your continued and faithful prayers, encouragement, and support. We would be in a bad situation without people like you.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Hope for the New Year

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

We thank God for His faithfulness in 2020 and look forward to what He has planned for 2021. There are many unanswered questions like, “Will we be able to visit the USA, Japan, or neither this summer?” Right now, the doors don’t seem to be open for us to visit other countries but who knows what a few months will bring.

Thank you for praying for our visa renewals with the Cambodian government. We were approved for another year. They did require more documentation than ever before but by God’s grace our Cambodian partnering organizations were able to supply everything we needed for the renewal.

Thank you for praying for Cambodia’s COVID-19 situation. There was a small community outbreak the end of November. As a result, church and school went back to online only. We thank God that the outbreak was successfully contained and now church and school have both returned to in-person.

Darryl finished his apologetics class at a local Bible school in December (except for grading). Now, he can focus more on researching for new scripts for future evangelistic/apologetics videos in the Cambodian language and sharing them via website and social media.

In December, Darryl and Pastor Samuel recorded the first (pilot) episode of “Learn English Through the Bible”. This is a short English and Bible lesson in English and Chinese. We may transition to Zoom style classes instead of making stand-alone videos.

In January, “Brian” a Chinese Christian man from church volunteered to translate some of Darryl’s video scripts into Chinese as a way of improving his English and Bible knowledge. We will then be able to make more Chinese language videos.

Kayo continues to be active with the local church’s worship team and now that Christmas is over is looking for new ministry opportunities. Benjamin is back in in-person school and it is hard to believe the at 6th grade is half finished. We also thank God that he requested to be and was baptized the end of December.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

New Videos In The Chinese Language

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”  Galatians 6:9

Darryl’s Apologetics/Evangelistic video ministry has just produced its first video in the Chinese (Mandarin) language!  Darryl and Pastor Samuel have been talking about this for years now but due to COVID, we both finally have time in our schedules to work together to make this happen.  Pastor Samuel translated and recorded the soundtrack of the video “DNA: God’s Living Software” in Chinese and then we used that to make the video using video from the English version of the video.  This video is now available in Cambodian, English, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese.  It is available for viewing and free download at www.internationalfishers.com/chinese

www.internatinalfishers.com/chinese

Please pray for Pastor Samuel as he recruits other Chinese translators for future video projects.  Pastor Samuel and Darryl are also working on a new video series in Chinese and English entitled “Learn English Through the Bible.” We are starting by teaching the book of Mark verse by verse in simple English and Chinese in short videos. Please pray for this project as well.

Darryl’s vision for International Fishers has long been to, “take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people we will never meet, in places we will never go, in languages we will never speak.”   Because we live and serve in Cambodia, our main focus continues to be teaching and producing videos etc. in the Cambodian language.  But, Cambodia is a very international country and so there are Christians from many other countries and languages and we are always open to opportunities to equip and partner with them to reach people of their own language and nation. 

Last month, Darryl produced a video in the Cambodian language entitled, “the Bible and Angels” and released it on www.internationalfishers.com/khmer , on YouTube and through several Facebook pages and groups.  Darryl is about to release another video in Cambodian entitled, “God and Ethnic Groups,” but this time he will attempt to put in English subtitles so more people can understand it. 

In November, Cambodia had its first community transmission of COVID 19.  Up until now, all the cases have been imported from overseas and caught at the airport or during a mandatory 14 day quarantine.  Now that COVID has broken through into the community, schools and churches are back online for the time being.  Darryl’s apologetics class has also been moved to online video along with our other ministries.  Please pray for the schools to reopen ASAP so that if possible Darryl can record the student’s apologetics videos instead of having to give them an online exam.  

The family is doing well.  We had a great Thanksgiving and birthdays (Darryl’s and Benjamin’s) (THANKS Kayo!). 

Please pray for our visa renewals this month.  The Cambodian government keeps making the requirements more difficult each year.  We believe that we are fine for this year but please pray for favor and a smooth renewal process.  

Please pray for COVID to get controlled so we can either visit the US or Japan next summer.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia