On the Field in Cambodia

We arrived in Phnom Penh on August 12. It is good to be back on the field in Cambodia. We are in the midst of the rainy seasons which bring with it the adventures of flash floods. On Sunday evening, the street in front of our guesthouse was so flooded that the water was above the floorboards of our car. Thank God it didn’t leak.

Today we will make our way home to Kampong Chhnang Cambodia a 1.5-2 hour trip over a narrow highway with every possible challenge from speeding buses to meandering ox carts.

We are looking forward to resuming our work and ministry.

Update 8/2011 Radio Program

"Udom" and "Nimol" recording the Truth dialogue

Anchors For Faith: Truth, Relationships, and Experience

Radio Program

In March, Far East Broadcasting’s Cambodia FM 99.5 station was able to record the first 30-minute radio program.  Darryl was very happy and pleased that even though he originated the radio program’s concept and the original script for the truth segment, the final product sounded completely Cambodian.  For the Truth segment, Darryl writes dialogue scripts for conversations between two Cambodian university students “Nimol” and “Udom.”  In this script, “Udom” and “Nimol,” discuss the evidence that helps them overcome their own doubts and the objections of others about the truth of Christianity.  For the Relationships section, FEBC staff members prepare a dialogue about how Christians should relate to other believers and offer practical advice about how Cambodian Christians can maintain their witness and testimony with their non-Christian family and friends.  The Experience segment was based on the testimony of Pastor Sok Em, our close friend, the founding director of Tahas Bible Institute.

Sadly, Phearun who played the role of “Udom” in the Truth dialogue was killed in a traffic accident in Phnom Penh.  Despite their sorrow over the loss of their co-worker, the staff at FM 99.5 found another young man to become the second “Udom.”  Since then, they have re-recorded program #1 and are on schedule to record 2 episodes each month until they far enough ahead to begin broadcasting on the radio station which has a potential audience of 7 million of Cambodia’s 13 million population.

A New Chapter of Ministry in Cambodia

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

We are excited about this new chapter of ministry in Cambodia with Saving Grace World Mission.  Darryl served in Cambodia from 2000-2003 and we have been working in Cambodia since 2007 as a family with different missions organizations.  We will return to Cambodia on August 11 to continue our ministry there.

Please pray for us as we make the transition to SGWM, including learning how to manage this new blog and website.

Suitcases and Eternal Life

Today, our family made our bi-annual shopping (2009, 2011, 2013) trip to IKEA.  IKEA is an amazing store full of high quality, stylish furniture, housewares, towels, bedding, and more at reasonable prices.  We kept saying, “I wish they had this in Cambodia.”  Then, we reminded ourselves of the airline luggage allowance and we ended up purchasing the things that we really needed that actually would fit in our suitcases.  If we had forgotten about the airline luggage limits, we might have created a scene at the airport as we tried to bring a futon or chair as carry-on luggage.

Just like the airline luggage allowance, heaven also has a luggage limits.  We can’t bring our houses, cars, clothes, or other physical things.  Physical things will not fit into our “spiritual suitcases.”  Just like an airline, we need a ticket and our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is that ticket. We didn’t buy that ticket ourselves.  It was purchased for with Jesus’ blood.  Once we have a ticket, we are given a spiritual luggage allowance.  We want to make sure that we pack our luggage full with all of the spiritual things for heaven (worship, prayer, ministry, etc.).

Of course life is like a trip to IKEA, we need to constantly remind ourselves of Heaven’s Luggage Allowance.  With that in mind, we can prioritize the spiritual things that we can take with us.  We can also enjoy the physical things that we will leave behind.

Actually, I am kind of relieved that I don’t have to try to carry a chest of drawers through the airport.  I am also looking forward to leaving the sickness, sorrow, and pain of this world behind and getting the new things in heaven.  I am also glad that in Heaven, everything that I really need will be waiting for me.  There will be no need for my relatives to burn little paper replicas of cars, houses, or money as many Buddhists feel they must do. There are plenty of seats left on the flight to heaven, so I want to invite my friends and loved ones to join me.

Eternal life-It’s the only way to fly.