Here are the Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and Dropbox links for my latest videos. Some people may have had difficulty accessing the video links in the last e-mail.
These verses have been on my mind lately. “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor (1 Corinthians 3:7-8).” I don’t know if I am a planter, a waterer, or maybe I am the guy who makes and repairs the planting and watering equipment. In any case, it seems that God often calls us to work together with others. By combining the work of two or more people who may be weak on their own, God can bring about an amazing synergy and harvest. I am no Bible trivia expert but I can’t think of too many obedient and successful Bible characters who were strong and wise enough to be “Lone Rangers.” Samson was a lone-wolf but his wisdom did not match his strength and so he had a lot of problems. I recently watched a documentary about England’s King Henry V’s defeat of the French army despite 10 to 1 odds. Henry V’s army was made up of “commoners” while the French had a lot of knights and experienced soldiers. The key to the victory was that Henry V equipped his troops with creative weapons, encouraged them to work together, fought along side of them as an equal, and valued the contribution that each “common soldier” could make. Of course even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.
International Fishers Update
I am blessed that God is assembling a network of Christians who are willing to share their talents and resources to make the work of International Fishers possible. Here are the September highlights:
>. New videos Flight: God’s Technology vs. Human Technology were released in Khmer (click to view) and English (click to view) . I am blessed that God allowed me to use music by my good friend, Rev. Bob Boxer and photos by Rev. Kevin Soileau. My former student in 2009, Chamroeun translated the script, Rev. Em Sok edited the script, and Kone Kmeng’s staff helped with the on screen titles in Khmer. Other Christian artisans either have or are assisting with the videos as well.
>. Produced Commissioned, a special Great Commission challenge video, for CC La Mirada’s “GO” mission event on September 27. The full version which includes a special greeting from Kayo and Benjamin will be available until October 15 (click to view) a shortened version will be available long-term (click to view).
>. Shared the International Fishers Resource DVD (videos, radio program, and power points etc.) with Samaritan’s Purse Cambodia.
>. Shared the IF Resource DVD and Video DVDs (capable of playing on DVD players) with a senior missionary who is conducting a three-month residential discipleship program for 12 Cambodians in their teens and twenties. Finding the right software to make discs that can reliably play on ordinary players is critical to distributing these videos to people without computers or high-speed internet. Even in places without electricity many homes have televisions and DVD/VCD players which are powered by car batteries.
IF Resource CDS
>. Shared MP4 Video CDs and flyers with 50+ local heads of international mission agencies operating in Cambodia. This boosted awareness and was well received. The most promising response came from the Pastor of the largest Cambodian church (1,000+ members in the main church plus 60+ church-plants nationwide) who told me that he wanted to help IF videos “go viral”. Many of the members are young, well-educated, and tech-wavy so they tend to be early adopters of new technology and techniques. Other churches often follow their example.
>. Shared International Fisher’s ministry at
Hope School Fair
Hope International School’s student volunteer fair. It was good to be able to show the young people how they can use the Internet and smartphones for more than “selfies.”
>. Continue to share videos with Cambodians living in the USA.
More exciting developments are in process. Hopefully they will be ready to report in October’s Update.
Kayo’s Ministries
Japanese Life Group
Kayo’s Japanese life group is regaining momentum after our time in Japan and move to the new house. This month, four Japanese (two not Christian…yet), a Korean pastor’s wife who is fluent in Japanese, and the Cambodian wife of a Japanese man attended. Please pray for more Japanese missionaries to get involved and help to host and expand these fellowships. This is the only Christian fellowship in Cambodia in the Japanese language.
Kayo also joined International Christian Assembly’s worship team twice and visited Precious Women Ministry. Lord willing she will be able to resume her mentoring ministry there in the future.
Flooding in front of our church.
Cambodia’s rainy season is in full force now so flooding is in full force so Kayo often has to drive through deep flood waters to go to her ministry events. I work at home and take Benjamin to school on the back of my bicycle so most of my car trips can be rescheduled if there is flooding. Kayo on the other hand, “must go through.” Benjamin and I wish we could make our 1991 Camry do what Ramone in the CARS movie can do.
Ramone (Disney/Pixar)Benjamin learning to ride.
Benjamin is learning to ride a bicycle now and is also learning to pray about his friendships with other kids at school.
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. (Genesis 1:21 NLT)
Our new house is next to the white Toyota.
New House
The rented townhouse where we lived since December, 2011 was sold the end of July. It had been on the market for 1 1/2 years. After being informed of the sale, Darryl prayer-biked around the area of Benjamin’s school for a couple of hours looking for houses. He found this house quickly. On the way home, he stopped by Kone Kmeng children’s ministry. Sampoa, our house-helper from 2007-2009 (now an administrator at Kone Kmeng) looked at the picture that Darryl took of this house that he liked best and told Darryl that she had already negotiated with the landlord when Kone Kmeng was looking for a new location a few months earlier. Because we were a family instead of an organization, the landlord reduced the rent by $50 a month. Sampoa’s husband is a contractor so he could install screens, additional wiring, kitchen counters, a kitchen sink, and curtain rods to make the new house livable. Because our former landlord sold the house during our 5 year lease, he returned double our deposit which was enough to pay for most of the needed upgrades and moving expenses.
Now, we are finally unpacked, set-up, and ready to start working. It is great not to have the uncertainty of moving or not moving every month hanging over our head (we have a 2 year lease). It is nice to be able to walk Benjamin 2 blocks to school instead of either having to drive him through traffic jams or put him on a school-van. This new townhouse-group shares a gated parking lot so the security is good and it will be safe enough for Benjamin to learn to ride a bicycle. The old house was in a more commercial area so the noise, parking, and traffic made it hard to feel at home.
International Fishers Update
Even though most of the month of August was spent on the house-move, Darryl was able to form an informal partnership with Samaritan’s Purse (Cambodia branch) to help them train their 90 Cambodian staff members across the country in Christian apologetics. They are interested in using and distributing: Darryl’s present and future videos, audio recordings of the Anchors of Faith Radio Program, books (Christianity: Reasons for Faith and Christianity: Discerning Essential Doctrines and Preserving Unity), and the Power-points Darryl developed for the AoG and Presbyterian Bible Schools here in Cambodia. Darryl may also do some training of trainers for them. These are the kinds of partnerships that will maximize International Fisher’s impact in Cambodia. Local organizations already have the manpower and network, and relationships, they only need to be trained and equipped so that they will have confidence in the Truth of God’s Word and be prepared to give a reason for their hope with gentleness and respect.
FEBC Cambodia was also able to record the Cambodian language audio track for the video Flight: God’s Technology vs. Human Technology. Darryl will start producing this video soon.
Kayo’s Update
Kayo spent most of August packing, unpacking, and she continues to fine-tune our new house. She was able to join the worship team at church and host a Japanese-life group.
We are looking forward to this new season of life and ministry in Cambodia. We trust that God will continue to open new doors for us.
“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:29-30 NLT
International Fishers: The Ends of the Earth From Our Guest Room
My home-office doesn’t have air conditioning, so in order to give my new computer a fighting chance, I work in our guest room most of the time. Here are some opportunities that God has brought to the International Fisher’s guest room/office/studio during the past month.
Mrs. Samoeun Intal recording DNA: God is the Author of Life (Khmer Audio) at FEBC’s 99.5 FM. Produced by Meth Kong, who also was the voice of “Udom” in the Anchors of Faith Radio Program.
God opened the door for Mrs. Samoeun Intal, the founder of FEBC’s Family 99.5 FM radio station to record the Khmer audio for DNA: God is the Author of Life. Samoeun was the one who invited me to write scripts for the Anchors of Faith radio program a couple of years ago.
International Fishers Facebook July 21
After producing the video, on July 15th, I posted it on vimeo, youtube, and Facebook’s International Fishers Page. You can view it in Khmer or English . I was totally amazed (shocked) at the response! The total reach of the IF page was 4,200 people between July 15 and 21! Between July 21 and 27
IF on Facebook July 27
it reached 1,700 people for a maximum total reach of 5,900 people in less than two weeks! The page was viewed by people from 42 nations including 4 from Saudia Arabia and 1 from Israel!
I was also able to share the DNA video and all my other Khmer and English videos with Gateway Cafe Ministries. Gateway was the form location of Trinity Institute to share with their students. I have also shared my videos with Cambodians living in the USA so those videos will begin to be used for evangelism and passed from person to person.
As if that weren’t enough, God gave me the opportunity to serve as apologetics tech support/ghost writer for a missionary to a closed country in the Middle East. This missionary, who has to operate under an alias because of death threats was answering a Muslim man’s questions about the evidence for the New Testament and why Christians don’t have dietary restrictions via e-mail.
It is like a dream come true. I can only imagine the actual and potential reach of International Fishers, especially as more and more Cambodians and other language groups around the world gain access to high speed Internet. The younger generation is very open to video-tracts (short evangelistic videos) in their own languages. The great thing is that video-tracts very inexpensive to make and distribute when compared to paper tracts, books, radio programs, or television.
I am also thankful that God has provided a new video camera through some Christians in Hiroshima, Japan. This video camera has a jack for a microphone which (once I get one) will allow me to use live audio and record interviews in HD. This camera packs a big punch despite being about the size of a soda can! Its small size will allow me to film without attracting too much attention and also will be less likely to be snatched from my hand by thieves.
Trinity Institute: My Final Update
In my last post, I mentioned that I had resigned as Vice President of Trinity Institute. I had hoped that I would be able to continue to serve as a board member. On July 15th, I felt God leading me to step down as a board member as well. Since returning from Japan and June, I no longer felt God empowering me to work with TIC as a result, the work became increasingly stressful and I began to feel burned out. Stepping down as VP relieved some of the stress but not all of it. The stress of TIC has often been so great that it has made it difficult to focus on International Fishers. In many ways, I felt like I was spread too thin and I was being pulled in too many directions to be effective any anything. I came to realize that “burn-out” can be a sign that we are doing more than God is asking or empowering us to do.
Both of my fathers (earthly and heavenly) both reminded me that it was God’s calling for me to start International Fishers back in 2003 has led me to be a missionary in Cambodia since 2007. While waiting for the doors to open to pursue International Fishers full-time, I have done my best to be faithful with the opportunities. God has used everything I have been involved in so far (teaching English, helping the Christians in Kampong Chhnang, helping three different Bible Schools, authoring and co-authoring 2 books, writing scripts for the radio station, and helping to launch Trinity Institute) to prepare the way for International Fishers.
I love Trinity Institute because I still believe in the vision and I believe that God wants to use it mightily in the future. If God empowers and calls me to return, I am willing to do so, but I sense that my work there is finished, at least for now. When I started with TIC three years ago I was the only one among the board or executives with any formal training in education (MA TESOL). Now the Academic Director and a new board member both have Master’s Degrees in Education and are highly experienced and gifted educators. They will be able to develop TIC to a level that I never could and I trust that God will raise up others to fill the gap as well.
It is a step of faith for me to leave a ministry that is easy to explain and justify to work on International Fishers, which is completely uncharted waters. Logically it doesn’t make sense, but God called me to step out of the boat and so I obeyed. Since I have started working full-time to develop International Fishers, I can say, for the first time in my life, I not only love what I do, I really enjoy it too! His yoke is easy!
Kayo’s Ministry Update
Kayo started hosting the monthly Japanese Life Group again. This month four Japanese attended. One of them is an elderly non-Christian Japanese man who was brought by his Cambodian Christian wife. Kayo also joined the worship team at ICA after taking a few months of during our time in Japan. She is scheduled to become one of the worship leaders in August.
Worship Team
Last week, Kayo flew to Thailand for two days of a Japanese Christian classical music outreach concert. She was able to continue the networking and laying the groundwork for this group of professional Christian musicians to come and offer a concert in Cambodia at some point in the future. The schedule for this November did not work but we trust that God will open up the timing and provide all of the logistics at the right time.
Euodia Ensemble in Bangkok, Thailand. They want to come to Cambodia. Pray for God’s timing.
Benjamin Update
Benjamin has been home for summer vacation since we returned from Japan. He will start kindergarten on August 11. Last week he attended his first Vacation Bible School at International Christian Assembly.
So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 1 Corinthians 3:7-8
Praises from the Steep Path
A steep path
In my last post I shared about my recent struggle with exhaustion and vision of a steep path. God has been carrying us up the path! One of the biggest tests of faith was our finances. Between April and June we have been blessed with many large one-time donations. These donations have put our mission accounts back in the black. This means that once again we have sufficient financial reserves for things like emergency air travel, medical expenses not covered by insurance, ministry projects and equipment, and other unexpected expenses (if our car/computer/refrigerator breaks down etc.). It is really encouraging because during the time God was challenging me to increase my faith and trust in Him, His provisions were increasing as well.
We have also seen some encouraging signs that our monthly/repeat donations may also be increasing. This is really important because our monthly expenses are increasing as well. For example, Benjamin’s preschool tuition and transportation was around $370 per month last year, which was a financial stretch. Next year they will be around $500 per month as he enters kindergarten. Other monthly expenses such as health insurance etc. are likely to increase as well. From our experience of God’s faithfulness and our renewed sense of calling to continue our mission work in Cambodia, we trust that He will provide for our monthly needs as well.
Trinity Institute Update: Moratorium on New Universities
Trinity Institute of Cambodia
When I returned to Cambodia I was informed that during the time that I was in Japan the Minister of Education had announced that no new universities will be allowed to register with the government until further notice. This move is part of a move to reform the education system in Cambodia in which degrees, diplomas, and certificates issued by Cambodian universities are not recognized internationally and have limited value locally. While the broader reforms are positive, this new rule has caused TIC to change many of our plans so that we can continue to develop and grow until the government starts allowing new universities to register again.
On a positive side of things, the school was able to function and launch English and Leadership classes while I was in Japan. Even though Mr. Kimhong, our only administrative staff member, had to quit so that he could take a better paying job, God quickly provided a new administrative staff member, Mr. Hak. In addition, Andrew and Josephine Kwong, who have started and managed other schools, have more time available to devote to TIC. They have the experience, background, and vision to really take TIC to the next level.
Since returning to Cambodia, I have felt a lack of peace about my future role in TIC especially because I felt torn between my work at TIC and International Fishers. This week, I finally realized that God was calling me to make some major changes. In December, 2010, I felt led to help Andrew (Dr. Kwong) start a Christian institute of some kind. Since then, I have been spending most of my time being obedient to that calling. I realize now that, that phase of my calling is complete. Trinity Institute has started! It was only a vision then but now it exists, even though it is small. God is calling me to have the time, energy, strength, and flexibility to really launch International Fishers. As a result, I will be stepping down as Vice President, Language Department Coordinator, and all other administrative duties as of July 15. I will continue to serve as a board member where I will focus my work on revising the constitution, bylaws, and polices to match the new organizational changes are coming soon. There are many exciting plans that are in the works that I look forward to sharing in later posts. I am more optimistic about the future of TIC now than ever before!
International Fishers Update: New Videos More Opportunities
Pastor Moeun and his highlighted and underlined copy of Christianity: Reasons for Faith
Since returning to Cambodia, I was able to take a few hours to make Spanish language versions of my oldest videos Life: Creation or Chance and Jesus Christ: History or Fiction. You may wonder, “How/why are you making Spanish videos in Cambodia? “ I minored in Spanish in college and so when I was attending CC La Mirada I often attended the Spanish service. While visiting California last December I met Pastor Gustavo and he said that he was looking for apologetics materials in Spanish. I suggested making short Spanish language videos. I sent the church some video scripts in English. They translated the scripts and recorded them in Spanish and sent them back to me through the Internet. I used the Spanish audio to sync with my existing videos. You can see the videos at www.vimeo.com/internationalfishers www.vimeo.com/99210247 and www. vimeo.com/99211184 or www.facebook.com/internationalfishers Lord willing, we plan to make the Khmer version of the DNA: God’s Living Software in July and start working on God’s Technology: Birds vs. Airplanes.
We visited Kampong Chhnang last weekend and spoke at Toul Ksaich Church. It was encouraging to see that Pastor Moeun has been carefully reading and highlighting the book Christianity: Reasons for Faith and then teaching his church members the evidence from the book. Lord willing, we will be able to publish an English-only version of this book as a resource for missionaries to other countries.
We are thankful for all of our co-laborers who share in God’s work through us in Cambodia through prayer, investment, and encouragement.
“I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” John 21:18 NLT
Mid-Mission Crisis: “The path gets steeper from here.”
I (Darryl) have been going through a “mid-mission crisis”. Unlike a “mid-life crises,” I have no sudden urge to regain my youth and sense of adventure by buying a hair piece (Cambodia is too hot for hair) and buying a sports car. Instead, I suddenly had a longing for a peaceful life, a stable job, and stable housing (a 9 to 5 job, a mortgage, a mini-van, and money in the bank). When I was 24, I made a commitment to Christ, “I won’t say No” to any of His plans for me. This has led me to spend the 10 of the past 14 years in Cambodia as a missionary and the other four years have been divided between California and Japan, with only a few visits to Missouri, my home-state. It was easier to take bold steps of faith when I was 24 and single than when I am 37 with a wife and a child.
I had a deep sense of exhaustion from too many adventures and so I sought a way to escape my life as a missionary, for something more peaceful and safe. Even pastoring a church in the US seemed like an easy alternative. On Easter, we went to a small church north of Tokyo. While Kayo was playing the piano and because I couldn’t sing the Japanese hymn, I closed my eyes. In my mind, I saw a very stony path up a mountain before me. Ahead of me, the path suddenly became almost vertical as it when up the side of a cliff. At the top, I saw light surrounded by darkness. Since that moment, these words have been written on my heart, “the path gets steeper from here.”
I really struggled with this. I cried out to God, “I can’t climb any steeper paths. I’ve already given all of my strength just to get this far.” Since making the commitment to Christ, “I won’t say N0,” in 2000, I have suffered dengue twice, a nervous breakdown (bipolar disorder) and healing, countless disappointments, thefts, and serious food poisoning (bacteria, amoebas, and parasites) around 50 times. Recently, I explained my medical history to a doctor in Japan he said, “You are an expert of diarrhea.” I was at the end of my strength and I really wanted to run away from my calling.
After spending a few hours at Starbucks in Hiroshima, venting and complaining to my good friend Kevin, an tent-maker missionary/pastor, who also has a Japanese wife and hybrid sons, God placed John 21:18 on my heart. I’m glad it wasn’t 21:19 because that was about Peter being crucified : ). I also have been given a sense that Christ was telling me, “I held you hand and walked with you up the first part of the path, I will carry you up the next part.”
Since then, I have been challenged to continue to grow in faith through every stage of life, not just when I was young. If we were trusting God to meet our needs at 25, we should be depending on Him even more at 65 or 85. We can’t start off trusting in God in our twenties and then in our thirties and forties start trusting in our retirement plans and investments (not to say that these things are bad, but our sense of security and provision must be placed in Christ alone). We must be prepared to hear His voice, and follow Him, wherever in the world He calls us regardless of our age or other considerations.
Experiencing God’s Power in Japanese Churches
We have been experiencing God’s power a new way as we visit Japanese churches. In addition to being able to encourage the church member to be ambassadors for Christ in their daily lives, God has given us opportunities to minister to individuals.
Some of these opportunities relate to our Christian Apologetics ministry:
A Japanese junior high school teacher who is required to teach evolution to his students.
Various parents who want to give evidence for the truth of Christianity to their children either to prevent them from losing their faith as a result of evolutionary teaching in public schools. Others need resources and encouragement to help restore the faith of their children who have already lost their faith.
Other opportunities relate to challenging the Japanese not to bury their God-given talents but to use them for His glory throughout their entire lives. We have even had one opportunity to minister to a mentally-ill Japanese man and to point him to Christ in a way that could penetrate his confusion.
Please continue to pray for us that we will continue to keep our eyes on Christ instead of the storms.
As we visit Japanese churches and share about our ministries in Cambodia, we have the unique opportunity to encourage them to represent Christ before their families, classmates, co-workers, who they encounter in their daily lives instead of limiting their ministries to their church buildings. This message has been well received. We believe that this is also an important message for Cambodia as well and this is why we want to continue our work of equipping the saints there.
Kayo also met with Mr. Yanase, the director of Euodia, a music ministry based in Japan about the possibility of having an outreach concert in Cambodia.
Even though we are far from Cambodia, God still brings Cambodia across our paths. One of the students from the Royal University of Law and Economics in Cambodia came to Japan six years ago. He worked his way through language study and a university degree in Tokyo by delivering newspapers. Now he has married a Japanese lady. We were able to share a copy of Christianity: Reasons for Faith with him. Please pray that he will read the book and come to Christ.
While visiting Tokyo Grace church, we spent a night at a missionary guesthouse. There we met an American lady who is planning to lead a lead a short term mission team to Cambodia in July, we have the opportunity to equip her team with International Fishers’ videos and recommend other resources to help them be more effective during their time in Cambodia.
Please pray for strength, health, and courage for us as we continue the journey that God has set before us.
I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2
Sometimes it seems that there is no one coming over the hills to help us. When we read these verses we can imagine a lost traveler or a soldier, about to be defeated, desperately scanning the slopes for any sign of a a rescuer or reinforcements, but no one seems to be there. It is in these moments that we realize that our help isn’t on the hilltops but our help is from the LORD who made the hills, the earth, the universe, and heaven.
During the days between speaking engagements, I have been watching a lot of Creation videos on my computer. It has been encouraging to be reminded of God’s infinite power displayed from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the farthest star in the universe. Discoveries of the physics of space and time itself help us to begin to appreciate God’s omnipresence and omniscience. And yet, with all God’s power, there is overwhelming evidence that He knows us and genuinely cares about us as individuals.
As faith-missionaries, there is no one who is obligated to pray for us, help us, host us, or partner with us financially. In other words, we have no reason to expect anyone to be coming over the hills to help us. HOWEVER! There are brothers and sisters in Christ in the US and Japan who have been faithfully praying, helping, hosting, and financially partnering with us for seven years or more, regardless or the economy or their personal situation. We have never been without food, clothes, housing, or transportation no matter where we go in the world. This is evidence that our help came from the LORD through our senders. We are thankful for those that God has chosen to use to make His work possible.
As we complete our seventh year in Cambodia, we are in a time of reflection. On one hand, our various ministry projects (International Fishers, Trinity Institute, Japanese Ministry, and other Cambodian ministries) have sprouted and look very promising. On the other hand, our personal, Benjamin’s
Benjamin with Tokyo Chapel kids as they prayed for the kids advancing to the next grade. Benjamin will be entering Kindergarten in August.
educational, and ministry expenses have been exceeding our income from the US and Japan for some time now, and our reserves are being used up. We have been trying our best to reduce expenses, but some expenses such as Benjamin’s Christian school expenses will continue to increase. If we cut our personal or ministry budgets much deeper, we will lose our ministry productivity.
Therefore, it is becoming clear that we need more help from the Maker of the hills, if we are to continue our ministries in Cambodia over the long-term. If not, we are willing to return to the US or Japan, but we don’t have any sense of calling or open doors for this. Regardless, we desire to finish our work in Cambodia well, with a sense of completion and victory. I am sharing this need publicly, so that when God meets this need, we can praise Him publicly. God has often met our needs from unexpected directions. Please pray that God will strengthen our current senders and raise up new senders in the US and Japan.
Our family has just finished a short but intense season in Cambodia from January 6 to March 20. We are at a missionary retreat center in Thailand for a few days of much needed recharging before heading to Japan to visit our senders before returning to Cambodia in June.
International Fishers Update:
.Dr. Jim Ronald visiting from Hiroshima, Japan narrating the video, Jesus: History or Fiction?, in English
Benjamin Helping narrate a video for Calvary Chapel La Mirada
With the new computer and microphone, we were able to make some major gains in video production by improving some of the existing videos and making new ones. Benjamin even helped make a video about missions in Cambodia for Calvary Chapel La Mirada’s Children’s Ministry. If you would like to view Benjamin’s video, please e-mail darryl@sgwm.com and we will send you a link. We can’t post this one on the Internet for privacy reasons.
Another video, DNA: God’s Living Software has been completed in English and Japanese. A Cambodian version will come out after we return to Cambodia in June. We will keep posting our videos on vimeo and Facebook so people can view, download, and share them. We will also continue to share CDs and DVDs with those who don’t have fast enough Internet. As we develop these videos for Cambodians, we also invite people who are working with other nationalities partner with us to make videos in their target language. For example, there are some people who are ministering to Chinese who are interested in helping us make Chinese versions of our videos. We were also blessed with a new logo designs by our good friend Donna. The one above is one of our favorites.
Japanese Expat Ministry:
Japanese Alpha Course
There also has been progress in the Japanese Ministry. Kayo finished up a 10 week Alpha Course in Japanese. Now there is a stable core group that can help her to develop other ministries to Japanese, living in Cambodia, who have no other Christian ministry in their language. Euodia, group of world class Christian classical musicians from Japan are working on coming Cambodia this November after their mission trip to Nepal (please pray for their funding). Kayo is working on organizing one or more outreach concerts/events which can minister to non-Christian Japanese, Cambodians, and others in Cambodia.
Trinity Institute Update:
TIC’s Library and Fount of Wisdom Book sales.
TIC and CPTI partnering to train missionaries.
In addition to getting TIC’s new location up and running and launching classes, Darryl and Kimhong have been working to organize and open a library/bookstore. The library has more than 1,000 books and there is a good chance that we can accept more book donations soon. We also have a book sales stand so that TIC can sell Fount of Wisdom books as well. When you visit a Christian university like Biola, you often see the library and bookstore housed in there own buildings, but I’m sure if you could go back in time about 100 years, the administration, library, and bookstore may have fit in one room. Unless the Lord returns, we pray that these seeds will continue to grow for the coming decades and centuries.
As Cambodia’s church develops and becomes more self sufficient, it will begin to launch its own missionaries. Those missionaries will need inter-cultural, professional, and theological training. TIC is working on developing partnerships to train missionaries in Cambodia. We are forming a committee for this purpose with Cambodia Presbyterian Theological Institute, the Korean founded seminary where Darryl taught Apologetics last fall. At this point, it looks like the missionary training program will train three types of students:
1. Cambodians who want to go overseas as tentmaker/business as mission missionaries or to minister to overseas Cambodians (e. g. Cambodians working in Korea or Japan).
2. Mainland Chinese who are coming to Cambodia as missionaries to Cambodia or who are on their way to other nations. We are currently building relationships with underground church leaders
3. New or future missionaries from Europe or America who need practical missions and intercultural studies internships or training.
Many Christian universities have intercultural studies academic programs but the students have limited opportunities to really experience other cultures directly beyond eating at a Chinese restaurant. If those students could come to Cambodia, they could easily form real relationships with missionaries, Christians, and others from many countries. Even though TIC is small, it is made up of more than 5 nationalities and our international church has more than 30 nationalities.
But the workers are few. . .
We truly are in the midst of an exciting time in our ministries! There are so many opportunities for really ground-breaking ministries that it is almost overwhelming. Whether it is International Fishers, Japanese Ministry, Trinity, or our other ministries, there simply is more that needs to be done, than we ourselves can possibly do on our own. We need more workers: volunteers to join these ministries in Cambodia, more prayer warriors around the globe, and more financial supporters in the US and Japan. We are thankful for the senders that God has already given us and we are thankful for their (your) sacrificial giving and for really providing the prayer cover that have made it possible for our ministries and family to blossom to the point that they are outgrowing our current resources (physical and financial). If our ministries are to continue to grow, we can only trust that the same God who has guided us will also provide for the next chapter.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His field.
Please join us in praying that God will raise up many more workers: short/medium/long-term missionaries in Cambodia, prayer warriors, and financial supporters who will become co-laborers with us in His field in Cambodia. The Great Commission was given to all believers, not just the missionaries. In order to effectively collect His harvest, all workers are equally important (whether they are cutting the plants, sharpening and repairing the tools, or bringing food and water to the other workers.) Those of you who read newsletters like this one, pray, and invest your time, talents, and resources into missions have a much greater impact than you can possibly comprehend until you get to heaven and meet those in Cambodia and beyond who were touched by your faithfulness.
The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan. Joshua 5:11-12 NLT
Trinity Institute Update: Preparing for the End of Manna
Dr. Kwong shared the above passage in the TIC board meeting this week. God had provided manna for more than 4o years. He continued to provide until they harvested the grain from the land of Canaan and made bread. The Body of Christ in Cambodia has been receiving a large portion of its financial resources from overseas donations for more than 20 years now. A new post-war generation is rising up and the economy is continuing to develop. By training the future business, educational, organizational, and other Christian professionals, we are preparing for “the end of manna.” After the manna (foreign donations) ends, we hope and pray that the Body in Cambodia will be strong enough not only to survive and support itself but also to thrive by completing the task of reaching Cambodia for Christ and then launching its own missionaries to the ends of the earth.
Trinity Institute of Cambodia
Since moving into TIC’s new location, Darryl and Kimhong have been working on getting things set-up. Now, the solar panels, electrical upgrades, and sign are installed. Painting should be done next week. They have also been working on organizing the library and preparing marketing materials. Kira, TIC’s English Program Coordinator is preparing to launch two new English classes in March. Lord willing we can launch more classes in May. One class will be held at TIC and the other class will be held at Logos International School as part of TIC’s teacher training partnership with Asian Hope. Benjamin Goh from Singapore will also return to TIC to teach a few workshops on Social Enterprise and Leadership. There are other exciting opportunities in the planning stages.
Video Production Update
After more than 10 years of talking about making Christian videos, now Darryl is finally able to do it! Each morning, Darryl bicycles to TIC and then in the afternoons he is able to produce Christian videos. During our time in the USA, we were blessed to receive a new Mac Mini from Darryl’s parents and Kayo gave him a microphone for his birthday. Since returning to Cambodia he has just completed a new video entitled DNA: God’s Living Software in English. Cambodian, Japanese (Kayo’s translation and narration), and Spanish versions are also in the works. This video talks about the complexity of the cell and DNA as evidence for God’s existence and love for us (Psalm 139). Darryl is also working on improving the two videos he made last year with the new computer and adding English and Japanese audio to them.
Family Update:
Kayo continues her weekly Japanese Life Group/Alpha Course along with the worship team and Khmer language study. Benjamin continues to do well at Hope School. We are all preparing to visit our sending churches in Japan from April 3 to June 10. We will stop off in Thailand for a couple weeks of family vacation at a retreat center for missionaries.
Thank you for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and support that makes it possible for us to partner with you in expanding the Kingdom in Cambodia.
