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

The Heart of the King

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.
 (Proverbs 21:1 NKJV)

As I write this post, it is the day before the U.S. election. Growing up, I was interested in U.S. politics while my peers were interested in sports. I even earned a degree in political science before God called me to be a missionary and Christian apologist in Cambodia. Each election year, I thank God that I do not have to campaign for any human candidate, but that I have the privilege to use my skills to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Even though I still have strong preferences for which candidates win various elections, the above verse has helped me to keep my sense of balance and peace by remembering that regardless of who wins the election, God is still in complete control. 

Some of the reactions to one of my videos, “God and Money” on Facebook.

In October, I continued to write scripts and produce apologetics/evangelistic videos in the Cambodian language. I released two videos: God and Good Evil and God and Money. Four more video scripts are in various stages of production for future videos. The video ministry continues to be fruitful and rewarding. 

Now that the churches have reopened (with restrictions), I have also resumed helping a Chinese missionary teach the Bible and English to Chinese and Cambodians at the international church we attend. 

I have also started teaching a Christian Apologetics class at the Cambodia Presbyterian Theological Institute. This class has been a little confusing due to COVID restrictions. At first, the class was supposed to be fully online, so I prepared for that. Then, it was supposed to be partly online and partly in-person, so I prepared for that. Now, starting this week, it is fully in-person. So, I am getting ready to make (hopefully) this final adjustment. I am thankful that Cambodia’s COVID-19 situation remains very good with only a handful of active cases, all from overseas travelers and not community transmission. 

Kayo continues to actively help coordinate the international church’s worship team and minister to Japanese missionaries in Cambodia. She looks forward to getting back into in-person ministries to Cambodians as the COVID situation in Cambodia improves.

Benjamin is doing well in school and is overcoming the challenges of sixth grade and COVID restrictions (at school). 

Thank you for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and support. Please pray for our ministries as well as for the travel restrictions to/from Cambodia so that we can visit the US and Japan in the future. We also pray that God will bless, provide for, and protect you during this season of uncertainty. 

In Christ’s Love,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Our Refuge

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” Psalm 5:11

Since our last update, God has opened the doors for schools and churches to reopen. The government still has placed strict requirements on both but with a total cases around 274 and no community transmission of COVID 19, we are hopeful that those restrictions will be gradually eased. The restrictions for entry into Cambodia remain very strict so for now we cannot leave the country because it might be too difficult to re-enter.

Our regular ministries continue to be blessed. Darryl’s International Fishers apologetics/evangelistic ministry is going well. He has been able to increase the frequency of his videos from about 1 per month before COVID to around 3 per month. He released videos with the following titles (in the Cambodian language)since August: Science and Jesus’ Miracles, Talking Snakes and Donkeys in the Bible, How to Find God, and, God and Time.  There are three more videos in process which will be released soon. He continues to release the videos on the website, various Facebook pages and groups, and on YouTube. It is encouraging that the EvidenceCambodia YouTube channel alone now has 1,620 subscribers and has more than 92,000 total views across all the videos. Tracking the numbers of views on the various Facebook pages and groups and the website is much more difficult but most videos are more popular on Facebook than on YouTube. 

Kayo continues to be very active in worship ministry for the local international church. We are thankful that we no longer have to only do video services but can do in-person services. She looks forward to being able to return to in-person work with Precious Women. 

Please pray for our Cambodian ministry partners, especially Light Times Magazine and Precious Women Organization. Light Times Magazine is struggling financially and also it is difficult to print and distribute magazines during this season. Please pray that now that the churches are reopening that Light Times will be able to return to normal operations as well. Please pray for Precious Women Organization that they will be able to return to regular operations as well. Before COVID, they were primarily focused on evangelizing and retraining women who were trapped in the night-time entertainment industry. Now, they are primarily focused on providing emergency food relief to women who have become unemployed due to COVID. While this is a good temporary focus, please pray that they will be able to return to their main vision ASAP and that we will be able to return to in-person work with them.

Thanks for your faithful prayer, encouragement, and practical support that has made it possible for our family not to just survive during this global season of pandemic and unrest but to actually see some areas of thriving. We pray that God will be with and bless you, your family, and your church as you have been a blessing to the Great Commission in Cambodia. 

In Christ’s Love,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

A Strong Tower

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

Despite the uncertainties of the world around us, God has blessed us with peace and protection during this season. COVID-19 remains under control in Cambodia and we thank God for this. As a result, Benjamin’s school will be able to reopen for in-person classes with mask and social distancing requirements at the end of August. God has carried us through approximately five months of schooling and work at home in an apartment that seems to shrink as our 11-year-old grows. Travel restrictions remain pretty strict so any travel outside of Cambodia before the middle of 2021 would be extremely difficult if not impossible. Churches remain limited to 10 people so we continue helping with the online services at the international church.

Darryl continues to create and distribute Cambodian language evangelistic/apologetics videos on social media and via www.internationalfishers.com/khmer. He just released a video in Cambodian entitled, “Science and Jesus Christ’s Miracles,” which discusses how science cannot disprove miracles and gave other evidence for Jesus’ miracles. The video ministry continues to go well as Cambodians use social media more and more for entertainment and communication. The videos receive anywhere from hundreds of views and tens of thousands of views on various social media platforms. For example, Darryl’s most popular video in Cambodian, “Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead” has been viewed by more than 45,000 Cambodians on YouTube alone.

Darryl also continues to work with other missionaries to develop a basic Bible teaching website in Cambodian and other languages. It is a slow process but it is very promising in terms of the impact that it can have. 

Kayo continues serving as a board member and volunteer at Precious Women ministry which evangelizes and retrains at-risk women for other careers outside of the night-time entertainment industry. Recently, the organization has been focused on distributing food to women who are out of work due to COVID-19. Kayo and I do some work at home for the organization on an as-needed basis but we haven’t been able to go to the office since COVID-19 began. We hope to return to the office soon. Kayo is also very active in the international church’s worship team and online services. 

Benjamin has been doing some online summer schooling and will soon start joining a soccer club. 

Thanks for your prayers, encouragement, and support. May God bless you and keep you and your family during this season.

In Christ’s Loving Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia Missions Update

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 20:7

With a pandemic, economic turmoil, and social turmoil in many places around the world it is easy to become overwhelmed and frightened when our “horses” and “chariots”, whatever they may be, fail. But, these times constantly remind us that God is real and He is greater than whatever we fear. We thank God that He has been taking care of us and meeting our daily needs during this precarious time.

Ministries have stabilized in this new season. Darryl was able to release a new video in the Cambodian language entitled “If God Created Everything, Why Do Animals Eat Meat?” This video was well-received on various social media platforms. 

Darryl has also been video recording and editing the videos for the worship team at the international church’s online service via Facebook. Darryl did the subtitles for one week but now there is someone else to do this. 

Darryl is waiting for students at the seminary to turn in their online apologetics class assignments for grading. Hopefully this will be completed in July.

Right now, Darryl is mainly focusing on researching and writing video scripts for future videos. Please pray for wisdom and inspiration for the writing process. 

Kayo participated in a food giveaway via Bethel Grace Mission a Cambodian founded ministry that ministers to the urban poor who live in graveyards.

Kayo is also helping to organize the worship team at the international church and is actually more busy than normal with this because of the need to record the worship time on video. It looks like the churches will be shut down for several more months. 

Benjamin completed his online school year. He will be going into 6th grade (probably online) in August. We are proud of him for winning a the Jo Miller award for Christ-like servant leadership. 

We are doubtful that we can go to Japan this fall because now in order to return to Cambodia we would need to deposit $3,000 per person for quarantine expenses in addition to other hurdles in Cambodia and Japan. Please pray that these travel restrictions will be lifted in time for us to travel internationally again in 2021. 

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Peace in Troubled Times

“Refuse to give in to him, by standing strong in your faith. You know that your Christian family all over the world is having the same kinds of suffering. And after you suffer for a short time, God, who gives all grace, will make everything right. He will make you strong and support you and keep you from falling. He called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever.” 1 Peter 5:9-10

The italicized part of this passage has been on my mind since reading it with Benjamin a few days ago. There are troubles all over the world. Before one trouble gets resolved, other troubles break out. In the past, it seemed like the lives of those in our sending countries were more peaceful and secure than our lives as missionaries in Cambodia. Now, I am not so sure. 

Now, it is increasingly clear that heaven, not earth, is our true home. Even when things go wrong on earth, God will make everything right either now or in eternity. So, as believers, we can maintain the love, joy, and peace, that God gives us regardless of the trials that we and our loved ones around the world are facing. 

Cambodia Update

Darryl’s Latest Apologetics/Evangelistic Video In Cambodian

By God’s grace, we have been able to continue to minister in Cambodia despite COVID-19. Darryl has been able to finish all 16 (30-minute) videos to substitute for in-person Apologetics class lectures at a local Cambodian seminary. In June, he will still need to grade the final exam/projects.

In addition, Darryl was able to produce and distribute a new video entitled God’s Robots in Cambodian. This video is about the amazing design of microscopic “walking robots” called kinesins that transport molecules inside the cell. The video has been distributed on various social media platforms, Facebook groups, and will also be available on the app of the largest Cambodian church and network. There is another video in process and then Darryl will need to take some time to research topics for future videos. Please pray for wisdom and creativity. 

Kayo has been helping to organize the international church’s worship team for weekly video-recorded worship sessions for the online services. She is also organizing some smaller member-care fellowship groups to care for various members who are getting isolated after months without in-person fellowship. In-person church services remain closed for the foreseeable future.

Kayo has also been ministering to and encouraging other Japanese missionaries and expats in Cambodia. We will not be able to go to Japan this summer to visit our senders there so we are looking in to making videos for them.

Precious Women organization continues to distribute supplies to women who are at risk of getting trapped in prostitution. Many of them have lost their regular jobs as a result of COVID-19. So, they are at even greater risk. We continue to support this organization financially and Kayo does some work from home work for them as well. 

Benjamin is finishing his school year online. Lord willing the school will be able to start in-person classes in August but we are not sure of that either. 

Please continue to pray for our finances as it is very difficult to raise additional funds because of COVID-19, meanwhile our expenses have increased beyond our control. We recognize that many of our senders are also facing financial uncertainty as well so we are sensitive to this reality as well. 

In Christ’s Loving Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia Missions Update: More Than Conquerors

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-38
Family Time

At this time Cambodia has 122 cases of COVID-19 and all but a few have recovered. We thank God for this. It may be that the high temperatures and scorching sunlight that we usually complain about during this season are helping to keep the virus under control–only God knows for sure. Schools have been shut down until further notice so Benjamin’s school is teaching him online. Churches, bars, theaters, gyms, and casinos and some other businesses are shut down but so far we have not been put under any stay at home orders. So, the three of us are pretty much at home except for shopping, exercise, and errands. 

Still ministries continue and life goes on. I (Darryl) am in the process of recording sixteen 30-minute video-lectures for my apologetics/evangelism class for Cambodian seminary students. The seminary has set up a studio so I am thankful that I can go there instead of attempting to record everything in our apartment. The seminary will share the videos and exam online with their students. 

I also continue to make short (5-10 minute) apologetics/evangelistic videos for social media as I have been doing for quite some time. Because there is little to do in Cambodia for entertainment, many Cambodians are using social media quite a bit to pass the time so they continue to come across my website, Facebook page, and Youtube channel where I have posted several dozen apologetics/evangelistic videos in the Cambodian language over the years. 

In addition to this, I continue to assist in editing English language articles for Light Times Magazine, the only Christian magazine in Cambodia. Light Times is available in English and Cambodian languages and is read by around 40,000 people per issue. I am thankful that I can continue to serve via computer during this season. 

Kayo and I both volunteer at Precious Women Organization in various capacities but our in-person work has been canceled for a few weeks now. Kayo still does some administrative work for them from home. Please pray for this organization. Before COVID-19, they were busy retraining and evangelizing impoverished women who were at risk of becoming trapped in the sex industry. Many of these women had jobs at bars and night clubs but now they have lost their regular jobs and so they are at even greater risk. Precious Women has been providing rice and other basic food staples to help them get by, along with teaching them the Bible and other things online. 

We have postponed our trip to visit our senders in Japan until September (if possible). Right now it is almost impossible to go to Japan and return to Cambodia and church services are closed there as well. So, we are basically, “stranded” here but we are at peace with this situation at the present time. 

We continue to pray for Cambodians and our senders who are struggling during this season in various ways. May God grant us all peace, grace, wisdom, and provision during this time. 

In Christ’s Love,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I Planted, Others are Watering

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 NKJV

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, this month I have neither. God is doing some cool things in our ministries here in Cambodia but we haven’t been able to take any pictures. Here are a few things that God has been doing that we couldn’t photograph.

>A missionary couple in rural Cambodia has started using Darryl’s apologetics book, Christianity: Reasons for Faith to train around 40 Cambodian pastors and church leaders out there. 

>Darryl was able to share the book, Christianity: Reasons for Faith, and various videos with a Christian school teacher in Cambodia from South Africa to help him teach his students about the truth of Christianity compared to other worldviews.

>A dear sister in the US was able to Darryl’s videos in Japanese (Kayo translated and recorded) on www.internationalfishers.com/japanese to spiritually encourage a Japanese couple who had difficulty understanding English. 

Prayer Requests

>Please pray for us (as we also pray for you) during this Coronavirus outbreak. We have plans to visit our senders and churches in multiple cities in Japan this summer but it is difficult to plan this trip. Cambodia depends on imports and this disease is already threatening the supply of some things that we need, especially prescription medicines. By God’s grace, so far there are only 3 known cases of Coronavirus in Cambodia. Cambodia’s healthcare system is not as developed as in other countries so if there is a serious outbreak here, we could face serious problems. 

>Please pray for Darryl as he prepares to teach Apologetics at the Cambodia Presbyterian Theological Institute from the end of March to the beginning of June.

>Please pray for Kayo as she bears a lot of the behind the scenes administrative burdens for the international church worship team. 

>Also pray for Kayo’s work with Precious Women Organization as she takes on board member and administrative roles. 

>Praise God for raising up more Cambodian Christian partners for Darryl’s apologetics/evangelistic video ministry. Darryl was able to release one video on God’s designs in February and God’s goodness in March. Other videos are in process. 

>Please continue to pray for our finances. God has been providing our short-term needs but we still have some uncertainty about Benjamin’s educational expenses and unmet long-term needs. 

>Please pray for other on-going ministry projects that we didn’t have space to mention this time. 

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

New Year, New Opportunities

Record family with a vision trip team from Japan and Phany and Lida 
(Precious Women Organization Founder)

 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Acts 13:47

We thank God for carrying us through 2019- a year with many mountains and valleys. Because of God’s faithfulness in many stressful situations, our faith continues to grow as we begin 2020.

Thank you for your prayers for Benjamin especially during his hospitalization for influenza. We are also thankful that no one else caught it from him, especially because the team from Japan came just as he was recovering. Despite this, the team had a blessed time in Cambodia. They were a great encouragement both as prayer and ministry partners. They also were able to bless some poor Cambodian children through a special program in partnership with a local ministry to people who are so poor that they must live in graveyards. 

Please pray for our senders in Japan. The pastor who heads our sending committee in Japan, who connects us with Japanese churches, and who is key to our fund-raising in Japan is going through some health problems and has had to take an extended time off from all ministries. So, please pray for this beloved pastor’s recovery and also please pray that God will open doors for us to visit churches in Japan this summer. 

Please pray for our increasing work with Precious Women Organization, a ministry which evangelizes and retrains women who could easily become trapped in the sex industry. Kayo is praying about whether or not to join the board of Precious Women and Darryl has started working one day a week with them to produce videos to inspire the Cambodian women and other topics. 

We are blessed with other ministry opportunities as well. Darryl continues to make evangelistic videos in the Cambodian language. One of his videos has recently been viewed by more than 40,000 Cambodians. He also continues to work with Light Times Magazine and on the development of an evangelistic/evangelistic website in partnership with a brother from Pakistan. Kayo also continues to be very busy with coordinating the international church’s worship team and reaching out to Japanese living in Cambodia.

Please continue to pray for our finances, especially for Benjamin’s educational expenses. With the various ministry projects that seem to need additional time and energy, we really don’t see a clear path for us to earn additional income through tent-making, at least not in this season. It seems that God wants us to trust Him to send the needed funds through His people. 

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

A Time For Love

Kayo in the Choir at the Love Phnom Penh Festival (Franklin Graham crusade)

The Love Phnom Penh Festival

The Love Phnom Penh Festival (featuring Franklin Graham) took place over the first weekend in December. More than 23,000 attended and more than 1,300 made professions of faith in Christ. Kayo was part of the planning committee for the choir, helped with training, sang, and even sang a short solo part in Japanese. This is a praise report because all three of us were quite sick for the entire week leading up to the festival and we were not sure whether or not Kayo would be healthy enough to be part of the choir or not. But, because of the prayers of our senders, she was healthy enough to attend and sing for two of the three nights. 

Evangelism and Discipleship Website Development

Darryl has started partnering with a Pakistani brother, Abid, to develop a multi-language, interactive, video-based, evangelism and discipleship website. Right now Darryl is working to develop video scripts based on correspondence courses that have been successful in Pakistan since the 1960s. Abid is working on establishing the necessary organizational structure and registering with the Cambodian government. Please pray for this huge project that God will open all the doors necessary for it to move forward and evangelize and equip many new believers. 

Prayer Requests

>Please pray for more Cambodian partners for Darryl’s International Fishers video ministry so that apologetics/evangelism videos can be made more frequently.

> Please continue to pray for our finances, especially Benjamin’s tuition needs. We praise God for raising up enough new senders to at least temporarily stabilize our financial situation. Please continue to pray for God to stabilize and increase our resources over the long term so that we can continue to expand our ministries in Cambodia and beyond.

> Please pray for Darryl’s new video project with Precious Women Organization starting in January 2020.  

Merry Christmas!

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia