Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Even though I have done a lot of media ministry over the years, I admit that I am terrible about taking pictures of myself or even our family in action. I usually get so caught up in the moment, that I forget to take pictures and I don’t want to invade anyone’s privacy etc.. So, I am thankful that our Fijian missionary friends shared these pictures with me. We have been partnering with and supporting this missionary family for several years now, but I haven’t been able to visit their projects in person until recently. I hope (Lord willing), to visit and participate in more outreaches and projects with them after we return from Japan.

For this outreach, the team sang worship songs with about 50 children crammed together under a shelter in the late afternoon heat. I was able to briefly explain the basics of Bible and Gospel to the children, and then we distributed backpacks and school supplies. Joe, Ima, and their team/family will continue to follow up with, evangelize, and disciple these children each week going forward. They are starting from the very beginning with these children and their families so they are going slowly making sure that they truly understand and sincerely believe. They are careful not to rush the process.

I also apologize for not sharing pictures of Kayo and Benjamin for a while. I hope we can take some pictures in Japan. Right now, Kayo is very diligently working to wrap things up in her various ministry projects in Cambodia and preparing for our time in Japan visiting churches and family there. Even though we have a desk and chair available, when she is really working hard, she prefers to sit at a low Japanese table on a Japanese floor-chair beside our bed. So, I don’t think she wants me to take her picture…:) Benjamin is very busy finishing up his school year and when he is home he spends a lot of time lifting weights and growing/maturing in every way.

As far as prayer requests, there are two main areas right now. The first one is everything related to our home assignment in Japan (June 6 to August 6). Please pray for our final preparations and deeper relationships with the churches and senders we will meet in Japan. Also, please pray for us to be witnesses before Kayo’s non-Christian family.

The second prayer request is for God to give me wisdom/favor/strength and to open and close all the right doors related to seeking a part-time English teaching job here in Cambodia after my return from Japan. I was a semi-tentmaker/English teacher at a university from 2000-2003 and 2007-2009. Since then, I have mainly used my English (MA TESOL) degree/skills for volunteer ministry, except for a couple of short-term tutoring opportunities to Chinese Christians. Many of my missionary friends in Japan are also semi/full tentmakers and still have effective ministries, but there are pros and cons that need to be prayerfully considered before I/we take any significant steps.

On the positive side, this may give me more opportunities to build relationships and be salt and light before non-believing students and staff though I probably can’t share openly in the classroom/campus. This may also help close/narrow a widening financial gap caused by Benjamin’s increasing educational expenses etc. He has 3 more years of high school and the continuing devaluation of the Japanese Yen against the US Dollar (especially since 2020) has greatly reduced the value of the sacrificial and generous giving from our senders in Japan. This has in turn, put more strain on the generous giving of our senders in the US. We have made as many cuts to our expenses as we can, and we continue to trust in the Lord to provide in whatever way He chooses. I should be able to maintain most of my current ministry activities and Kayo could still serve/volunteer as much as she is able at Precious Women Organization etc. However, there will be schedule conflicts etc. This step might also make it difficult for us to travel to the US and Japan as we have before.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and support. Our ministry activities continue pretty much as I shared last month, I just wanted to share my heart and a little behind the scenes this month.

In Christ’s Love,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Phnom Penh, Cambodia