Record Family Cambodia Update: God’s Runway

Wed nite w Records“I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” (John 4:38 NLT)

Always Missionaries:  At Home, On the Internet, and On TV.

We had a blessed time in the USA.  In addition to being blessed by our senders,

Darryl on the "He Is the Reason" radio program.
Darryl on the “He Is the Reason” radio program.

we also were able to encourage and challenge the Body there.  In addition to typical, “home assignment” activities God opened the doors to do some, mission work.  Darryl was interviewed by Pastor Arnold Gonzalez on his weekly radio program, “He Is the Reason,” on KTBN an internet based radio station with that has a global audience, especially those in closed countries.  You Picture1can listen to the interview and Cambodia update here.  In addition, Darryl was invited to teach two one-hour apologetics sessions on Songkuem TV, a Cambodian Christian television ministry that broadcasts Cambodian language sermons over local cable television stations to Cambodian immigrants in the USA.  Darryl taught on “Evidence for the Creator” and “Evidence for the Resurrection.”  Pastor Sonly, a Cambodian-American pastor translated.  This was the first time anyone has taught about the evidence for the truth of Christianity on Cambodian-Christian television in the US (or anywhere).

Back to Cambodia

11898683_10204475637722488_1335683599571026193_nOne week after returning to Cambodia,

while we were still recovering from jet-lag, we hosted a mission-exposure team from Tokyo and Kansai, Japan.  At the same time, the Lopez family came from Hiroshima, Japan to visit Ryoken, their eldest son, who came to Cambodia to study English and gain work experience.  During our time in the USA Matt, a

Ryoken's baptism, with Matt, Nary (Matt's wife), and Fernando (Ryoken's dad).
Ryoken’s baptism, with Matt, Nary (Matt’s wife), and Fernando (Ryoken’s dad).

missionary from Cambodia and his wife, a Cambodian, took good care of him and lived out their faith before Ryoken every day.  This challenged Ryoken, to make a public profession of his childhood faith through baptism, during his family’s visit.  Ryoken has been staying in a hotel near his English school for three months.  A few weeks ago, God opened the door for Nary (Matt’s wife) to start a Sunday afternoon Christian meeting for the Cambodian staff.  One female staff member wanted11888077_10155936776275099_9077445203741669950_n to get baptized in the hotel pool.  This opened the door Ryoken to get baptized too.  Because of this woman’s and Ryoken’s testimonies, another male staff member said he wanted to accept Christ and be baptized too!  God is doing something amazing in Cambodia!

Japanese Life Group

Kayo re-started the Japanese Life Group ministry.  Now, they are going through the Alpha Course in Japanese on Sunday afternoons.  Three non-Christian Japanese are attending, three new/recently baptized Christians are attending, and one Korean-Christian lady who speaks Japanese are attending.  Kayo needs more help!

Kone Kmeng Board

Kone Kmeng board meeting
Kone Kmeng board meeting

Darryl has joined the Kone Kmeng (www.kone-kmeng.org) board.  Fifteen years ago, Jessica, Laura, and the rest of Darryl’s team of English teachers met Phany, a motorcycle taxi driver, who came to church to practice English, even though he thought, “Jesus was crazy because he taught, love your enemies.”  Jesus changed Phany’s heart, he accepted Christ, took the Gospel to his family and village.  In 2006, he started Kone Kmeng children’s ministry in his bedroom.  Today Kone Kmeng empowers more than 100 Cambodian churches to minister to more than 1,000 children who are risk of being sold slavery as prostitutes or laborers.

International Fishers Update

Pray that videos like these will be able to be made available in the Cambodian language.
Pray that videos like these will be able to be made available in the Cambodian language.

Darryl is getting ready for a booth at the Asian Christian Conference, September 17-20.  In addition, God is opening doors for Illustra-Media videos to be translated and dubbed in Khmer probably next year, in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse.  Please pray for wisdom and provision for this and other Christian video projects.  There is another project in the works but it is stalled due to fear of “political consequences.”  Please pray for a breakthrough!

God’s Runway

Despite (or more likely because of) these exciting ministry developments, our family has been experiencing crushing levels (but by God’s grace) of discouragement and spiritual oppression.  We often identify Scriptures like, 1 Kings 19:3, “I have had enough, LORD” or Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God why have you abandoned me?”  When we look at our strength and our resources, we feel like we are coming to the end of our road.  I woke up this morning with an image like this on my mind. Here is my attempt to capture it.

God's runway

Please pray for us so that we will have the faith and courage to fly with Jesus instead of crashing in despair.  By faith, we believe that God is doing something great but the spiritual climate is, “the darkest before the sunrise.”  Please continue to pray for our encouragement, strength, health, protection, and provision so that we will be able to continue to be strong in faith, on God’s runway.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin Record

Phnom Penh, Cambodia