Building Update and Losing Face

There is a cultural way of thinking in the Eastern world that is called "saving" or "losing" face. We have to be very careful here in Asia to not cause another person to "lose face." To "lose face" is to lose one's honor, be put to shame. It is difficult for people in the Western world to understand Eastern concepts. Our church and our Cambodian leaders are being watched by our neighbors and our community. The problems we are having in securing the needed funds to finish the church construction project are causing them to "lose face." They can still "save face" if we can get them the needed funds soon to complete the project. The Vietnamese Buddhists in Vietnam gave full and complete support to their mission nearby. They have already finished their building, two blocks away from our church. The Cambodian Buddhists have the funds to renovate their HUGE pagoda near our church. I keep telling them to trust the Lord and look to Him. I keep telling our Khmer brothers and sisters that the hearts of God's people will be touched and that help will come. I still believe that will happen.

Our Newest Orphan

Sopheak is this little darlin's name. It is pronounced like "So-pek." She is a little sweetie. She's eight years old and a gigglebox. Her father died of AIDS a few years back and her mom is near death now, also of AIDS. AIDS kills so many people in Cambodia! Sopheak is not HIV positive. Praise the Lord! She loves to play and go to school. She is in the 1st grade. All of our children, including Sopheak, need sponsors. You can email us for more information about sponsoring the care of one of these precious children. We desperately need partners to underwrite the cost of caring for these orphans. Last week I turned four more orphans away because we simply don't have the funds. It breaks my heart to turn anyone away, but it costs money to house them, feed them, clothe them, and educate them. Would you please help us with the support for these orphans? Please...email me if you would like more information. God bless you!

Latest Happenings

Just a quick addendum to my earlier post today. Two of our orphans trusted Christ as Saviour this past Sunday. They are Sith and Phanit. Pray for them as they grow in Christ.

Another church in the city, Bethany Baptist, is sponsoring a Leadership Training meeting for Khmer Christians. I would like to send 8-10 of our folks to this two day meeting. Pray that the Lord will supply the need so that we can do this. The meeting will be held during the first week of September.

Rats, Dogs, and Automobiles

In an earlier post, I mentioned how huge the rats are over here. Cats run from them. Our dog Kipper decided to tangle with one the other night during a monsoonal downpour. We heard nothing because the rain was coming down so hard, you couldn't hear anything. Well, Kipper came dragging in with flesh and hair gone. I have no idea what the rat looked like after this battle, but I hope he looked worse than our dog. I hate rats. I hope they all meet up with a really mean dog or a serious-minded, tough, stand-your-ground type of tomcat!

Driving here in Cambodia is sorta like being in a game of chicken or driving in a demolition derby. It's better experienced than explained. Those of you who've been here know what I mean. All the corrupt officials drive their Landcruisers and their Lexuses and flaunt all traffic laws. There is this pervasive attitude among the elite here that if they are "important" and drive a Landcruiser, that somehow that entitles them to ride your bumper, cut you off, drive on the wrong side of the road to get around traffic just because they are who they are, etc. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to pray for us for road safety.

Back Home Again

Well, we're back from Bangkok. First, let me recommend the Bangkok Christian Guesthouse. It's a nice, clean comfortable place to stay. It is close to the Bangkok Skytrain which gets you everywhere in the city quickly.

Cindy got good reports from all the doctors. Concerning the skin cancers, she seems to be doing good. There doesn't seem to be any more cancerous tumors. She still has a tumor in her left eye. She will have to go back to Thailand every three months to have it examined. Please continue to pray for Cindy's health.

This will be an extra expense that we will face every three months, so pray for all our needs to be met. Our mandatory health insurance through the Missions Office is going up again. Our premiums are going up about 10%. The support never seems to keep up with the rising cost of living. Fuel prices are higher, food prices are up, medical costs are skyrocketing. We trust that God will keep on meeting the needs.

We'll Take the Airplane

Well, the continuing back and forth saga of the road to Thailand ends here. We were told it was still closed. Then we were told it was open again. We found out yesterday afternoon that the road is impassable. So, we are left with one choice: fly. So off we go on Monday to Thailand for medical appointments. We will return to Cambodia on Saturday, August 13th. Thanks for praying for us! Cindy's appointments are the most crucial as she goes for some skin cancer follow-up and have her skin checked. We will try to update you from Thailand as there are internet places near the Christian guesthouse.

Road Supposedly Reopened

Well, today we have heard that Highway 5 has reopened. This is the road that we mentioned yesterday that was closed. We'll try to verify that information and go buy the bus tickets to the border. From there we will walk across the border and then find a bus going to Bangkok. All of this depends on whether or not we get more torrential rains between now and Monday. Pray that it works out and we can make these medical appointments. One of the options we mentioned yesterday evaporated also. Highway 4 to the coast in now closed due to flooding.

In the meantime, please continue to pray for our new building construction. We are still $7,500 short of our goal to finish the project. Work has stopped. Pray that the needed funds will come in soon so that we can get this finished.

Road to Thailand Closed

Well, we have appointments at the doctor next week in Thailand. Here's the new problem: it's the monsoon season here and the road is impassable. We have received torrential rains in the past three or four days and now there are as many as 300-400 buses stuck in the mud. Wreckers have gone to tow them all and the wreckers are now stuck. That leaves us with two options: Go by way of land and boat and spend $400 for our roundtrip and it takes two days. Or option #2, spend $800 and fly and it takes 55 minutes. We're leaning to option #1 and saving the $400. We would go by bus to the coast, take a boat to Koh Kong, go through the Cambodia/Thai border. Head to the Thai town of Trat, spend the night, and go on to Bangkok the next day. Isn't it amazing that it takes so long to go a distance that only takes 55 minute to fly? But it's a whole lot cheaper.

Taking the road that got washed out would have only cost us $80 roundtrip for the whole family! But the road is impassable and looks to stay that way for awhile. Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom as to how to proceed. We need to make this trip for medical reasons.