End of April 2024 Update
After months of living out of suitcases (“Peter, I know we brought Q-tips! Any idea where they are???") we’re now unpacking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. As usual, when we began searching for a place to live, I wrote out my wish list, asking the LORD for air conditioning (Cambodia has two seasons; HOT and wet, HOTTER and dry,) a good mattress, broadband internet (not easily found here), and a place to walk. “And a garden,” my sister-in-law added. “Ask Him for a garden.”
Always, our LORD has been faithful to provide affordable housing wherever we’ve been, but this time He’s outdone himself. Our little apartment has everything we asked for and more; its own kitchen, separate bedroom, hot water in the shower, internet, and...of course...a garden! The condo boom in 2019 dwindled to a whisper after COVID and hundreds of empty places in the city are begging for tenants, one of them just perfect for us.
And it’s safe.
I mention this because safety is a big hairy deal here. Phnom Penh is a city of 2 million, not the sleepy border towns in Thailand we’re used to. We’re feeling a bit like country mice unaccustomed to big-city ways. Whether because of our “advanced ages” or general kindness to outsiders, SEVERAL people have gone out of their way to detail cautions over travel, money, and merchants.
We’d read the country advisories (it’s not our first rodeo, after all) so we use cross-body bags to secure our valuables. “NOT a good idea,” it was explained. Because we travel everywhere by open rickshaw or rormork (variations of motorcycle-pulled vehicles) and are frequently hemmed in by traffic, a “bad actor” on a motorbike can reach in, snake his arm through your bag strap, and speed off with your valuables. Just last week, a mom with her kids in a rickshaw was dragged out into the street traffic, as her bag strap did not break. “And don’t carry your credit cards or passport or much money,” we’re advised. “BEFORE you get into a rickshaw, calculate the cost (from your app), get out your money, and hold it in your hot little hand, so you’re not fumbling around letting people know where your money is.”
ALL-RIGHTY, then!!! I am instantly 100% compliant… Peter, not so much. He rolls his eyes when I fuss with him wearing his cross-body bag; I think he’s convinced any thief foolhardy enough to try to shift HIS bulk out of the rickshaw is likely to be clotheslined!
So how are we “country mice” adjusting to city living? Joyfully! We feel we’re right where we’re supposed to be! The Cambodians are amazing; wonderfully caring, humorous, and welcoming of foreigners. They are hungry and anxious for the Word. Spiritually, there’s a sense this city and country are on the brink of an incredible event, a faith tsunami poised to sweep the cities, massive winds of belief in Christ gathering. We’ve met missionaries and believers from any number of countries, all drawn to Cambodia in anticipation. We’ve been blessed, too, to have met a seasoned pastor who has shortened our learning curve here substantially. Even as we’re settling in, we’re thrilled to be training, conducting the first session of two Discipleship trainings already, with more six-week sessions scheduled. The ministry opportunities are enormous! Thank you, LORD, for open doors!
In the Dominican Republic, the multi-faceted ministry led by Pastor Jaime and his wife, Jackie, is exploding. The onslaught of Haitian refugees fleeing the gang violence of their country continues; once in the DR, they are coming to the LORD in record numbers. This has resulted in a plethora of new church plants and an urgent need for more trained Haitian pastors. Pastor Jaime has increased the Manna Pack (Handfuls of Hope collaboration) food deliveries and Gospel presentations to twice a week, as the need is so great. Thank the LORD, the truck he uses to transport the food boxes has been outfitted with new tires, so he’s driving safely, but the gas needed for delivery is now doubled. Saturday Kid’s Club continues with almost unmanageably large participation. These kids are so hungry for positive attention and engaging activities that they walk long distances to come to the location. As to the mission house Jaime and the 5:16 Mission Team have been building, while the main work on the ground floor (where future visiting mission teams will be housed) is complete, the tiles for the floor still must be purchased and laid. These are hard-working missionaries, indeed, whose vision sometimes outstrips their energy and finances, but their trust in the LORD's provision is absolute. Amid this recent hectic schedule, incomplete facilities, and pressing demands, they hosted a medical mission team from the States that treated kids in both Dominican and Haitian locations!
If you follow the news from M______ as we do, your spirits have been alternately buoyed by rumors of unprecedented rebel victories only to be dashed on hearing them reversed. Those missionaries we know on the ground and close to the action are hopeful; we continue to pray that Jehovah Nissi, Our Banner of Victory, will end the turmoil. No matter the tides of war, the missionaries soldier on, bringing food, filters for clean water, and the Good News to people in the interior. Several children’s homes combined forces to conduct Summer Bible Classes (sort of the equivalent of VBS) with little or nothing in the way of supplies, but with enthusiastic participation and exciting results.
In looking back on our relocation to Cambodia, we marvel at how our LORD has opened doors, at the help from new fellow believers, at the support and prayers from family and friends back home, and at the favor of both men and God concerning our visas, bank accounts, and accommodation. We are truly thankful.
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19