As many of you know, last week we had a near tragedy. One of Vannak and Samantha’s twins, Annabelle, fell down a flight of stairs in her walker. They had to rush her to the hospital on the back of a moped. Unfortunately, that’s how things are done here, more often than not, in this part of the world. Kosal held her unconscious little body in his arms as they took the 10-minute trip from the house to the hospital. And, while the first night looked very disheartening, God was merciful! Annabelle, after about four days in the hospital, is now home. Praise the Lord!

PLEASE PRAY FOR ANNABELLE TO HAVE A FULL RECOVERY FROM HER FRACTURED SKULL!

In previous posts we have mentioned a young lady named Lynn and her mother Jan. We have asked you to pray for their salvation, and we ask that you would continue to pray for their salvation. While Vannak, Sue, and I (primarily Sue) have been working with Lynn and her mother, we recently had the opportunity to meet her 21-year old sister Srey Neith. Srey Neith, along with Lynn and Jan, visited a Sunday morning church service and on a visit to their house a few days later as Vannak and I shared the Gospel with Lynn and Srey Neith, Srey Neith trusted Christ. Unfortunately, about half way through the Gospel presentation Lynn was called away to assist some neighbors with some work!

PLEASE PRAY FOR SREY NEITH’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND FOR LYNN AND JAN’S SALVATION!

In the past few posts we have mentioned Phat often, who trusted Christ about two months ago. We have been discipling her on Tuesdays. She recently had a baby and when I asked them what the baby’s name was, they replied with, “He has no name yet.” That is very common here in Southeast Asia. They wait until after the baby is born, often a few days or even weeks, before naming them. What they said next shocked Vannak, Sue, and me. They asked us to pick a name for him. So we helped them pick a name. His name is Joshua. Needless to say, it’s a huge step for a new Christian in this Buddhist country to give their child a “Christian” name.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PHAT’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH, HER HUSBAND SAMNAN’S SALVATION, AND FOR BABY JOSHUA!

Other than ministry in Steung MeanChey, my favorite time of the week is when I have different men over my house for a time of accountability and discipleship. On Saturdays, I am with Chaay. On Mondays, I meet with Zeng, Sen (Tom), Ra, and Man. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I am with Both. On Thursday evenings, I meet with Kosal. I also find time for discipleship with my language tutor Abraham a couple times a week.

I have been meeting with Kosal for just about a year now. His spiritual growth has been very exciting. I think he would be the first to admit to you he had plateaued in his Christian life and had become somewhat stagnant. For pretty much most of the past year, he has been faithful to do his assigned Bible reading (along with his personal Bible reading), memorize a few verses each week, and read countless books that I have given him. While meeting with him in recent weeks it has been a blessing to hear him talk about what God is doing in his life and to hear of his greater desire to go and share the gospel with others. As I mentioned in a previous post, Kosal and Phalley will be getting married January 23!

PLEASE PRAY FOR KOSAL’S CONTINUAL SPIRITUAL GROWTH, PRAY FOR HIS AND PHALLEY’S WEDDING, AND NEW LIFE TOGETHER!

It is such a blessing to have my daughter Joy and niece Susanna here with us. They are such an asset to the team here. They work with the children, the teen girls, and the single girls, along with teaching English, Joy goes twice a week to one of the village ministries, and Sue helps quite a bit with the music here. Of course, as you know, we have folks over our house for meals on a regular basis and they lead the way in our “hospitality” ministry, not to mention that they, along with my wife, cook some really serious meals for us.

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS JOY AND SUE AND THE PEOPLE THEY ARE INFLUENCING FOR CHRIST, AND THAT MANY OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE WILL BE INSPIRED BY THEIR EXAMPLE, AND SURRENDER THEIR LIVES FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST IN THE 10/40 WINDOW!

Sixty years ago, last week, five men (Jim Eliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Yourderian) literally gave their lives for the cause of Christ. All five men were attacked and speared by a group of Huaorani warriors. The news of their deaths was broadcast around the world and Life magazine covered the event with a photo essay.

The death of this men galvanized the missionary effort in the United States, sparking an outpouring of funding for evangelization efforts around the world. Their work is still frequently remembered in evangelical publications, and in 2006 was the subject of the film production End of the Spear. Several years after the death of the men, the widow of Jim Elliot, Elisabeth, and the sister of Nate Saint, Rachel, returned to Ecuador as missionaries with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (now SIL International) to live among the Huaorani. This eventually led to the conversion of many, including some of those involved in the killing. While largely eliminating tribal violence, their efforts exposed the tribe to increased influence from the outside.

While they were students together at Wheaton College, Ed McCully had written an impassioned letter to Jim Elliot describing how the Lord was compelling him to be a missionary. Ed was in law school and working as a hotel night clerk, but was unsettled in his heart about his decision to become an attorney.

While he was walking and praying one morning, the Lord unmistakably sharpened the focus of his life to a single point. In the letter Ed wrote: “Jim, I have [only] one desire now – to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all of my energy into it. Maybe he’ll send me some place where the name of Jesus Christ is unknown.”

Five years later, Ed confirmed his heightened fervor for the desperately lost Waodanis in a simple statement scribbled in the margin of his journal: “I’m willing to give my life for a handful of Indians!” And a few days later, Ed McCully and his four friends did. Five good seeds fell into the ground and died on January 6, 1956—and the crop began to spring up. 
Who or what are we willing to live and die for?

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL RAISE UP MANY MORE MEN AND WOMEN WHO WILL ALSO SAY, “I have [only] one desire now – to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all of my energy into it. Maybe he’ll send me some place where the name of Jesus Christ is unknown.”

Denise, Joy, Sue, and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continual prayers and consistent financial support!