I just returned from my fourth trip to the country of China in the past six months. There are so many people in this country. It’s breathtaking! The picture above is on a subway at 8:45 PM on Sunday evening. You ought to see during Rush Hour. There’s a really good chance my wife and I will be relocating to China in the near future for “the sake of the Gospel.” China is an unbelievable, and at the same time, heartbreaking country. There are nearly 1.4 billion people found in the country. There are 150 cities in China with a population of over one million. America has only 10. Less than 5 percent of the country professes any form of “Christianity.” In the United States that number is 77 percent!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE IN THE HEARTS OF MEN AND WOMEN TO BRING THE GOSPEL TO CHINA!

While in China, I had the chance to link up with Dwight Tomlinson and his wife Gayle. Brother Tomlinson is the founder/director of barnabas1040.com, which is a ministry that works alongside of “Independent Baptist pastors and missionaries, bringing together resources that are used to further the Gospel in the least evangelized countries in the world.” For over 40 years Brother Tomlinson and his wife pastored in the States. God is using them in a mighty way with this new ministry. They have raised support for two of the men we worked with in Laos and another one of our men here in Cambodia, and possibly another in coming days, and for this we are grateful! PLEASE PRAY FOR THE TOMLINSON’S AS THEY CONTINUE TO RAISE PERSONAL SUPPORT AND SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL CHURCH PLANTERS AROUND THE WORLD!

Our ministry in Steung Meanchey is doing extremely well! God is blessing the team soul-winning on Tuesday and Sunday, as well as the various times that Man and Kosal go out during the week. This past Sunday, while I was in China they had 45 teens and adults in the service. Not bad for the third week!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE MINISTRY IN STEUNG MEANCHEY!

We have mentioned in previous posts about a man named Samaat who trusted Christ about three months ago. He is growing in the Lord and we have often had the chance to share the Gospel with his wife, who has yet to trust Christ, and his adult children. It was a real blessing to be able to share the Gospel with Samaat’s wife and adult daughter a few days ago. His daughter, Srey Mohm, trusted Christ.

PLEASE PRAY FOR SREY MOHM’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH!

This week I had another chance to go to Psa Thrict. It’s always a tremendous blessing to spend the day with these folks. As I have mentioned before, we leave my place between 6:30 -7:00 AM and get back between 7:30 – 8:00 PM. It all depends on how fast Vannak drives that Moto of his. 🙂 I get the opportunity to share a 20-minute devotion with the folks before we all go soul-winning, then we will normally spend about 3-4 hours out soul-winning and do some discipling of new converts. After lunch, I spend a couple of hours teaching the “leaders” of the church. Last month I taught on “The Difference Between a Shepherd and a Teacher.” This week I taught on “Spiritual Servanthood.” As always, it was a great time! Then to cap the long day off, I preached for their midweek service. This week I taught a lesson on “Crossing the River and Conquering the Giants” from the Book of Joshua. God really moved in the service!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE MINISTRY IN PSA THRICT!

My wife and I, along with the girls, would like to thank you for your fervent prayers and faithful support of our ministry here in Southeast Asia. Also, I ask that you pray for me and my upcoming trip to the country of Laos. I leave in a few days. I will be preaching for three churches and teaching in two Bible Institutes. 

Johnny and Denise Esposito

If you would like to be better informed about the 10/40 Window and have yet to read my book “Peeking Through the 10/40 Window: Why It Matters to God and Why It Should Matter to Us,” I have some really good news for you. It is now available on iBooks and better yet, it’s absolutely free!

One of the striking things about Southeast Asia, whether it be Cambodia, Laos, or Thailand, is how many children and teenagers you will find. Here in Cambodia, whether it is the children begging on the streets of Phnom Penh, the poor children of Steung Meanchey, or the children and teens found in the over 8,000 villages of this country; one cannot help but be reminded of the simple song we sing back in the States: “Jesus loves the children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE MANY DIFFERENT MINISTRIES THAT WE HAVE REACHING OUT TO HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN EVERY WEEK IN CAMBODIA!

Another tremendous blessing here is how open people are and their willingness to at least listen to the Gospel. In just the past two weeks alone, either Man and I, or Vannak and I have had the opportunity to share the Gospel with at least 15 different teens and adults. Often while sharing the Gospel with teens and adults, we will have a handful of children just stand or sit quietly and listen for 40 – 60 minutes as we present the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SEEDS OF THE GOSPEL THAT ARE BEING SOWN ON A REGULAR BASIS TO BRING FORTH FRUIT UNTO ETERNAL LIFE!

For the past two years soul-winners from our church here in Phnom Penh have been going soul-winning in Steung Meanchey every Tuesday. And for the past few months we have been going soul-winning in Steung Meanchey on Sunday afternoons also. We have seen quite of few people make professions of faith, including Phat and Srey Mohm (pictured below), some have been baptized, and a handful of them have been attending our church services in Phnom Penh. In addition to the soul-winning on Sunday afternoons, we recently started conducting a Teen/Children’s Ministry with anywhere between 90-100 children and teens attending on a weekly basis.

This past Sunday Man and his workers not only conducted the regular Teen/Children’s Ministry, which once again had over 100 in attendance, but they also held their first Adult/Teen Bible study. God blessed and we are thankful to report that 30 teens and adults attended the first Bible study/service. One of the teens is a young lady named Pin. Actually, I think it’s Penh. 🙂 She is pictured below. Vannak and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with her, her grandmother, another teen boy, and a few children this last Tuesday. Lord willing, this will one day be a church that the people of Steung Meanchey can call their own!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS THE CHILDREN’S MINISTRY AND THE NEW ADULT/TEEN BIBLE STUDY!

It was a real blessing for Vannak and I to be able to share the Gospel with a man named Shanghai (yes, like the city). While we shared the Gospel with him, Vannak’s wife Samantha shared the Gospel with his wife Heap. They were both very open and extremely receptive. Shanghai has some previous “church experience” and he is far more knowledgeable of biblical matters than 99.9% of the people you will meet here in this country, but he still is confused when it comes to salvation! While they have not yet trusted Christ we are praying that they will. Will you pray with us?

PLEASE PRAY FOR SHANGHAI AND HIS WIFE TO TRUST CHRIST!

As you well know one of the most time-consuming aspects of my time here in Cambodia is in various discipleship sessions. Up until a month ago, I was meeting weekly with eight adult men and one teen boy, and if you take into considerations my weekly Bible study with Abraham, Rohm, and Vay, that would be twelve people every week. In mid-June I stopped meeting with a few of the men from the Cham village, but doubled my meeting times with the others. I am presently spending about 12 hours a week in these various sessions. It has been both fulfilling and fruitful to say the least!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE THE TIME WE HAVE SPENT WITH THESE MEN TO THE FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL IN THIS COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD!

There is little question that during my over year-and-a-half here the three men whom I have become closest to are the three brothers Kosal, Vannak, and Man. For the past 19 months I have spent anywhere from 1 1/2 – 3 hours every week with Kosal. And if you were to count my time soul-winning, as well as my time of discipleship with Vannak and Man I have spent about 6-8 hours with these two men on a weekly basis. These men love Christ and are consumed with the cause of Christ in this country. Last week we had all three of them and their wives over for a meal and a time of fellowship. It was a real treat!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO USE THESE MEN AND THEIR WIVES FOR HIS GLORY!

For the past two Sunday evenings my wife and I, along with Sue and Michelle, have had the privilege of filling in for Bounna Has and his wife Thy while they are in the States for a month. It had been a real blessing to have the Single’s Small Group at our house and to be able to share the Word of God with them. One of the blessings of hosting the Single’s has been to have a few of our deaf girls over also. We sure do love these girls and thank God that Grace and Sina have committed their lives to reaching them for Christ!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THESE SINGLE YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE USED OF GOD!

One of the blessings we experience on a regular basis here is to see folks that we hand tracts to actually take the time to read them. This happens frequently. In fact, very frequently. We often hand a tract to a cashier, a waitress, a Tuk-tuk driver, or someone we meet on the street; walk away and turn our head and see that they are reading it. Two weeks ago I handed a tract to a lady and walked away. About ten, maybe fifteen minutes later, I walked back by her apartment and she was still reading it. A little reminder of how these folks are not only needy, but hungry for the truth also!

PRAY FOR THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE GOSPEL TRACTS FROM US TO COME TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:
(1) Pray for my trip to Guangzhou, China (August 18-22)

(2) Pray for my trip to Vientiane, Laos (August 30- September 12)

(3) Pray for our trip to the States in September

(4) Pray for us to get a new laptop. My MacBook Pro, which was graciously given to us by Lewis Avenue Baptist Church is struggling after one of our teens here dropped it down the stairs. 🙂

(5) Pray for the book “Keep the Dream Alive” to be a blessing to many

 

In recent days, Both, who I have had the privilege to disciple for the past 18 months, has let me know that he wants to translate my new book “Keep the Dream Alive” into the Khmer language. To be honest with you, at first, I didn’t take him serious. I didn’t take him serious until he sent me a text that said, “Praying for the book. Hope it will appear in Khmer soon. I am going to try my best to finish it.” He then wrote, “The purpose [for translating it to Khmer] is (1) To encourage people to pray for Pastor Joe,  (2) Show our church members [in Cambodia] how much Pastor Joe loves them, (3) To expand his dream here. I have finished the Introduction and Chapter One, but haven’t had it checked by Pastor Dave yet. Thank God for Pastor Joe!”

To be honest with you when I read Both’s words I wept like a baby. And, even now, typing these words, I am finding it difficult to hold back the tears. After I replied and commended him for attempting to take on this task, he shot back a quick reply: “FOR WITH GOD NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE!”

I meet with him twice a week. He has asked that during our time together, prior to my leaving for the States, if I could help him to understand the meaning of some of the words and phrases that I have used in the book!

PLEASE PRAY FOR BOTH TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE GRACE TO DO WHAT GOD HAS LAID UPON HIS HEART!

It is always a blessing for my wife and I to go to Abraham and Rohm’s house for a time of Bible study on Friday mornings. It has been a real treat to have Pastor Tho go with me the past 6-8 weeks now. He even filled in for me while I was in China and will do so again when I leave for Guangzhou in a few weeks. Lord willing, he will be doing it full-time coming in September.

PLEASE PRAY FOR ABRAHAM AND ROHM’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH!

This past week I had the opportunity to preach for our Psa Thrict church on Thursday and our Phnom Penh congregation on Sunday morning. While it is always a joy to preach the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ, it is especially a blessing to preach to hungry hearts in this part of the world. Of course, when I go to Psa Thrict it is always a very busy and blessed day. We go out soul-winning, teach the Bible to new converts, and I had a chance to give a devotion or teach the leadership of the church four times that day, including about two hours was spent on teaching the men the difference between a teacher and a shepherd!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BLESS THE WORDS THAT WERE PREACHED, THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN, AND THE LIVES THAT WERE IMPACTED!

On Saturday evening we hosted Nak and his wife Srey Gee. We go back a long way with this couple. Not enough time to share the whole story, but thankful that Nak recently trusted Christ, and that he, Srey Gee, and Sros are faithfully attending church. Srey Gee and Sros are even going out with us on Sunday afternoons to Steung MeanChey. Praise the Lord!

PLEASE PRAY FOR NAK, SREY GEE, AND SROS TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN THEIR FAITH!

The ministry in Steung MeanChey is really going well. God is blessing the prayers and the labors of His people. The past two weeks we have had over 100 teens and children in attendance for the Sunday afternoon Teen/Children’s Ministry. Brother Man and his workers are doing a great job. We have also seen some adults saved, and many who are still open and listening to the Gospel, but who have yet to trust Christ. Man, Kosal, and their wives are moving to Steung MeanChey this week and on Sunday, August 7, they will have their first adult and teen Bible study. Lord willing, this will someday soon blossom into a church.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE MINISTRY IN STEUNG MEANCHEY!

While the Teen/Children’s Ministry is going on in Steung MeanChey, I am normally soul-winning with Brother Vannak. As always, the past two Sundays have been a great time of soul-winning. Brother Vannak and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a man named Nuen and a neighbor woman named Phannay. They were both very open, especially Nuen. We tried to get back with them on the following Tuesday but they weren’t home. A few days later, Vannak and I were able to share the Gospel with Nuen’s wife Sokha. While Nuen, his wife Sokha, and Phanney have not yet trusted Christ we are believing God for their salvation!

This past Sunday I went out visiting with Brother Adrian. We were able to share the Gospel with two men, named Perun and Tang (hope I have that spelled right). While neither one of them trusted Christ, they both are very open. Perun’s wife and daughter were murdered during a home invasion in a village outside of the city. He is a broken man who so desperately needs Jesus, not only for comfort but for salvation!

Another woman, who lives in the same general area of Steung MeanChey as those named above is Sophat. Vannak and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with her. Again, she didn’t get saved either, but she was very open. As with the others, we will be going back to visit her and share with them the love of God!

PLEASE PRAY FOR NUEN, SOKHA, PHANNEY, PERUN,  TANG’S, AND SOPHAT’S SALVATION!

It was a real joy to be able to host the Single’s Small Group this past Sunday evening. Bounna and his wife Thy work with these precious folks and are doing a great job, but are in the States for about a month. We had a great crowd, lots of fun, and I taught on “Three Potential Pitfalls for Singles.” It seemed to go over well!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS BOUNNA AND THY AS THEY MINISTER TO THESE YOUNG PEOPLE! 

About two months or so ago, Vannak and I were privileged to lead Samaat to Christ. Since that time, we have been sharing the Gospel with his 25-year-old son, Sokcheat, as well as with his wife, another son, and a daughter. Sokcheat has been very open and receptive. He has even attended our church services the past two weeks with his father.

PLEASE PRAY FOR SAMAAT’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND SOKCHEAT’S SALVATION!

Recently, while Vannak and I were sharing the Gospel with Sokcheat in Steung MeanChey. I noticed through the corner of my eyes a Monk going from house to house. I was able to quickly take the first picture below. This was about 50 feet from where we were sharing the Gospel with Sokcheat.  About a week or so later, while sharing the Gospel with some of Sokcheat’s other family members, I was able to take the second picture below. This sad scene took place less than 10 feet from where we were sitting and sharing the Gospel. Good reminders why we came to this part of the world!

PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF CAMBODIA, SOUTHEAST ASIA, AND THE REST OF THE 10/40 WINDOW TO COME TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST!

It was a blessing to recently have the opportunity to share the Gospel with one of the mothers of one of our teen boys named Alec. At one time, Alec was very faithful. In recent months, he has drifted from the Lord and from the church. Please do pray for him! Yet, his mother Leak was very open as I shared the Gospel with her for well over an hour and Grace Ortiz interpreted for me. Her daughter, Srey Neath, is deaf. When I asked Leak if she understood that she was a sinner she said, “Yes! That’s why I have a deaf daughter.” 😦 Of course, I explained to her that her having a deaf daughter had nothing to do with her being a sinner!

PLEASE PRAY FOR LEAK’S AND SREY NEATH’S SALVATION AND FOR ALEC TO GET RIGHT WITH GOD AND GET BACK IN CHURCH!

Please do pray for my upcoming trip to Guangzhou, China, my trip to Laos, and our trip to the States. I will be in Guangzhou for only four days checking out the city as a potential place for a team from Pacific Baptist Church. I will be in Laos for over two weeks. I will be preaching for three churches and doing a lot of teaching for two different Bible Institutes. Definitely covet your prayers!

My wife and I, along with the girls, and the rest of our team here in Cambodia, want to thank you for your prayers and financial support!