It’s good to be back in Asia!

One sure sign that we are back in Asia is the flip flops and sandals outside the door. The picture above is outside the door of our Steung Meanchey church plant about a half an hour before a service that I was privileged to preach for.

Our trip back to Asia was smooth and non-eventful. Praise the Lord for that. My wife and I stopped over in China where we will be residing and serving (to drop off a few of our suitcases), had the opportunity to speak two times for our new home church, and had some wonderful fellowship.

Three of the special blessings of our few days on the Mainland of China were to be able to spend time with missionary (Dick and his wife Trish), to spend time fellowshipping with Li and his wife, and to, once again, see an elderly lady we met about a year ago. Dick and his wife have been faithfully serving the Lord for over 30 years, and most this time was either in Hong Kong or Mainland China. They are great folks!

Li was saved about ten years ago. The man who led him to Christ, while he was still a student studying in the University, came to the country at the age of sixty. Li is now serving the Lord full-time. Thank God for men and women who are willing to come to this part of the world. The elderly lady pictured below is a real source of blessing. We met her last year when I came here to preach for a Leadership Conference. At the time, she was very ill and in the hospital. She visited the church for the first time the following Sunday, trusted Christ, and is now faithfully attending the church. Praise the Lord!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE BELIEVERS IN CHINA AND OUR NEW MINISTRY IN THE COUNTRY!

Our first few days back in Southeast Asia, specifically Cambodia, were a tremendous blessing. You can imagine all the emotions flooding our souls as we arrived back in the country where we resided and served for nearly two years. By God’s grace, our team in Cambodia is doing an amazing job. On our first full day in the country, it was a tremendous blessing to be able to go soul-winning in Stueng Meanchey with our Bible college guys, as well as preach for their Midweek service. I also had the chance to go soul-winning with Man. I spent nearly a year-and-a-half meeting with Man and his brother Vannak weekly and nearly two years as their soul-winning partners (Man on Saturdays, Vannak on Tuesdays and Sundays). So many wonderful memories. Man and Vannak love Jesus, love their people, and are zealous soul-winners!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE DEAR PEOPLE IN STEUNG MEANCHEY, AS WELL AS MAN AND KOSAL AND THEIR FAMILIES AS THEY CONTINUE TO LEAD THIS MINISTRY! 

It was also a blessing to be able to spend some quality time with different individuals. When I was still here in the country, Pastor Tho, my wife and I would do a weekly Bible study with Abraham and his wife Srey Mohm. Pastor Tho is a Tuk-tuk driver to support his family. It was a blessing to spend some time with him and try to be a blessing to him and his family. It was also a blessing to be able to take a few of our Bible college girls, our niece (Sue), and Adrian out for a meal. These young college girls love Jesus and are desiring that God will use them to reach their people for Christ.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR THO AND HIS FAMILY, AS WELL AS THE CHURCH THAT THEY LEAD!

It is always a blessing to be with our Psa Thrict church plant. While we were serving here in Cambodia for nearly two years one of my favorite places to serve was with our Cham folks (former Muslim) in Psa Thrict. It was always a blessing to go soul-winning with them, teach the men, and then preach/teach for their Midweek service.  It was a real joy to spend the day with these dear folks last Thursday. The time of visitation, teaching the men, and preaching for the Midweek service, as always, was a real blessing!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR CHURCH PLANT IN PSA THRICT, AS WELL AS FOR SAN AND VANNAK AS THEY LEAD THIS WONDERFUL MINISTRY! 

On Friday, we had an all-day Staff and Worker’s Training. I opened the day with a session on “Joy in Fellowship with the Lord.” This was basically a session encouraging our folks to walk with God. I also closed with a 20 minute testimony of what we will be doing, Lord willing, in China. One of the hi-lights of the training sessions was to be able to spend some time with Chaay and his wife. While serving in Cambodia, I had the privilege to meet with and disciple Chaay for about a year. As faithful members of the church in Psa Thrict, God is using him and his wife in a mighty way!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE MEN AND WOMEN, YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE, WHO ARE WORKING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY OF CAMBODIA TO REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST! 

Of course, it is always a blessing to be able to go soul-winning in Cambodia. The people are so open to hear the Gospel. On Saturday, my old soul-winning buddy, Vannak and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with six adults, as well as visit a home to encourage a few of our teen girls in their walk with Christ!

One of the many blessings of being back in Cambodia is the opportunity to spend some quality time with some of our dear fellow-laborers from our days of living and serving here in Cambodia. After soul-winning, it was nice to be able to go out to lunch with Vannak, Man, Kosal, Hem, and Adrian. I had the opportunity to spend time discipling Kosal for almost two years while here in the country and Vannak and Man for about a year-and-a-half.

In Cambodia, with our team, Sunday is a really full day. Four different church plants  and various village ministries conduct services. Children, teens, and adults have the opportunity to worship God and hear the word of God preached. As always, the service in Phnom was absolutely packed to overflowing. In fact, even the overflow section was full. Just before the service started I had a few moments with Abigail. Abigail is the daughter of Kosal and Phalley. Kosal, in many ways, is like a son to me. I had the opportunity to disciple him for nearly two years while serving here in Cambodia. We are thankful for how God is using him and his wife!

On Sunday evening, the mother church in Phnom Penh has various small groups. This past Sunday, I had the privilege to speak for the Married Couple’s Group. I spoke on the topic, “Mistakes Parents Often Make.” They had a great crowd and as always, they had a lot of fun!

My wife and I thank you for praying for our trip back to Asia and this six-week ministry trip prior to returning back to our new home in China. And, of course, we thank you for your faithful financial support of our ministry. We couldn’t be here without your prayers and support!

Johnny and Denise Esposito

“Is not the commission of our Lord still binding upon us? Can we not do more than now we are doing?” — William Carey