God is doing some amazing things through our three teams in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand). My wife and I are so looking forward to our return to Asia in about eight weeks. The picture above (photo credits missionary Bounna Has) is JUST A FEW OF OUR MANY SOUL-WINNERS IN CAMBODIA. In this picture, they are having an Asian style breakfast at 6:00 AM, just prior to heading out to share the Gospel with their people.   Many of them will spend over 12 hours out sharing the love of Christ.  About half of those pictured above, are students in our new Bible college in Phnom Penh.

Just curious, I wonder if you could figure out which one is Michelle Hardesty? 🙂 Michelle and her family  are long-time members of Pacific Baptist Church and she is  a graduate of Pacific Baptist School and Pacific Baptist Bible College. She is one of four singles serving with our team in Phnom Penh, Cambodia!

PLEASE PRAY FOR DAVE BOARD, OUR TEAM MEMBERS IN CAMBODIA, AND OUR FOLKS IN CAMBODIA, AS THEY FAITHFULLY BRING THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE PEOPLE OF CAMBODIA!

As I typed most of this update, I was sitting at the airport in Hartford, CT. I had been in New England for the past 11 days. And, let me tell you, it was cold. Yet, despite the cold, we had some wonderful meetings. After preaching and presenting at Fairfield Baptist Church on a Thursday evening, I had the privilege to spend four days with one of our supporting churches. White Oak Baptist Church has always been a missions’ minded church. Their former pastor, Michael Peslak, served on the mission field for a few years prior to coming to White Oak Baptist. The conference was four days long, I had the chance to preach four times, and had a wonderful time fellowshipping with other missionaries, church staff, and members of the church.

The new pastor of White Oak Baptist Church is Pastor Le June. My brother and I went to college with his father, who is still faithfully serving the Lord in New England. Pastor Le June has a heart for the Lord, for his people, and for the lost. He is doing a great job at White Oak. After the four-day conference was over, the two of us went to a basketball museum and just enjoyed a great time of fellowship. Pastor Le June and I both love the game of basketball and are both former basketball coaches so we had plenty to talk about. 🙂

While in New England, I also had the privilege of teaching a combined (adult and teens) Sunday School class and preached for another one of my wife and mine supporting churches. First Baptist Church of Groton has been faithfully supporting Denise and me for nearly five years now. Pastor Faulk, my brother, and I all attended Bible college together. I am grateful for a man who has stayed faithful over the years. He took over a church that had literally died about five years ago and God is using him to see it bought back to life. Praise the Lord!

It was a real treat to be able to report at Emmanuel Baptist Church of Newington, CT. Our dear friend of many years Pastor Cary Schmidt, he has been pastoring the church now for nearly five years and words cannot describe what God is doing in the ministry since his arrival. My wife and I had the privilege to be in his very first service five years ago. I cannot begin to describe how much the church has been revitalized!

Just prior to heading off for chilly New England, my wife and I had the privilege to report and preach (well, actually, I did the preaching) for two of our supporting churches in the northern part of California. On Sunday morning, my wife and I were with long-time friend, Pastor Steve Nichols, and the Regency Baptist Church of Orangevale, CA.  Pastor Nichols has faithfully served as pastor of this church despite a crippling illness of twenty years. He now preaches from a wheel chair. One of the staff member’s at Regency is Vathana Mao. Vathana, a former bus kid, graduated from our school many years ago and was one of my better basketball players. He is doing a great job with the youth and helping bus kids raise the funds to attend Christian school!

On Sunday evening, my wife and I were able to be with another one of our long-time friends, Pastor Rick Stonestreet and the Calvary Baptist Church. As always, it was a joy to preach for the church family, to fellowship with pastor, his wife, and the church family. A real treat was to spend some time fellowshipping with the Missions’ Secretary of the church and to our surprise she pulled out a few newspapers with our name on it. Apparently, when they highlight a missionary of the week she puts together a newspaper with articles and pictures about their ministry!

A few days ago, one of our fine young Cham men (former Muslim) from Cambodia sent me a few pictures and videos, along with a personal greeting from himself and grandpa Pun (pictured below). Grandpa is blind and has been saved for a few years now, loves Jesus, and has been responsible for seeing many of his family members come to know Christ. I loved visiting in his home, teaching his family the Word, and sharing the Gospel with his wife, who eventually trusted Christ when one of our Cham brothers witnessed to her. Zen, who I had the privilege of discipling for about a year or so while in Cambodia, is a fine young man who is now enrolled in our Bible college in Phnom Penh!

Not quite sure who this is climbing the tree in the video below, Zen sent it to me. Yet, when I watched this video, I was reminded of one of our young teen boys, many years ago, even prior to my arrival in Cambodia, who died when he fell out of a tree much like this. His home (shack) was the very first that I ever visited in Southeast Asia. Visiting his mother, right after his death, broke my heart for the people of Cambodia, and the rest of Southeast Asia, and it was one of many experiences that helped to convince me of the need to leave America and “GO” to the needy places in the 10/40 Window!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Please continue to pray for all three of our teams in Southeast Asia [Cambodia, Laos, Thailand].
• Please continue to pray for our new Bible college in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
• Please continue to pray that God will open doors for future ministry in China.
• Please continue to pray about the recent increase in persecution in China.
• Please continue to pray that God will bring an increase from all the seeds that we have been sowing through our preaching, teaching, reporting, and presenting these past few months.
• Please pray that God will provide the necessary funds for my wife and I to relocate.
• Please pray for my wife’s recovery from recent surgery!
• Please continue to pray for my brother, Pastor Joe, and his wife Mary!

Denise and I want to thank you for your faithfulness in praying and giving for our ministry. As we often say, we would not be able do what God has called and led us to do without your prayers and without your financial support!

Johnny and Denise

“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light” — John Keith Falconer

 

The pictures above come from our team, sent out of Pacific Baptist Church, in Thailand. Tom and Sue Sutrick-after retiring in the States-surrendered their lives to go and serve Christ and the Hmong people in the country of Thailand. They are humble servants of the Lord that love Jesus and the Thai people, and God is using them to do a great job. They sure could use your prayers!

PRAY FOR TOM AND SUE SUTRICK AND THE WORK IN THAILAND!

It is always good to get reports back from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Of course, my wife and I spent nearly two years serving there alongside of our team. We miss these folks dearly! One of our faithful church members, John Castle, has been there for a few weeks. In fact, he is leaving for the States today. John has been having the time of his life and has not only been blessed, but has been a tremendous blessing while visiting. He’s also finding that serving in Cambodia is just a bit different than serving in the United States.

I am so grateful for all our folks in Cambodia, but especially our Cham men. I had the opportunity to disciple six of them while serving there and go soul winning at least twice a week with either Vannak, Man, or Kosal. One of the highlights of my month was to go out to spend an entire day (12-14 hours) with our Cham folks (soul-winning, lunch, discipleship, and teaching in the Midweek service).

One of the first individuals God used to break my heart, after arriving in Cambodia, was a young lady named Srey Ge. She was saved as a child in our Children’s Ministry in Phnom Penh, but eventually was forced to quit church by her parents. She got away from the Lord and had been out of church for quite sometime. Vannak and I started working with her and her husband (Nak) as soon as my wife and I arrived in Cambodia. We had them over for supper and her husband eventually trusted Christ. They started attending services faithfully until they moved.   Vannak is still doing what he can to keep them on the right path. They could sure use your prayers!

Another hi-light of my week in Cambodia was serving in Steung Meanchey, where we now have a church planted that all started with two years of visiting every week and opening up a Children’s Ministry (pictured below).

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR MINISTRY IN CAMBODIA!

Over the past few weeks Denise and I have had the opportunity to be in a few churches in Central and Northern California. It was a real joy to be with Pastor Trudelle and the Faith Baptist Church of Bakersfield. I have been preaching at Faith for at least 12-15 years. Our dear friend, Pastor Joe Grande, started the church about 25 years ago. A few years ago, he left Faith Baptist for Agape Baptist Church in Stockton, Missouri and Pastor Truedelle replaced him in Bakersfield. Pastor Truedelle and his people are doing a tremendous job!

We sure enjoyed being with the First Baptist Church of Mariposa and Pastor Ray Shull. Pastor Shull and his wife served for many years in Cambodia before returning to the States. They have a son who is presently on deputation to go to Cambodia. This is a church and a pastor with a heart for missions and for the persecuted church around the world. I enjoyed teaching combined Sunday School and preaching for the morning service, as well as presenting our burden for the other side of the Pacific.

After heading down the mountain, my wife and I had the opportunity to be with Pastor Bowersock and the Northside Baptist Church family for their Sunday evening service and a time of food, fun, and fellowship. I had the opportunity to preach and present our burden for the 10/40 Window in general and Southeast Asia and China more specifically, as well as a very profitable Q/A time.

My wife and I had the privilege to spend all day with our dear friends, the Silva’s, and the Coast Hills Baptist Church of Santa Maria. Pastor Silva has been pastoring this church for about 30 years. I had the opportunity to teach a combined adult Sunday School class, preach and report in the morning service, and then preach for both the English and Spanish congregations for the evening service. It was a real treat to be able to spend a little time with Nino and Wilson Eng, who are now members at Coast Hills. Both graduated from our high school when I was the school administrator and Wilson graduated from our Bible college while I was still the Vice-President!

While we are in churches in Central and Northern CA my wife and I normally use our daughter Jessica and her husband Joshua’s house for a home base (i.e. a place to stay). They live in Orange Cove, CA. Lots of orange groves. A few days ago, I witnessed something that was a great reminder of our great task at hand. Within just a few hours trees that had been abounding with delicious looking oranges had become barren. Why? Because it was harvest time? And, the harvesters busied themselves with the task at hand. O Lord, may we have this same spirit in the church!

A few days back, I was reading the Prayer Update of a dear friend of ours, missionary serving in the country of China. He and his family are heading to the States for a short furlough. I also went to his website and read the following words:

“This past year the #### experienced some very real trials. There were raids on the church, and the congregation had to go into hiding. At present, they still need to move locations each week, but the lord has kept them safe and as a result, the gospel is still being preached.

As a family, the #### themselves also had to go into hiding. They have settled for now and the Lord has kept them safe! They lost their home in the process, but they were able to stay with various members of the congregation until a new home outside of the city could be procured.”

I will be in Sacramento and Fairfield, CA this weekend, travel all-day on Monday, have an important meeting with Dwight Tomlinson on Tuesday, along with visiting my brother (Pastor Joe), and then head for the East Coast. I will be in four different churches and one Missions’ Conference over a ten-day period before returning to California. We covet your prayers!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. Please pray for my upcoming trip to New England and the Missions’ Conference at White Oak Baptist Church.
2. Please continue to pray for all three of our teams in Southeast Asia [Cambodia, Laos, Thailand].
3. Please continue to pray for our new Bible college in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 
4. Please continue to pray that God will open doors for future ministry in China.
5. Please continue to pray about the recent increase in persecution in China.
6. Please continue to pray that God will bring an increase from all the seeds that we have been sowing through our preaching, teaching, reporting, and presenting these past few months.
7. Please pray that God will provide the necessary funds for my wife and I to relocate.
8. Please pray for my wife’s upcoming surgery.
9. Please continue to pray for my brother, Pastor Joe, and his wife Mary!

My wife Denise and I want to thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support. As we say often, we could not do what God has called and led us to do without your prayers and without your financial support!

Johnny and Denise

When it comes to the 1040 Window and Unreached and Unengaged People Groups, if we aren’t willing to GO, they aren’t able to KNOW!

Over the past few weeks, my wife and I have been in Southern California. I have had the opportunity to preach for Liberty Baptist Church and my dear friend Pastor Ryan Thompson, and for their Grade School and High School chapel services. God is really using Pastor Thompson and his staff. We were also with our home and sending church, Pacific Baptist Church in Long Beach, preaching for the church family 3 times. I also taught and preached for Pacific Baptist Bible College, as well as, taught at Pacific Baptist School for a couple days for the 7-12th grade Bible Class, preached in two of their chapel services, and for the Grade School Chapel service. Pastor Steve Meyers and his staff are doing a great job at Pacific Baptist. The church, at least in my opinion, is as healthy as it’s ever been, in spite of the fact that my brother, Pastor Joe, has been hospitalized now for nearly 3 1/2 years. I also had the privilege to preach for our church plant, Pacific Baptist Church in Monterey Park (Pastor Kyle Beck). Pastor Beck is doing a wonderful job in Monterey Park. Very exciting to see how they are starting some new outreach programs in their community!

Along with the above, I also had the privilege of preaching for the First Baptist Church Christian school 7-12 grade chapel service (Pastor Dave Delaney). Really enjoyed spending time with these young people. My wife and I also had the privilege to be a part of the Missions’ Sunday at Canyon Ridge Baptist Church (Pastor Chris Chadwick) in San Diego. Canyon Ridge is an awesome church and Pastor Chadwick has a real heart for the mission field. It was nice to have the Vong family (fellow team members in Cambodia) with us for this special Sunday at Canyon Ridge!

Of course, being in Southern California gave us a little time with the grandchildren. Now, that’s always a blessing for both my wife and me. We even had a chance to celebrate our grandson’s birthday! 🙂

As most of you know, Lord willing, my wife and I will soon be relocating to the country of China. Our original intention was to be here in the States until the beginning of March, but it looks like we will be here six weeks longer than we had originally planned. Many have asked, “Why China?” Of course, there are many reasons and I even have posted a page on China, which you can check out by going to the link below:

https://peekingthroughthe1040window.wordpress.com/china/

Consider this for a moment: China is a country of 1.4 billion people. Depending on what statistics you believe, somewhere between 3-5 percent of the population professes to be “Christian.” Just to put that in proper perspective, 77 percent of Americans profess to be “Christian.” The “Unreached” population of the country of China is just under 186 million people, and many of these are not only “Unreached” but “Unengaged,” which means no one is looking for them and trying to reach them with the Gospel. In America, there are somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 independent Baptist churches. Yet, in the country of China, which is almost five times the size of the United States, there are only 50-100 independent Baptist churches.

IN OTHER WORDS, THERE’S A GREAT NEED IN CHINA!

When one ponders these numbers and others like them, it isn’t long before you agree with the great Hudson Taylor who once wrote, “Can Christians in England sit still with folded arms while these multitudes in China are perishing for lack of knowledge – for lack of that knowledge which England possesses so richly?”

I encourage you to check out the videos below:

Why China from carrithelight on Vimeo.

Unreached People Groups of China from carrithelight on Vimeo.

My wife and I will be in Central and Northern California for a few weeks before I head to New England for a couple of weeks. It also looks as if the Lord has opened a door for me to make a very brief trip to the “Bible-belt” to be in a few churches.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. Please pray for all three of our teams in Southeast Asia [Cambodia, Laos, Thailand].
2. Please pray for our new Bible college in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 
3. Please pray that God will open doors for future ministry in China.
4. Please pray about the recent increase in persecution in China.
5. Please pray that God will bring an increase from all the seeds that we have been planting through our preaching, teaching, reporting, and presenting these past few months.
6. Please pray for the many young people in recent days who have made decisions about the mission field.
7. Please pray that God will open a door for a future visit to some refugee camps.
8. Please pray that God will provide the necessary funds for my wife and I to relocate.
9. Please pray for my wife’s upcoming surgery.
10. Please continue to pray for my brother, Pastor Joe, and his wife Mary!

My wife Denise and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your faithful prayers and financial support. We could not do what God has called and led us to do without your prayers and without your financial support!

Johnny and Denise Esposito

God is doing some amazing things in Cambodia. Just one of the many is the dozens of young people who are being grounded in the Word of God and prepared for future ministry in Cambodia and, no doubt, other places in Southeast Asia. The above pictures are of our Bible college students in Phnom Penh and our Bible Institute students. Our team in Cambodia has had a Bible Institute for years, the Bible college just started a few weeks ago. If you are interested in sponsoring one of the college students please do let me know or you can contact Dave Board @davedebboard@gmail.com

PLEASE DO REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR ALL OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE AS THEY PREPARE TO SERVE GOD IN CAMBODIA!

The last few weeks have been busy and blessed. God has been so very good! I had the opportunity to preach and teach a few times for Pacific Baptist Church. It’s always a real blessing to be with our home and sending church. Pastor Meyers and his staff are doing a great job with the church. He took on a huge load when my brother, Pastor Joe, was hospitalized a little over three years ago. Looking forward to teaching and preaching for Pacific Baptist Bible College and Pacific Baptist School over the next week!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BLESS THESE MESSAGES AT PACIFIC BAPTIST CHURCH, AS WELL AS THE COLLEGE, AND THE SCHOOL!

It’s always a tremendous honor to preach at Liberty Baptist Church in Newport Beach. Not only are they a supporting church but their former pastor, Dwight Tomlinson, is one of my dearest friends and their present pastor, Ryan Thompson, is also a longtime friend. It was a real blessing to have one of my former students at PBS and PBBC come along with my wife and I to the service at Liberty. God is working in Borin’s life about the possibility of serving on the mission field!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR CHURCHES LIKE LIBERTY BAPTIST AS THEY CONTINUE TO REACH THEIR JERUSALEM AND PRAY FOR AND SUPPORT MISSIONS AROUND THE WORLD AND THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO GUIDE AND DIRECT BORIN KONG!

It was a real blessing to have our dear friend, Dick Baucum and his wife, at Pacific Baptist Church and with the college the next day. He was preaching at Pacific Baptist Church, which is my sending church, the same night that I was preaching for Liberty Baptist Church, which just so happens to be his sending church. The next day Dick taught for the college. After Dick taught for two hours, he, his wife, his son-n-law and daughter, and I participated in a Round Table Question/Answer time. It was great!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE BAUCUM’S AND THEIR WORK IN CHINA, AS WELL AS FOR THE STUDENTS AT PBBC WHO ARE SERIOUSLY PRAYING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SERVING IN CHINA!

My wife and I took a week off for our 35th wedding anniversary and had a wonderful time together in Florida. I am so very grateful for a wonderful wife. On this side of heaven, she’s my best friend and has been a wonderful helpmeet. Her love for Jesus, for me, for our children, for our grandchildren, and others inspires me. While in Florida, I also had the opportunity to preach for the Lighthouse Baptist Church of Winter Park (Pastor Wruck). The response to the message was tremendous. God moved in the service and for this we are grateful!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR MARRIAGE, MY WIFE’S HEALTH, AND FOR GOD TO USE US AS A COUPLE TO MAKE AN IMPACT FOR CHRIST IN THE 1040 WINDOW!

It was great to meet up with the Tomlinson’s and spend a little time with them. We had lunch together (after we got the car jumped, but that’s another story) and spent time talking about the 1040 Window, China, the Barnabas1040 ministry (which he started about two years ago), and the refugee crisis. They are presently supporting 17 national pastors, including four of the men I had the privilege of working with in Cambodia and Laos. My wife and I love Dwight and Gayle. They are great friends and have a heart to do what they can in their fourth quarter of life to make a dent in the 1040 Window!

PRAY FOR DWIGHT AND GAYLE TOMLINSON AS THEY PREPARE TO LEAVE FOR CHINA IN TWO MONTHS AND AS THEY LEAD THE BARNABAS1040 MINISTRY!

It was a joy to be able to spend some time with Pastor Stokes (Berean Bible Baptist of Duarte) and Pastor Fiesco (Berean Bible Baptist of East Los Angeles) and the young people of Berean Bible Baptist Church of Duarte. Once a month BBBC has a Missions Friday and this was the third time in the past five years or so that I had a chance to speak for this special evening. They had a good crowd of young people. God moved in a special way during the invitation. Always grateful for the opportunity and the privilege to be able to influence young people for the Lord. It was also nice to be able to spend some time fellowshipping with four of my former students from Pacific Baptist Bible College. In addition to preaching and showing a video about the 1040 Window, my wife and I passed out quite a few of our books Peeking Through the 1040 Window and Keep the Dream Alive to young people who felt God might be leading them into full-time Christian service!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN, WHILE I WAS AT BEREAN, TO BRING FORTH FRUIT THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER COMMITMENT FOR CHRIST AND THE CAUSE OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD!

It was a real treat and a privilege to be able to preach at Harvest Baptist Church in Daly City, CA for their Tenth Anniversary today. Pastor Winiel Pechardo, who started the church ten years ago, is a dear friend of ours. In fact, Pastor Winiel Pechardo pastored our Filipino Ministry for five years prior to starting the church in Daly City. When he left our church, I took over the Filipino Ministry and pastored it for five years!  The church auditorium was packed to overflowing. There were many new visitors. In fact, I was told there were 52 new visitors. As always, the music was tremendous. The response to my message was great. Nine people made professions of faith after my message. And we had a great time of food and fellowship after the morning service. I also preached for their evening service!

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR PECHARDO AND THE HARVEST BAPTIST CHURCH FAMILY!

If you have been following our updates for a while, you will be very familiar with our new church plant in Steung Meanchey, Cambodia and the names Kosal, Vannak, and Man. For nearly two years, while my wife and I were serving in Cambodia, I had the privilege and pleasure to work with and alongside of these young men. These men not only love Christ, are committed to the cause of Christ, but they are zealous for reaching Cambodia for Christ. Along with other responsibilities they have serving with our team in Cambodia, they are doing a great job with the new church plant in Steung Meanchey!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR MINISTRY IN STEUNG MEANCHEY, CAMBODIA!

My wife and I want to thank you all, once again, for your faithful prayers and financial support over the years!

Johnny and Denise Esposito

These llamas, in the picture above, were the first thing I saw as I walked out of my room in Stockton, Missouri the first morning there. They were staring at me intently. I have a feeling they could tell I was a “foreigner.” 🙂

The past few weeks have been blessed and busy. I have had the opportunity to preach in six different churches, teach in two different Bible colleges, and preach two chapel services for a Christian Academy, and two more for the Agape Boy’s Home!

As always, it was a tremendous blessing for my wife and me to be with our dear friend Pastor Kirk Beard and his family, along with the Parkway Baptist Church family (Hemet, CA) on the morning of New Year’s Day. This is a church that I have preached for nearly every year of its existence (about 16 years I believe), other than the years that I have been in Southeast Asia. It’s a great and growing church and God has blessed them mightily!

On Sunday evening, my wife and I had the privilege to be with another dear friend and his church family. Pastor Jayson Brown, his family, and the staff of Victory Baptist Church in El Cajon, CA are doing a fantastic job or, should I say, God is doing a fantastic job through them. I always enjoy preaching for them, as well as fellowshipping with Pastor Brown and his folks!

Another good church in Southern California is the International Bible Baptist Church. They are in National City, just outside of San Diego. My wife and I had the privilege of being with them for their last mid-week service of the year. As always, they were very responsive to the message that I preached. Pastor Plata, a friend for years, has faithfully served this church family and community for many years. He even has two of his young people attending our Bible college in Long Beach. They are great girls!

While there, I had a chance to meet, or should I say, become reacquainted with a young lady named Raechel. She believes the Lord would have her serve someday on the mission field as a medical missionary. I gave her a copy of the book Peeking Through the 10/40 Window.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE THREE CHURCHES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO CONTINUE TO REACH THEIR COMMUNITY FOR CHRIST AND FOR THE MESSAGES THAT I PREACHED FOR THEM TO BRING FORTH LASTING FRUIT!

It had been nearly 15 years since I’ve been with, and preached for, the Agape Baptist Church and the Agape Boy’s Home. What an amazing work they have going on in the middle of nowhere. Well, it’s actually Stockton, Missouri, but for an old city boy, it sure seems like nowhere. I had the opportunity to present our work and preach for the church family. My dear friend Pastor Joe Grande is now pastoring the church. For many years, Pastor Grande pastored in Bakersfield, CA and taught for about seven or eight years at our Bible College when I was the Vice-President. In addition to preaching for the church, I also preached for their Academy twice and for the Boy’s Home twice. Enjoyed spending time with long-time friends, Brother Jim Clemenson, Brother Darrell Moore, and Brother Alan Clemenson.

I enjoyed spending all day Sunday at the Heritage Baptist Church in Lawrence, Kansas. This is a tremendous church pastored by a good man. Pastor Hanks has been in Lawrence for over 20 years and is doing a great job. I also had the opportunity and the privilege to teach in their Bible college on Monday and Tuesday!

It was a tremendous blessing to spend a few days with Pastor Mike Wells and the Parkside Baptist Church, as well as the Lone Star Baptist Bible College. Pastor Wells is a pastor with a heart for missions, and especially for Asia. I believe he has made over 50 trips to the Philippines and other countries in Asia, including Cambodia. Pastor Wells has been doing Pastor’s Conferences in the Philippines on a yearly basis. I was able to preach for their church services on both Sunday AM and Sunday PM. In addition, I preached for their college and high school students and taught in their college. It was a great experience. We had a handful of students surrender to serve on the mission field during the chapel service. Met a lot of great folks. Had a really good time!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE THREE CHURCHES TO REACH THEIR COMMUNITIES FOR CHRIST AND FOR ALL OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE SCHOOLS, THE BOY’S HOME, AND THE BIBLE COLLEGES THAT I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PREACH FOR TO FIND, FOLLOW, AND FINISH THE WILL OF GOD FOR THEIR LIVES!

God is doing so many wonderful things with and through our team in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and in the surrounding Provinces. While we have had a Bible Institute for quite some time, we just opened up a brand new Bible college. This is what our team leader in Cambodia noted in his most recent Prayer Update:

“We are greatly anticipating the opening day of our Bible college this coming week! We are planning to have 7-8 full-time students and 5 part-time students who will begin classes on Monday. We are also looking forward to the Bible Institute resuming classes on Monday afternoon with 39-40 students. We have other folks who desire to take classes but are unable to at this time because of their work schedules. This term we will be offering the following classes between the College and Bible Institute: Spiritual Warfare, Bible Doctrines 1, The Book of Matthew, John’s Epistles, The Book of James, The Christian Family, and English. This is a huge undertaking for us but it is vital that we train up the next generation of national leaders.”

As far as the college, I believe they had 10-12 students for the opening day of classes. According to Brother Board, the College students will be in class 16 hours per week and serving n the ministry many hours above that. They will be serving with the new church plant in Steung Meanchey, with our church in Phnom Penh, as well as with the church in Psa Thrict. This schedule leaves them with literally no time to earn an income. While the students are NOT being charged to attend classes, they will need to come up with their own transportation, food costs, and just an additional few dollars a week. Our ministry is trying to raise $75.00 a month per student. Of this, $25 per month will be set aside for two different missions trips per year (i.e. Vietnam and Laos), as well as helping to pay for books for their classes. The other $50 will be used for their monthly living expenses.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SPONSORING ONE OF THESE WORTHY COLLEGE STUDENTS PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY SHOOTING ME AN EMAIL!!!

PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD’S HAND OF FAVOR ON OUR TEAM IN CAMBODIA AND THE NEW PACIFIC BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE AND THE MANY LIVES WHO WILL BE TOUCHED BECAUSE OF THIS NEW MINISTRY!

Over the past few weeks, I have shown our video, “The Devils Dirty Little Secret” many times in church services, as well as school and Bible college chapels. If you’ve never seen it yet, I encourage you to check it out!

Denise and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and financial support. We couldn’t do what we are doing without you!

Johnny and Denise

Recently, I received this picture of grandma Bouenseng and a text from my buddy Vannak in Cambodia. For nearly two years he was my faithful soul-winning partner, and for close to 18 months I spent time with him and his brother Man in discipleship sessions. With the picture was a brief text that simply said, “She said hello and pray for her spiritual and physical health.”

Vannak and I had the opportunity to lead grandma to Christ about 18 months ago. I am so thankful for those who are willing to leave the comforts of home to bring the Gospel to folks like grandma who have very little, if any, chance of hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ!

PLEASE PRAY FOR GRANDMA’S SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL CONDITION AND FOR GOD TO CONTINUE TO USE OUR TEAM IN CAMBODIA TO REACH MANY MORE GRANDMA’S FOR JESUS!

The month of December was a busy one to say the least. We were in six different churches. My wife was in the Emergency Room twice, a Medical Clinic once, and we both had a few doctor’s appointments.  Regrettably, because my wife and I were in the Emergency Room we had to cancel our preaching at Liberty Baptist Church in Newport Beach. Thankfully, our dear friend Pastor Ryan Thompson understood and was ready to preach. I was told God moved in a special way as he preached from the life of Job. That’s what you call the providence of God right there. Also, grateful that we were able to reschedule for next month!

PLEASE PRAY FOR MY WIFE’S HEALTH AS THEY CONTINUE TO DO TESTS TO FIND OUT THE EXACT PROBLEM!

We just passed the three month mark of being back in the States. It seems like it’s been an eternity since arriving back here. While we definitely miss being on the field, it has been nice to spend time with family during the Christmas season. It has been a while (three years to be exact) since we have been with our children, grandchildren, my siblings, and their families, during this time of the year. Needless to say, it was a very special time for us.

Over the past three weeks we were able to preach for Pacific Baptist Church of Long Beach (Pastor Meyers) twice, Pacific Baptist Church of Monterey Park (Pastor Kyle Beck), as well as preach for the Pacific Baptist Grade School Chapel twice and the High School chapel once. During the High school chapel service at Pacific, I asked Brother Adrian Torres to give a brief testimony about serving on the field. He did a wonderful job. Adrian is a graduate of our high school and college. He has served faithfully in Cambodia now for about four years. He is on a brief trip to the States and returns to Cambodia in a about two weeks!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE THE MESSAGES THAT I PREACHED, ADRIAN’S TESTIMONY, AND THE REFUGEE VIDEO TO STIR HEARTS FOR CHRIST AND THE CAUSE OF CHRIST AROUND THE WORLD!

During the high school chapel service, I also showed a brief video that my wife recently put together dealing with the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East. As you well know, the Refugee Crisis is heartbreaking and deserves our prayer and attention at the least. I believe God really used the video to speak to many of our young people’s hearts. You can check it out below.

Syrian Refugee Crisis from carrithelight on Vimeo.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE REFUGEES AND FOR GOD TO USE THIS TRAGEDY TO BRING MANY OF THEM TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST! 

I also had the privilege of presenting and preaching for Berean Bible Baptist Church (Pastor Feisco) of East Los Angeles and Berean Bible Baptist Church (Pastor Reinosa) of El Monte. Both of these churches were planted over the past few years by Berean Bible Baptist Church of Duarte (Pastor Stokes). You’ll remember we were with that church family last month. I also reported at First Baptist Church of Long Beach (Pastor Delaney). It’s always a joy and a blessing to be at First Baptist Church. All of these men are doing a great job for Jesus!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BRING FORTH FRUIT FROM  OUR TIMES WITH THESE CHURCHES AND THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS THEM AS THEY LABOR IN THEIR PART OF THE HARVEST OF GOD!

While here in the States, along with reporting to many of our supporting churches and attempting to raise some additional support for our next move with Christ in the 1040 Window, I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be used by God, in preaching and counseling, to enlist, encourage, and help others who are “wrestling with God” about the mission field. In just the past few weeks I have had quite a few sit down meetings with folks who are considering going to Guatemala, Cambodia, China, and other countries of the world. One of the meetings that I was privileged to have was with eight young people from Pacific Baptist Church who are seriously considering giving their lives to serve in the country of China. I am praying that God will have His way in each of these young people’s lives!

I gave a copy of the book Keep the Dream Alive to one of the men (not pictured) who I had the opportunity to sit down with for a time of fellowship and some counseling about his future. He read the entire book that evening. Here is an excerpt from a text message I received from him the next day:

“I finished Keep the Dream Alive last night. And to be honest, I hate it! I hate it when God prods and pricks my heart. That burning sensation that convicts me, but I am so inspired and motivated to GO! Please pray for me … I truly believe God is laying the groundwork for me to GO.”

If God could use our trip to the States and the books I have written to inspire one young person to give their life to Christ and the cause of Christ it will be worth it all.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR TIME IN THE STATES TO BE FRUITFUL FOR GOD!

I am looking forward to a brief trip to Missouri and Texas in January. I definitely covet your prayers as I will be preaching and teaching at a few churches, two Bible colleges, and a Boy’s and Girl’s Home. No doubt, there will be a lot of young people and a lot of potential in these few meetings. On this trip, I will be giving away many copies of the book Keep the Dream Alive to young people. We will be praying that God will stir hearts for Christ and the cause of Christ. Please pray with us!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS TRIP!

My wife and I sincerely appreciate your prayers and faithful support.

Johnny and Denise Esposito

PS If you haven’t checked out our new website, Peeking Through the 1040 Window recently, I encourage you to check it out. Just click the link below.  

https://peekingthroughthe1040window.wordpress.com/

My wife and me with our eldest granddaughter Abigail

My wife and I want to wish all of our family, friends, and faithful supporters a very Merry Christmas! Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year. It’s a time to reflect on the incarnation of Christ. A time to meditate upon the free gift of salvation that has been offered to all. A time to remember God’s goodness in our lives. Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends who are closest to us.

Christmas, for those of us who serve as missionaries, is another opportunity to say “Thank You” to all of you who faithfully pray for us. To say “Thank you” to all of you who financially support us and make it possible for us to do what God has led us to do.  To say “Thank You” to all of you who send us encouraging emails, text messages, etc.

Rather than giving you a regular update of what God has been doing the past few weeks, we just wanted to say “THANK YOU!”

Thank you for loving Jesus. Thank you for your commitment to Christ and the cause of Christ, not only here at home, but around the world!

Merry Christmas,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

Psalm 67

While my wife and I desperately miss being in Asia, we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to report to some of our supporting churches, as well as to have the responsibility to try to influence brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for, give to, and seriously consider going to serve Christ in the area of the world known as the 1040 Window! The picture above was taken as we were leaving Cambodia, almost three months ago, heading to the States. We sure miss the folks in Southeast Asia!

My wife and I are launching a new website called “Peeking Through the 10/40 Window.” You can check it out by going to www.peekingthroughthe1040window.wordpress.com. It is a site dedicated to informing folks about the great need in the 10/40 Window, as well as inspiring them to pray for, give to, and prayerfully consider going to serve in the 10/40 Window. The picture above was taken about three months ago—while I was returning from a preaching meeting in Vientiane, Laos. That evening, and on one other occasion, I saw eight young Mormon missionaries. This is more than double the IB missionaries (American and Filipino) in the same city! There is a great need for young men and women, who know the Lord Jesus, to give their lives for the sake of the Gospel in the neediest area of the world. The 10/40 Window!

PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD TO MOVE MEN AND WOMEN TO PRAY FOR, GIVE TO, AND GO AND SERVE IN THE 10/40 WINDOW!

It was a special blessing to be with the Menifee Baptist Church and Pastor Pat Cook. I have known Pastor Cook for well over 15 years, since his high school days. He played basketball, among other sports, for the Faith Baptist Swordsmen and they were our “cross town” rivals when I coached our basketball team. Talk about some classic games. Oh, my! I had the opportunity to present and preach for his church’s third anniversary. It was a special time and they were extremely generous to us!

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR COOK AND HIS CONGREGATION AS THEY ATTEMPT TO REACH THEIR VASTLY EXPANDING AREA IN SOUTHERN CA!

It’s always a blessing to be with Pastor Barrera and the Berean Bible Baptist Church in Chula Vista, CA. They are one of the first churches to ever start supporting us and have been dear friends in the ministry for many years. I am impressed with their desire to reach out to Foreign Exchange students with the Gospel message. Pastor’s kids also did a great job keeping my grandchildren, Hannah and Sammy, entertained at In-N-Out!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS CHURCH FAMILY AS THEY SEEK TO DO WHAT VERY FEW ARE DOING: REACHING OUT TO THE UNREACHED HERE IN AMERICA!

Another church and pastor that have been our friends and supporters for many years now is the Berean Bible Baptist Church of Duarte, CA and Pastor Richard Stokes. This is a great church and they have planted three new churches in the East Los Angeles area over the past five years. It’s always a real joy to spend time with this church family and to preach in their services. I had the privilege to preach for their Thanksgiving service. It was a tremendous night of singing, testifying, and hopefully the preaching was a blessing.  Oh yeah, their pulpit is ridiculous!!! 🙂

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS PASTOR RICHARD STOKES AND THE BEREAN BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH OF DUARTE AND THEIR SISTER CHURCHES!

Most of you probably do not know this, but my brother (Pastor Joe) and I first started attending a Baptist church about 37 years ago. The church was Gethsemane Baptist Temple, at the time they were located in Paramount, CA. Today, the church is called Gethsemane Baptist Church and they are located in Long Beach, CA now. They have been our friends for many years and have been supporting my wife and me from almost the very beginning. It was a blessing to be with them recently and teach their teen SS class, as well as preach for their main service. Their music was fantastic!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO USE PASTOR ELY REYNOLDS AND THE GETHSEMANE BAPTIST CHURCH TO REACH THEIR COMMUNITY FOR CHRIST!

The very first church to start supporting my wife and me was Faith Baptist Church of Wildomar. Pastor Bruce Goddard has been our dear friend and fellow laborer for over thirty years now. FBC is a soul-winning church! The week before I was with them, they had a great evangelistic push in which they preached the Gospel to over 6,000 people in many different locations in the San Diego area. It’s always a blessing to preach for these folks. They love Jesus. They love souls. And they love preaching!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS PASTOR GODDARD AND THE FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH OF WILDOMAR AS THEY SEEK TO REACH THEIR COMMUNITY FOR CHRIST!

Well my baby, Joy, got married. Joy and Chris Ayala tied the knot on Saturday, November 26. In the picture below of the wedding party, you’ll find 4 of 5 of our children, their spouses, and 14 of our 17 grandchildren. Of course, it was a bittersweet moment for me. I am grateful for God’s goodness and grace in our family. Grateful for my daughter and her husband doing it right. And so very grateful for the fact that all five of my adult children, by God’s grace, are serving God full-time!

My wife and I, once again, want to thank all of you for your prayers, your emails of encouragement, and your financial support. We could not do what we are doing without you prayers, encouragement, and support!

Johnny & Denise

The last three weeks have been very busy. We have been in seven different churches and I have had the privilege to preach for six of them. In addition to this, my second youngest grandchild, Emma, was hospitalized for ten days. During this time period, she was in three hospitals, including Stanford for seven days. My wife and I, along with Emma’s parents, are thankful for the prayers of many and for those who helped her parents financially.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR EMMA’S RECOVERY!

It was a tremendous blessing to be able to be with some of our dear friends and the churches that they have been entrusted by God to pastor. Pastor Rick Owens (Victory Baptist Church), Pastor Tim Ruhl (Pleasant Valley Baptist Church), Pastor Winiel Pechardo (Harvest Baptist Church), Pastor Art Maricle (New Hope Baptist Church), Pastor Mike Ray (Hopewell Baptist Church), Pastor John Evertson (West Valley Baptist Church), and my son-in-law Pastor Josh Aquino (Lighthouse) and their church families were a tremendous encouragement and blessing to us.

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE THESE MEETINGS TO INSPIRE YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE TO PRAY MORE, GIVE MORE, AND IN SOME CASES, BE WILLING TO GO TO THE 1040 WINDOW!

While doing an all-day Missions’ Emphasis at West Valley Baptist Church (Pastor Evertson), I was introduced to a few young people who had surrendered to serve the Lord on the Mission Field, including a nine-year old boy named Jack. After the morning service, I gave them all a copy of the book “Keep the Dream Alive.” Just before the evening service, Jack came to me and said he had been reading the book that afternoon and his eyes were glued to it. The next day I received an email from Jack, which said: “This is Jack Gerbitz and I just wanted to tell you thank you for the book. I loved the testimony of Pastor Esposito. I might go to China to keep the dream alive with my friend Aydin. He said he would like to go there too.” NOT BAD FOR A NINE-YEAR OLD BOY!

PLEASE PRAY FOR JACK AND OTHERS WHO GOD WILL SPEAK TO, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, DURING OUR TIME IN THE STATES!

Once you have been serving on the field and grow to love a people it’s hard not to have them on your mind. There’s seldom a day that goes by that I do not think of, and pray for, our folks in Cambodia and Laos. It has been a real blessing to be kept updated on a regular basis of what is going on in Southeast Asia, especially in Cambodia. It was a joy to hear that our new church plant in Steung Meanchey is continuing to do well and to hear that the recent Youth Conference our team held in Phnom Penh was greatly blessed by God!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR TEAMS AND THE VARIOUS WORKS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA!

I know many of you pray regularly for my brother, Pastor Joe, and his wife Mary. We are all extremely grateful for those prayers. Very seldom do I go to a church and not have many people come and tell me they have been praying for him and his wife. With that in mind, I thought you might get a kick out of this. My brother and I are originally from Chicago and are Chicago Cubs fans, he, even more than myself. Well, this year, for the first time since 1908, the Cubs won the World Series. Pastor Joe had the chance to watch a few of the games. And I think he was a bit excited about their World Series Championship victory!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PASTOR JOE, MARY, AND THE FAMILY! 

My wife and I would like to thank you for your faithful prayer and financial support. We couldn’t do what we do without your prayers and your support.

Johnny and Denise

Over the past few years, the new president of China has been “tightening the screws” and religious persecution has been on the increase. Just a few weeks ago, a friend of ours (serving in the country about 20 years) had the church he started and is pastoring raided by the police. A couple months before that, another friend of ours (serving in the country over ten years) came under investigation and turned the work over to a national serving alongside him. And, just a month or two before that, another missionary who had been serving in the country for over 20 years was kicked out of the country. The new president has vowed to kick all the foreign missionaries out of the country by 2017.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF CHINA AND FOR THE CHURCHES THAT ARE BEING PERSECUTED!

It has been a real blessing to be with our family, friends, and many of our faithful supporters the past two weeks. Over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to be in five different churches. Three of these churches (First Baptist Church of Geneseo, Illinois, Faith Baptist Church of Bourbonnais, Illinois and Lewis Avenue Baptist Church of Toledo, Ohio) are supporting churches and two of them (Cross Point Baptist Church, Davenport, Iowa and Sheridan Road Baptist Church of Saginaw, Michigan) are not. It looks as if both of these churches will be taking us on!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL TAKE THE SEEDS WE SOWED AT THESE CHURCHES AND BRING AN INCREASE FOR HIS GLORY!

While at Sheridan Road Baptist Church (Pastor Lou Jurva), it was a blessing to see a picture of the Board family on their Missions’ Wall. We are so grateful for the many years of service of Dave and Debbie Board at Pacific Baptist Church in Long Beach. And now, for many years, their faithful service in Cambodia leading our team in this needy country. By the way, the picture below is an old one. Dave Board looks much older today, but Mrs. Board hasn’t aged at all! 🙂

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE BOARDS AND THE REST OF OUR TEAM IN CAMBODIA!

One of the many blessings during this trip was to be able to spend a few days with my niece Taryn, her husband Joel (pastor of Cross Point Baptist Church), and their three precious daughters (Angelina, Eden, and Gabby). I was reminded just how good God has been to my family since saving me 39 years ago, as a young soldier in Fort Lewis, Washington. Praise God for His goodness!

I also had the opportunity to sit in on an elementary school Bible Club in Davenport, Iowa. It was a real joy to see over 40 children in attendance and to witness the staff of the school leading the students in a time of singing to the Lord and teaching of the Word of God! A couple days later Pastor Kobernat and I, after a time of soul winning, stopped by a school fair and had the opportunity to talk to the school principal for quite some time. She was even passing out invites for Cross Point Baptist Church to some of the students. 🙂

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO USE PASTOR KOBERNAT, HIS FAMILY, AND THE CROSS POINT BAPTIST CHURCH FAMILY IN DAVENPORT, IOWA!

As I mentioned above, one of the churches that I had the opportunity to be in and preach for, was Lewis Avenue Baptist Church in Temperance, Michigan. My dear friend Pastor Steve Hobbins has been pastoring the church for nine years now. He took over for his father, Pastor Les Hobbins, who faithfully served the church for decades. This is a church that has a real heart for missions in general, and for the 10/40 Window and Unreached People Groups around the world more specifically!

On a regular basis I receive reports of what is going on in Cambodia, especially in Steung Meanchey. If you will remember, after two years or so of soul-winning and discipleship in SMC, we started a new Children’s Ministry and a new church. Both of these have been doing very well! I am so grateful for the faithfulness of the Sann brothers, Man, Kosal, and Vannak, who are leading up this ministry and God is using them in a tremendous way.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR GOD’S BLESSING UPON THE MINISTRY IN STEUNG MEANCHEY, AS WELL AS OTHER AREAS OF MINISTRY IN THE COUNTRY OF CAMBODIA!

My wife and I would like to thank you all, once again, for your faithful prayers and financial support. We couldn’t serve in the 10/40 Window if it were not for your financial support and your faithful prayers!

Johnny and Denise