My wife and I are in the Midwest now! Before I go any further, I simply have to say this, after living the past 3 ½ years in Southeast Asia and now back in the United States for the past 3 ½ weeks, I can honestly say, “America, you have been blessed.” In fact, blessed beyond measure!

Our first stop on this brief trip in the Midwest was at two churches in Michigan. On Sunday morning, we had the privilege to be with Calvary Baptist Church (Pastor LaFave). A young lady (Alexus) who we have known for many years, is now a member of this church. She grew up in the church that my son-in-law Joshua Aquino pastors in Central California. Below you will see a picture of her and her husband, as well as a picture of a nice note she gave us. On Sunday evening, we had the privilege to be with the Bible Baptist Church (Pastor R.G. Tharp). I had the opportunity and privilege not only to present our ministry but to preach.

We then went south to the Homecoming Conference in Hammond, Indiana hosted by the First Baptist Church and our dear friend of many years Pastor John Wilkerson. It was a blessing to see so many friends from the past, to hear great preaching, and to have the opportunity to share our burden for the 10/40 Window during chapel at Hyles-Anderson College. It really was a time of great refreshing for both of us. While at the college, two young men (students at the college) named Goishi and Brett came up to me and told me they had surrendered to serve the Lord full-time when I had preached at their home church. Goishi, who is from Michigan, surrendered to go to Japan as a missionary when I preached a missions message at his church. I also had the privilege to donate 65 copies of the book “Keep the Dream Alive”to the missions students of the college!

The picture above is a picture of the first house that my wife and I lived in after getting married 34 years ago. We lived downstairs. After the trip to Indiana, my wife and I headed back to Michigan once again. We were with my wife’s home church, Metro Baptist in Belleville, Michigan. I had the privilege to preach for them on Wednesday evening, as well as Sunday morning and Sunday evening. Over 40 years ago, my wife, as 12 year old girl, was reached through the bus ministry of MBC.

The pictures above are Pastor Vaprezsan, who started Metro Baptist Church over 40 years ago and continues to pastor it to this day. He is standing next to a man I went to Bible college with over 34 years ago. We had the opportunity to go out soul winning together on Saturday!  Also, above you will find a picture of Mrs. Vaprezsan, my wife, her mother, and Denise’s former Sunday school teacher. She taught Denise over 40 years ago.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR SAFE TRAVELS AND A FRUITFUL TRIP IN THE MIDWEST!

Denise and I thank you for your prayers and financial support. We couldn’t do what God is allowing us to do if it weren’t for folks like you and churches like yours. We love you all and thank God for you,

Johnny and Denise

My wife and I have been in the States for exactly two weeks now and it’s been a busy and blessed two weeks. I am typing this from the airport in Los Angeles. My wife and I are heading to the Midwest for one month. I will be in nine different churches in four different states during that time span.

Please pray for this to be a fruitful trip!

We just concluded the Missions’ Revival at Pacific Baptist Church in Long Beach (Pastor Steve Meyers/Pastor Joe Esposito) and Pacific Baptist Church in Monterey Park (Pastor Kyle Beck). Pastor Meyers and Pastor Beck, along with their staff, are doing a great job. As always, it was a wonderful time. It was a blessing to see so many brothers and sisters in Christ who I had the privilege to labor with for 18 years. Both of the churches had great crowds, a great spirit, great singing, and a great response to the  many messages. I preached a total of nine times in seven days for the two churches!

Please pray that God will continue to bless and use both of these churches in this matter of the Great Commission!

In addition to preaching for the two churches, I had the wonderful privilege to teach a four-day intensive at Pacific Baptist Bible College and preach for their chapel service three times. It’s always a blessing to teach and preach for the college, but I do believe this year might have been better than ever. My nephew, Joseph (Pastor Joe’s eldest son), and my son Jeremy are doing a great job in the college. The students were extremely attentive and many made decisions. Many of them are seriously considering serving on the mission field!

Please pray that God will raise up many young men and women from PBBC to be faithful laborers for the great harvest fields of the world!

I also had the privilege to preach for our Pacific Baptist Grade School chapel and our 7-12 grade chapel service. My wife and I were the school administrators for almost 18 years at Pacific Baptist School and it’s always a blessing to go back and see how the young people have grown and matured.

Please pray that God will use these young people for His glory!

Of course, another blessing of being at Pacific is to be able to spend time with four of our five children and 12 of our 17 grandchildren. Denise and I have a daughter who is married to a pastor in Central California, but our other four children (three married) are staff members at Pacific Baptist. My youngest daughter Joy will be getting married in about two months, and Lord willing her and her future husband Chris will be going to serve in the needy harvest fields of China! The picture below is two of my three sons and SOME of my grandsons. 🙂

Of course, I also had the opportunity to visit with my brother, Pastor Joe, a few times while in the area. It’s great to see him smile when something funny is said and give a thumbs up concerning ministry reports. While we are definitely grateful for the progress God has allowed him to make over the past three years (he wasn’t supposed to survive the first 24 hours), we are still praying for a full recovery. We are all grateful for your continual prayers for Pastor Joe, his wife Mary, and the rest of the family!

Please continue to pray for Pastor Joe, Mary, their family, and the Pacific Baptist Church family!

Denise and I want to thank you for your faithful and consistent prayer and financial support. We couldn’t serve without you!!!

Johnny and Denise

The picture above is something I posted recently on Instagram, Twitter, and FaceBook with the following words: In three different meetings recently in this “Creative Access” nation, I asked different people these two questions, “How many families or households can be found in your home village?” and “How many households or families in your village have at least one Christian?” Eighteen different villages, with 4,240 households were represented, and 74 of the households had at least one “professing Christian.” That comes up to 0.017 percent!

To keep the above number in proper perspective, it is good to keep in mind that the United States of America has 77% of the population that professes to be “Christian.”

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY TO THE LORD OF THE HARVEST ABOUT THE HARVEST FIELDS IN THIS COUNTRY AS WELL AS OTHERS IN THE 1040 WINDOW!

My 13 days in the “Creative Access” nation, as always, were blessed beyond measure. My wife and I have loved this country and these people from the day we set foot there nearly four years ago. After spending 17 months living and serving there, our hearts became knit with them in a very special way. As we mentioned in our previous update, our first four days in the country were spent with a dear friend of ours, a national who has been pastoring for the past 5 or 6 years in the country. In fact, his was the first IB church in the country that was pastored by a national. We preached for him, taught him and his men in the Bible Institute, along with three other pastors, and had two evenings of special sessions with a handful of the ladies in his church who are factory workers. WE HAD A TREMENDOUS TIME!

The next nine days in the country were spent with the church and the Bible Institute students that are a part of the ministry of the team sent out of my home and sending church (Pacific Baptist Church in Long Beach). The Bible Institute operates a bit differently than the typical Bible Institute, it isn’t ongoing. What they do is have guest preachers (national pastors/missionaries) come in on a fairly regular basis and these men will teach 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 day intensives. I believe this was the fourth, possibly fifth, time that I have come in to teach for five days. I had the chance to teach three hours during the day and another two hours each evening. I taught these Bible Institute students (a couple of the guys from the other Bible institute came also) for a total 23 hours. Along with the teaching, I also did both of their Sunday services on September 4 and the 11th. I also had a chance to teach a Bible study on Sunday afternoon in a village about two hours away. I was also supposed to preach twice for another church in the country, but because of security concerns the meetings had to be cancelled. Such is life in a country such as this! AGAIN, WE HAD A VERY FRUITFUL AND FULFILLING TIME!

On my last Sunday in the “Creative Access” nation, after speaking twice for our church, a few of us went out to a village about an hour-and-a-half away. I had the chance to teach a group of Hmong young people on the importance of loving, learning and living, or obeying the word of God. Before teaching, I was blessed to hear them sing one song after another to the Lord and about the Lord. It was beautiful – a sight to behold!

There were two things in particular that made this such a blessed visit.  First of all, it was a blessing because every one of the young people in attendance, except for one 17 year old girl, had been saved (if they were saved) over the last few months since this new ministry began. Secondly, this ministry is led and served entirely by young nationals. That’s what it is all about!

Just prior to arriving where the service would be, a couple of us went out to visit a well known and highly respected Hmong evangelist. He wasn’t there, but we spent a little time with his wife. It is humbling to see how this man lives. Definitely a far cry from what we are used to that’s for sure!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD CONTINUES TO BLESS THIS NEW MINISTRY AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE LEADING IT!

As we mentioned in our previous update, in just a few days, my wife and I will be flying back to the States. We definitely covet your prayers as we will be extremely busy from the time we arrive in Los Angeles. I have an all-day meeting three days after we fly into the country and then a Missions’ Conference for both Pacific Baptist Church of Long Beach and Pacific Baptist Church of Monterey Park the following Wednesday-Sunday, along with teaching a three day Missions Intensive for Pacific Baptist Bible College. Then things really get busy!  Of course, we will have some time with our five children and seventeen grandchildren and my brother Pastor Joe. Looking forward to that!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR TRIP TO THE STATES TO BE A FRUITFUL TRIP!

I do have one additional special prayer request. It’s on a more personal note. My brother, Pastor Joe and I, along with our siblings have an aunt named Annie. She has been like a second mother to us for so many years. She was especially good to us and very helpful while my brother and I were in Bible college. On Wednesday, September 14, she goes in for surgery. She has cancer of the tongue. They will be removing half of her tongue along with cleaning her lymph nodes. If you could take a moment or two and lift up her name to our loving heavenly Father, it would be much appreciated!

PLEASE PRAY FOR ANN RYAN’S SURGERY AND RECOVERY!

My wife and I, along with the girls, once again, would like to thank you for your faithful prayers, financial support, and occasional words of encouragement!

Johnny and Denise Esposito

PS Our new book Keep the Dream Alive: The Story of One Man’s Dream and a Plea to Keep it Alive should be arriving in Southern California, from our publishers in Florida, this week. Please do pray that God will use it!  

 

The picture above is a child named Supisit, which means Proverbs! He’s my little buddy here in  the “Creative Access” nation. I brought him these little cars from Cambodia and he loves them. There was a time, when my wife and I lived and served in this country, where he would literally cry and run from me when he saw me coming. Now, he’s my little buddy! His father was the first national independent Baptist pastor in this country. I have had the privilege to preach probably some fifty times for him, his church, and the camps he and others conduct either in this country or Thailand, as well as teach in his Bible Institute. I just finished speaking for him  Wednesday – Friday for both daytime and evening sessions!

The next two weeks here in Southeast Asia are going to be both busy and blessed as my wife and I are “wrapping things up” in Cambodia. As I mentioned above, I am presently here in a “Creative Access” nation. I will be here a total of 13 days with a few different churches, including the church our team from Pacific Baptist Church planted here about two years ago. Three days after I fly back into Cambodia my wife and I get on a plane and head back to the States for a few months. We will be doing a Missions’ Conference at our home church, teaching a Missions’ intensive, and reporting to a handful of our churches, as well as presenting our burden for this part of world to some new churches. And then, Lord willing, we believe the next step in our adventure will be China!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS TIME OF TRANSITION FOR MY WIFE AND ME!

Our last week or so in Cambodia, prior to flying to the “Creative Access” nation, was blessed. As we mentioned in our last update, we spent an entire day with our village ministry in Psa Thrict. Add to that our regular soul-winning in Phnom Penh and Steung MeanChey, discipleship, teaching in our Worker’s Meeting, and preaching for our church family in Phnom Penh. On my last day of soul-winning in SMC we had a good crowd go out with us and I just watched with amazement as our folks, most of them nationals, were sharing the Good News of Jesus with the poor people of Steung MeanChey. It doesn’t get much better than that.

One blessing I would like to share is while Man and his wife Kanha were taking me to the airport, Kanha shared with me how three teen girls had just trusted Christ in their home the day before. Praise the Lord! You may remember from a previous update Man and Kanha along with Kosal and Phalley recently moved into Steung MeanChey to start the new work. My last week or so in Cambodia wasn’t only a busy and blessed time, but emotionally draining. It’s hard to give your heart and soul to a people for 21 months and  then have to say goodbye!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR ALL OF THE MINISTRIES AND THE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY OF CAMBODIA!

I have just completed my first phase of my trip to the “Creative Access” nation where my wife and I served for 17 months. My first few days here were spent with 4 national pastors, one church family, the small Bible Institute that one of the pastors oversees, and which I had the privilege of teaching in while I was here and have taught in on my five or six trips since leaving the country two years ago. It’s always a blessing to spend time with this pastor and his family (Supisit’s family), as well as the other three pastors, the church family, and the students!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS THESE PASTORS, THEIR MINISTRIES, THE LADIES WHO WORK IN THE FACTORY, AND THIS NEEDY COUNTRY!

Over the next week, I will be with two different churches, another small Bible Institute, and a new village work. I will spend the vast majority of my time with the work our team, sent out of Pacific Baptist Church, started 5 years ago. God is doing some really great things in this very needy place. We are grateful for Komaly and Darath Thongdy’s faithfulness in a difficult place. And we are grateful for the faithfulness of their folks!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BLESS OUR EFFORTS HERE IN THIS NEEDY COUNTRY!

 

 

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!

Our trip to China was such a tremendous blessing! My wife and I arrived in China on Monday evening. The four-day Leadership Conference started on Wednesday evening. I think there were at least seven different churches represented with 90-100 men and women in attendance for the evening sessions and about fifty adult men for the morning sessions. God moved in a very special way. Thank you for praying!

FOR SECURITY PURPOSES THE PICTURES OF THOSE WHO SERVE IN CHINA WILL BE BLURRED!!!

On Tuesday, the day before the conference opened, my wife and I, along with the host missionary made two visits. Our first visit was to a lady dying of cancer. Her and her husband have a great testimony of coming to Christ at an older age. He was in his early fifties when he trusted Christ because of the testimony of some co-workers and a family friend who lived in Australia continually sowing the Gospel seed with them over the phone. His wife is a former Buddhist, while he is a former die-hard communist. Basically he said to us, “For 27 years, Karl Marx was my prophet.” Thank God this is no longer the case. Jesus is now his Prophet, Priest, and King!

Our other visit was to another elderly woman who was sick in the hospital and whose daughter is a member of the church. She had eaten some poisonous mushrooms. We had a great visit. We were an encouragement to her, as were many of the members of the church have been. After our visit with her apparently she told her adult daughter, “I want to become a Christian.” She came to church on Sunday, mentioned to me that we all (the Christians) seemed like a family, and I had the opportunity to share some with her that we were a family in Christ,  and eventually the host missionary shared the Gospel with her and she trusted Christ. Two other women trusted Christ after the service also!

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evening my dear friend Brother Dwight Tomlinson, of barnabas1040.com, and I preached back-to-back, and God moved in a very special way. During the morning sessions on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, a missionary from China (“A Vision for the Family“), Brother Tomlinson (“A Vision for the Church”), and I (“A Vision for the World”) taught special sessions for the men only. We also had some good Q/A time during the morning sessions. On Sunday Brother Tomlinson (“Christ is All You Need“) and I (“A Listening Ear and a Burning Heart“), once again, preached back-to-back. After lunch, we had a 2 1/2 hour Q/A Session on “Marriage, the Family, and Singleness.” It was great!

As I have already mentioned, God moved mightily, both during the conference and during the Sunday services. Many hearts were stirred and many decisions were made. I think I can honestly say that dozens of men surrendered their lives to do whatever God wanted them to do and go wherever God wanted them to go. I have been receiving text messages and emails for the past 4-5 days from folks testifying of what God did in their lives during the conference!

Thank you for praying!

On one of our visits, prior to the conference, we had the opportunity to see a woman, who works construction, carrying 60 pounds of ceramic tile up five flights of stairs. Such is the plight of a woman working in the construction field! Yet, far worse than this, is the terrible load of sin that these dear folks have to carry if they don’t know Jesus, and especially in a country such as this, and other countries such as this, in the harvest fields known as the 1040 Window, where there seems to be little hope in sight!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please pray for all of those who made decisions in China!
• Please pray for our new work in Steung Meanchey that God will continue to bless it and we will be able to get the church started!
• Please pray for Sokcheat, Jan, Sambath and his wife Srey Mohm to trust Christ!
• Please pray for my trip to Laos the first week of September to preach and teach for our team in the capital city, as well as for two other churches.
• Please pray for our trip to the States in mid-September to preach for our Missions’ Conference, teach a Missions’ Intensive, and report to some of our churches.

**If you are interested in having us come in and share what God has been doing in Southeast Asia, as well as what the Lord is doing concerning us bringing a team to China, shoot me an email.

• Please pray that God will use the book called, Keep the Dream Alive: The Story of One Man’s Dream and a Plea to Keep It Alive. Lord willing, it will be available when I make my trip to the States. This book will deal some with my brother’s life and ministry and his dream to reach China with the Gospel!

My wife Denise, the girls, and I would like to thank you for your continual and consistent prayers and your financial support. We couldn’t be here without you allowing God to use you!

We pray that you all had a wonderful Fourth of July. What a privilege we have all had to be born in a land where we have been given the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our conscience. Our hearts are broken and our prayers go out to our homeland in lieu of recent tragedies that have taken place after July 4.

Of course, the Fourth of July is not a holiday in this part of the world, but most American missionaries do celebrate it. Our team here in Cambodia went on a boat ride, had plenty of food, and some great fellowship. All of us are grateful for your prayers!

Our ministry, especially the Children’s and Teen Ministry in Steung Meanchey, is doing extremely well. While the ministry is less than two months old, we are seeing 75-90 teens and children come each week. Just last week Vannak and I, while soul-winning (we go soul-winning during the Teen and Children’s Ministry) were able to sign-up 12 brand new teens and children for the service. They followed me to the location. But they weren’t the only one’s following me, as you can see in the picture below. 🙂

Please continue to pray for our ministry in Steung Meanchey!

It is also a blessing to see that through this new ministry we are even seeing adults trust Christ. Just a few days ago Man had the opportunity to share the Gospel with Phanny and see her trust Christ. Vannak and I had the chance to share the Gospel with her a few weeks ago, but she did not get saved. Phanny, even as a lost woman, was bringing 10-12 children every week to the Children’s Ministry in Steung Meanchey!Please pray for Phanny’s spiritual growth and for her husband’s salvation!

It is also a real blessing to see a few of the new converts growing in Christ. Vannak and I take some time weekly to go by and teach Sonboun and Samaat. You will remember, Sonboun trusted Christ a little over two months ago and Samaat trusted Christ three week’s ago.

Please continue to pray for Sonboun and Samaath’s spiritual growth!

On various occasions in the past, Vannak and I have had the opportunity to share the Gospel with Jan. We have had the privilege to lead her two daughters (Srey Nieth and Lynne) to Christ. Last week, we shared the Gospel with Jan once again. While she did not trust Christ, it was very apparent that the Holy Spirit was working. While we were sharing the Gospel with her, she had mentioned that Lynne needed a bike to go to school. Later that day, we surprised them with a new bike.

Please pray for Jan’s salvation!

On many previous updates and/or IG posts in the past, I have asked for prayer for a man named Sambath and his wife Srey Mohm. A few days ago my wife and I took them to lunch and for some Dairy Queen (this is something they have never had the opportunity to do) and I shared the Gospel with them. They did not trust Christ, but I am praying that they will soon. Please pray with me!

Please pray for Sambath and Srey Mohm to trust Christ!

It’s always a blessing to have visitors from the States. Grace Ortiz’s father is visiting us from Los Angeles. He will be here for about a month.  He has a real heart for God and a heart for souls. It has also been a blessing to spend a little time with two young ladies from La Verne, California, Renae and Ember have a love for Christ and a heart for the mission field.

Please pray that God will use this trip to Cambodia and the trip to Nepal for the girls to accomplish his purpose in their hearts and lives!

It’s always a blessing to be able to teach the Bible on Fridays to Abraham and his family. For the past few weeks, Pastor Tho (a national pastor here in the country) has been coming with me. To be honest with you, I think he is enjoying it more than the others. This last Friday we had a good crowd. There was my wife, Pastor Tho  and I, along with Abraham, his wife Rohm, her brother Vay, Abraham’s nephew Jia, and, of course, little David. This last Friday was Vay’s last time to meet with us. He leaves this weekend for South Korea for employment. This is common in Cambodia. For the Khmer people employment in South Korea is like a new lease on life. After the Bible study and a personal challenge from me for Vay, he requested prayer, saying, “Please pray that God will help me to be  a Nehemiah in Korea.” It brought tears to my eyes and moved everyone in the room.

Please pray that God will continue to bless this Bible study at Abraham’s house and that God will use Vay as a Nehemiah in South Korea!

As we have mentioned in our last two updates, there are four additional things that we sincerely covet your prayers about:

• First of all, please pray for our upcoming trip to China to preach for a Leadership Conference. We leave for China on Monday.

• Secondly,please pray for our trip to Laos the first week of September to preach and teach for our team in the capital city, as well as for two other churches.

• Thirdly, our trip to the States in mid-September to preach for our Missions’ Conference, teach a Missions’ Intensive, and report to some of our churches.

**If you are interested in having us come in and share what God has been doing in Southeast Asia, as well as what the Lord is doing concerning us bringing a team to China, shoot me an email.

• Fourthly, please pray that God will use the book called, Keep the Dream Alive: The Story of One Man’s Dream and a Plea to Keep It Alive. Lord willing, it will be available when I make my trip to the States.This book will deal some with my brother’s life and ministry and his dream to reach China with the Gospel!

My wife Denise, the girls, and I would like to thank you for your continual and consistent prayers and your financial support. We couldn’t be here without you allowing God to use you!

For HIS Glory in the Nations,

Johnny Esposito

 

 

 

Our “Celebration Service,” which we hold every 6-8 weeks is always a great and tremendous blessing. We always have great music from many different groups in our ministry, great testimonies, as well as great preaching. We always have a good size crowd in attendance. We almost always have over 250 folks that will show up from our three churches and various village ministries. And we almost always have a good amount of folks baptized. This past “Celebration Service” wasn’t just a tremendous blessing, it was just “awesome.” I believe we had over 300 in attendance, we had 22 people baptized, and one of our fine young national men, San, preached a message “Faith without Works is Dead.”

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS OUR THREE CHURCHES, AS WELL AS OUR OTHER VARIOUS MINISTRIES!

What a blessing it was to have Pastor Chris Chadwick and his daughter Judith visiting with us from the States. He is the pastor of Canyon Ridge Baptist Church in San Diego, California. Of course, it’s always a blessing to have guests here with us from the States, but especially those who have a heart for missions and are so supportive of your ministry. We are grateful that they made Phnom Penh, Cambodia one of their stops on this missions trip!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS PASTOR CHADWICK, JUDITH, AND THE CANYON RIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH IN SAN DIEGO!

It was great to be able to resume our Bible study at Abraham’s house. I enjoy meeting with Abraham, his wife Rohm, and her brother Vay on Fridays. The past Friday Pastor Tho, a pastor here in the country, also was a part of the study. He has thoroughly enjoyed the study, the time of fellowship, and time of prayer. I am praying that Pastor Tho will have his heart knit with this family and be able to take them further in the Lord than I ever could. Vay is leaving the country soon. He will be going to Korea to work. This is extremely common here. Please keep him in your prayers!

PLEASE PRAY FOR ABRAHAM, ROHM, AND VAY’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH!

It was also a blessing to have Bounmee visiting with us from Laos. She is a sweet, young Hmong lady. She is a member of our church in the capital city of Vientiane, Laos. Over the past six months or so, our own Adrian Torres and Bounmee have become “close friends.” We had her stay over our place for almost two weeks. She jumped right in and was involved with many of the different ministries here and shared a wonderful testimony a few times, including at our “Celebration Service.”

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS BOUNMEE, USE HER TO REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, AND BLESS THE WORK IN LAOS!

God continues to bless in Steung Meanchey. It is such a joy to see what God is doing. People are being saved, attending church services, and being baptized. It was a blessing to see Professor Suk Rut (77-years old) baptized this past Sunday during our “Celebration Service.” It was a joy to visit with him last week and see the joy of Christ on his face and have him ask me questions about Moses and the Passover. Not bad for a man who has been saved just a couple of months. It was also a treat to have Grandma Sonboun – who Vannak and I had the privilege to lead to Christ about two months ago – get baptized during the “Celebration Service.” Her love for Christ is inspiring!

During our Sunday afternoon soul-winning and “Children’s Ministry” in Stueng Meanchey Kosal and Both had the privilege to lead Chaay to Christ. Shortly afterwards Chaay walked over to me and started talking to me (his English isn’t too bad), and he too demonstrated a real joy. He was very excited about getting saved. Praise God for what is going on in Steung Meanchey!

PLEASE PRAY FOR SUK RUT, SONBOUN, AND CHAAY’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH!

What a blessing it was for Man and I to see Hok Wa trust Christ recently. One amazing story here. Man and I had shared the Gospel with him a few times. Man had given him an MP3 player with Bible Preaching/Teaching and Question/Answer Sessions in the Khmer language on it. Man and Sinath, another one of our good national men and possibly one of our best personal soul-winners, even went by a time or two to share the Gospel with him. On the day that Hok Wa trusted Christ we literally had to navigate through raw sewage, decaying wood, rusty metal, and rusty nails to get to his shack. But it was worth it all after we spent nearly an hour and a half with him and he bowed his head and trusted Christ! He and his wife attended church the following day. Praise the Lord!

PLEASE PRAY FOR HOK WA’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND HIS WIFE’S SALVATION!

As we mentioned in our last update, there are four additional things that we sincerely covet your prayers about:

• First of all, please pray for our upcoming trip to China to preach for a Leadership Conference in the middle of July.

• Secondly, please pray for our trip to Laos the first week of September to preach and teach for our team in the capital city, as well as for two other churches.

• Thirdly, our trip to the States in mid-September to preach for our Missions’ Conference, teach a Missions’ Intensive, and report to some of our churches.

**If you are interested in having us come in and share what God has been doing in Southeast Asia, as well as what the Lord is doing concerning us bringing a team to China, shoot me an email.

• Fourthly, please pray as I attempt to finish the book called, Keep the Dream Alive: The Story of One Man’s Dream and a Plea to Keep It Alive. Lord willing, it will be available when I make my trip to the States. This book will deal some with my brother’s life and ministry and his dream to reach South East Asia and China with the Gospel!

My wife Denise, the girls, and I would like to thank you for your continual and consistent prayers and financial support. We couldn’t be here without you allowing God to use you!

For HIS Glory in the Nations,
Johnny Esposito