Friends,

I am excited about the release of my new book called, Peeking Through the 1040 Window: Why it Matters to God and Why it Should Matter to Us. It isn’t a long book but I believe a much needed book. It has been on my heart for quite sometime. It is presently being edited and should be ready to roll of the press in just a couple weeks. It should be ready for my short trip to the states at the end of the summer. I asked my dear friend Pastor Dwight Tomlinson to write a foreword for the book which he graciously agreed to do. Here are his thoughts about the book:

I love to read. Centuries ago the Apostle Paul gave these inspired words of advice to a young preacher. “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” I Timothy 4:13. 

It has been my practice for more than 40 years in ministry to “give attendance to reading”. Rarely have I come across a book that has moved me like Johnny Esposito’s book, “Peeking Through the 1040 Window.” This powerful book comes from the heart of a man that did more than merely take a casual glance at what he saw. What Johnny saw changed his life and as a result it changed many others.

Mine is one of the lives changed as a result of Johnny peeking through the 1040 window. I visited Johnny in the restricted access nation of which he writes in this book. My life was changed. It was as a result of that peek through the 1040 Window that God laid upon my heart to begin a Mission’s Organization to help get the gospel to some of the neediest countries in the world.

As you read this book, please ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the needs and opportunities that await us in the 1040 window. God is raising up a movement of people whose hearts have been touched as a result of lifting up their eyes and seeing the massive harvest fields of the 1040 Window. 

Perhaps your life will be changed, as was mine, by “peeking through the 1040 Window”

Dwight Tomlinson

Pastor Liberty Baptist Church Newport 

Founder of Barnabas1040.com

Please pray that God will use this book to inspire many to pray for, give to, and seriously and prayerfully consider going to the “uttermost parts of the earth.”

I am also working on another book–a sequel if you will–called Don’t Let the Dream Die.  We might end up calling it Keep the Dream Alive. This book, while being along the same lines as the previous mentioned book and dealing with the great neglected harvest fields in the 1040 Window, will also  revolve much around the dream that God laid upon my brother’s heart for the “unreached peoples” of Cambodia, which began some 30 years ago in North Chicago.  It will also deal with the continual enlargement of that dream until the “dreaded day” when Pastor Joe was hospitalized on October 3, 2013. Lord willing, my sister-in-law Mary will be working with me on this book. If the Lord permits, Mary will write a few chapters in the book.

Please pray that God will give us the grace, the wisdom, and the ability to write a book that will challenge many to pray, give, and to GO!  

In previous updates we have mentioned Wanita a few times. She is a Christian from Nigeria who Man and I met one Saturday while out visiting. My wife is now discipling her on a weekly basis. We have been asking for prayer for the salvation of her cousins (Basil, Vanessa, Isabel). They are half Khmer and half Nigerian and have lived in Cambodia their entire lives. They are also Buddhist!

We are glad to report that Basil got saved about two week’s ago after our Youth Conference and his older sisters have been coming to church, the Teen Girl’s Fellowship, spending time with Joy and Sue, and asking a lot of questions.

Please pray for Wanita and Basil’s spiritual growth and for Vanessa and Isabel to trust Christ! 

Continue reading →

As we mentioned in our previous update, Sen came to visit us from the “Creative Access Nation” and was with us for a little over two weeks. In addition to Sen being with us Amie Richard, a missionary from Thailand, was also with us for a week. It was a blessing to have these two young ladies staying with my wife, Joy, Sue, and me. We had a great time!

Please pray that God will use Sen and Amie as they return to their countries!

Continue reading →

On Saturday’s I go soul winning with either Vannak or Man. More often than not, I go with Man. Last Saturday Man and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with these five folks pictured below. Four of the five had never heard the Gospel, or even of Jesus. They were heading back to their home province within a few hours of our meeting with them. In other words, they were heading back to one of the nearly 14,000 villages with no Gospel witness in Cambodia. Man and I were thankful to have the chance to share Gospel with all of them and leave them with some literature to read in the future.

Please pray that God will take the words that we shared with these dear folks and bring them to a place of salvation!

Last Sunday I had the awesome privilege to preach at our two village churches. It was a long day, over 14 hours, but it was an extremely blessed day.  I had the privilege to preach three times. Actually four, if you count the hour-and-half of preaching/teaching on the tuk-tuk with three of our Cham men. I preached twice for our Cham (former Muslims) people and once for our church in Prey Bang. It was a real treat to see the tuk-tuk unloading with over 20 adults (including one blind adult man), teens, and children to come and hear the Word of God preached. I even saw one motorbike pull in with five people. It’s legal here!

Continue reading →

I recently read an article about the drought here in Cambodia. While those of us in the big city, who are a bit better off (the average Cambodian makes less than $1.50 per day), haven’t really felt the effects of it–other than the extreme heat–those in the outer provinces and various villages throughout the country have definitely been effected. While reading the article and seeing a few pictures (including the one  below), I was reminded once again, not only of a literal drought that the country is temporarily going through, but the spiritual drought that this entire country is experiencing, and has been experiencing for hundreds of years. Like the young boy seeking water, but finding only polluted water, the people of this country–if we don’t bring them the water of the Word–will have to settle for the muddied waters of Buddhism, atheism, or paganism. These dear people so desperately need Jesus!   
Please pray that God will continue to send men and women to countries like Cambodia in the 1040 Window that are experiencing a spiritual drought!

Continue reading →

It’s been quite awhile since I mentioned this, but the church here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia reminds me so much of our home church in Long Beach. This is especially true of those early days of our home church. While you today may know our home and sending church as Pacific Baptist Church, when my brother (Pastor Joe) started the church over 27 years ago it was called Cambodian Baptist Church. In those early days, while the church was reaching many people for Christ, both young and old alike, we were definitely reaching more young people than we were older folks. If you had visited the church in those early days, you would have seen a lot of children and a lot of teenagers. You might have been tempted to call us a “teenie-bopper” church, as one woman did after visiting a service years ago. In those early days of the church we found that it was difficult to reach the older Khmer folks. Very difficult! So after much prayer, and some really good counsel, Pastor Joe started to focus his attention on the next generation. Yes, those “teenie bopppers.” It all started with a dream God had placed in my brother’s heart some 27 years ago. That God-given dream became a strong godly desire and led to a dogged-determination to reach and train the next generation for Christ. Little by little the vision became clearer and clearer. God blessed in a miraculous way!

Continue reading →

It’s been awhile since I have mentioned this in an update, but I want to thank those of you who continue to pray for my brother, Pastor Joe,  his dear wife, and the rest of the family. I had the chance to FaceTime Pastor Joe and Mary the other night. While my brother has made much progress the past 21 months, he still needs a miracle. His wife Mary, the rest of the family, as well as the church family are very grateful for your prayers, your words of encouragement, and acts of kindness during this trial.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Joe’s recovery, for encouragement, and strength for his wife Mary, and the children!

Continue reading →

The Lord is definitely meeting with us during my eight day trip back to the “Creative Access Nation.” I am with our team sent out of Pacific Baptist Church in Long Beach for two Sundays, the midweek service, and four evenings of special Bible teaching. I am filling in for Brother KT while he is in the states with his daughter at the ACE Convention.

We had a wonderful Lord’s Day here. All three services, as well as next Sunday services, I am teaching on Paul’s Passions. On our first Sunday together, we dealt with the topics “Paul’s Passion that Christ would be Pre-eminent in His Life and Ministry,” “Paul’s Passion to Live for that which was Eternal,” and “Paul’s Passion to Continue to Grow in His Knowledge and Love for Jesus.”  Next Sunday, Lord willing, we will continue with “Paul’s Passion to Continue to Grow in His Knowledge and Love for Jesus,” along with “Paul’s Passion to Reach the Lost” (especially those in the unreached areas), and “Paul’s Passion to Disciple Men for Christ.”  During our special sessions Monday – Friday we will be considering “The Importance of Prayer in Paul’s Life.”

While the group here may be few in number there is much potential. Another small group has merged with them for the time being. Between the two groups they have a handful of young people who are growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and it was very apparent after spending a week with them they want to go forward for Christ in the midst of the difficult circumstances here in this country.

Please pray that God will bless these times we have together and raise up a handful of passionate and praying people here in this country!

Continue reading →

As always, recent days here in Phnom Penh have been extremely busy and blessed beyond measure. Our visitation efforts in Steung Mean Chey are really beginning to show some exciting results. In the past two weeks, just from Vannak, Adrian, my niece Sue, and my time visiting on Tuesdays, six brand new adults have visited our services. Three of them returned for a second visit. Also, over the last two weeks it has been a blessing to have Pov and her 22-year old daughter attend our service. At one time, they were faithful members of another church in Phnom Penh for over ten years. Apparently, something happened and they have been out of church for the past four years.

Please pray for Pov, her husband (I haven’t met him yet), and their daughter Srey Leak to get back on track and in church!

Continue reading →

Things got going as soon as I returned from my trip out of the country. On Sunday I took Phalla, Nissa, Man, his wife Kanha,  and Joy, out for lunch right after the morning service. Phalla is one of the university students we have been working with who is a new Christian and I also have been discipling. Nissa is his girlfriend who wasn’t saved yet, but attending a few services and has also been over our house a few times. A few days later Nissa asked Kanha if she could come over and learn more about salvation and Kanha led her to Christ!

Please pray for Phalla and Nissa’s spiritual growth!

Continue reading →