Summer is Over (for our kids at least)

^{Ephesians 2:8-10
8} For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

It is hard to believe that Jadon, Elisabeth, and Josiah finished their school year just about 2 months ago.  It means that we have been back on field now for about a year.  It was both fast and slow at the same time.  Slow, because some days, it still feels like we have just gotten back into country and are still trying to find a rhythm of ministry as things continue to shift and change.  We had C&MA US teammates who were on home assignment when we landed back in Cambodia and have just returned mid-June.  This means we are shifting again into another ministry rhythm as we revisit everyone’s roles on this ministry team.  Fast, because next week the kids start school, which means there is only one more school year before our oldest, Jadon, graduates from high school and returns to Canada for university.  We are trying to figure out the logistics of university and scholarship applications for him as a Canadian student, studying abroad at an international school.  In some applications he seems stuck in a place of not being “Canadian” enough or “international” enough to meet certain requirements. Please pray for wisdom and clarity as we navigate this unknown territory for our family.  Fast also, because all of a sudden it was June, and my (Joyce’s) ordination interview was happening!  The kids got out of school on Friday, June 7, and after the weekend, Monday, June 10, was the ordination interview.  Between language lessons, ministry responsibilities and events, I was also studying and preparing for this interview.  I’m thankful that God knows me and how my brain works. And by His grace, He allowed for each language session’s topic to coincide with the week’s ordination study topic.  God gave me opportunities to stretch and grow, to be bolder in engaging with these theological topics, pushing me to articulate what I thought I could not.  He stretched my faith and reminded me of all that He had taught me and of the utmost importance to trust in the Holy Spirit to work in me and through me.  And I passed!  So, stay tuned for summer 2025 – I have chosen to defer my ordination ceremony until I can do it in person.  We plan to be back in Canada next summer to help Jadon settle for university, and I will have my ordination ceremony then. 

One of Jadon’s bucket list items while in Asia was to visit the Great Wall of China and we were able to do that in June. It was a good rest for our brains but our bodies got a good work out. We walked at least 12,000 – 15,000 steps each day on this trip. We climbed the Great Wall of China and now are all “true men” as it is said “He who has not been to the Great Wall is not a true man.” We enjoyed different types of Northern Chinese cuisine and ate copious amounts of xiao long bao and jiao zi! Elisabeth and I even did as the many of the local tourists did…a little ancient Chinese cos-play!

In June the quarterly Joint Women’s Fellowship for the Hope Churches took place. Usually, it is a women’s only event, but this particular gathering was a family event because it coincided with the Father’s Day weekend. On one hand, we praise God for the fellowship that had worshiping, honouring the fathers present, playing games together, hearing encouraging words, and enjoying each other’s company over a simple meal.  On the other hand, it was a difficult weekend as just a few weeks before, one particular pastor’s wife who was supposed to organize most of the event, had to deliver her stillborn child.  The grief was still fresh as she and her husband were still processing the loss of this child so close to this Father’s Day weekend.  We were glad they could attend and be with a supportive community.  Please pray for the pastors and lay leaders of the Hope Churches as they face different challenges in both their personal lives as well as their ministries.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will bring a fresh anointing on the women in the Hope Vietnamese Alliance Churches.

Joint Women’s Fellowship in June 2024

In July our scholarship students gathering was focused on the health of our spiritual lives.  We talked about how, just as our physical health requires attention and intentional exercise, our spiritual lives require that same intentionality, if not more.  We talked about if we are not intentional, if we do not exercise, we will be physically lazy, and eventually UNHEALTHY.  And in the same way, we can become spiritually lazy, spiritually unhealthy. I was encouraged to hear that most of the students had the habit to read God’s word daily because if we do not read the Bible – God’s word, then we won’t know Him, His heart, His will for our lives.  We will not be able to recognize the Holy Spirit speaking to us, teaching us.

Scholarship Students – Pray that each student will experience a daily fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit as they read the Bible. Pray that they will have ready hearts to receive the word God has for them each day, strengthening their relationship with Christ as their personal Saviour, trusting Him in all things.

This is the lastest updated information from Joshua Project (March 2024). The areas marked in brown indicate where the Vietnamese or concentrated in Cambodia. Please see https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12700/CB for more detailed information about the Vietnamese Diaspora in Cambodia. 

“THANK YOU”