Dear
Friends and Family,
Hey! I
just had an original thought. Yes, it really can happen!
Maybe God allowed Paul to be put in prison so he could get
some rest? What’da ya think?? I have to admit, the prospect
has seemed like a pleasant alternative to me this past
month. Nah! Just kidding! But, jail has been on the minds of
many in Cambodia. A prominent radio personality was jailed
for making “inappropriate comments” regarding the border
settlement reached with Vietnam, the leader of the
opposition party is under multiple indictments, a prince is
being sued for his “inappropriate comments”, eight NGO’s
were booted out of the country, the Monarchy was threatened
with abolishment, and the military was turned out to prevent
a coup. It is still tense here but, if I really wanted jail,
I know how to get there. So, see! I was just kidding. One
thing is for certain, Prime Minister Hun Sen is a strong man
who is not to be trifled with. The government Ministry of
Cults and Religions has banned all new church permits. The
seat was purchased by a Muslim in this officially Buddhist
nation. Go figure? In Cambodia everything does indeed have a
price. One bright spot is the appointment of one of our
pastors,
Cheang Ka,
the man whose wife was so terribly hurt in an accident, as
the Director of Social Concerns for Bantemeanchy Province.
BTW, his wife is now walking. PTL!
To view pictures from the past month click
here http://www.missionreports.com/nov_update05
We are
nearing the end of the rainy season, which is usually the
wettest time of the year. Mud, our old adversary, took its
toll this month, greatly enriching or mechanic and emptying
our pockets, on one trip to northern Cambodia, close to
$1000 damage was done to just one vehicle with no accidents
or major mechanical failure, just things like ball joints,
shock absorbers, radiator, battery, etc. Still, I like mud
better than dust. Construction has been a challenge due to
the difficulty of moving things like cement powder, steel
and bricks. Try moving concrete powder in an open truck in a
monsoon. We had a construction team from Arlington
Foursquare Church, Riverside, California, come and build the
fence around the Rice Mill,
http://www.missionreports.com/riverside05
which
they paid for, and is chugging away at full speed of
10 tons per day. That is until yesterday, when the Russian
diesel gasped, blew a big puff of white smoke, and died. The
good news is that since diesel is three times more than L.P.
gas, I had purchased a 100hp L.P. gas tractor in the US,
which was sitting in the parking lot. We are now doing a
speedy retro-fit. Thank God for our “Tractor factory”. They
overhauled the tractor, but the real news there is that
their first Cambodian 4x4 tractor is finished and ready for
sale. It keeps 20 of our youth in employment and they have
12 more to build. The town that has formed up around the
church and rice mill is called, “Rice mill that the
foreigner built”. It now boasts about 50 homes, 8 stores,
and a new 12 room high school. The Church/Home is now
accepting orphans and the first batch is now settled in. The
day I got there one small girl was sick with high fever and
on an I.V. She was prayed for and sent off to a Siem Reap
children’s hospital.
Wow! The
Foursquare Foundation Programs, Training All Pastors,
Saturation Evangelism, Music Evangelism and Medical
Evangelism are really kicking into overdrive. Remember, the
area stricken by drought where the woman with a broken arm
was healed? The week after the Cambodian Church visited the
village 124 people showed up at the home group meeting. The
pastor explained that he had no food for them. They
responded that they were aware of that, but that they wanted
to be part of a group that cared for people the way the
church had. Virtually all of them received the Lord that
day. That’s just one of the new groups springing up around
the country. I have a few pictures posted, but most areas do
not have cameras, yet! Yesterday, we distributed 20 new
digital cameras to our District Supervisors, we hope it
produces a lot of documentation. http://www.missionreports.com/grants
Medical
Evangelism got a boost from the Norwegian Foursquare Church
They traveled to Rattanakiri province and slogged their way
to three different locations. Doctors and nurses from
Cambodia joined the efforts and in three days treated around
700 people. The pastors made sure everyone heard the gospel
and many responded. The region is primarily animistic and
the people practiced animal sacrifice. Anyone who saw the
movie “Apocalypse Now” and recalls the sacrifice of the
Water Buffalo will understand what I am talking about. For
small ailments chickens are hung on a string, throats cut,
and blood is spilled for atonement. Buffalo sacrifice is
only for major events as they are prized possessions. A new
church is being constructed in this region.
http://www.missionreports.com/kiri_medical_2005
George
Butron, my boss and friend (No! That is not an oxymoron.)
from Singapore, brought Dr. Mary Ann Lind, Fulbright
Scholar, author, and professor of Asian History at Biola
University, to Cambodia early in October. She has spent the
last three plus weeks gathering information for a book on
the work here. Her trip was preceded by months of research,
and now she returns to begin the daunting task of condensing
the volumes of information she has accumulated into one
concise book. It might be a little thick. Many people have
been urging this project forward, and private contributions
have funded it in entirety. It’s a great story, if I do say
so. Hey! I think I will read it myself. Yes, I can
read! (a little)
Have a
wonderful November! We plan on it, if I stay out of jail.
Do they serve Thanksgiving dinner in Cambodian jails???
Hmmm?
May God bless you each and every one! We thank God for you!
We wouldn't last a day without your prayers and help.
"Pa Thom" (me), on behalf of the foreign contingent to keep
you posted,
Ted, Sou and Hannah Olbrich
Anna Blake
Ryan Taggart
Wendy Hicks
