Sharing the old, old Story …
Earlier this month, I had the unexpected (i.e., unplanned and unprepared for!) opportunity to spend a week with 18 young adults, working through the storyline of the entire Bible and discussing basic tips for personal Bible reading and study. I had about 1 day to prepare for the week, so it was a strange mix of stress and joy. An added difficulty was that most of my students were from tribal villages (Kravet and Tampuan) so both student and teacher were working across language barriers. But praise God that in that vast gulf between our birth languages, we did indeed connect, albeit with some occasional linguistic detours. Most of these young people come from fledgling churches where they serve as the de facto leaders, so I rejoice to know that the material we worked through is actually being used in a number of these churches throughout our province! I’m also hopeful that this will lead to further opportunities to minister with this same group.
… with those who’ve never heard
I’ve asked you before to pray for the conversion of my language tutor Pe’own. Unfortunately, Pe’own is no longer my tutor since he has now returned to nursing school (more below on how this affects my Lao study). The good news, though, is that my relationship with Pe’own continues to flourish, and in addition to his random visits to our home, we are now meeting weekly to study the Bible together. I’ve shared the gospel with Pe’own in greater detail than with any other Cambodian thus far, and he continues to show interest, even calling himself a believer! Several points of evident confusion still remain though, so please pray for us: for me, that I would clearly delineate what this good news does and does not promise, and also that I would in no way make the way narrower than Christ himself made it; for Pe’own, that his eyes would be opened to see the glory of Christ alone as the Lord and Savior of man.
ພາສາລາວ vs. ភាសាខ្មែរ
Any update from me wouldn’t be complete without a little complaining about language learning; so here goes: for the past 2-3 months, my Lao study has fallen on hard times. With the loss of my teacher and with some additional teaching opportunities in Khmer, I’ve had very little time to pursue Lao or to search for a new tutor. I’m very glad for these teaching opportunities; it’s one of the two main reasons we came to Cambodia. I need wisdom, though, to discern how Lao study fits into my life and work at present. Please pray with me for this wisdom.
Guests
Earlier this month, we had the great pleasure of receiving Steve and Beth Osborne from our partner church in Smyrna, DE. Steve and Beth both have substantial experience living abroad, including in third-world countries, so we had a blast exchanging stories that only people with those experiences can fully appreciate. Their fellowship was a blessing for our entire family.