Thank you SO much for your prayers on behalf of Srey Kuech! I was able to have a nice visit and do some discipleship with her this week. She is so burdened for her husband's salvation. We talked about how a Christian wife can bring her husband to the Lord. She was hoping she could just tell him to do it and he would! J Wouldn't that be nice? We also talked about baptism. I realized on Sunday that she hadn't understood everything I said about it, however! (That language barrier still gets in the way sometimes!) She had also heard rumors about baptism from some unsaved Cambodian people. She came to church this Sunday thinking we would tell her she HAD to get baptized. She was going to do it, but she wasn't sure she would survive. She heard that sometimes the pastor holds you under the water so long that you drown! She was quite frightened all during the Sunday service thinking about her chance of survival! JBecause of all that, I'm afraid she didn't get much out of the sermon! I didn't know about all this until her sister-in-law told me after taking her home Sunday morning. Of course, Sopiep explained to her that she was a bit confused about the whole thing! At least she DID understand that baptism does not save you. She is sure of her salvation. She also understood that the water does not wash away our sins - the blood of Christ did that already. She knew baptism was a form of obedience to Christ and a way to show people we are not ashamed to be His child. I just forgot to mention we would not drown her! She even asked Sopiep how many hours the baptism would take! J Hopefully, she will get baptized soon without all the fear that would have been involved this past Sunday. Continue to pray for her as she grows in her Christian life and as she strives to be a good testimony to her husband.

One of our adult ladies talked to Rodney this week about nightmares she has been having every night. She cried as she told him that demons were telling her she must stop following Christ. The Devil is trying to make her believe that she will not be able to make money and take care of her family unless she "comes back to His side." Sakeun had terrible nightmares before her salvation also. After she accepted Christ and began spending time in His Word and in church the nightmares went away. She was SO excited. She told everyone about it. However, over the past several months she has not been faithful in her church attendance or in her Bible reading. We know that the Devil loves to go after the weak members of the flock. Rodney explained this to her and helped her get a book of the Bible printed in larger type. (She has problems with her eyes and gave up Bible reading because it was too difficult to see the words.) Sakeun also faces much persecution at home. Her family does not understand why she gave up "the religion of her country" and they give her a very hard time about it. Rodney has tried to give the Gospel to her husband, but he is always "too busy." Pray that Sakeun will be strengthened in her Christian walk and that she will be able to withstand "the fiery darts of the Devil." Also, pray for her husband's salvation. It is SO exciting to see entire families serving the Lord together.

Many of you have prayed for the salvation of Song, the witchdoctor, for MANy years. He still continues to resist the Lord and serve demons. Every time we think his heart is softening, it grows harder. PLEASE don't stop praying! Nobody can force him to accept Christ, but the Lord can bring things into his life to make him see his need for Christ. His wife and children still faithfully serve the Lord in spite of persecution and beatings. Sua married Ron Smith and they are missionaries here in Cambodia. They have a Children's Bible Club in Chba Ampeu - about 30 minutes away from us. Sua's brother and sisters help in that ministry every Sunday. Sung and Sieng also help teach in a school Ron and Sua have started at the same location. They are teaching Khmer literacy and simple mathematics to children who have not had the opportunity to attend school. These girls also teach the Sunday morning Junior Church at New Hope. (our church in Phnom Penh) I have never forgotten the day these young girls begged me to keep praying for their dad. We were at their home while he was possessed. Unbeknownst to us, these girls had not eaten in several days because their dad would not allow them to eat "his" food. That day, he had a table full of food sitting on the balcony at their home. He told them if they would stop following Christ they would have all they could ever want to eat. He yelled and yelled at them. He pushed them over beside Rodney and I. (God's side, where there was no food) Toward the end, he pointed at each of them and said, "Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, I see the Holy Spirit with you!" When it was all over the girls went inside the house with tears streaming down their faces. I followed them inside and asked if they were ok. I wanted to comfort them and let them know they didn't need to be embarrassed about my husband and I witnessing what had happened. They started crying even harder and said, "Teacher, we are not crying for ourselves. We are crying because we are afraid you will be angry with our dad and stop praying for him!" WOW! All of this to say... even if we no longer mention this man in every report, he still needs your prayers. His wife and children never cease praying for him. Will you continue to pray also?

Your prayers have accomplished SO much in the country of Cambodia, but there is so much more to be done! Please pray that our family will be faithful to Him and to the calling God has given us! Pray that Rodney and I will be good missionaries but also good parents! Ryan, Blake, and Rhadee are such a blessing to us. They serve alongside us in most every area of our ministry. We pray that God would be real in their lives and that they would know how to follow His leading.