Dear brethren,
It's been a while since I updated you about the work of Christ here in Cambodia. Much has happened since the last report and I am excited to share with you all that transpired. First, in February, I was blessed with the presence of long time friend and brother Justin Guess and Aleasha and Caleb French for two weeks. Justin, being the leader that he is, was able to bring his close friends and members of the church in Mathis to come see the work that they help support. Not only did they come to see, but they were very much involved. Not only did they teach at the school (the book of Hebrews) but they got to see the Safe Water Raft outside of Siem Reap (a ministry that one of our graduates currently oversees in providing safe, clean water to the poor living along the Tonle Sap), visited brethren, brought food and clothing, taught, and played with our children at Hannah's Hope. The thing that makes this visit special is the example of Justin, in his leadership and Aleasha and Caleb French in their courage and inspiration to the local brethren here. Justin has a Bible background in his schooling at the Southwest School of Bible Studies in Austin, Texas, however Aleasha and Caleb have no such background. They reminded me of Acts 8:1-4. Due to persecution, the church scattered except for the Apostles and in verse 4, it said all that were scattered went everywhere preaching/teaching the gospel. You don’t need to be a person of strong Bible background to teach the gospel!
In the month of March, by God's grace, I was able to visit my parents in Texas and my supporters there also! I wasn’t able to bring my family with me so it had to be a really short trip (13 days). When I got back to Siem Reap, I had to opportunity to teach and preach for an annual youth camp that takes place in Siem Reap geared towards helping the street kids in Siem Reap. The theme was "Following in His Footsteps" and I had a wonderful time and got to meet some really nice people. The local church will do all of the follow ups from this camp.
I was the guest speaker for the week at AoF8
In April, the school and staff were working very hard to adjust to our new curriculum that will gear towards the local people of Cambodia. We are transitioning from a two year program to a three year program that I believe will benefit the work here much. We have to rewrite the curriculum and adjust our scheduling a little bit but I truly believe this Work/Study program will solve many of our problems in the long run. We appreciate your support and trust in this matter. We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers for the work here. God Bless!
Phanat
To see Phanat’s report with pictures, please click here.