Trip to Takeo

Earlier this week, we had the opportunity to leave the city for a while and visit several different churches and ministries in the province of Takeo. We were able to visit New Hope Baptist Church Trapang Tia and New Hope Baptist Church Cheng Chap. Although we were expecting things to be different, everything was much more different than we anticipated. Most of the places we visited did not even have electricity! We used the blue truck to charge an extra battery so that we could have some light. Most of the church services did not have a set time to start; it just began “after dark.” We were also surprised to see the Bible club that we could not drive to – we had to park and walk. After the short walk, a blue tarp with about 20 children sitting on it was along the side of the road. Later that evening, we went to another church service where we had to walk single-file on a dirt road between two rice fields. The Lord used the trip to the province to open our eyes to see the sacrifices Christians make in other parts of the world. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ that they will continue to boldly proclaim the Gospel.

Thirsty? Just a minute...

Grab a straw and enjoy!

Where church members of New Hope Baptist Church in Trapang Tia are baptized

Where church members of New Hope Baptist Church in Cheng Chap are baptized

Enjoying our adventure in the jungle

Going on visitation

We decided to take a "short-cut"

The road to church

One Month...

It is hard to believe that we have been in Cambodia a month now! We have been staying very busy, with teaching and other activities here at the church. We have moved since the last time we posted. The Cambodian guest house we were staying in was a little crowded – not with people, but with rats! No, (to answer the question everyone has been asking) we don’t have any pictures of the rats! We were much too busy screaming and running. We are very grateful to the Ruppels for letting us invade their house and stay with them these past weeks.

We have had the opportunity to help in the children’s service every week since arriving. Rebekah has been playing the piano for the children’s service, as well as many of the other church services. It can be difficult to play when you don’t understand what anyone is saying! Although many of the hymns are the same tune, some are completely different.

New Hope Baptist Church hosted a marriage conference earlier this month. Many different churches attended the conference. We helped in the nursery during the different lectures and sessions. Although we were excited about the break from teaching, we would not want to do that every day! We were glad to get back to teaching.

New Hope Baptist School had its annual end of the year party. The children were very excited about the inflatable bounce house another missionary allowed the school to borrow. We played many games and had many competitions, with a grand prize of a can of Coca-Cola given to the over-all winners. They were very excited with their prize. Although this was the last day of school, a few of the children showed up the next day bright and early!

Thank you for reading our blog! Hopefully it will give you an idea of all the Lord has given us the opportunity to be involved with this past month. We have been battling some sickness, but are feeling much better now. Please pray that we will stay healthy the rest of the time we are here. Thank you for your prayers!

The end of school party

Yes, that's a cricket...

Sunday morning children's service

The first time Rebekah played for the children's service

The marriage conference theme was communication

Swensens Ice Cream Shop

Rhadee, Sopiep, and Stephanie

Stephanie teaching English

Os Sbaik Cheng (Drag the shoe)

Friday night, also known at the Ruppel house as “Family Fun Night,” we learned an authentic Cambodian game. “Os Sbaik Cheng” or “Drag the Shoe” is played with a jump rope made out of rubber bands. We were both very slow at making the rope. Sopiep and Blake finished their rope in no time! It is fastest to hook the rubber bands on your toes while you construct the rope. When the jump rope is long enough, you tie it off and place a flip-flop on the rope. There are many different variations of games to play with the Os Sbaik Cheng, but the one we enjoyed the most included jumping over in sets of five. If you messed up, you were the one who had to twirl the rope. Cambodian girls are able to jump extremely high over the rope. Mrs. Ruppel told us that they even put flip-flops on their hands so that they can land on their hands after jumping over. Although we didn’t jump quite that high, Mr. Ruppel got close!

This is harder than it looks!

Sopiep, Stephanie, Rhadee, and Rebekah with the rubber-band rope

This is how it's done!

Soul winning in Phnom Penh

Thursday night we had the opportunity to go on visitation at Borey Geyla apartments here in Phnom Penh. Sopiep and Rhadee (our faithful translators) witnessed to some people, and we were able to pass out Khmer tracts. We had some good contacts (at least they said so – we didn’t understand much!) Sopiep got to speak with the mother of a student from our school for about 20 minutes. We also went to talk to the parents of one of Rebekah’s piano students, Srey Pou. Pray that the Lord will bless our efforts on visitation, both now and future opportunities we have to witness. Pray also that the Lord will bring someone in our path that we can share the Gospel with.

One of the buildings in Borey Geyla

Rhadee and Stephanie holding the Khmer tracks

Are we there yet? Yes!

We finally made it! We are so excited to be in Cambodia. We arrived late Friday night after 30 hours of traveling. The first thing we saw was Blake and Ryan Ruppel waiting for us to claim our luggage. After introductions and a ride in the famous “blue truck,” they showed us where we would be staying for the summer. It is located right across the street from the church, which is where the Ruppel family lives.

The next morning we were able to go with Blake and Rhadee to their soccer tournament. It was fun to see something familiar even over here in Cambodia! We were then able to go with Mrs. Ruppel to make a visit. It was incredible to hear her share the Gospel in Khmer. Saturday afternoon was a full day. The Ruppel family showed us around the city of Phnom Pehn. The tour included a visit to the corner store, the mall, and the market place. We were excited to have a chance to barter for some better prices! It was definitely a great first day in Cambodia!

On Sunday, we were able to see a Cambodian church for the first time. It was beyond anything we have ever experienced before. We started in the children’s service, where over 60 children were present. Many of these children rode in on the “blue truck.” It was packed full of kids! It was mind-boggling to hear children singing in their own language the same songs we sing at our churches in America. Although we could not understand them, we definitely could tell what they were singing. Our favorite was when they sang “In-Right Out-Right Happy All the Time.” For the morning service, Rebekah had a chance to work in the “nursery.” She was surprised to see the hammocks they use as cribs here in Cambodia. It worked great! Stephanie was able to listen to her first Khmer service. Once again, it was amazing to hear preaching in another language, and to see people come forward to the altar and respond to the invitation. It was humbling to see people pray in their own language, and know that God understands every word. This showed us how we must share God’s love and the Gospel to the whole world!

Monday we began our first workday! We were able to work in the school located in the same building as the church. Rebekah gave 13 piano lessons on the first day, and Stephanie spent all day teaching English. It was a long day, but God gave us the strength we needed! We also made our first trip to Lucky’s grocery store. Peanut butter and jelly was definitely at the top of our shopping list!

The Ruppel family has been such a blessing to us. They have definitely made us feel at home. We feel like we have gained three younger siblings in less than a week! Ryan, Blake, and Rhadee have been willing to show us around Phnom Penh. They have been able to translate everywhere we go. It has been great to get to know them even better. We are also thankful for our Khmer friends. Socheata, Sopiep, and Theary have been an encouragement to us already. Their strong testimony for the Lord has challenged us to walk even closer to Him.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. We ask that you continue to pray for us as we seek to follow the Lord’s guidance here in Cambodia. Pray that we will be a blessing to the Christians here, because they have already been a great blessing to us. The Lord has already made Himself known to us in so many ways, but we recognize that greater things are still ahead. Thank you for your prayers.

Theary, Stephanie, Socheata, and Sopiep at our first Khmer restaurant

"Blue truck ministry"

Cambodian Crib

Rebekah giving piano lessons

Pioneer Training Camp

This past week marked the beginning of our mission to Cambodia. We were able to spend a week of intense training at Mount Moriah Christian Camp. This Pioneer Training Camp was filled with practical and helpful sessions. We received training on everything from making balloon animals to airport procedures. We even received many hours of instruction on conducting Neighborhood Bible Clubs. On Tuesday through Thursday, we were able to put this training into practice and conduct a Bible Club. The Lord brought in one girl who realized her need of a Savior. She received Jesus Christ as her personal Savior as a result of attending the Bible Club. Praise the Lord!

Each day of camp brought new surprises and something new to learn. Activities included painting, setting up chairs, physical training, cooking, cleaning, and even picking strawberries - we learned so much from every experience. We are so thankful for each person who gave of their time and effort to be a help and an encouragement.

Monday, May 25, we were able to see most of the Pioneers head out on the road. This was a time of sad goodbyes, but hopeful anticipation of how the Lord will bless each team's efforts this summer. We know that if any of us try to go in our own strength, we have failed. As New Testament Church Pioneers, our goal is to be fully dependent on God and allow Him to do a work that only He can do. Please pray for us as we fly out tomorrow morning at 6:10 a.m.