Dear Friends and
Family,
There is nothing
quite as
sobering as
hearing a jail
door slam behind
you. “CLANG!” I
found myself in
a three foot by
nine foot cell
facing a
stainless steel
pot. All I’d
asked was, “May
I use the
toilet?” No
flush, no seat,
cold, and a
guard was
standing at the
end of the cell
peering through
the bars,
somehow nature’s
call was muted.
November was not
exactly a
typical month.
Since I started
it out in a
Swiss jail, I
would be
accurate to
report that
things improved
as time
progressed.
Actually, Sou,
Peter and I were
on our way to
visit the folks
at Warm
Blankets,
Switzerland
and attend the
annual
Foursquare
convention. We’d
been in
Germany
participating in
the first Kids
for the Kingdom
Mission’s
Conference.
People were
there from
around the world
and we enjoyed
getting to
finally put
faces with names
we’d been
hearing about
for years.
Deciding to see
a bit of
Germany
we chose to take
the train from
Berlin to
Bern ,
Switzerland
. After three
trips to the
Swiss Embassy, I
finally managed
to get a visa
for Peter and
his new
Cambodian
passport.
Everything was
fine until we
crossed the
Swiss border at
Basel.
Police came
through checking
passports, and
after holding up
the train for
about 15
minutes, ordered
us off. We were
escorted to a
police station
and locked in a
holding room.
The Swiss
suspected that
Peter was
traveling with a
fake passport
and we were
involved in
trafficking. I
protested, “The
Swiss Embassy
gave us his visa
in
Berlin !”
They responded,
“We don’t have a
problem with the
visa it’s the
passport”. We
could see the
officers
examining it
under a
magnifying
glass, holding
it up to a light
and scanning it
with a
fax machine.
Two hours later
my bladder was
screaming for
relief. I made
the mistake of
asking to use
the bathroom.
The officer
watching us
kindly led me
down the hall to
a normal
bathroom used by
the officers. I
was just
entering the
door when the
station chief
called down the
hall. “Hey! He
can’t use that
one. He might
jump out the
window. Put him
in a cell!” Now,
I really feel
like an Apostle.
Fortunately, I
only stayed
there long
enough to change
my mind about
the level of
physiological
urgency. Shortly
after my release
from the five
minute
incarceration
our zealous
officials
decided Peter’s
passport was
genuine, and we
were put on the
next train. I
headed for the
lavatory. As we
were leaving the
station the
sympathetic
officer assigned
to watch us
whispered, “I’m
Christian too!”
Switzerland
is really a
beautiful
country and the
hospitality of
the people more
than made up for
our rocky start.
We went up to a
glacier in the
Alps and Peter
saw his first
snow. His
initial comment?
“Wow, if I had
this in
Cambodia
all I’d need is
some strawberry
syrup and I’d be
a millionaire
selling snow
cones!”
http://www.missionreports.com/eroupean%5Ffall%5F2007
Actually, It was
a very useful
trip. We met
with the
Director of
‘Kids for the
Kingdom’, in
Berlin ,
and he arranged
for one of the
donors to make a
generous gift
our technical
training. We
stayed with the
founder of Warm
Blankets
Switzerland,
Fritz and
Frannie
Schaller, the
parents or our
Swiss optician,
Tabea.
http://www.missionreports.com/eye%5Fproject%5Fnov07
Warm Blankets
arranged for us
to meet with the
C.E.O of Gaberit,
a Swiss plumbing
manufacturer
that had donated
all the plumbing
supplies for our
‘Garment Factory
Workers Dorm’,
and we were able
to encourage a
faithful group
of church
members from the
“Quella” church
(means ‘water
spring’ in
English’).
They’d come to
Cambodia
and helped
rebuild our most
embattled
Church/Home.
Surrounded with
new development,
the once high
and dry church
was an island in
a sea of sewage,
the members
left, the pastor
was totally
discouraged, and
the orphans felt
like no one
cared. They
brought help and
great hope!
Today, many
members were
back in
attendance, and
grass and shrubs
have been
planted. Joy has
returned.
http://www.missionreports.com/palelai%5Fupdate%5Fnov07
Actually, I was
back in
Cambodia
from my European
stay for about
48 hours and I
was back in a
plane headed for
Chandler ,
Arizona , USA
. T’was the
worst case of
‘jet lag’ I’ve
ever
experienced, but
one of my most
fruitful trips.
The Chandler
Church , “Desert
Springs”, raised
enough money to
fund four
church/homes at
their mission’s
conference, and
the Arizona
District may
take on one
more. Then, I
flew to
Fresno, CA
where I attended
the Donor
Appreciation
Banquet for
‘Gleanings for
the Hungry’
which has
supplied us with
more than two
dozen containers
of dehydrated
fruits,
vegetable soup
mix, and other
various food
items over the
past few years.
We received a
great blessing
from them as
well as the
Butte County
Rice Growers
while I was in
the States:
http://www.missionreports.com/generous_donation_nov07
I also managed
to hook up with
my friends, made
up of a group of
dairy farmers,
businessmen and
vineyard owners,
that purchased
240 acres of
rice land for
us, along with a
400 ton rice
storage bin and
a rice-combine.
I thank God for
them every time
I see the rice
price at nearly
$500 per ton and
realize that our
cost is about
$145 for raw
rice. We
couldn’t feed
all these kids
without that
help. I traveled
down to Los
Angeles to visit
with the
Foursquare
Foundation,
which has funded
several major
projects in
Cambodia,
and my
headquarters,
Foursquare
Missions
International,
then spoke at
the services of
‘The Lighthouse’
in
Thousand Oaks,
California
where they
committed to
fund two
church/homes for
the next year. I
returned to
Cambodia
for three days
and Sou and I
flew to
Hong Kong
where we spoke
at the very much
alive, 150 year
old, ‘Union
Church’, which
we hope will
soon be
sponsoring a
church/home. We
also met with
our friends from
the HK E. Free
Church and the
president of the
YMCA, Jac k
Young. I
personally spent
about one week
in
Cambodia
this past month.
God has blessed
us so! We had
much to be
thankful for at
our
‘Thanksgiving
Dinner’, namely,
every one of you
that sacrifices
so much to keep
this work going!
We invited our
Cambodian staff
to our
traditional
Thanksgiving
dinner. Not
quite sure how
they’d react to
our American
fare we asked,
“What is your
favorite
American food?”
The universal
response?
“Pizza!” So, we
had turkey,
mashed potatoes,
stuffing,
pumpkin pie, all
the trimmings,
and pizza. The
food all
disappeared, but
the first thing
gone? You
guessed it.
Pizza!
http://www.missionreports.com/thanksgiving%5Fcambodia%5Fnov07
While I was
traveling the
staff kept
things chugging
along. Medical
Teams
International
provided great
service in
Battambang:
http://www.missionreports.com/battambang%5Fdental%5Fnov07
The Bob Richards
Family visited
the home they
sponsor, Kor An
Deoak (Turtle
neck) and helped
out in many
ways:
http://www.missionreports.com/bob%5Frichards%5Fvisit%5Fnov07
Pastors were
trained on the
use of their
“Spiritual
Gifts”:
http://www.missionreports.com/sp%5Fpastoral%5Ftraining%5Fnov07
Our doctors kept
busy taking care
of the day to
day emergencies
that materialize
with three
thousand kids.
We are glad to
have an
Ambulance!:
http://www.missionreports.com/orphan_brokenleg/index.htm
And with the
recent cold
snap, due to the
end of the rainy
season,
the rain stopped
on Thanksgiving
Day, over 2000
used jackets
were purchased
in 100kg bales
from
Taiwan,
which were
laundered by the
orphans at the
Cham Chao
church/home and
distributed to
the northern
provinces:
http://www.missionreports.com/cold_time
. We also
welcomed three
new staff, Bob
and Kristal
Hollandsworth,
who have been
working like
slaves
organizing our
food
distribution
system, keeping
the rice mill
running,
repairing the
dental van, and
helping at the
tractor factory.
Then, Kris
Warner arrived
to begin a
comprehensive
‘English as a
Second Language’
program for our
churches. He
brings a wealth
of experience
from
Japan and
we are glad to
have him. Sadly,
we said
“Goodbye” to
Jamie Gonzales,
who left for
Israel ,
but we hope to
see her back
soon.
I have turned
into a ‘Grand
beggar’, but I
have no shame.
How come? Every
time I visit one
of the Church
homes and ask
the kids, “What
do you want to
do when you grow
up?” I am amazed
that more than
half respond
that they want
to be pastors.
“Why?” I ask
incredulously,
and they always
respond with an
answer like
this: “Our daddy
is God, and we
want to be like
him!” They say
it differently
than those of us
who have had the
benefit of
natural parents,
who refer to the
universal
fatherhood of
God. They talk
about God as
though He is
their physical
father. That has
always impressed
me, and the
other day I came
across Psalm
68:5 where God
is called ‘A
Father to the
fatherless’ That
is specific for
them, the orphan
and the widow.
God does have a
special place
for them! On my
travels one man
came up to me
after a service
and gave me a
paper on George
Muller, he fed
2000 orphans, by
faith, in
England about
170 years ago.
What he wrote
greatly
encouraged me.
“By the help of
God this shall
be my argument
before Him,
respecting
Orphans, in the
hour of need. He
is their Father,
and therefore
has pledged
Himself, as it
were, to provide
for them, and to
care for them:
and I have only
to remind Him of
the need of
these poor
children, in
order to have it
supplied…”
This was, to me,
a tremendous
relief, and an
explanation as
to why you, the
Body of Christ,
respond as you
do. Please don’t
quit. We still
have
un-sponsored
church/homes.
The declining
value of the
dollar, and
inflated prices
of building
materials due to
Chinese
expansion, along
with a
significant
failure of the
Vietnamese rice
crop, has really
put us under
pressure. If you
can send some
‘year end help’
through any of
the following
partners it
would be a great
blessing:
Warm Blankets
Orphan Care
International,
5105 Tollview
Dr., Suite 165,
Rolling Meadows,
IL 60008
Phone
847-577-1070
www.warmblankets.org
Kids for the
Kingdom, P.O.
Box 85 ,
Graton , CA
95444
Phone
707-829-1104,
Mark gift for
Cambodian
Orphans
www.kidsforthekingdom.org
A local
Foursquare
Church , with
instructions to
send the gift
to: F.M. I.,
Attention: John
Watson, 1910 W.
Sunset Blvd,
Los Angeles , CA
90026
www.missionreports.com/cambodia
Have a Merry
Christmas!
The Cambodian
FCOP Team,
Pa Thom (Me,
Ted)
Still do’in all
the work,
The Cambodian
Staff
Ma Sou,
Emily Plater
Tabea Schaller
Josh Ferguson
Bob and Crystal
Hollandsworth
Kris Warner
