Holiness Conference '09

What a treat to have familiar faces show up in Phnom Penh. We were excited to have Dr. Beeke and Mary here for three short days and enjoyed their warm company even though it was too brief.

It was also a great opportunity for the Cambodian Church to attend the Holiness Conference '09. Dr. Beeke gave 5 addresses and each one was well attended, maybe 100-150 people each time. Many Cambodian pastors and leaders in the churches were in attendance as well as Cambodian students and lay persons. A few missionaries also benefited from the conference. The addresses were given in English and translated into Khmer. The addresses seemed to be eagerly received with people writing notes quickly and many coming to the subsequent topics.

Darryl worked hard to get everything in order for the conference, from getting posters and fliers printed and distributed, organizing the food and lunch, to leading the sessions. He did a great job! A big thanks to our friends and fellow teammates (more on that coming soon!), the Mission To the World team. They were a huge help to Darryl and even were able to get many Bible Doctrine books (in Khmer) distributed free of charge to the guests. It was an exciting weekend.

Everyone enjoying fresh fruit
(lychees, jackfruit, rambutans, mango)
and some good hot MILO after the evening service.

Cute babies in attendance too--hi Ally!

Mary and I hopped in a tuk-tuk, enjoyed a great lunch and each others company and then enjoyed some serious shopping at Russian market for an hour or two.

The weekend flew by so quickly and I realized after they'd already left, that I hardly took any pictures. Personally, the best part of their visit was going for dinner with them (no kids) and relaxing with people who have known us for most of our lives! It felt like we were home for a little while. It was good to have their conversation, advice, and friendship.

The last night they were in Cambodia we had a potluck dinner at our home with the Mission to the World team.
Sophie cried for quite a while after they left and the next morning at breakfast there were a few tears too. "Mom, they were just SO nice to me, why did they have to go?" :)

It was sad to say good-bye, but mostly we were just so glad that they came!