Teaching in Kampot with MTW

Rice fields...off to a late start but doing well now!

Last week Darryl went out with the MTW team to Kampot. The medical team did first aid training for many members in the church in order for them to better assist the community there. The medical team is also starting a program training midwives to better assist with infant births. Cambodia still has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Darryl led two sessions (with the translators) to 50 church leaders, teaching some of the basic truths from the Westminster Confession (what is our purpose in life, general and special revelation, etc.)

The meeting house for the Bible teaching

In the village

Some of the attendees enjoying a break.

Mmmm...fruit!

Usually Darryl comes back overwhelmed by the incredible need for good teaching. The leaders of the churches in the province have so little teaching, and some are not even able to read and write, what a blessing to be given opportunities to bring the simple truths of God's Word and assist our brothers and sisters here.

It seems each trip to the province somehow involves some sort of adventure with the team van. This time, the only way it would go in reverse was by pushing it, so Darryl arrived home wet and rather tired after the long 3-4 hour drive over bumpy roads (which he says is a free Cambodian massage).

Still Praying for Catherine

We just spoke with Bill (the father) this evening. Catherine is still in Bangkok with her mom receiving treatment. It looks like she will be able to come home next week sometime. She may lose the toe that received the snake bite but her body is healing well.

You can check out the Rhea's blog here for the story of the snake ordeal. Thank you for praying for this family!

Prayer Update

A few days ago we sent an email to our prayer supporters asking for prayer for a young girl on our mission team who was bit by a pit viper snake last Thursday. She was flown to Bangkok for emergency care and it's God's mercy she is still with us. She is now out of ICU; here's an update we received from a friend this evening:

"Keep praying. They are still in Bangkok with Catherine and won't release her until her blood counts are normal. I guess she is still having a problem with her blood coagulating properly. Also she seems to have a systemic infection and the toe is not healing. It is black and looks horrible. We pray she will not lose it."

If you want to be added to our email list please let me know at dedertfamily@yahoo.com.

Thanks again for lifting this young girl in prayer.

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!

Gospel Mission Church Plant

It's been exciting to be part of the church planting team with Mission to the World. The church plant continues to be slowly built up and the first membership classes start next week.

Darryl continues to preach every other month. On Sunday he taught from Genesis 12:1-4: God's Promises to Abraham (The Promises, Abraham's Response to Them, God's Faithfulness in Keeping Them)

Last week the ladies met for our first Women's Fellowship. It is such an interesting mix of women--Cambodian, Filipino and some women from the U.S. Some mission workers in Phnom Penh also attend the church plant. I am really looking forward to knowing these sisters better and learning from God's Word together in the coming months.