July 2003 |
| Say that two of my closest friends stopped talking with each other because of a disagreement. They both hurt because of this broken relationship. But then I found out that something had changed. If they just got together again then everything would be okay. I�d implore them to talk and be reconciled. In our church planting meeting we were reminded of our �ministry of reconciliation� as Christians. It�s often easy to think of our salvation as something impersonal � a legal contract where our sins are wiped away by Christ�s righteousness. But it�s about relationship � restoring man to God. God longs to be in a meaningful, personal relationship with us. We hope to be used for this purpose here in Cambodia. We�ve met with several people this month making some promising contacts. Our leadership is still deciding what and when our larger medical responsibilities will start, giving us much needed time with our language study. Our language is progressing fairly well � we start a new cycle this month with both of us studying together. It�ll be a first and hopefully a successful, stress-less time. The boys are� active! Jon loves to copy everything his older brother does. They have a lot of fun together! We�ve submitted a request for Ben to join a Khmer-speaking school in the fall but until then, he�ll continue in the same English-speaking school he�s at now. Later this month, we hope to move into a different house which should be safer for the boys and have fewer problems than our current location. Lara�s mother will also be coming out the end of August which we�re all looking forward to! All in all, we�re feeling quite settled and content. Praying for the reconciliation of Cambodia�s millions, David, Lara, Benjamin and Jonathan |
| Our househelp Bopha led us along a winding path to the bottom of three flights of steep ladder-like stairs. We climbed up with some help through a hatch door in the floor and were warmly greeted by her family. Twelve people (grandmother, parents, five siblings, uncle, aunt and husband) live in two small rooms, a wooden shed built on the roof of a larger concrete house. We enjoyed an evening of fellowship together amidst the drips, dust and noise entering her family�s simple home. It was a vivid reminder to be thankful for what we have. Even Ben commented when we arrived back home, �I have a lot of toys�� |
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| Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ�s behalf, be reconciled to God. II Corinthians 5:20 (NKJV) |