Groth Report May 2006
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him . . . Luke 24:31-32
It was time to leave Battambang, and our driver needed to leave early in the morning. In order to have a good start we invited him to have breakfast with us. Before the first bite Chuck, Vannock, and I bowed our heads and said our before meal prayer: “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let this food to us be blessed. Amen.” That prayer was not a major faith testimony, but still our guest replied, “Oh, I see you are Christian.”
I’ve thought about that a lot this month. I’ve always loved the fact that Jesus opened his disciples’ eyes as they shared a meal together. That simple act helped them to recognize their risen Lord. What simple acts will others recognize as unique, so that we will be recognized as Christians? What can we do to gain a hearing for the Gospel message?
Here in Southeast Asia many times it is that relationship, that action that stands out, that gives us an opportunity to share Jesus. Perhaps Southeast Asia isn’t so different than the place you live. Who has recognized you as a Christian lately? What conscious actions can be part of your life so that you to will have the chance to be Ablaze with the message of Christ’s love and forgiveness? Examine your actions. Share with others stories of the opportunities you’ve had to spread the Word. Plan now the actions that will help others to recognize just who you are!!
One important action for us is traveling to the Lutheran Church in Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia and located in the western part of the country. This church has a young pastor, and part of Chuck’s work is mentoring him on a regular basis. He is eager to learn and asked this time about how to have an order of worship that was distinctly Lutheran. Naturally Chuck was delighted to spend time to share with him and other church leaders some order for Lutheran worship. The worship there is lively with children, youth, and adult groups all taking turns to share a song. The praise group leads worship and witnesses with uplifting music. This time Chuck had the message, and our worship together was a moving experience. My work there is helping the English teachers and the Bible teacher work on ideas to improve their teaching. It was exciting to see three of the English teachers come to be part of Sunday’s service. I know that it was out of respect for my being there, but I also know the power of the Spirit and how God’s Word can work on hearts. I am always delighted to model teaching, and it was reaffirming to see the teachers using some of the ideas we worked on immediately. English as a second language is a big way that we make relationships and have opportunities to share the Gospel in this part of the country. This English School has a Bible component and so a teacher shares that important message as well.
This month also saw us traveling to Vietnam. Here the actions of Christian example and relationship building are critical. The country is so beautiful with green rice fields, peaked hats on field workers, water buffalo and oxen, as well as beautiful blue hillsides. It was wonderful to have the opportunity as part of my job to visit volunteers there. Their English teaching is so important!! We also traveled with a local nutritionist to villages to see the LCMS human health care project. What he was doing that day was weighing babies to check nutritional progress using the improved diet he has been teaching. Needless to say, the babies were beautiful. A couple even let me hold them, and their smiles are truly heart-warming. We saw an LCMS kindergarten where we were privileged to watch a great performance!! Another part of our visit there saw us visiting a family who had received a cow through an agricultural project. The addition of one cow made so much difference in the well being of this family. This is your church in action!!!
Next we spent time in Thailand. We are part of the developing Luther Institute of Southeast Asia (LISA). Working with this we were collecting data about just what training would best prepare a person to be a Christian leader here. The first discussions were in Bangkok. Then we traveled with a local leader to the Phuket area where the tsunami had hit. The countryside was beautiful. We had a wonderful discussion about the educational needs of church leaders and also had an opportunity to see much of the rebuilding taking place there. It is hard to believe the destruction caused there or the number of containers that once held stacks of bodies. The relief actions surely gave many Christians an opportunity to share and speak of a caring Savior who is always there even in the darkest times.
I spent three quick days in Hong Kong learning more about my job as Volunteer Coordinator. I know it will be challenging work as we are committed to sharing Jesus through these teams as part of a strategic plan to use this opportunity to reach the 100 million people with Christ before 2017.
This week Chuck is doing a workshop for Christian Leaders here in Phnom Penh. They are learning about the church year and hearing the way the message of the Gospel is shared through that cycle of readings. There are about fifty-five leaders in attendance. These leaders are part of churches throughout Cambodia, presenting another real opportunity to share Jesus through the action of teaching.
Take a moment and evaluate your Christian witness. What actions lately have given you the opportunity to speak a word of salvation through Jesus Christ? We’d love to hear your stories!! May the Spirit continue to move you to walk and talk the message of Jesus our Savior.
Peace and love - Chuck and Jeanette Groth
Prayers Answered
Great communications with family and friends through SKYPE
Safe Travel
Dissertation ready to go to committee
Introduction to our work
Prayer Requests
Committee Approval on dissertation
Safe Travel
Progress on Luther Institute of Southeast Asia
More Volunteers for SE Asia