Groth Report December 2007

From the Word

“Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.” Luke 1:29

In Cambodia the usual greeting is “jOOm-ree-up soo-a.” Hands are pressed together under the chin to greet a friend or stranger. Even babies in the market learn to press their hands together in this simple greeting. In this month of December we think of the greeting of the angel to the Virgin Mary, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.” Now Mary was truly blessed to be the mother of God in the flesh, Jesus. She was privileged to carry the very Son of God in her womb. But we could also be greeted with the same words. “The Lord has blessed you and is with you.”  We are privileged to carry Jesus in our heart. A favorite carol says it so well, “Redeemer come I open wide my heart to you: here Lord, abide! Let me YOUR INNER PRESENCE FEEL, your grace and love in me reveal;. . .” We have Jesus in our heart and because of this we are truly blessed. We know that he is our Redeemer and Savior. May you see Jesus’ blessings around you as you celebrate His coming to earth. Truly it is good to know - “The Lord is with us. - Emmanuel”

Current Events

We felt truly blessed by God as we traveled to the U.S. in November. We covered over 2700 miles and were greeted at 22 mission events. It was a blessing to share God’s mission in Cambodia with TIM congregations, Lutheran schools, a mission board, Concordia Theological Seminary students in Ft. Wayne, students at Concordia University, Ann Arbor, a congregation involved with a group we have hosted and Chuck’s first parish in Richton Park, Illinois. Across many miles and in many events we saw that God was truly with us and we were able to share the joys and challenges of our daily work in Cambodia. We were also blessed by God to share Thanksgiving and my 60th birthday in Gatlinburg with our entire family - minus our future son-in-law, Mark.

The Lord truly blessed us and was with us as we returned to Cambodia safely.

The 38 hours in transit are always a bit grueling, but we had no missed connections and no lost suitcases. We arrived and began to celebrate Advent immediately. The day after our arrival we were warmly greeted at the Daycare Christmas celebration at our partner church, Open Gate Christian Fellowship. Some of the celebration was a bit different in that it added some games and a little kid’s fashion show, but the heart of the celebration was the same. The anticipation of Christmas, the joy of a Savior and the enactment of a simple Christmas play written by me. What a great blessing to know that these children heard the account of their Savior!!! — What a contrast to the 98% here who do not have the Babe in their hearts or lives.

The same day we were warmly greeted in a planning meeting for another Christian School event. Sopheak met with us to discuss the upcoming celebration at her school. We reviewed the two carols the children are learning in English and then looked ahead to their performance of the Christmas narrative play I wrote and she translated. December 25th will see us celebrating Christmas with this small school.

The same day we were warmly greeted in a planning meeting for another Christian School event. Sopheak met with us to discuss the upcoming celebration at her school. We reviewed the two carols the children are learning in English and then looked ahead to their performance of the Christmas narrative play I wrote and she translated. December 25th will see us celebrating Christmas with this small school.

Just a few days later we were doing the greeting. Rita Nickel, Dr. John Lautenschlager and Aimee and J. P. Cima arrived in Cambodia to participate in the “kick off” of our health education program. This is part of the holistic ministry vision for Cambodia. Twenty-two ladies from four areas of the country met in Sihanoukville to learn about basic hygiene, women’s health, and nutrition. They are now equipped to share this learning with their families and villages. They were encouraged to use the opportunities this training gives them as another way to pray for and share the Gospel with fellow Cambodians. They greeted one another, made new friends and shared the message that they were blessed and God was with them as they began this new work.

Now we are regrouping, writing reports, newsletters and thank-you notes. Chuck is anticipating his sharing the Christmas message at our English congregation here in Sihanoukville. We are both anticipating our trip to Battambang and sharing Christmas there on December 30th.

So our month sees many Christmas greetings and events. We are sure the Lord is with us and we feel truly “blessed.”  May this season see your hearts filled with His greetings and the knowledge that you are truly blessed by Emmanuel - God with us.

“jOOm-ree-up soo-a.”

Chuck and Jeanette Groth

 

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The Angel Visits Mary

Wise Men Present Gifts To Jesus

Women Learn Proper Handwashing at Health Conference

Rhea Greets with “jOOm-ree-up soo-a”