Groth Report July 2009

From the Word

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel . . . Phillipians 1:3 .

Cambodia is a country with bountiful chances for remembrance. Funeral dates here are remembered by Buddhists and celebrated ten days after, one hundred days after and years after, with family and friends of the deceased. Daily remembrance offerings are put before the Buddhist altar as a way to show your ancestors that you remember them and still want their blessings and favor. This month we also have had some wonderful events with which to fill our memories of God’s work in Cambodia.

Class with our students this time focused on a New Testament overview. The time here at our home in Sihanoukville was spent learning general New Testament themes and learning how to research information on individual books with materials at hand. Videos of New Testament times, atlas studies, and contemporary examples of literature types kept the students involved in learning. Our meal times were great for discussion. At the end one of our students, a former Buddhist monk, gave a small speech. He thanked us for our teaching but most of all for being a part of their daily lives. We will always remember the comment that we were the only foreigners he was pleased to call his Mom and Dad.  
   

The local publisher held the closing of my devotion-writing workshop. As we talked and shared about his time with the authors we trained, it was good to hear that the devotions written by this class will be the first Khmer written devotions published. My favorite comment from his evaluations was, “We learned to write devotions, but most importantly we became closer to our Savior.” That’s one for the memory!!

  The family retreat held memories for two American and seven Cambodian families. The meeting place was a resort outside of Phnom Penh. Some Bible learning, family fun and field trips made memories for all involved. A visit to one of our favorite help agencies, Resource Development In Cambodia (RDIC), taught families about ways to have pure water. A boat trip on the Mekong river was the first for many to see the fishing villages and development in Phnom Penh. The American families gave the memorable comment, “Now we have faces to put with names as we pray for missions. We really do see some of the challenges missionaries face.”
July 11th saw the graduation of our hotel English class. Thirty-five young people and four teachers completed the course of study. The project was interesting as Naomi; a Cambodian Christian, sat with me as I prepared the weekly lessons that she in turn taught to the village teachers. We held our graduation at the Golden Sands Hotel. The tour of the hotel by the manager helped students see in reality what had been words and pictures during their course. Speeches were made to encourage students to be Christian workers. Each student was given a framed diploma. At the end I asked the graduates, “How many of you have been in a hotel before?” Guess what? None of the thirty-five had ever been inside a hotel. (That’s a fun memory!!) We pray that these young people will be able to use their skills to be employed in the future.

 

Chuck and I are busy sorting things we all accumulate over time. We are leaving with fond memories of our Cambodian friends. We are leaving with great thoughts of you, our supporters. You have been faithful in your partnership!!   

Now, if you would ask our children to characterize what their mom would say next, I’m sure you would get this answer, “Now what are we going to do?”  While this move was not of our choosing, we will trust God for the answer to that question. We’d love to hear a word of encouragement from you, and we treasure your prayers for us. We’ll see many of you as personal friends as we transition to US living.  

With remembrance of you faithfulness, Chuck and Jeanette Groth

 

Thanks to God for Prayers Answered:

  • Good health
  • Quick sale of personal items
  • Good work with the movers
  • Good time with friends here
  • Many faithful supporters

Continue to Pray for:

  • Safe travels
  • Good US transition
  • Meaningful employment for both of us
  • Continued good health
  • The Cambodians with whom we worked

 

 

Contact after July 30th