Merry Christmas from Mekong Floating Ministries!

breathing and praying! together!

Please continue to pray for Mark.

These are some of the latest updates from him. 

If able, please pray with Mark and us all 9 pm Saturday, our time, as they meet and pray over the land being used for ministry!

Yes it is pneumonia! it's about half my lungs.  X-ray five dollars and they wanted to keep me in clinic but Pastor Rith had me come to Guesthouse because he said he could take better care than clinic.  It's quiet and a cool room to stay in. Not 90 kids running around.  I'm going to be ok not to worry.  But have a little recovery ahead of me. Very weak. Can't breathe good. They gave me IV again and shots and pills. Chinda is taking care of school in the village till I am better. God is so good. Thank you all!  God Bless

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God is so good!  I feel better this afternoon went back to clinic for wrap. They mix herbs and whatever into paste then put on your chest and wrap you so tight can hardly breath.  It's very hot. Almost burns! They keep it on longer than you want, but whatever it is it sure opens up lungs and then everything starts to break loose.  Much better.

Just talked with Chinda. There were over 50 kids at school today. Going to have to figure out time for another class. Pastor is loaning me a camera and he taking mine to Phnom Penh for repair.  God fixes everything if we will just give Him time. Looks like we need to buy more books. Chinda bought 10 more last night and was 20 short today! Wow!  And all while I'm sick. Not even doing anything.  God is good. And that's just the 3rd day!
Blessing from Cambodia

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Feeling a little better today. Still can't breath too good but fever seems to have broken.  Do feel better but not doing anything for a fews days. Chinda did Bible study at village yesterday. First day 15 students from church. Yesterday 24. Nine from school. Chinda was so happy. Wish I would of been there. Want to take pics but camera broke need to take to Phnom Penh. Can't get fixed here. Not sure what to do. 

I had to put a tire and front brakes on Chinda's moto so she could go to village.  It seems Satan doesn't want happening what we are doing there.  Talking to Pastor last night. He wasn't surprised what was going on. He told that when they started to build the church in 2006, which he paid for and they built. Well 2 days after start Pastor starts getting very bad headaches. In two days he is in the hospital with swelling on the brain. It lasted 3 months before he could go back to work. Then on Christmas 2006,  both churches went to village to celebrate. As they were eating one young girl started screaming that her belly was on fire. They laid hands on her and she recovered immediately.  Then later as he was preaching one man start talking crazy, flopping on the floor. They laid hands again and he was well But pastor doesn't know what to think. He has never seen anything like it. He called his pastor and asked. He asked him if they had walked around the grounds and cast Satan out and claim it for Jesus. They had not. But spent for four hours praying every place they could think of.  

But they didn't pray over the ground that we are using.  So Sunday it is going to happen. I don't like to give Satan too much credit but I also know that ground has had many bad spirits over the the last 1000 years.  They were Buddist before they got saved.  Satan needs to know we stand together. That nothing will stop the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ and the mission he has put before.  So asking again stand with us Saturday at 9:00 pm your time. As I say things do just happen.  But not like they have the last three weeks.  Computer, camera, classroom, getting started, sick. Too many thing for chance. But He who is in me is stronger than Satan or anything else!  Our God is the God of all!  He is and was and always will be! Thank you for trials and troubles if that's what it take to move us forward!  In the end we are stronger and that is all that matters.    

God Bless!  

Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ forever.

Mark

Intensive care and a "honey" pot

Just talked to Chris' father for about an hour. What a man!  He is going to start working on getting someone to help here. It sounds like he knows quite few people that can lead us in that direction. It is so good to be working for the Lord knowing He has it in line and we just need to wait for His time. Not like the world where it is all up to you or me.  

I know that Jesus already has the people needed here.  We just have to put out enough feelers till it touches that person or that person. And most important PRAY about it. It so encouragaing to see that others are wanting to help. God is so good.     

My cold is much better today. And that is a story in itself. Just a cold. You know running nose, cough, fever.    Well not to them. They think God is going to be angry with them for not taking better care of me. So I try to explain the cold. On and on. No good. About every hour one of them comes in to wipe me down with wet cold towel and make me drink water. Quite something!  It's like intensive care. I just want them to leave me alone so I can sleep. But if I tell them I don't want their help it would really hurt their feelings. Like to the point they may think I don't trust them. So I am their patient for one more day. 

I was going to go with Chinda to someone's today but now they will not let me leave my room. They even brought in a honey pot for me so I didn't have to walk the 30 feet to the bathroom. I haven't used it!! I am getting out of here tomorrow. Need to get some rest. Ha ha.    

It really is nice to know that they care for you and it really upsets them that I don't feel good.

God is good. All the time!  

Mark

Solar stand raising!

Solar stand going up!    

Put cement inside Saturday. Now wait 10 days before putting panels up. Wait for cement to harden.   

The last pic is of the house that the old man and women live in that we are renting land from.  They care for 2 of there grandchildren and couldn't afford glasses. The twenty dollars bought both of them glasses with eye test.

First pics of filter system!

These five pics of filter working and working good!

The pond was so drity it took 10 days to clean.

Still some to go.

Mark

An attack and healing!

Well I was wondering when and how Satan would attack.  Saturday evening a moto turned in front of me and I had to lay mine down. Didn't hurt much on bike was going pretty slow but when I jumped off I twisted my back pretty bad.  Can hardly walk. Going to the local healer.  Suppose to be able to make me new again. Pray that it does.

An update:

This is David here. I talked with mark over Skype the other day. Had a chance to catch up and pray. He is doing better. Due to a long holiday in the country he was not sure about getting in to see a "doctor" to quickly. Mark has had a good amount of time to read and listen to the Lord over these last few days. 

Please pray that "The Doctor," the One who knows all of the aches and pains Mark is experiencing will reach down, touching and healing in a very powerful and amazing way. 

If you all know of other people who would like to join in prayer for this ministry, please pass this along. We can certainly use lots and lots of prayer. Thanks!

Lord, whatever it takes, make your glory known! We love you Lord!

Celebrating the joy in the journey,

D

Combined Service

Hi everyone! I've been gone from keeping this blog up the last few weeks. Spending time with family, getting my third oldest settled into school, and finishing a short online course in vernacular media. So now I'm back and will keep you all updated again! 

Mark has so much to share. Take the time to read what the Lord is doing all those miles across the waters!

Celebrating the joy in the journey,

David for all

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Just when you think that God has blessed you all He could, He really shows you His love. Especially for those of use that deserve it the least.  

But first the last 2 weeks condensed.  

David has been away with his children traveling the Oregon Coast.  God Blessed him beyond belief.  He can tell you about that.  But that is why nothing on the blog for the last couple weeks.  David has to decode it so everyone else can read it.  Ha Ha!! 

Can't spell. No grammar. Teaching 35 students English and 23 in Bible Study this last Saturday. Wow!


So last week bought solar panels, controller, filter makings.  Built filter. Have not been able to test yet.  While gathering stuff for filter, people want to know what I am doing so have to explain the filter and pond thing many times.  But every time I do they want to know how they can do it. Small pond in back yard.  I never thought small. Never.  Usually don't!  But God got me thinking, then doing the math and it really made sense.  Small pond W 9 ft x L 12 ft x D 8 ft   = 800 fish.  A family with one pond will make about 400.00 every 6 months from one pond. A lot if you figure they're only making that much in 1 year now. The cost to build pond, water filter and air pump, baby fish food for 6 month  would be around 550.00. I thought this was good idea but I had just brought up the fish farm and want to keep that first because in 2 years it will be able to do some of these small ponds. 

Emailed it to Pastor John  because I did know what to do with it. He mailed me back saying that he thought it was good idea but we should try to get a family to support a family here in Cambodia. They could email back and forth, send photos, and pray together.  I just can't imagine what it means to them when I tell them that you are praying. This money would be donated by family in US. Then loaned to family here at low interest rate. As they pay the loan back it will be loaned to another family. So the money you give will greatly help. Isn't that what the Lord meant in the story about the talents.  

So the first place for small pond is at Mr.Savet's where I am staying right now. As soon as things start in village I will be there 4 days a weeks.  We want to monitor the first pond very closely. Put meter on water and air pump to know what it costs. Know just how much food cost. On and on.  So plan to start Mr Savet's pond as soon as it stops raining. Should 5 or 6 weeks away. If dug a hole now it would be full in the morning.  

So then I have to meet Chief of Police and let them know where I am staying. Of course he knows Mr. Rith and they have already talked about me.  Have to give him copies of passport and visa.  Oh, and of course $5.00  for his time.  He is very nice. Speaks some English. Wants to know why I came here. So I tell him I'm missionary  and that I came to do fish ponds. He says, yes I know about fish ponds. Now could I tell him about them.  So I go through it all again.  He said he will be checking on my filter and pond and do I think I might be able to help him do one.  I said I would like that if it works out.  Before he left he told me that I wouldn't have any troubles day or night. I was safe. I thanked him again.  After he left Mr.Savet told me that he knew how and what Jesus was but wasn't ready to commit.  Being a policeman and all.  I said maybe if Jesus blesses him with a fish he might change his mind. Mr. Savet thought that was really clever. I said that is what I have been thinking for three years. Give fish. Get a soul. Go trade if you ask me. 

Well better tell about today and pick this up tomorrow or it will be so big no one will read it.     

Anyway today at church. After God just been opening door after door these last two weeks along and this has been going on now for five weeks now. Wow!  You are amazing!   Then toady is joint fellowship with city church and village church both which I go to.  Big lunch and dancing after service. I do not know if I can write this. After service i was asked to sit in the middle of the altar stage. So I did then the elders they came in carrying a big bowl of water. They kneeled down in front of me, thank the Lord for the gift that He sent them and start washing my feet.  Then if that's not enough  Pastor Rith tells them that he only drives a few kilometers to come to church and put in some money. But I have given my life to them.  I wanted to jump up and shout "you have to mean someone else."  I feel so humble and unworthy of the task before me but I know beyond anything on earth that the Lord is leading this. I am only doing what the Lord says.   

Thank you Lord.  Thank you everyone who prays. I am now involved with over 130 Cambodians directly. About half saved and the other half seeking. Pray that the Lord keeps sending them into His gates of love and mercy.  Pray that he sends others so they can be as blessed as I am.

Your bother in Christ Jesus, my best Friend!

Mark

Everybody ought to know.....

Celebrating Jesus in dance after Bible Study

It just amazes me how blessed a person can be by doing what the Lord
ask us to do. 
   
Last night was my first Bible study at Mr. Savets house. 
First when I arrived at his home/school his wife came up and
hugged me! Then they told me that they both prayed to ask Him
if I was really the one. They slept in separate bedrooms so they
could pray and hear God. In the morning his wife said God came to her
in a dream and that He said that he sent me to them and to welcome me as
family. And that is just what they did. It brings tears to my eyes just
thinking about it.  It is so wonderful to do what the Lord asks.  They
feel they're the ones being blessed.  I think more me than them! The
children are so good.  So respectful and they hang on every word you say.
it is important to make sure you get it right!

After dinner we danced to Khmer Christian music.
It is amazing how much you can be blessed with so little.  But then
little things over here are big as there is so little. So the simple
things aren't simple any more.

Last night was my home coming party. Can't believe it. They truly
believe in Jesus with all their heart.  How can you not feel what they
feel.  It is encouraging to me to have the Lord working through me.  I
really haven't done anything. Just gone and done what Jesus asked.   I
wish everyone could feel what I feel right now.  Maybe for the first time
in my life I truly feel in my soul that I am doing what God planned
before I was born.  Who would have ever guessed?  Surely not me! 


Today I get to go to church two times and looking so forward to it. Each
day brings something new. Even if it is the same it is new. I can't really
explain that but it is so. I can not thank all you back home enough
for making this happen.  I wouldn't be here without all of you. 
I can hardly wait till January when others are coming over so they can  
experience just what I am. It doesn't seem fair that I get all this without
others being with me. I want everyone to know just what God is doing
here and in my heart.   

God bless from Cambodia

Mark

Buying shaved ice

house-school

The pics I am sending are the house-school that Mr. Savet has been
building for over three years. It has one room finished for a volunteer
(me) right now and three more to finish. As you can see they have been
preparing for someone to come longer than I have been planning to come.


It will cost about 10,000 to finish home-school but don't need to
finish for one or two volunteers. Teachers are needed first.

When I left the States we didn't figure we would be ready for
volunteers for quite a while. As you can see we could us them now!

To stay and teach here would cost around 400.00 month.  That would
cover housing, food and 100.00 extra. They are ready now and so am I.
it won't be long before I am going to be very busy. As soon as I
start work on the water filter I will be working every day and teaching in 
the evening except Sunday.

These first three pics are of Mr. Savets living space in back side of house

Mark's room. Volunteer has own bathroom

Classroom

Classroom

I am not saying we should finish the house but it would be nice if
volunteers could bring a little extra so could put to building. 

This building will be a beautiful house-school-volunteer spot when it is completed. 

Also a great meeting place for many people.

Mark working hard at the guesthouse.

He often skypes me from this spot. 

Pastor Rith (ongoing)

Pastor Rith's story

I am going to write this in parts as I learn more. I asked him if I could tell you about his life. He was happy that I thought others would want to know about him.  I told there were many that would want to and that were praying for us.

Rith was born in 1962  in Kampong Chanang. Things have always been hard for his family. They were very poor like most of Cambodians.  But life wasn't so bad if that is all you know then you don't have anything to compare. That was soon to change  for him and the rest of the country.   

In 1965 the U.S. started the secret bombing of Cambodia but until about 1970 that was contained to the border area. Then we started bombing most of the country. 3,500 B-52 shorties over 600,000 killed   Mr. Rith has talked about running form the bombs that came from planes. You could not see them and didn't know where they would land.  This went on until 1975 when we finally pulled out of Cambodia and forgot they then even existed.    

He tells of friends not as lucky as him. They ran to wrong spot. You could never find any of them. Not one piece. Many of his friends didn't make it through those years. You can see just how sad it makes him when he talks about it. He tells of hiding in the rice paddy from the bombs and the Khmer Rouge, dodging bullets at ten years old.  

As I sit and talk with him it makes me so thankful that I was born in America. I could just as easily have been born here.  It also make me sad for him and all the others that went through so much killing.  But that wasn't even the worst of it.  That was still to come. 

Things got much much worse when the U.S. pulled out. At first everyone thought it would be good. The war was over.  But within a few days the Khmer Rouge took over the country and was to throw it into what I would call the dark ages for five years. 

More next time. 

My moto moving van

Well all loaded up. Moto becomes a moving van. This is the most stuff I ever
put on a moto.  As you can see there is not much room left for me.  I get 
the spot were my helmet is for 5 hours. There will be a few coffee
stops along the way.  It is so good to be going somewhere you know God has
perpared for you.  It's also nice to be going somewhere were I know I
will be putting down some roots in good dirt with the support of the
people.  

Thank you Lord!

getting moto wash. four people work on it for about 30 min for 3000 rial.
That equals about 75 cents

Moto loaded to move

Church dedication

Unbelievable!

Methodist Church dedication. The Methodists are sponsored by Korea. Korea has the most involvement here. This was a very big deal. It took four years to build the church. For the first year it was outside under a trap. That was ten years ago. As you can see in the pics it was quite crowded but it was truly amazing. There were Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic. You name it.  As the speaker said, "We are all followers of Jesus Christ. Makes no difference what we call ourselves."   

There were over 75 pastors from all over Kampong Chanang Province.  I met so many. I met the one I know the Lord wanted me to meet.  He is a Vietnamese pastor in Kampong Chanang and his daughter speaks fluent Vietnamese, Khmer and English. We talked quite a bit. Told him about our ministry and what we would like to be able to do with the Vietnamese boat people in a year or so. We are going to be getting together soon. I gave his daughter my card and asked her to go to website and blog site and read. This will give her a little better idea of what we are planning on doing. They were very excited about the whole thing.  

These first six pics are all of the ribbon cutting

There are 223 Buddhist Wats, 53 mosques, and 66 churches in Kampong Chanang Province.  This does not include house churches here.  In Kampong Chanang Province the Christian is the fastest growing. But that is not so in most other places.  There is a lot of talk about how it was their responsibility to raise up leaders go out and spread the Gospel to Cambodia and the rest of the world. That they should use Korea as their example.  That we are all the body of Christ and that each one of use has a different part to do but that we all work together for the one and only goal. That the whole world should know of the the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. 

Traditional dancers.  They are bringing the offering to the Lord thanking
Him for the sacrifice on the cross for us

Maybe that's it. They don't look at the denominations as one is better than the other. They are all one part of a bigger Body. The Body of the church. I think it also helps that they are not a prideful people. They are quite humble and that is one the hardest things for me to deal with.  When you are raised from birth to have pride in all you do, well it takes a lot for God to knock some of us down a little more than others. 

I can't tell you how much I feel that God has put us here at this time. Not just me, but everyone who is part of MFM. Pastor Rith feels the same. As I look back over the last five years and see what the Lord has done in my life to perpare me for this time it is amazing.  And then I see what He has been doing here in Kampong Chanang for the last ten years.  

And I end up here!

Koreans singing

Korean pastor with translator

Everyone singing Amazing Grace

WOW!

Mark