NEWSLETTER January 2013

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER January 2013 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: Introduction. Let me introduce my wife, Marilyn, and myself, Bob, to you. Marilyn and I have been members of Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Broomfield for the past six years. Prior to that, we belonged to Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Boulder. We have four grown children and five grandchildren, who live in Louisville, CO and Waconia, MN. Bob is a retired aerospace engineer working 30+ years with Beech Aircraft, Ball Aerospace, and most recently co-owner with Marilyn of a small R&D company in Boulder - Technology Applications, Inc. We sold the company in Marilyn is an active volunteer with AARP Tax Aide and works seasonally in the Boulder County Elections Office. We have made two trips to Cambodia and Trinity Lutheran in Battambang, in November 2011 and At Risen Savior our inspiration for short-term missions to Cambodia has been Marie and Roger Maves. We met them about four years ago at Risen Savior, where they urged the members of the Outreach & Missions Board to send mission teams to Trinity Lutheran to bring the good news of the Gospel to its members and the school. They were active with Mt. Hope Lutheran in Boulder, whose congregation supported Pastor Peter and Mary Sok to start Trinity Lutheran Church and School in 2004 and 2005, respectively. As many of you know, Roger is battling cancer and the treatments now take much of his energy. Therefore, Roger and Marie have asked us to assume preparation of the quarterly newsletters. Please continue to pray for Roger and Marie during this time of pain for Roger in his illness. Mission Team Member Input. We plan to change the format of the newsletter slightly by inviting members of the 2011 and 2012 mission teams to share highlights of their visit to Trinity 1

2 and Cambodia for you in upcoming newsletters. Each mission team member participated in different projects and has a unique perspective of his/her mission time spent in Cambodia. This year, for example, the entire 14-member team helped with the Youth Conference on Lutheranism hosted at Trinity Lutheran, but individually they also worked on ten different projects in small groups of 2-3. In this way, we will obtain a broader scope of our work than if only one reports on projects. We will begin this highlight reporting in the next quarterly newsletter. Khmer Pastor Graduation Ceremony (Bob). One of my highlights on the recent mission trip was attending the graduation ceremony on November 30, 2012 of the 13 Khmer pastors who completed four years of pastoral training. This was a special event for us since our pastor, Pastor Philip Cameron of Risen Savior, taught them Christian History for one week during our 2011 mission trip to Trinity. The graduation ceremony took place in Phnom Penh. The new pastors are shown below; the area that each serves in Cambodia is shown in the table. Thirteen Khmer pastors were recognized at the conclusion of the graduation ceremony. Khmer pastors with their location and denomination. Pastor Name Location Denomination Hun Kosal Battambang Lutheran Chut Heang Sihanoukville No mission Eing Sokha Phnom Penh Lutheran Sok David Sihanoukville Baptist Phan Narith (Jesse) Phnom Penh Lutheran Kong Vandy Battambang Lutheran Bang Sophal Valthom Presbyterian Phin Naro Phnom Penh Lutheran Prum Khoun Vealream Presbyterian Seang Cheun Vealream Presbyterian Ross Panha Siem Reap Independent Pring Sarath Ratanakiri Lutheran Sam Theng Siem Reap Independent 2

3 Our mission team gathered with these pastors and their families to celebrate and acknowledge the completion of their courses with a formal graduation. At the conclusion of the ceremony, we had the evening meal together at a Phnom Penh restaurant. What a moment of joy for us to see these new workers for the harvest field! Dr. Fungchatou Lo, our missionary host, officiated the graduation ceremony. He was assisted by Pastor Vannarith, President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cambodia (ELCC), Pastor Pete Scheele of Shepherd of the Rockies in Bailey, CO, and Pastor Peter Sok of Trinity Lutheran in Stockton, CA. Rev. Carl Hanson, LCMS World Mission s Asia Theological Education Facilitator, delivered the worship service message. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Dr. Lo introduced the new class of 13 Hmong pastors, whose pastoral classes started the following week. The next step for the new pastors are visits by President Vannarith and Dr. Lo to each of them and their congregations to evaluate how they might be included in the work of the ELCC. Dr. Lo officiates with President Vannarith. President Vannarith, Pastor Scheele, and Pastor Hanson during the ceremony. Pastor Sok presented gifts to the new graduates. 3 Pastors Kosal and Sokha with part of their family.

4 Dr. Lo teaches the new class of Hmong pastors. Water News (Bob). We saw a Japanese firm laying a city water line in the direction of Trinity Lutheran Church and School. The line is now about 200 meters away. For a small hookup fee, the church and school will be connected to the city water line. Our water consultant, AE Consultants, recommended that a water analysis be taken of the water line when connected, and that catch tanks at Trinity should be considered to collect rain water from the building roofs during the rainy season. Water filters should be used until the water analyses are completed. This is a lower cost solution than putting in a new well with a purifier system to clean the water for drinking at the church and school. The team would still like the congregation to evaluate the possibility of an irrigation system for a community garden plot on the church s vacant lot. Water crew installs water line near Trinity. Youth level fill dirt over drive way after line installation. 4

5 Ministry Support: Much prayer and financial support are needed in order to share the Gospel with the people of Cambodia. If you cannot be a missionary abroad, be a missionary at home and help support those who can take God s Word to Cambodia. Some Budget Concerns: Operating expenses for the church and school Emergency food and medical supplies for outreach villages Repair costs for members homes Water purification projects Resources for English teachers and Sunday school teachers Tuition Assistance Financial Gifts: Checks should be made payable to Cambodia Trinity Ministry and sent to the church office at Risen Savior Lutheran. All gifts will be personally receipted by Pastor Peter Sok. One hundred per cent of all gifts go directly to the ministry. Schedule a Presentation: To schedule a Power Point presentation and video for your group, please contact the church office at Risen Savior Lutheran. 5