It's over already?!

Keri (fellow Ambrose student and onSiter in Cambodia) and I at the airport.

Team Place of Rescue! :) Melanie and I at the airport the night she and Keri left for Canada

Melanie's farewell party. (I have no clue what I am trying to do in this picture!)

Some of the kids and I at Melanie's farewell party.

The countdown is on! I have less than a week left in Cambodia. This has been a busy month to say the least! At the start of the month, I said farewell to Melanie as she went back to Canada. It was an absolute blessing to serve with her this year! I also said farewell to another Ambrose student and onSiter named Keri. It was so great to have two other onSiters so close! Teaching has gone really well this month. One of my groups finished the textbook they had been working on for months and it was really neat to be able to share that accomplishment with them! A highlight of teaching this month was teaching my advanced class the song, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. I forgot how much I love that song. I know its incredibly simple, yet there is just something about it that brings a tear to my eye.



I preached this past sunday in Phnom Penh at International Christian Assembly, my home church here in Cambodia. My message was entitled, "What Fuels You?", and I looked at what fuels us as believers in Jesus Christ.

I focused on four things...

1. Fueled by the body (Phil 2:1-4)
2. Fueled by home (Psalm 84)
3. Fueled by scars (Isaiah 53:4-5)
4. Fueled by the future (Gal 5:1)
   

It was a blessing and an honor to share in front of so many passionate Christians. I felt kind of strange after it was over though, it was about a 6 month process of praying about and planning that sermon! :-) hahaha

This week is my week of "lasts" here in Cambodia. My last day of teaching is tomorrow! That still feels weird to say that...My farewell party is Thursday and I leave Place of Rescue on Friday afternoon. I can not believe at how quick these 3+ months have gone! I will spend the weekend in Phnom Penh with friends and then Monday night I start my journey home...

I have a 12 hour layover in South Korea! Video blog or two??? Maybe...time will tell friends :)

Love and Blessings,
Brian

It's April already!?

Hey all! How is everyone doing? I hope my dear friends in Calgary were not too disheartened by the recent snow. :) We have gotten a surprisingly high amount of rain in Cambodia this past month and I have loved falling asleep to the sound of rain hitting my tin roof.

This has been a great month of teaching and living life here in Cambodia at Place of Rescue. A teaching highlight was the unit my students and I did on eating in a restaurant. We had great fun learning how to order food and learning about common items such as plates, knifes, spoons etc. My students are all learning a lot and progressing in their studies well. I am really really proud of all of them! I know how much hard work it takes to learn another language and I am excited to see where God will take them and the paths he has in store for them.

A second highlight from April was being able to go to Vietnam for a few days for a time of debriefing with two fellow Ambrose students. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to rest for a few days, think about/reflect upon the incredible things God has done in my life, and just connect with God and friends. Vietnam was beautifal! The people are amazing and the scenary is incredible! I have found it amazing to see the beauty of God through creation here in Southeast Asia. The sunsets of Cambodia, the mountains of Vietnam, the forests of Thailand, they all point to the loving and beautifal hand of God at work in creation.

Can everyone please pray for me? May 30th I am preaching at my International Church in Phnom Penh. I am looking at the question, "What Fuels You?". My hope and prayer is that God uses it as a great motivation and encouragement to my church family here in Cambodia. I love my church and church family here. We have 30+ countries represented and it is a place full of people that absolutely love Jesus Christ!

As I sign off, let me leave you with a portion of scripture that has really encouraged me these past few weeks...

Jeremiah 1:5-8

⁵"Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations—
that's what I had in mind for you."

⁶But I said, "Hold it, Master God! Look at me.
I don't know anything. I'm only a boy!"

^7-8God told me, "Don't say, 'I'm only a boy.'
I'll tell you where to go and you'll go there.
I'll tell you what to say and you'll say it.
Don't be afraid of a soul.
I'll be right there, looking after you."
God's Decree.

"God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called"

-George Barna

Love and Blessings,

Brian