On January 31, 2010 we marked the two year anniversary of Pure Religion Orphanage in Stoung, Cambodia. We did not mark the occasion with any special celebration or activities, but a number of prayers of thanksgiving have gone up to our Lord as we acknowledge His grace in blessing the work here so far.
Phean David, Elder Guna, Hen Chandara
In the early part of January, we were blessed with a visit from our dear friend and fellow labourer, Elder Gunasekaran, from Tamil Nadu, India. Brother Guna arrived on January 4 and remained with us until the 14th. During those 10 days, he was able to preach to the congregation at Varin, at Koh Kruhl village, Siem Reap Province, as well as to spend two days in teaching the church leaders from Kampong Thom Province.
We also took advantage of Brother Guna’s extensive experience and ability with orphanage administration (Brother Guna has established and directed 3 orphanages in India) as he reviewed the record keeping and audited the books of our orphanage.
Brother Guna was a great encouragement to us as we review both the progress and the challenges of the work here and discussed plans for the near future.
Visitng Ta Prohm before flying home.
We are praying that God will enable Guna to have an even greater and more active role in the gospel labors here in days to come.
We are moving forward with the land purchase in Stoung. Things have not progressed as quickly as we had hoped, however, we know that God is in control and we want to move only according to His timing.
From the outset of our negotiations with the land owner (seller) we have made it clear that we will only purchase land that is registered with the government and has a proper (legal) title. According to my attorney there are more than 10 million tracts of land in the Kingdom of Cambodia and presently only about 10 % of them are actually titled.
In spite of this instruction, the seller refused to spend the money for the registration and attempted to close the transaction without delivering an actual title.
After involving an attorney and making our instructions clear once again, the seller has agreed and we are anticipating another month or so before the transaction can be completed. We are thankful for all who have donated and contributed to this effort and are striving to be responsible in handling your gifts.
We have continued to attempt to provide basic needs and assistance to a variety of Khmer neighbors, friends, and church members. We appreciate your prayers for each of them that God will minister to them through us and that they will be brought to useful service in His kingdom.
Our friend Sokhom is struggling as the weight of affliction in his life has increased since his committment to Christ. Pray that he will be strengthened and that his faith does not fail.
Blessings,
The Weyels
