Please Pray: Cambodia Flooded

Here around Phnom Penh we have been dealing with flooding for several weeks already, and it is still raining. Our house hasn't flooded yet, but the drains along the road are full.

Most of the lower areas around Chba Ampo have flooded. Last month we were out visiting in homes that are now filled with water. Residents have been forced to leave and are staying in shelters on nearby roads situated at a slightly higher elevation.

These people are discouraged, tired and hungry. Pray that we will have wisdom in doing what we can to show them the love of Christ during these difficult times. It's not easy when you don't have the ability to help them all. Please pray for our students as well. Many of them are crossing the water by small bridges or by boat. News reports tell us that the recent high waters have resulted in the deaths of nearly 200 Cambodians.

Thank you.

Improving GPS Navigation:

Anyone who uses GPS navigation can be a help to other users by adding or correcting map locations. It is easy to do, but many people do not know about it.

Sara and I use a TomTom device when we travel and it has helped us a great deal. We found however that many churches are either missing or incorrectly located. You can help by checking to see if your home church or any other church is accurately listed on your GPS.

Sometimes street addresses are incorrectly located and you may end up a good distance off from where the church property actually is. An option is to locate a church as a “place of worship” within a city - which hopefully will take you to the actual coordinates.

Depending on the device you use, you may be able to correct or add a named location simply by being at the particular place and using "map corrections" for editing or adding the point. On TomTom devices a church should be listed as a "place of worship" in your "points of interest". Sometimes a previous listing contains just part of a church's name, not telling what type or denomination the church is. You can fix that simply by creating a new entry with the church's full name.

If you use a TomTom like we have (I don't know about Garmin), you can share your map correction changes with everyone on the TomTom network when you connect to update your device by computer. I would recommend sharing any corrections as soon as possible so that there aren't several users with the same correction to upload.

Fellow missionaries, if possible please help make these corrections. It will not only benefit all of us as we travel from church to church, but will help everyone else be able to find the churches too.

Warning: Never depend on your GPS to be 100% accurate. It is good to double check your route using MapQuest or Google Maps.

Their Greatest Need

Do you remember what happened in Cambodia back in November 2010? Sara and I do. We watched a number of news videos and even spoke with family there in Phnom Penh trying to figure out exactly what caused so many to die there on that bridge. Still no one has been held responsible for the terrible event.

In our world, death is often “caused” by what someone did, or did not do. But in fact DEATH entered into this world because of sin, and now every one of us must face it.

This morning my mind was taken back to that tragedy in Cambodia. Many lost their loved ones that day. Not just temporarily, but eternally lost. We as Americans can remember the grief and frustration over the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, when so many lives were taken in such a short period of time.

As God’s children we have been made aware of eternity, and we should live our lives always conscious of eternity. May the Lord help us and teach us.

The Lord reminded me of Solomon’s message in Ecclesiastes 7:

 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. 

 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.





I pray that this short video will help us all to better realize the need of the Cambodian people. It is the greatest need of every nation, every people group. It is not the need of a better government, more money, better housing, better health care, or a better education. Their one great need is a Savior.

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