Cambodia Drummonds

January 2009 - Newsletter

2009-01-20T02:00:00.001-05:00

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:9-10

Praises & News Briefs

1. The fast boat, which is strong and sturdy enough to go to any floating village on the lake, has been completed and paid for. It is being used every week. PTL!

2. The second learning center in Siem Reap has been started behind the Samaki Market with about 40 wild and wonderful children attending fairly regularly (from Monday to Thursday 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm). They study Christian truths, Vietnamese, and English. The classes have to be late in the afternoon because the children are out with their parents collecting recyclables during most of the day. This settlement is at the lowest level of the economic spectrum in the slums.

3. The idea of converting the old NewHope boat into a floating ministry center is now a reality. It is being used as a learning center in Kampung Kleang-an unreached floating village about two hours south of Siem Reap. Our team, often accompanied by visitors, goes there every Friday for three hours. Last week we had about 60 children studying in three classes on the school barge and in our fast boat. Some adults are meeting in a house boat for discipleship and basic teaching.

4. For 10 days surrounding Christmas, Rev. Bao Phan, his wife and college-age son, from Houston, Texas, ministered effectively through preaching, teaching, visiting, introducing new songs, and telling the Christmas story. About 250 people were involved in Christmas services in the three places where we work. At each Christmas program the buildings were filled. For most this was their very first Christmas and it was a very exciting time for all of us. A choir from the first school came to take part in the Christmas program at the second school. Quite an accomplishment for our two wonderful teachers! About 40 adults and young people and many children responded to the invitation to receive Christ. We are now trying to find ways to follow up on all of these brand new inquirers.

5. There is the possibility of some new personnel from other Asian countries joining us soon. Some substantial financial backing for the learning centers, boat ministry and training programs has been promised. These are wonderful answers to prayer. We thank all of you who have prayed for these specific needs.

MAJOR PRAYER REQUEST
WORKERS....WORKERS....WORKERS.... WORKERS....WORKERS....WORKERS....

New Vietnamese-speaking workers are needed soon if we are going to develop what has been started and expand to new areas in the city and on the lake.

Who is needed?

1. An expatriate Vietnamese-speaking couple to coordinate the education and evangelism & discipleship ministries. We are scheduled to leave in July and need a couple to replace us soon. Several very capable Vietnamese-speaking couples have expressed interest but, for various reasons, have been hindered. We are very concerned about this and ask for your prayers.

2. Two more Vietnamese-speaking Asian teachers for new learning centers.

3. A Vietnamese-speaking couple or two singles to expand the boat ministry. There are still many unreached floating villages.

As we write this letter our hearts are overflowing with joy and thanksgiving because of recent progress in the ministry of Project "Love Your Neighbor" and the outpouring of financial support. However, there is a tinge of sadness when we realize that the personnel need is underlying all that we will try to do in the next few months. Opportunities abound! We should start two new learning centers in heavily Vietnamese populated areas of Siem Reap. We should continue training and mentoring Asian workers. We should reach out to unreached floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake which have been waiting for the Gospel for centuries.

The secret to all of the above is the availability of committed workers who are willing to sacrifice in this part of the vineyard. We believe that one key is for several overseas Vietnamese families to volunteer to work here for one or two year terms. We appeal to you to consider this challenge, pray much, pray over Isaiah 6, and ask God to lead and provide.

Our plane tickets require that we return to the States within one year which will be about July 20, 2009. We then have a few months, until the end of September, with International Teams to discern, with our ministry partners, whether God wants us to return here or to continue our involvement in other ways. So far our health has held up pretty well, though a few weeks ago Beth had a kidney stone attack and Rick is still bothered by low energy levels and recently again some severe headaches. Please continue to pray with us that God will give us good health and daily strength to carry on. God is answering your prayers! We give Him all the glory for all that is being accomplished.

We are very grateful for some unexpected funds that have been promised recently for projects. Please understand, however, that these are for projects only and not for our regular personal and ministry support. We need those of you who have committed to our monthly support to continue sending your gifts faithfully to International Teams.

Must close now...we want to respect your time by not sending an overly long letter! :) You may request our brief 2008 ministry report which will give much more insight into what is happening.

We send our love,
Rick and Beth

2008-09-25T13:47:00.001-04:00

2008-09-25T13:27:00.000-04:00

Urgent Need - September 2008

2008-09-25T11:46:00.000-04:00

URGENT NEED!

Please pray for a Spirit-filled, Vietnamese speaking worker -- a couple would be better--who will be willing to work with the neediest of the needy in some difficult situations, on land and lake.

Newsletter - September 2008

2008-09-25T11:33:00.000-04:00

Two real life cases:

(1) The little school in Koh Klok is fast becoming a place of light and joy. Both Cambodian and Vietnamese children study there. The Cambodian children are learning some Vietnamese and the Vietnamese children are learning some Cambodian. Often the children are starved for care and affection. One little girl was fighting an infection on her chin. We have two good children’s hospitals in Siem Reap where she could be treated. One of the teachers tried to keep it clean but we knew she needed an oral antibiotic. We visited her mother several times and asked her please to take her lovely daughter to the hospital…but she was busy gambling. It doesn’t seem that she was ever taken to the hospital. It is healing but she will have a scar on her chin. Meanwhile she comes to get hugs from all of us. Many families are dysfunctional and the parents irresponsible.

(2) The second place where we are building a school has a widow living in the back of the property in a poorly held together shack. She is very thin and weak and is mother to three young children. The children help her by gathering recyclables which are then sold for a small profit…but sometimes there is not enough food for the day. We had been given money to help a poor family and so were able to help stabilise the house. Some days the rains pour down for hours as it is the rainy season now. She is grateful her little home is now dry. We are watching and try to make sure there is food in the home. We share with her about how much Jesus loves her as we have the opportunity. Her children very much want to attend the school as they have never been able to study before.

MINISTRY PROGRESS AND PRAISES:

Two faithful, capable, young Asian ladies are teaching at the first school and preparing to teach at the second school in early October.
The first school is paid for. It is operating but still quite a challenge. The children are often rowdy and hard to handle but they are learning to obey and study -- and that they are loved. Many of the children have received Jesus as their Saviour.
The second school is being built among “ep chay” people (recyclable collectors). This building too has been paid for. I think this is the filthiest place we have ever worked.
The fast boat is being built on the Tonle Sap Lake. We are grateful that the funds all came in for this boat. It will be safe and strong enough to go to all of the remote villages on the lake and large enough to transport mission teams.
We are thankful that our support is coming in regularly. We are trusting that this will continue as we don’t want to have to be concerned about this since other matters are needing our attention.
We have enjoyed good health since arriving back at the end of July. Both of us have fallen but no damage done. In Siem Reap malaria is endemic and dengue fever rampant.

PRAYER REQUESTS AND CHALLENGES:

Pray that God will send more qualified kindergarten and early grade school teachers (by early 2009 we will need a trained, capable principal).
Pray for additional finances to cover new projects--initial expenses are heavy.
Pray that the children’s Sunday School ministry will expand into adult groups. Pray that God’s Spirit will open the apathetic hearts of many parents.
Several short-term mission teams are planning to come before the end of the year: YWAM in September, “Homes of Love” in November, and we believe a Vietnamese evangelistic outreach team at Christmas.
Pray that the young boatman who has been helping us as we make trips out on the lake will come to know Jesus personally. It may be that he will work with us more closely in the next months. He is assisting us in building the fast boat.
Pray for vision and courage to keep moving ahead: the spiritual battles are sometimes intense and unsuspected. Until a church can be started we will continue to prepare the soil and sow the seed. See Galatians 6:9-10.

Thank you so much for investing in the early stages of this new pioneer ministry – it is actually quite difficult at this point. Most adults are not interested or concerned at all but the children are very eager to learn and craving attention and affection. We are demonstrating to them the love of Jesus in as many ways as possible.

Gifts for our personal and ministry support may be sent to International Teams and receipts will be issued. Please designate these gifts to “Drummonds, Cambodia.”

Thank you for your faithful, generous giving – even in hard times.

Donations for projects may be sent in two ways:

International Teams, 411 W. River Road, Elgin, IL 60123. Please designate: “Shalom Kampuchea, Project Love Your Neighbor”.
Neighborhood Alliance Church, 301 Markham Woods Rd. Longwood, FL 32779. Please designate for “Drummond ministry, Cambodia”.

Note: Donations for current projects are received more quickly and expeditiously when sent through our home-church. Please understand that sometimes we need the money ASAP for initiating new ministries in this early phase of PROJECT: “Love Your Neighbor”.

FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERESTED INVESTORS:
Pray for God’s direction in giving!

- Purchasing engine for fast boat..............……………………...$3900.00
- Purchasing additional hardware and
installing engine, etc. on boat.............…………………..………..$1,500.00
- Equipping boat with chairs,
folding table, life jackets, etc……….............……….…………$750.00
- Renovating old NewHope boat and
converting it into a small Ministry Center
to be used at Kampung Kleang, largest
floating village on TonLe Sap Lake.…...........……………...$1500.00
- Text books, milk, and awards
for school children, etc...........……………………….………....$1000.00
- Playground in slums near Koh Klok school……………..$1000.00
- Building toilet and garbage disposal bins in slums….. $1000.00

Perhaps your small group or SS class will be interested in one of the above opportunities. You may also know someone that we do not know who might like to invest in this type of ministry. Please contact them for us and if they are interested, let us know and we can send more information.

Please continue to pray for a moving of God’s Spirit in the Vietnamese settlements and floating villages where there are no believers at all.

With gratitude for your “partnership in the Gospel”,
Rick and Beth

June 2008

2008-06-06T12:48:00.001-04:00

June 2008 Newsletter

2008-06-06T11:19:00.000-04:00

Dear family and friends,

An old song we heard last Sunday at the Vietnamese church in Orlando spoke directly to my heart: “How can it be that my King should die for me? My response came quickly: “All hail King Jesus…I gladly follow You…into the chaos of Cambodia…into the dirty alleys of Siem Reap city….into the floating villages on the great Tonle Sap Lake.”

LET ME TRY TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKING:

1. Why are you back in the States at this time?
By God’s grace we are on track with the original plan:

Spend six months at a new location in Cambodia, establishing Project:” Love Your Neighbor’, a new ministry for unreached Vietnamese immigrants.
Spend three months in Vietnam and the USA for recruiting, renewal, evaluation and raising up new ministry-partners.
Spend six months to one year in Asia to build up the ministry with our new Asian colleagues.

2. How is this plan working so far? Praise the Lord! Very well.

PROJECT: “Love Your Neighbor” has been started in Siem Reap, Cambodia near the largest Hindu–Buddhist temple in the world, Angkor Wat, and the great Tonle Sap Lake.
A small ministry center has been built in one of the many Vietnamese immigrant settlements in Siem Reap city.
After several visits to the largest village on the Tonle Sap Lake, permission has been granted to dock the old NewHope boat next to the Vietnamese leader’s houseboat. The boat will be renovated and used as a ministry center for Vietnamese classes, medical clinics, distributing water filters, etc.
While in South East Asia, we were invited to share the needs of Vietnamese in Cambodia …in church services, in small groups and with church leaders. They are praying with us.

3. When are you going back?

God willing, July 23, that’s what the plane ticket says and we are trusting God.

4. How about your support? Do you need more ministry-partners?

We are very grateful for each one of our faithful ministry partners. A few strong supporters have lost their jobs or have had some thing happen which has prevented them from further giving. There has been a sharp rise in the cost of airline tickets and other expenses. So, yes, we do need more ministry partners now. We are short just under $10,000 to cover our total personal and ministry budget for one year. International Teams requires that we have on account or pledged the full year’s budget before we leave. Please pray.!
If you can make an “occasional gift” or a monthly pledge, now is a good time. Please send your gifts directly to International Teams and let us know in a short e-mail/letter or phone call.

5. What about Rick’s health?

Generally, good. Praise the Lord! There have been very few headaches, (no migraines), minimal back pain and for the 8th year I am totally cancer free. During the last few weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia, I was bothered by very persistent skin infections (probably staph) but thankfully after several rounds of antibiotics they have cleared up.

6. What are your current prayer requests?

For the Vietnamese pastor cooperating with us in Cambodia who had to be hospitalized in Vietnam soon after we left. Pray for his healing and return, according to the Lord’s will.
For the young woman who will be joining us to teach the children Vietnamese language as well as Christian truths. Please pray fervently that the children and their parents will open their hearts to Christ and a church will be started.
For the development of the ministry on the Tonle Sap Lake.
For another Vietnamese Christian worker to join “Project: Love Your Neighbor” as soon as possible.”
For our continued health and physical strength from day to day.

With thanks to each one of you and praise to our Lord,
Rick Drummond (for Beth too)

Drummond Update - April 2008

2008-04-21T13:19:00.000-04:00

April 23, 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

Our six months in Siem Reap, Cambodia have gone by quickly. It is time to update you. Personal highlights included encouraging visits from our pastor friend, Keith Sholl and his wife Dee from Toledo, Ohio, and new friends, Julius and Cheryl George from Virginia. Our son Jason and his wife, Elissa were also able to come for a brief, unexpected visit.

In mid-January an experienced evangelist from our neighboring country joined us in the work here. We are so grateful for his assistance. We have spent a great deal of time visiting neighborhoods in Siem Reap and also have made many visits on the TonLe Sap Lake. Our co-worker went back to his country for what he anticipated would be a two week visit to family and friends over Chinese New Years. He was unexpectedly delayed and it was about six weeks before he was able to return. We appreciate his willingness to help us and we do ask prayer for him even though we cannot give you his name or much information about his ministry.

We have decided that we will focus on one of the large Vietnamese floating villages on the TonLe Sap Lake called Kampung Kleang. The people have never heard the Gospel and the Vietnamese children do not have schools on the lake. We are so grateful for many who have given to the boat project. It looks like we have enough to remodel the old NewHope boat into a floating house/school building which can be towed to the village and stay there. The people in that village very much desire classes for their children to learn Vietnamese. Our co worker plans to spend about two days a week in that village as soon as we have the boat completed. We also have enough funds to build a smaller, faster boat that can take us back and forth to Kampung Kleang from Siem Reap – especially in the rainy season when the TonLe Sap is seven times the size it is now.

A small school/tutoring center near the Tok Klok market in Siem Reap has been built with the capacity for about 40 students. In this Vietnamese settlement we were able to purchase a dilapidated shack that was totally unusable for $25, remove it and rebuild a simple but larger bamboo and thatch building. The children at First Alliance in Toledo, Ohio have been helping us with this project. It is used as a school as well as for children’s meetings on Sundays. The first event was held on Easter Sunday with about 40 children and some adults. During the week Vietnamese and Cambodian language classes are held. On the weekends there are other events – like a recent class on dental hygiene that was presented by our friend Kim Thu from Phnom Penh. Many of the children now tell us they are brushing their teeth everyday. We hope so! One of the families in the neighborhood has lent us his TV and DVD player and so often in the evening Christian DVDs are played. The children are quite eager to learn but the adults are quite apathetic. Drinking and gambling are serious problems.

We are becoming more aware of the children who are at risk. Not much is being done yet to help in the Siem Reap area. The child s’x trafficking is not as open as it was a few years ago but it is still going on. Thankfully parents and others are aware that it is against the law…but that means that it is being done much more secretly. We have met one family of seven children. The two oldest sons are working as carpenters but we have heard from others that the two older girls – one under age is involved in this work. We have no evidence but we are deeply concerned for the three youngest girls. We would be so grateful if we could see them go into a home for girls at risk. We are continuing to maintain contact with this family.

We will arrive in the States at the beginning of May and plan to return to Cambodia at the end of July, God willing. Thank God the new ministry will continue through our colleagues here. Enroute to the States we will spend time in our neighboring country making key contacts for the ministry and enlisting personnel and prayer support.

During the months in the States it will be necessary to have some important medical checkups, etc. We will also be encouraging ministry partners to continue their prayer and financial support and be looking for recruits to serve with us here in Cambodia. For those who have pledged monthly support, we hope you will be faithful and if others feel led to give an occasional gift we will be very grateful for that. We are truly trusting God to meet every need. We hope to visit with many of you as well as family….especially spend time with our precious children and grandchildren whom we miss very much.

Serving Him Together,

Rick and Beth Drummond

2008-01-24T08:22:00.002-05:00

Church Boat

Rick speaking at the Christmas service

Local worker speaker at Christmas service

2008-01-24T08:22:00.001-05:00

Dear ministry-partners,

We are grateful for your prayers for us in the last few weeks. We are so thankful for your spiritual and financial support. We are now settled nicely into our home in Siem Reap. God has provided for our needs so well. The landlord even furnished the home with most of the needed furniture and appliances.

We have begun to visit on the Tonle Sap Lake. The Vietnamese villages are quite far from each other. It is expensive to rent a boat to visit them - $70 to $100 a day. We are praying and planning on purchasing a small, fast boat that would make visiting remote villages on a regular basis a better possibility. We haven’t yet been able to visit all of the villages. We found that many of the children do not go to Vietnamese or Khmer schools. They are needed to help their parents with fishing. We thought about an evening school but it is very dark on the lake at night. It would be hard for the children to go to a central place for classes. It is a great need so please pray about this.

We have started visiting in the some of the Vietnamese sections of Siem Reap. The areas we have visited remind us of our beginning days in Phnom Penh. The poverty, filth, and for some a lack of hope seem so evident. Beth spoke with one young woman involved in the s’x trade but others hid their faces so we could not see their features. Perhaps they were concerned that we would take their pictures. We found that some of the children go to school…but we are still researching that.

There is a young Vietnamese Christian worker who is working with a Korean mission on the Ton Le Sap Lake. They have built a church-boat at the closest floating village. Permission to use it was finally granted about three months ago. We were invited to attend their Christmas service Dec. 23. We took a small slow motor boat out to the church- boat (about half an hour). When we arrived we found the church-boat decorated with a big banner proclaiming the celebration of the birth of Christ. There was a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. About 20 children had already arrived and were sitting patiently on the floor. Some of the older children sang the Christmas songs they had memorized, and recited some of the Christmas story by heart. For most, this was their first Christmas. Our friend from Phnom Penh told the Christmas story clearly and with excitement. As she told the story, other little boats came and tied their boats to the church-boat. This is a different kind of parking lot for sure! Rick had been invited to preach and gave a short clear message on “What Only Jesus Christ Can Do For You.” At the end of the service as the young leader gave an invitation, four women and two children indicated a desire to follow Jesus. This was a good way to celebrate our first Christmas here!

We see a great need for much more to be done. We have met one other young VN worker who is working in the city. He first heard the Gospel through one of the NewHope churches in Phnom Penh about seven years ago. He came to Christ and has now been sent by one of the house churches in Vietnam. He and his wife have been here for about one year. There is a Southern Baptist International Worker and his family who have been in the States for a few months of home assignment. They return this month and we will be glad to see how we can cooperate in this great task. We are so aware of the huge need and so few workers.

Please join us in this work by praying for:
God’s Spirit to be preparing and opening hearts to the good news of His love.
God to call more workers with a love and burden for the Vietnamese here and on the Tonle Sap Lake. It will help if they already speak Vietnamese.
God to give us the wisdom, health, courage and physical strength that we need to accomplish what He has in mind. These early days are proving to be very difficult.
God to give guidance as to how we can best help – developing educational options, developing steady jobs – especially for those in the city.
God to give us insight and wisdom as to how to reach the families of the children at risk.

With our love in Jesus,

Beth and Rick Drummond
International Teams, Cambodia

P.S. The best way to reach us is by email: bethrickdrummond@gmail.com.
Snail mail address is: Drummond/VanEndts, CAMA, PO Box 12, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Skype address: Rick.Beth but can only use it from 7 a.m. to 7 pm your time and from 12:00 pm Friday night through 7 p.m. Sunday night your time.

Our phone numbers are:
Home phone: 855 63 761 994
Rick mobile: 855 12 162 6167
Beth mobile: 855 11 589 465