October/November 2014 Prayer Letter

October/November 2014

Dear Pastors and Praying Friends,

First of all, could you please pray for the 6 year old daughter of one of my Cambodian co-laborers, Pastor Tho. Her name is Reksmey (seen in this picture holding our Evelyn), and she has been diagnosed with thalassemia, a very serious blood disease that requires her to get blood transfusions every 3 to 4 months. She just received a blood transfusion two weeks ago, and the doctor gave Pastor Tho and his wife some very discouraging news that Reksmey's condition is getting worse. I do not know how reliable this doctor’s assessment is, and I hope to get Reksmey to a Christian doctor that we know who was trained in the States to get his perspective on the situation. Please pray for healing, and for spiritual strength and encouragement for Pastor Tho and his family. The only known cure for thalassemia is a bone marrow transplant, which, as far as I know, is not available in Cambodia.

Secondly, please pray for our English classes that we started two weeks ago. This is simply an opportunity for us to get to know more people outside the church. It is an outreach ministry that we have added to our regular soul winning time. We have had 5 new people come into our church to study English, all age 15 to 30. I incorporate biblical truths into the class time, and our prayer is that the seed of the Gospel will take root in their hearts, and that they will receive Christ as Savior. The class meets every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Thirdly, please pray for the upcoming transition that will be taking place next year in the church here. I will be turning over Freedom Baptist Church to Pastor Proh, the Cambodian pastor who has been in the church since its inception. I will continue to help pay the rent for the church, but Pastor Proh will be supported by the offerings of the church (not nearly enough to support him completely, but it's a start), as well as missions support from other churches here in Cambodia. He will probably have to do some part time work as well. The important thing is that he is ready to lead, and I feel that the longer I am there, the more I will impede his growth as a leader. Pastor Proh is one of the godliest men that I know, and I believe God will continue using him to be a great spiritual leader here in this church and in this country.

Freedom Baptist Church is doing well. I really sense that the church family is growing in spiritual maturity. Please pray that God will lead us to some people whose hearts have been prepared to receive the Gospel, and that we will see some families added to the church. Also, please pray for the church this month as we will be putting on a small Christmas play for the purpose of inviting lost friends and relatives to hear an explanation of the true meaning of Christmas.

Our new baby, Evelyn Joy, is nearly three months old now, and she is doing very well, praise the Lord. We thank God for the health of all four of our children.

Thank you for your love, prayers, and support for our family. We love and thank God for you.

Chad Phillips