Dear Friends and Family!
It’s February! New beginnings, new journals, new years, new sunrises. All of them give me hope. I really believe that Papa is going to do some amazing things during this next year. I wake up each day with watchful eyes to see how and where God will moving.
There is a book that came out recently called A Thousand Gifts, about being thankful for the little and big things that we experience and see each day. A friend of mine let me read it, and to put it lightly, I devoured it. The past few months it has been pretty tough for me finding things to be thankful for. God brought that book to me just in time and used it to transform my heart - I am being so much more thankful :) I highly recommend it!
A week ago, my leader approached me to prayerfully consider co-running a program for kids who are interested in missions, called Kings Kids. There isn’t a Kings Kids program currently running in Cambodia yet, so this will be a great pioneering experience for me. We will be training the kids to learn how to share the gospel, share their testimonies in front of groups, prayer walking, and learning songs!! After the training, we will take them and their parents to Phnom Penh and do an outreach. Is there anything more humbling and exciting than helping to empower Papa’s small children to go into the nations and share the good news? I am quite excited!
We were out in the village of Pouk (Poowk – the “k” is mostly silent) about three weeks ago, and I had the opportunity to take a team from Montana fishing in a nearby canal…Cambodian style! Getting to bond with fellow Americans over a fishnet was so exciting! Montanans are fishermen by trade, so they all got the hang of it pretty fast. We left with 12 bait-sized fish and far too many snails (which may sound pathetic but that’s a pretty good catch around here.). There was only 1 leech casualty, which the young lady handled it quite well, so they were all pretty good sports and we enjoyed the fried fish for lunch. Good way to start the New Year! (Dee would be so proud.)
My students are so much brighter than they give themselves credit for. My favorite time of teaching is always Wednesday, as I am free to share the gospel and answer any questions they have about God and His Word. We all pray together, and this past month has been EXPLOSIVE with the softening of hearts! Almost everyone wants a Bible. One of my students is from Thailand, and he has been consumed with curiosity about the Bible, and God, and Heaven and Hell. His English is phenomenal, and he really enjoys reading about philosophy. Keep Chane in your prayers :) He asked me to point him towards some podcasts and pastors, so I gave him some John Maxwell sermons to listen to and think about.
Also, my new believer-student, Reachany is very faithful in her Bible reading and prayer. She has questions for us all the time! But she really needs A LOT of prayer! Her family is noticing that something is different about her, and they are tense and worried about her leaving the Buddhist religion. They have called a fortune teller to come and meet with her, so that they can “figure out what wrong with her” Poor Reachany is terrified that the fortune teller will know that she is washed by the blood of the Lamb, and then tell her parents, resulting in her getting kicked out of the house.
They were glad it was over.
After music class shenanigans
Her parents and older siblings have been forcing her to wear a red string on her wrist, which has been “blessed” by one of the Buddhist monks. It is meant to bring good luck and protection, more specifically protection from demons. Reachany hates wearing it, but doesn’t want to disrespect her parents and doesn’t want to get kicked out. She is still in her mid teens. She loves her family so much, and all of these things are really causing a lot of turmoil inside of her. Please lift her life up to Papa, and cover her in prayer! Pray for intervention, and anointing from the Holy Spirit.
Alright, now time for some exciting news! After much prayer, and talking to the base leadership, I will be moving out to that small, rural village of Pouk to continue teaching English and music. I am pretty thrilled about this move as Pouk takes my breath away with its beauty. Muddy oxen trudging on narrow roads. The soothing trickle of streams filled with those little fish. Clean wind rushing through the palm and fig trees. Wide open rice fields with winding paths. And sunsets blazing on fire! Smiling children peer out from trees and houses, and they often pour onto the dirt roads and follow me with curiosity. God is good :) He leads me beside still waters and renews my spirit.
Me teaching a team from Montana how to fish with a net, in Pouk village.
One last thing before I go to sleep! God totally answered a prayer that I have been praying since I got here. And one that I know some of you have been praying for me as well. He brought me not one, but two really phenomenal friends that I get to go deep with! I have been blessed beyond what I prayed, and I am so thankful for my new friends. One is from America and one from Costa Rica :) So praise the Lord! He is faithful. My heath is great! Thank you for those prayers! Please keep me in your prayers as I move out to the village and start doing ministry there. Pray that God would send more people to come to Cambodia and glorify God by expanding His kingdom.
I want you all to know that I was so moved to hear about all of the prayers you were praying over me during the 5 Days of Prayer. I still am moved. I can honestly say that during those five days, I really felt the Holy Spirit with me each day. And it has been one good day after another since then :) Thank you so much! P.S. If you would like to know how to pronounce “Pouk” ask my parents. They are pros now at Khmer pronunciation ;)
I still miss you all tremendously! May God be with you :)
Yours In Christ,
Bethany Dittman
