June 27, 2008
Last October I traveled to Asia to visit family members who are serving God cross-culturally. I thought my visit was a vacation, but God had other plans! When I returned home to Toronto, I felt unrest in my soul – a feeling that changed as hurts were healed, friends prayed and knowledge was gained. God's plan was taking shape in order to bring me to a place where I felt right about leaving the comforts of life in Canada to serve Him overseas long-term. To that end, I am finishing my ministry in the youth department at Rexdale Alliance Church at the end of this month and moving to Edmonton in order to spend time with family and to focus on the next steps. The journey is just beginning – I am excited about what is ahead!
A stop on this journey will take place this summer (July 10th to August 2nd) as I join a team of six women traveling to Cambodia where we will partner with ministries that share God's love with those who are searching for more in life and are still recovering from the devastation which took place in their country through the Khmer Rouge regime. Our main activity will be leading an outreach at Rahab House with Child Evangelism Fellowship Cambodia in Svay Pak – a notorious brothel area in Phnom Penh. We will also be connecting with organizations which are supported by the Ratanak Foundation whose goal is: To equip the people of Cambodia as they struggle to rebuild their country, and in so doing show them the love of Jesus Christ in a tangible way. We also have opportunities to pray for and encourage Kim and Sok & Savy, missionaries who are part of the Rexdale Alliance Church family. I believe this time in Cambodia will guide me in understanding God's direction for my future ministry in Asia. I will stay on in Asia until August 23rd to visit family and friends and to seek God as He gives me a peek of the future He is preparing me for on that side of the globe.
I mentioned the prayers of friends at the beginning of this letter – will you become (or continue as) one of these friends? My desire is to be supported and surrounded by God's people who will join me on this adventure. Here are a few specific prayer requests:
Unity for our team members – please pray that Jesus would always be first in our individual hearts and that His plans and purposes for this trip would always supersede our own agendas
For receptive hearts in Cambodia, not only for the kids but also for the adult population of Svay Pak – that they might see the light of Christ shining through us and be attracted to Jesus
That through us, God would be powerful in encouraging the missionaries we will spend time with
For physical and spiritual protection
For personal time with God – I would specifically like to have some retreat time in Thailand after our time in Cambodia to process our ministry
Thank-you for taking a glimpse at the journey God is leading me on. I look forward to hearing
from you about God's role for you as part of this adventure.
Blessings!
Brenda
1 comment:
My dearest Brenda and your sisters in Christ: I just want to encourage you with the knowledge that we, (my wife Karen and I) will be praying for you daily during this season of your lives. I have just read Jan's letter and am, again, deeply touched by God's love for those who hurt - and his love for those who love him enough to want to help him heal those hurts. It is true that none of us can do it all. It is even true that many of us cannot even do all that we wish we could, but it is a greater truth still that each of us can do something. When that something is anointed by God himself to produce a harvest, then there WILL be a bountiful harvest. That is our prayer: that God would enable you to work his fields with diligent grace that produces eternal glory, and that he would bless you personally, in ways that only he could ever do, for your willingness to do something.
Shalom from Andre and Karen Favron
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