| Due to the sensitive nature of this ministry, some details, photos and videos have been removed from the below update that was sent to our prayer partners. Prayer Partners: Thank you for your support! Ex-LGBTQ Discipleship: A 2012 short-term mission to a church in Siem Reap was my first time in the town where I now serve. Down a muddy road in the rainy season, we walked back and forth between the church and our guesthouse. Rejection from the church (not necessarily that specific church) had driven me closer to Christ. Solidifying my calling, the Lord made clear He had given me grace in the eyes of Cambodians to get a job done – win souls. At the end of an eventful day of ministry, rain was pouring. I was on Cloud 9 with the Lord (Ps 118:14). Tears flowing, I moseyed back in the rain, looking up, singing, “I stand, I stand in awe of You! I stand, I stand in awe of You! Holy God, to whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of You!…” It was one of my most memorable, beautiful moments with Christ. When I moved to Siem Reap in 2018, I began attending another church but kept a good relationship with that pastor. Rebekah and I visited a while back. “K“, who came to Christ a few months ago, is showing promise. He has been faithful to church, and we have been going deeper during the week. He seems to be interested in learning to share the gospel. A month ago, I ran into the pastor. He said our neighborhood youth were welcome to sing at his church. To refresh my memory, I GPS’ed the church and rode to it. There was “K”‘s house on the road leading to the church! The day in 2012 that I was praising the Lord in the rain, I was literally standing in front of the house of our ministry’s first faithful ex-LGBT convert! “K” said he attended that church a couple of times when they had outreaches prior to 2012. Praise the Lord, who knows all things!! “R” continues to attend church when he has time away from work. We also have been meeting during the week. We read Scripture, discuss and pray together. Please pray for these fellas. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20 Evangelism – local prostitutes: “Lady of the night” massage parlors line a nearby street. They tend to be actual women, not transgender. Sometimes under the influence, many sit outside during the day playing cards and waiting for clients. About two years ago, the Lord led to a specific parlor. A lady stepped out front and said, ‘I believe in Jesus.’ With previous exposure to the gospel, perhaps the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt 26:38-41). Ever since, the Lord has led to periodically drop by (daylight) to see “S”. I started witnessing to prostitutes in the park on Pittsburgh’s North Side in 2010. Some of my most enjoyable ministry moments have been with ladies who have nothing to prove. Inappropriate words and actions are par for the course for this type of outreach and a reason people are reluctant to do it. 12 years in, I have learned to roll with the punches. Sometimes the Lord leads to pray with her. A number of times, I have shared the gospel, warned them of coming judgment and called them to repentance. Most usually scoff. “S” and her friend have kids. A boy and girl around ten years old hang out as men come in and out. They have attended our youth ministry a couple of times. This past Saturday, the boy’s mom said he had surgery to remove a growth. I prayed for him. Then it was the right time to share. Using my testimony as example, I assured them that Jesus can forgive, that they have not gone too far, that He can give new life. All were scoffing, except the boy’s mom. Her countenance had changed. She was willing to listen. The Lord uses trials. I dream of a future church – redeemed LGBTQ, prostitutes and youth-now-adults who have been trained up to be anchors. Authentic, genuine. The Lord is doing His part – convicting. Praise God. Now the decision is theirs. Please pray for “S” & friends. “And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” Luke 15:2-4 LGBTQ Evangelism – local: Photo #1 (below): Restaurant server. The Lord leads to folks! Shared the gospel and testimony with him, added him to our Khmer Bible online group and prayed with him. Photo #2: Fruit seller “R” and I are making steady progress through the Word. The Lord continues to work through life circumstances to yield opportunities to clarify Scripture. Praise the Lord for each step! Evangelism – regional: Balancing seminary and the two ministries, I haven’t been getting out as much as before. This month, I made a strategic circle. Photo #1 (below): Map of trip route. Photo #2: Man near the Thai border at a pagoda who appeared to be asking spiritual counsel from a monk when I came down the hill. I told them about the One True God who created the heavens and the earth and loves us so much that He died for us (Acts 17:16-34); prayed with him and the monk. Photo #3: Follow-up with a young man to whom I witnessed to about a year ago, also on the Thai border. Photo #4: Check-in with “KR”, the pastor’s son. He brought his friends. I witnessed to and prayed with them. As he encounters disappointing realities in gay life, I speak difficult biblical truth. The Lord has prompted me to be patient with “KR”. This ministry is not a sprint but a marathon. Praise the Lord for each step! “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16 Neighborhood Youth Ministry: 1) Attended & glorified the Lord in song twice at a local church (mentioned above). 2) Learned how to stand and suffer for Jesus like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. 3) Shared the gospel door-to-door in the neighborhood. Praise the Lord! “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 Blessed Fellowship – “B” & “C”: Recently there was a going-away party for worship leader “B” and his wife “C”, as they are returning to Austria. For those who may not recall, “B” invited me to share ex-gay testimony with his worship team. What a blessing! His wife “C” invited me to minister at the drug rehab center (March 2022). Faithful in that ministry, her absence creates a vacuum. As time permits, I hope to return. Both have been blessings and will be missed! “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Podcast: Two interviews were featured this month: 1) “The Author’s Spot” (39 mins, pictured below) details two example church rejection stories, clarifying content of my next book. 2) “Unadulterated Heart” (1 hr, 3 mins) discusses testimony, including my marriage, with a believer from Pittsburgh. Praise the Lord! “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:12 “Because He Lives” in Khmer: Per the Lord’s leading, I removed myself from this video. Praise the Lord (not me)! https://youtu.be/zvBh9YBmchI “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first…” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 PRAISE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! Ways to Partner: 1. Pray for: – Conviction, eyes to see and ears to hear for the LGBT. – That seeds would bear fruit, that the Lord would raise up Cambodian evangelists. – Revival for the U.S. church – that we would stand for difficult truth in these days no matter what the cost. – Pray for our marriage and the promised son. – Financial support to keep me in the field doing what I am called to do. 2. Click to Donate via PayPal (tax deductible)! |
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Castaway Ministries 