Gateway update Aug. 2008

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

Greetings in His name!

Today we have a bit of news we would love to share with you.

Gateway has just received 1 widow, her daughter and 3 other children to live with us. We would like to ask you to join us in prayer that they will settle down in this new environment soon and start developing a sense of one family under the care of Gateway. The Lord is indeed increasing our boundaries. As you know we have already begun to help with the care of Lym and Rasmey, so now this brings the number of Gateway children and widows to 7 people. God is good!

We would also like to ask you to pray that each of these four children will find sponsor families. Each Gateway child is to be supported by a sponsor family overseas. There are more children in Boh Khnao commune as well as in the surrounding areas who seem to meet our conditions. Finding sponsor families for these four children will allow us to take more children who need help.

All the children living now at Gateway do have mothers. However, knowing that they do not have the means to take care of their children’s wellbeing, they have come and knocked on Gateway’s door. Generation after generation, the poverty stricken cycle of life has long been passed down to these children. We would like so much to see the end of it as they come under our care and start living a life in which they can have hopes and dreams.

If the Spirit of the Lord speaks to you or you may know someone who might generously join this program and support a child, please contact us.

We thank you again for your prayers, encouragement and support,


Taka and Christina for all of us at Gateway

Gateway Beginnings - Newsletter Aug. 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Greetings in HIS Name! Though time has passed, and things have changed in our lives, there is the still nagging sense of questioning our position here seeing as we have yet to find children to come and live together with us here at Gateway. There are many things happening, but at the same time, there is a sense that it is not enough and that we can do so much more.


Youth Outreach

The weekly Bible study at the local church we attend and the daily Bible study at Gateway have been temporarily stopped partly because it is difficult to find time blocks in which students are available due to their school schedule but also – largely – because of their lack of interest in learning.

At this very early stage of our ministry, we cannot spare the time blocks we use for English teaching and use them for Bible teaching. We strongly feel the need of developing more personal relationships with the youths in the community before starting substantial teaching of the Bible. On way to making such relationships deepen and ripen, we have begun several programs for the youth to attend.

Now Gateway has started a youth program both on Sat and Sun, which is consisted of a series



of activities:

1. Teaching English worship songs: Christina has been blessed to use her musical gift. Though it has a core attendance of about 8 students, we are still praying for direction as to how this may turn into an actual singing group.

2. Sharing biblical messages: We try to incorporate short but profound spiritual messages before they get into the sports/games – We won’t let them go home without having them hear about His truth! We do our best, but ultimately whether or not they give serious thought to the teachings is left to each individual AND of course the work of the Spirit of the Lord. They are usually attentive to listen (as long as it is short in duration!). Please pray that these “pearls of wisdom” will become seeds of the gospel planted firmly in their hearts

3. Playing sports and games: This has been widely and enthusiastically received with the numbers at times surpassing 50! We have a variety of things for them to choose from and we try to have everyone play one game all together (like Capture the Flag or Ultimate Frisbee).

4. Agape Supper: We have Agape Supper every Sunday after all those activities above, the latest of which had 40 students attend.



Gateway Boarding House

As you know, we are not strictly an “orphanage” in the sense of the word since we are aiming to help disadvantaged children (who may or may not have one or both parents).



We still believe that parents and children - a family - should live together and not to be separated. However, under the circumstances where Gateway is placed, it would be very difficult for us to support such families outside Gateway property. When people get to know that they might be able to receive help, some come to us with varieties of stories which make us cry in order to secure our support. However, those stories are often exaggerated if not outright lies. Sadly this is what we often experience here.

As we want to make sure all the funds which are entrusted to us will be used correctly as they are initially intended, we have to ask the children to live at Gateway.

Another group of disadvantaged people are the poor widows with children who have little or no opportunity to care for their children’s basic needs and send them to school on their own efforts. In this way Gateway’s “gate” has opened wider.



Opened just a WEE bit wider:

While Gateway Boarding House accommodates widows and their children in cases where they have no home of their own, there are those who have their own home, yet are still unable to send their children to school or feed them sufficiently. Therefore, we have decided to open our door more widely to encompass poor widows and their children who currently live outside Gateway property on condition that they are incapable of working due to illness or disability in an attempt to minimize a possible risk of Gateway being manipulated.



Reaching Further Out:

Our English program is primarily for youths and children, and the Boarding House is for children and widows in need. However, there are people whose needs our existing programs do not meet. For this reason, we would love to receive short term medical teams from time to time. A medical ministry will definitely help us reach out to those we are currently unable to reach and to expand the range of people Gateway could serve. Please join us in prayer.




Upcoming events:

1) - Another difficulty we have been facing over the last several months is that we have learnt that there are orphans or children whose relatives or parents are unable to send them to school. But many of those relatives or parents do not understand their children need an education. “We cannot afford to send our children to school, but they do not need it.,” is a common response. While they do not understand why their children need to receive an education, we as a mere NGO cannot do anything directly about this frustrating situation. It seems that we are led to the river but not allowed to drink.

This is why we are now planning to meet with each of the 12 village leaders and the commune leader to more articulately explain the people whom Gateway would like to serve in terms of accommodating people here at Gateway.

2) - We are praying about and will begin canvassing the area to see if people would be welcome to us opening a day care center for the pre-school children. We are praying about the format and schedule for such a day care center.

3) - The Church that we attend is having a youth retreat Aug 13-15 and we will be joining them in support and to continue building relationships with the youth.



Prayer Request:

1- God will lead us to orphans/disadvantaged children and widows with children or lead them to us.

2- For continued wisdom and discernment with the youth ministry

3- For new projects to serve our community better, that they would be met with enthusiasm and that we would be good stewards of the land that God has given to us (opening it up for a Day Center)

4- God will send volunteer(s) to serve alongside with us





“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13






Many blessings,

Taka & Christina

Gateway

Newsletter May 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Greetings in HIS Name! As you will see in this newsletter, much has happened in the two months since we last wrote. God has been good to us, seeing us through some tough lessons, some huge surprises and some anxieties about ministry.


Killing Field:
One day in April, a Khmer family from Phnom Penh came to our door and told us that a couple of large holes on our property were used to kill many of their family members and relatives including their parents together with many others, and the bones are still buried. Actually this middle aged gentleman and his sister were the only ones who miraculously survived from their family. They shared with us what actually happened on “that day” with tears and emotion and “How the old people (who lived in the village before Khmer Rouge) turned against the new people (who moved in after Khmer Rouge).” The atrocities committed by Khmer Rouge seems to be just a part of history to the new generation today, but remains fresh and real still for so many people after almost 30 years.

We believe that God has brought us here for many purposes and this is one of them. Please pray with us that even when the horrific memory of those who suffered cannot be erased as if it didn’t happen, the love and grace, and goodness and righteousness of our Lord will be expressed powerfully through Gateway and eventually will overcome and overwhelm people’s indescribably deep grief and sorrow and bring ultimate peace and comfort into their hearts.


English Teaching:
We began opening our doors for English classes on the 1st of May—which also turned into an overwhelming surprise. We had initially wanted to start with one class a day for one hour, but when over 100 students showed up, it quickly became apparent that our ministry shade/school room (which holds 40 comfortably) was too small for such a challenge. So, with some quick thinking, we opened up with more lesson times and with classes meeting every other day, and overall, we were blessed with nearly 300 students in 7 different classes. However, mercifully, we have seen the numbers of students dwindle down to just over 250 students for this first term of classes (which will end at the end of July).


Ministry Prospects:
We have begun attending services at one of the Khmer Churches near here. It is wonderful to be a part of the family of believers and we are looking forward to seeing how this relationship develops and how we might serve this “family.”

Furthermore, two opportunities presented themselves this last Sunday when the worship leader expressed that his daughter is interested in learning the Bible in English. This has been the very thing which we have been praying about and has been consuming our thoughts lately—to teach the Bible to students. We are still working out the details, as we want to have more than just one student to learn.

The second ministry opportunity came directly from the pastor who asked Taka to spend an hour on Saturdays leading a Bible class of some sort. We praise God for opening doors when we pray for such doors to open!

We have also been discussing the possibility of starting a choir group among the youth and teaching them English praise and worship songs. This would be an outreach that teaches English, but also brings the message of a relationship with God who loves us and made a way for us to be saved from our sins through Jesus Christ. Again, these are still in the praying and preparation stages and we ask that you would join us in praying for doors to open according to God’s planning and God’s timing.

As you might notice, apart from leading a Bible class at the church we attend, all the other programs taking place at Gateway are intertwined with English because we are not yet able to register Gateway as a church. However, English happens to be the very language people here in general would like to learn, but on the other hand, their ability to understand English is very limited especially in a village such as ours. Those programs cannot be carried out without using Khmer language. This allows us to have more freedom to share the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ in their own language despite Gateway’s official status.


Orphans:
You know that we had a brief and sad experience with two orphan girls – Srey Peu and Srey Neang just over a month and a half ago when their sisters decided to take them back to P.P. They no longer live where they used to, and we do not know where they have gone. We continue to ask you to pray for them as their living environment is far from ideal. As for Gateway, we still do not have any children, but we’re praying to God and waiting for Him to fill this place with children.

We rely on people we know to help us find orphans and disadvantaged children and are currently following up on 4 different cases; two of which are babies. We know that everything is in God’s hand and it will all unfold and Gateway will be filled according to God’s plans and God’s perfect timing. We trust HIM and we continually give over this ministry to Him, because it is His—not ours.

Meanwhile, we use whatever we have and whatever has been made available before us to share the gospel and hoping and trusting that Gateway will be used AND has already been being used even just as a tiny part of His enormous plan to expand His Kingdom.



Volunteer(s):
We would love to receive a volunteer or two: one for English teaching program and the other for a choir group. Whether it’s for a short time (1 or 2 weeks) or for a longer time (a month or more), help of volunteer(s) would be greatly appreciated. If you happen to know someone who might be interested in joining us in this capacity, please let us know. Or if you are the one and the Spirit of the Lord speaks to your heart, we would love to hear from you.


Prayer Requests:
1- God will lead us to orphans/disadvantaged children or lead them to us.

2- As opportunities rise for us to teach the Bible and to have other outreach and serving opportunities in the community arise, that God will lead us and give us wisdom and energy

3- Pray for Sroh’s walk with God and for us to continue to encourage this new life in Christ that she has.

4- God will send volunteer(s) to serve alongside with us



“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”
Romans 11:33


Many blessings,

Taka & Christina