Monday, October 04, 2010

Back Home - Final Post




I have been home two weeks now and all of my jetlag is gone and we have begun our new journey. As you can see, we have visited with my Mom and daughter and will see our son this weekend.
Today we are in Marshall Texas in our RV planning our new adventure with the Sojourners. We hope to visit many churches over the next few years and build many new friendships in our travels. It is our prayer that we will have as an enjoyable experience as we have had in Cambodia.
We thank all of you who have faithfully followed us over the last 5 years. Your prayers and notes have done much to build us up and encourage us as we have labored along the Mekong River. This will be our final post on this blog. May God bless you all in your journeys as you seek to serve the Lord in your own personal travel though life.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Last WEI Student - Bun Roth



Rick's final weekend in Phnom Penh was a busy one. Besides doing some last minute shopping at the market for me, he was visiting friends and saying "goodbyes". One evening was special because he shared some pizza and ice cream with Bun Roth and his family. Rick had been studying with Bun Roth for over a year and half several times a week. He is still the pharmacist on the Ship of Life. Bun Roth was an eager student not to just practice and improve his English, but to further his knowledge of the Bible. So on this evening, Rick presented his certificate of completion of the WEI study. Of course they had some gifts for Rick as a thank you for his teaching and friendship. Walt will continue his studies and Bun Roth will be eager to learn much more. gail

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Welcome Back!



Rick traveled safely back from Cambodia where I met up with him in Los Angeles. Our good friend Jim Gardner joined us to attend two Ranger games against the Angels. I guess we didn't bring them luck, because they lost both games! We head back to Texas tomorrow as Jim travels to Fresno where he will speak at a conference. gail

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Time Has Come

Well, as you can see I haven't been a good blogger. For my defense, I have asked Rick to write some blogs, but without me prodding him on, I am afraid none were posted. So in less than a week, Rick will return to the states. With many phone calls, lots of emails and Skype voice calls and videos calls with the kids, we have stayed connected and have managed to get through our time apart. Sunday we will reunite in Los Angeles and attend a couple Ranger games with our good friends Jim and Mandy Gardner. They will stay for a conference and we will fly back to Texas to visit Brittany and his mom.
I wanted to post some other websites if you were interested in keeping up with the mission work in Cambodia. Never hesitate to email us for information about other works still going on and who can be contacted. Most of our mission friends send out newsletters about their work. Sarah Kate and Walt Epperson, who will stay on the ship, have a blog site that you can access. So below are some links.

rgnorthen@yahoo.com

www.waltepperson.com

Dennis and Sharon Welch Nutrition Program

Julie Broyles English Program

Rich and Rhonda Dolan CBI Sunset Bible School

Friday, September 03, 2010

Moms and Sons


I never pass up a chance to see our kids, so when Diane and Shelly and I passed through Fayetteville on way to Missouri and then on to Nebraska, we took the opportunity. Alexander is a freshman at U of A, Cody was visiting friends and does some work in the area, and Greg is 3rd year law student. So us moms invited our sons for a dinner. Of course, we knew they wouldn't turn down a free meal, so no worries! It was a fun night, and Janice (who took a photography class this past summer) was the photographer!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Exciting News from Cambodia


JESUS SAID,

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

John 15:1-8

We have some exciting news to share with you about our work in Cambodia that we hope you will find encouraging. Please pray for our work.


For The Glory of GOD!


Special Announcement

We are excited to announce our commitment to join the Nutritional Feeding Program facilitated by Troy & Tabitha Snowbarger, On-Site Administrators of the program. Drawing on Troy and Tabitha’s experience, we have begun a process of on-the-job training in the Cambodian countryside. Initiated in 2005 by Doctor Shannon DeShazo and Bill McDonough, Director, Partners In Progress, this program strives to provide nutritional supplements to the basic rice diet of Cambodia’s impoverished, malnourished children. The Central Church of Christ, Stockton, CA has joined with Partners In Progress, Little Rock, AR to provide funding for the Nutritional Feeding Program. This announcement is yet another positive step forward for this program which has continued to evolve and grow over the past 5 years.



At the time the program began the Ministry of Health reported that 47% of the children under the age of 12 were malnourished, while the findings of Partners In Progress physicians placed that figure as high as 63% in the areas where they conducted their studies. The results showed that at that time more than 7 million children nation-wide were malnourished! Children who are malnourished are robbed of mental and physical development which then results in a nation being robbed of its future potential to develop for every generation that is malnourished. Young minds do not develop to their full potential and young bodies are never allowed to gain the strength needed to fight diseases or have the energy to study and work.


In addition to the Nutritional Feeding Program, Troy and Tabitha also administer a Back-to-School Program and a Book Club. All three of these programs work directly together in nearly all the same villages with the same children. Every weekday, three trucks with a two-person crew each travel to the countryside to feed about 1600 children in 12 villages on a rotation that allows all the children to be fed about four times a week. The nutritional supplement they receive consists of vitamin-fortified soy milk, bread, and vitamin and mineral enriched peanut butter from a traditional Cambodian recipe. All the food used in this program is produced locally and is familiar to the taste buds of Cambodians.


The Nutritional Feeding Program includes more than improved health through these nutritional supplements. Every visit to a village includes a lesson on improving nutrition through diet; personal, family and communal hygiene; stories from the Bible, songs and a prayer. Every 2 or 3 months the children are measured and weighed to evaluate their growth.



In these villages, the overall nourishment of the children has improved greatly and continues to do so! Many others have selflessly given to help provide nutritional supplements to Cambodian children that otherwise might have never had the opportunity to develop physically or mentally. Would you like to help too? Please join us as we pray for partners to help us feed more children. The children are the future of Cambodia and the future of the church that is growing within this impoverished nation.

Love & blessings in Christ

Dennis & Sharon

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

JesusServant4U@yahoo.com

www.missioncambodia.wordpress.com



Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:14

Monday, August 16, 2010

Colorado or Cambodio hmmmmm

While Rick is slaving away on the ship, I am enjoying a visit to Colorado. It is wonderful waking up to 60 degree weather vs 80 and humidity! So I am enjoying a few days here with Nancy but Rick did get to go to Phnom and stay with his brother for some relaxation. Rick took Roger to the home of Bun Roth (phamacist)last saturday to help them plant rice. They had alittle problem when Rick took hold of the cows to pull the plow and they cows ran off. They didn't plant rice but did enjoy a nice visit with Bun Roth's family.