Monday night prayers 4 August 2025

 

Good evening you all

Finally got some time to speed type this letter. I am waiting for some chicken to smoke for a team that will visit us tonight. Watching my small smoker doing its thing while typing is definitely the way to go. This week is going to be a busy one as Anton is leaving for his last trimester, on Friday and then I am off to the jungle on Saturday. His best friend, Jerry came and visit and they are getting in visits after a year not seeing each other. Good seeing old friends hugging each other in church yesterday. Not looking forward to saying goodbye on Friday. Please pray for Anton’s passport to reach soon, his resettling with new roommate and new courses and that he would continue to be a witness for Christ.

As you know by now, the war on the border is a tense one.  Here in Cambodia the people are all standing together and although they are scared for the war, they are unified as a nation. It is touching to see how everyone is giving what they can to help those who are displaced. Please pray for those still at the front who are struggling with very little to eat.

Like I said, a team from Curtis’s church in the States is here and we will have some dinner later on.  On Saturday we will go to the jungle and give some needed meds coupled with the Gospel to the people around the mountain. It is also a good time for the small church to see the people that are really praying for them in a faraway country. Please pray for a good outreach as well as for our bikes and travel mercies for everyone. Remember, driving on these roads are not for sissies. Pray for hearts to be open to receive the true word of God.

Thank you for all your prayers for Ouma Paula. Not easy for Twans not being there. Her brothers give feedback every day. Ouma is receiving morphine now through IV and hopefully this will help with the pain.

Read about a German soldier fighting in the trenches along France’s Marne river in World War !, where one million soldiers died on the Western front in 1914 who wrote home: “What  is the good of escaping all the bullets and shells if my soul is injured.”  Reminded of Jesus’s words in Matthew 16  “….For what have you gained by possessing the entire world if in the process you forfeit your soul”.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer.

Love you all

Rossouw-clan

Monday night prayers 28 July 2025

 

Good evening all

Not sure I can get this mail to you, but I'll try. Some repairs on our electrical cables by neighbors and they cut our internet line off. Well, it’s a good thing right?? As you can see this one is late, sorry for that.

As you know by now, we went through a bit of a scary week with war breaking out on the border. These small wars occur frequently between Cambodia and Thailand, but this time they took a more serious turn. Now, for the 5^th day, there are shootings from both sides and they even brought in the big guns this time. Thailand even deployed its F16 jets to fire into Cambodia. Lots of people fled the areas along the Thailand border. Both sides' people got hurt, and some were killed. War is not a nice thing.

By now, the 2 Prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand are in Malaysia, and they brokered a peace deal that will be in effect this midnight at 12. Still a few hours to go, and we hope and pray that everything will be ok. People are afraid, as Cambodia had a horrible past and it's still fresh in their minds, to go through something like that is no joke. Social media is instilling a lot of fear in some people, and, of course, AI is creating memes all over the place, but it's serious for all the local people along the border.

Lets pray for peace and stability around these areas and that the war machines will be put to rest once more. By now a peace deal is in place and we hope for things to settle down.

Something on the funny side. We went to swim this morning, yes, the Rossouws need some exercise, and we lost one pair of goggles in the water. Yip, the pool is so green that we could not find the goggles when it fell into the water. I walked up and down the pool but it is nowhere to find. Hmm clean water, they say.

We had the 10^th anniversary of the River of Life church where Toinette is working. It was a joyful occasion with all the trills. I took enough pictures of people last night that can last for a lifetime. It is amazing to see all the children who came from the start when they were around 12 years old, and now they are the staff of the church, and the next generation of children is following. Indeed, good work has been done. If you think of churches in Cambodia, this one is doing pretty good. Job well done, guys.

 

We have no way of knowing how Ouma Paula is doing as she cannot communicate to us anymore, and we need to rely on a friend who goes and visits her. Pray for her in this time.

Chea's dad’s wound is doing great and is healing properly. Praise the Lord for that.

Thank you for praying with us, and may this week be a wonderful week for you all.

Love

Rossouw-clan

 

 

 

Monday night prayers 21 July 2025

 Good Evening, dear family and friends

After a few crazy days traveling to Phnom Penh, crossing the Vietnam border, and back, we could finally breathe a shaky sigh of relief: “Praise God, we got it.” Thank you for all your prayers for our visas. The first difficult part is over now we are applying for the next part. Please continue to pray that our visas will be granted for a year.

We were reminded on Sunday to look again at Mary and Martha. I’ve always thought it was so unfair, poor Martha. if Mary had just helped, both could have sat at Jesus' feet. But I missed the point: Marhta was “upset and worried”, looking at what she thought Mary should be doing. Whether we read God’s word or do the dishes, we can do it with a heart full of worship. Not comparing ourselves to others.  Remember Brother Lawrence, “Practice the Presence of God”, a cook who dwelled in God’s presence while cooking and cleaning.

The River of Life fellowship is celebrating our 10^th year anniversary next Sunday. We are so amazed, and we give God praise for each member, faithful leadership, and support, each child who has come to the children’s program. Please continue to pray for this small fellowship, to continue to grow and be a light in Cambodia.

Thank you for your prayer for the diabetic uncle’s wound, where they amputated his leg. It is looking good. Pray for this family to come to know Jesus. Chea is a bike mechanic and works hard to support his family. I have known him for many years.

We are still waiting for Anton’s new passport to arrive. He needs it to renew his student visa. Please pray that it reaches in time.

Thank you all. Drop in and say hello, whether in person or online. Good to hear from you.

Oh, before I forget. So sorry for the huge typo in last Monday’s letter. I meant LET GO AND LET GOD, not let go and be God. Twans is scared you all think I’m starting a cult.

God bless,

Rossouws

 

 

Monday night prayers 14 July 2025

 

While the world is running wild and dangerous, we would rather focus on making disciples for the Kingdom. Seeing that the world is turning a total blind eye to everything the Bible tells us about, we cannot help but work harder to finish the job because we know that His coming is close.

We hit the road again to Phnom Chi to give out some meds and preach the Gospel. Before we could reach the mountain, poor Elijah took a turn in the local hospital after crashing his bike. Due to a bump on his head, which made him forget everything, he had to go back to Phnom Penh. Thank God, nothing serious. We continue our journey without any problems.

It was hot as not a lot of rain fell in the jungle. It seems like a bit of a drought there, but that doesn't quell the people’s desire to mine for gold. The amount of destruction is evident all around. All the people we met asked for some ointment to soothe their itches. This time of the year, there is a lot of water, and itching is very common. Dengue fever is also rampant in Cambodia at this time of the year. There are so many people in the jungle right now, and it seems alive. I normally prepare for around 200 people, but I run out of meds pretty quickly now. Seems that more and more people want something to soothe a headache or some pain. So glad we can help, even if it is just to soothe the pain a bit.

Anton crashed down after he got a flat tire, but help was not far. The people immediately came and helped, and 1 guy even drove down the bush to buy a spare inner tube for the bike, without asking for any money. Here, people still help without any payment. So nice to see genuine people still exist. This time around, we could pray with the head of the one village, as he had very bad diabetes. This was a first, and we just hope that he can see the good in that.

We slept in Som Poom at our family and were welcomed with good food and friendly faces. We returned the next morning to Rum Jopon so Curtis and Dim could preach the Gospel and give out their Baptism certificates. It was a nice event. I must confess, I was not in a good mood in the morning, but this little church cheered me up. Listening to them singing and enjoying the sharing by Curtis and Dim, I can relax and forget about all the problems we have in this world. Seeing these people living their lives here in the jungle and faithfully following Jesus makes me ashamed of myself. Here I am, overfed and enough to live on in abundance, and I complain.

It was nice to enjoy my time with Anton and all my friends. We had a joyful time in the jungle. It makes these outreaches such an exciting part of our journey. This is where the rubber meets the road. Why are we here, to have a good time or make disciples for Jesus, or why not have both hahaha. That is why I need these guys around me to keep me sane and in check. I realize that I am not a spring chicken anymore and get worn out pretty good on these trips. Takes me longer to get back to normal afterwards these days. (I wonder why??)

Please pray as we are going to Phnom Penh tomorrow to get our visas. Pray for favor with officials. We travel by bus and need to stay a few nights in the big city, ugghhh.

Continue to pray for Ouma Paula. She communicates with us, but her brain is really scattered and she cannot focus in order to speak very well.

I struggle these days with Letting Go. But I know that God wants us to Let Go and be God. It is easier said than done, but I believe that He is in control of our lives and that the road ahead is already planned according to His will. So if any of you have problems with that, take it from me, Let Go and be God.

 

Love all of you

Rossouw-clan

 

 

Monday night prayers 7 July 2025

 

Good evening once again.

Sorry about last Monday. We were in Phnom Penh to get Anton and visit a doctor to examine Toinette’s feet. That sorted out, we are back in Siem Reap and the visa saga continues. But we have a plan, although it will cost us an arm, leg, and kidney, but we have to do it. So, rules changed in the meantime, which makes getting certain visas a bit more difficult. We need to go down to Phnom Penh next week to get these visas done.

It is great to have Anton with us, and all the wisdom and stories from University life are quite something to listen to. Our little, cute boy has suddenly grown up to be a young man. We are just amazed at his level of faith in God, and we thank Him for giving Anton the ability to stand strong in the storms around him. Nice to have someone around you who wants to pray all the time and offer the problem to God. He says that the lively church he attends is rubbing off on him!

It is with sadness that we need to report that Ouma Paula (Twans’s mom) is on her last leg of her journey here on earth. Currently, she is in and out of consciousness and in a lot of pain. Her sister and brothers are with her right now.  Please pray for the Calitz family as it is a really hard time for them.

We will hit the road again on Friday to visit the jungle. Anton is joining us again, and I am looking forward to having him with us. Last week, I dropped the tables for the school at Dim’s house, and they took the tractor and rode up to the mountain. It took them half a day just to get close to the place, and they had to turn around by bike. Some friends helped them get the tables further into the jungle. They returned the next day to get the tractor, and it broke down on the road, which then took them 12 hours to reach home. We are talking about 70km maximum. These guys are hardcore riding the tractor in the mud all the way. Those little tables travelled so many hours to bless that small school in the jungle. When I dropped the tables the children immediately came to sit at it, pure luxury.

Please pray for Panja, the teacher’s husband, who got Dengue and is very ill. Reports of bad Dengue fever are all around Cambodia these days.

Chea’s dad is doing well, and his wound looks pretty good today. We are thankful for this opportunity to build a relationship with this family. Anton joins me each morning, chatting with the family, sitting right next to me, wanting to learn how to clean the wound.  

Love to you all

Rossouw-clan

 

 

Monday night prayers 23 June 2025

   

Good evening all

Wonder sometimes who decided it was a good idea to develop a visa system and think it will work? Let me tell you, it works only when it wants to work. Because we stayed longer at home, our visas expired, and now we are in this mess. Trying to get visas. Now, if you are from anywhere else than Africa, it will be easy. However, in Asia, being from Africa means you are linked to something bad, which I wish I had known. Like one friend said:”” When they open that African passport, our forefathers’ spirits jump on them and all hell breaks loose.””

We took a trip to the border to sort out some issues, only to be stopped by immigration officers on the other side. Of course, we need a visa to enter the country in advance. So, just turn around and get helped by super-friendly officers back in Cambodia. So we were back home again in the afternoon after a dash to the border. This morning, we extended our current visas, and we will fly out to Malaysia with Anton and try to get the right visa when we return.

Bring me a missionary who did not struggle with visas. I think the way that old Livingston traveled was the best. Everything before visas and borders. These days, we get stuck and need to spend countless effort and money on visa problems. Well, pray for our extensions to go smoothly.

I am so privileged to help a good bike friend of mine with his dad’s wound. He got diabetes, and they amputated his leg, and it became infected. It feels like the old days when I go there in the mornings. The Lord surely knows when I need something that good to work on. Please pray for my friend and his family as they need help with grandpa's recovery.

My brother Werner got himself into the hospital with some bad health issues, but he is doing much better. Pray that he needs to look after his health a bit better. He will be out of the hospital maybe today or tomorrow.

Please pray for Toinette as she is adjusting badly. She is currently coughing a lot, and I put her on meds. She is taking the jet lag seriously as she struggles to sleep. Seems that every year we come back, it takes longer to adjust to the weather and everything around us.

We are looking forward to Anton being home on Sunday and spending a few weeks with us here at home. Pray for him to finish his trimester strong.

Thank you for praying with us.

Love

Rossouw-clan

Monday night prayers 16June 2025

 

​Dear family and friends

We are thankful to be back in Siem Reap and yes, adjusting to the heat after winter weather in Namibia! ​W​e've already started meeting up with our friends here. Twans is excited to meet up with our FGC Community link family soon. Greeting our family back home, especially both our moms, was not easy. We treasure the extra time we could spend with both of them and appreciate your continued prayers for them. Both our moms, once again, were such examples to us. Even though in much pain, they still care more for others than themselves.

Prayer points:

-          Our visas. We had to enter the country with tourist visas, and to change them, we needed to exit the country, go to the embassy in Thailand, and come back in with the new papers, etc. Mordegai cannot get an NGO visa anymore, so we need to look at other options. Please pray.

-          A local pastor, whom we had much respect for and worked with for many years, has lost his way. Please pray for him to return to God and his family. We also pray for a way for Mordegai to reach him and encourage him to return to God.

-          Anton is asking for prayer for one of his friends from a closed country. He also joined Anton at church this past Sunday. Continue to pray for Anton to live out his faith and be a testimony among his friends.

Returning to Siem Reap, we were reminded of Jacob, who did not give up. In Genesis 32. “…for you have struggled with God and men and prevailed.” Let’s prevail! Let’s not ‘crawl over the finish line’, but run and finish strong.

Love

Rossouw-clan