Monday night prayers 2 March 2025

 

Good evening all

I am writing a bit early as we will leave early tomorrow morning at a small staff retreat with Toinette’s NGO. Tomorrow seems like a lot of riding, as we will go to the coast, and a full day is on the menu. Please pray for safe riding and for us as a team to enjoy the time together.

Good reports came out of the jungle as Dim started a new outreach point. The last time we were there, one of the places we normally stop, asked us to help them with their children as well. They asked Dim if we could help and now he is going there on a more regular basis to help them by preaching the Word of God. In this place, there is an uncle who is Christian and we hope he can be used further in this community. Curtis asked him to help and we can just pray that he will do that. Let's pray for these guys and uncle to begin a small work. We will go there in 2 weeks.

I was quite busy this week making some toys. Getting into a tune to fabricate these little toy jeeps is such fun. Cutting and sanding till they look good and after assembling more cutting and sanding till they are ready. So hope that they can bring some joy to a troubled world.

 

A while ago I was blessed by my daily devotion and I am sure that if we turn back to basics we can just do this. Read this carefully and just do what the Word says we need to do, simple as that.

What Does the Bible Say About Poverty?

What does the Bible say about faith in the context of giving? About God’s heart for the poor?

The Bible is rich in wisdom about God’s love for people living in poverty — and about our responsibility to help. We love the way Jesus showed us how to care for vulnerable and marginalized people. Reflect on these Bible verses about giving and praying for children, families, and communities in need. Here’s what the Bible says about poverty.

"Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to."  Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV)

"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done."         Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)

"The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9 (NIV)

“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. “  Isaiah 58:10 (NIV)

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:13–14 (NIV)

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."  2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (NIV)

In reflecting on what the Bible says about faith, let these Scriptures on giving guide our actions and hearts toward compassion and generosity.

Please pray for:

Etienne is still fighting in the ICU. Some updates on him.

Please urgently pray for my dad. His infection rates have doubled since yesterday and he has reached a moderately critical state according to the ICU doctor. His infection has reached a point of sepsis now. The medical team is still waiting for the blood cultures to return to gain more information about the nature of the infection, but the doctors have begun giving my dad a new stronger type of antibiotic, as his lungs are still quite resistant to receiving the antibiotics. Please pray for my dad for strength and endurance, and for healing from every infectious pathogen. Like David, we feel that my dad is fighting an intense battle, but we rest in knowing that the Lord is holding onto my dad. No matter how strong the tug of infection, we are trusting in His rescue. Please stand with us in the fight.

Continue to pray for Ouma Paula as the pain is getting unbearable. We know that she is not complaining but she asked for prayer this week.

My brother Jean is doing well after his little incident in the operating room. Spoke to him and he is almost recovered, some small issues but on the recovery road. Praise God.

Thank you for standing with us on Mondays to pray.

Love

Rossouw-clan

 

Monday night prayers 24 February 2025

 

Good evening dear family and friends

Just realized we are still Namibian at heart after 29 years here in Asia.  We keep looking at the sky all day because some clouds are gathering.  The possibility of rain still fills us with expectation and thankfulness. I remember years ago when our house in Phnom Penh kept flooding with rain and drain water during the wet season. The boys would run down the stairs and shout "Hee Ha" and jump in the water flooding our sitting room. In the evenings we would walk them through the "clean" water to their beds. They would sit on the bed with their feet in the water so we would dip their feet in bleach water before they could put it on the bed! So when the flood would subside you would almost pray that it would not rain again the next day, but we could never pray that prayer  

We are thankful for having Anton with us for a few weeks. He keeps Mom and Dad on their toes. He is earning some university pocket money by drawing illustrations for a children's book at the moment.  Twans is busy with her students and classes. Thank you for your faithful prayer for the students who now attend the Saturday and Sunday programs as well. The Joshua Generation group (the teenagers) is doing the "Beginning your new life with Christ" workbook. Please pray for the Good Shepherd Center (name change from River of Life Center). Pray for the faithful church members and staff who continue to disciple these young believers. Most of the staff have been sick the past 2 weeks, some even ending up in hospital. Please pray for healing and restoration. 

We are planning to go home for a few weeks after Anton returns to Malaysia on the 19th of March. Both our moms are fragile and not doing so well so we feel it is important to spend time with them and help where we can. Thank you for praying for them. 

Update on Etienne: The doctor told us today that my dad’s infection is under control and he’s stable! We are so grateful that the lung infection is decreasing and the infection rates in the blood are decreasing too. His vitals are looking good as well. The medical team is still monitoring him closely since he has an aggressive lung infection but the ICU staff is planning on taking small steps to try and wean him off the ventilator and maybe even waking him up in the near future. We did not get an update from the surgical team today about their plans regarding opening up the connection site between the esophagus and stomach, but the ICU doctor explained that this will become a consideration once he’s over the lung infection.  My dad seemed a little more responsive today as well (heart rate increasing when we spoke to him), despite still being sedated. Thilo prayed Psalm 23 over him and we are resting in the One who leads my dad to green pastures and still waters and restores him. Thank you for standing with us in faith

 

May your week be filled with the Grace of our Lord and show His love to those around you.

Love

Rossouw-clan

Monday night prayers 17 February 2025

 

Good evening all

I'm sorry, but last Monday, I was in Phnom Pehn, getting Anton, and we then came back on Tuesday. We had a great outreach first, and then Anton arrived to see his beloved friends from America. We sure had a great time. As for now, he will be here until 20th March and then return to Malaysia.

There were 14 bikes and even more people that hit the road around the mountain this time. What a joyous occasion this was. The ride was not without its hiccups. Uncle Chris had to learn how to drive in the sand which was difficult and he ended up with a busted shoulder but luckily on the back of another bike, he made it out safe. This team was here with our good friends Greg and Marci and it was so nice to see how they really blessed the people with God’s love and Word. This time we had enough visiting time as the bikes did not break down and besides giving all some medicines, the Gospel was preached to many.

So many more people are in the jungle now this time of year, as people are looking for gold on every corner of that remaining jungle. The destruction is staggering. Our main purpose this time was to baptize a few people. We first did a medical on the people of Rum Jopon and left in the afternoon for Som Poom, only to return early the next morning. There were 12 people waiting to be baptized. First Curtis explained to them what they needed to expect and Greg gave a short sermon. They all got new Bibles and for the first time, they could use a Bible. It was amazing to see them using a Bible for the first time.

We all walked to s dirty pond and Curtis and Dim took their time to baptize 12 of the new believers. It was such a great occasion as this was my first time to be a part of such an event here in Cambodia. All these years came to a full circle. All those long hours on the bike and sweat and tears over the years were worth it. My good friend Heang was there as well, he was the guy who came with me in the early years. It was indeed a joyful time for all of us.

Please pray with us for these beautiful souls that are added to the list of believers. The challenges will be coming now as people see these guys full of the Holy Spirit. Pray that their testimonies will inspire other people also to turn to the Lord. Pray for Dim as he leads all of them.

https://youtu.be/JENWUEmVVuQ

https://youtu.be/hr3zLraf2dk

Please pray for:

Ettiene was not doing well this week as there were complications after the operation. Please urgently pray for my dad. He is in critical condition according to the overseeing ICU doctor. His infection rates are still climbing and his lungs still contain both fluid and infection. He has developed a serious condition where his lungs are having a hard time actually receiving the oxygen and giving it to the blood because of all the fluid. Our doctor emphasized that this is a very serious condition and was common during Covid among patients.

We also got a brief report from my dad’s cancer doctor that apparently a few cancerous lymph nodes are still present and my dad would need to continue cancer treatment once he is healthy from this lung infection. Please continue to pray for my dad for complete healing in his lungs and for every remaining cancer cell to disintegrate.

Mordegai’s mum Matra was in hospital as well with a lung infection and Shingles. She is doing better and at home again.

Please pray for Toinette as she experiences inflammation of the Achilles Heel which is very painful. She is on meds but it does not help if she stands too much.

 

What a mouthful this week. Praise the Lord that we can still worship Him.

Love

Rossouw-clan

Monday night prayers 3 Feb.2025

 

Good evening dear family and friends

It’s the beginning of February, and Twans did not put on a scarf this morning before going to work. That means the cool season is officially over. We caught the influenza virus and have been quite sick the past week. Twans were down for a few days but getting stronger. Most of the staff fell ill the past week. It’s a nasty virus, it lingers and doesn’t let go easily. Thank you for all your prayers.

Anton was invited by Sonny and his family in Johor Baru to spend Chinese New Year with them. We are so thankful to this family who took our boy in and blessed him so much. He could join in on some of the traditions like tossing noodles symbolizing long life and plenty of delicious Chinese meals.

Greg and his team from America gave us 2 boxes full of Khmer Bibles, a few Khmer Children Bibles, and much-needed Audio Bibles to distribute. Precious gifts that will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for praying faithfully for the children going to the Mighty Kids and Joshua Generation programs on Sundays at the FGC Community Link Center. We pray for more students to learn about Jesus. 56 kids joined this Sunday. New students joined the classes during the week this month. Twans continue to have fun teaching and learning from them. The photo shows them going on a “World Tour”. There was a lot of excitement, they even made their own Cambodian passports for the trip!

Mordegai, Curtis, and the team from Phnom Penh are preparing for a big outreach to the jungle and RumJupon on the 7- 9th^th.  Please pray for the whole outreach, safety physically and spiritually. Some of the people who have been coming to the house church in RumJupon asked to be baptized during this visit. The little school is also going well. Please pray with us for this small house church and school. Pray for wisdom and guidance with each important decision to be made.  Pray for the pastor, Dim for guidance, protection, provision, and wisdom. We’re reminded of when Nehemiah and the Israelites were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. They prayed and set up guards, worked with one hand, and held a spear in the other hand.

Till next week.

Love

Rossouw-clan

Monday night prayers 27 Jan. 2025

 

It seems like the moment you talk about going out and baptizing people or planting a church, something always happens. We were supposed to be in the bush this last week but every one of us fell ill, even poor Dim got ill. We had to reschedule and will go in 2 weeks. Like they say”” Come hell or high water, we will go”. The longer we stay away the more difficult it becomes for the poor people that started their new journey with the Lord. The pressure is on them as all the people are watching them. Pray with us that these girls (mostly women) will stand strong in spite of what happens. Please pray for Greg's team here. All of them are still getting better. Pray for Dim as he needs to lead us all and I saw he posted pictures of a lot of meds he is taking.

We have Kerri, who stayed in Cambodia 12 years ago, here with us. She and Toinette visited until late at night, and it was like good medicine to have her here with us. She will leave tomorrow, and then the team from Greg will come for the week. Now our house is too small for them all, and all of them need to be in the hotel. Then another friend came over for the Chinese New Year, so we got lots of visitors these days. Good to spend some quality time with some good friends.

Meanwhile, Anton is with our good friend Sunny and his family for CNY. We are getting updates only about some delicious foods as it’s customary to eat good food in this time of celebrations. God is so amazing to provide such good friends over all these years. We are truly experiencing the provision of the Lord in this time of our lives. If there were any doubts of us being in Asia for all these years, this alone resolves that.

Please continue to pray for Etienne: Today felt quite overwhelming as we visited our surgeon who will be operating on my dad. He explained to us that he plans on removing the bottom part of my dad’s esophagus and the top part of his stomach completely, and stitching the remaining parts together. He was very pleased overall at how much my dad’s cancer has shrunk and responded to treatment, but emphasized that this is a very big operation and wants to make sure that my dad is healthy before the operation. As a result we saw a lung doctor as well as an ear, throat, and nose doctor. Both doctors did not find anything of major concern, although my dad is still fighting his cold from last week, and so they prescribed some antibiotics and cough medicine for my dad.

Next Wednesday (January 29), my dad will go in for a chest x-ray and some blood tests and if all looks well surgery will be on January 31, but it may be delayed if my dad is not healthy. Recovery will most likely be 1 day in the intensive care unit and about a week further in the hospital, and we’re not exactly sure what it would look like after that.

Please pray for my dad though, as this was a lot of information to process and the idea of such a big surgery is scary. Also please pray for healing for my dad from his cold. And please pray for favor with our medical insurance as we learned today that there is a possibility they will only cover part of the cost of the operation.

Thanks for everybody's prayers.

 

This is a mouthful. Thanks for praying with us. May the Lord bless you all in this week to come and may the heavens open up with very much rain down South in Namibia.

Love

Rossouw-clan

 

Monday night prayers 20 Jan. 2025

 

Good evening you all

It was nice and cold for a while but the winter is over and the hot season is here. Just came back from Phnom Pehn and believe me, I am done riding for a week and then I need to ride again. Our good friends Greg and Marci are here with a team and I joined them at the border of Vietnam to visit with the pastors in Svay Rieng. They did a small conference and encouragement session and I gave out some medicine that is always needed. I went first to that place in 2008 and seeing it grow over the years is just heartwarming. Curtis invested a lot of time with the local pastors and you can see the fruits of the hard labor over these years.

This week on Friday we will bring the whole team into the jungle to go and visit the people who live and farm around in the jungle. Please pray with us for a rich harvest as some of the people want to be baptized. Pray that the rest of the people from Rum Jopon are open to the Gospel and not jealous of these new Christians. There are no Christians living there, so please pray for protection for these souls. It is extremely hard for them to stand against their old religion and choose to be a Christian.

We are a big group of 11 traveling on bikes. Pray for no breakdowns and safe riding. Pray that the team will experience unity and just enjoy the people and the beautiful place.

We have another good old friend Kari come to stay with us for the week. She stayed here for a pretty long time when we just came to Cambodia. We have known each other through some special times and looking forward to her visit. I am glad that someone is here with Toinette over the weekend when I leave.

Please pray:

We thank the Lord that Ouma Paula is doing better and that she is slowly picking up some strength.

Update from Ettiene: Good news! My dad had his endoscopy this morning and is feeling good. The gastroenterologist was very positive about how much the cancer has shrunk! She repeated several times that there has been significant shrinkage. On the report we can see a lot less inflammation and redness in his esophagus which we are so excited about and the tumor size is so much smaller. On Monday, the board of surgeons and oncologists will review my dad’s case and then on Tuesday my dad will meet the surgeon, and discuss the details of surgery.

 

Thank you very much for praying with us. May you experience the love of our Lord in this week.

Love

Rossouw-clan

 

Monday night prayers 13 Jan.2025

 

Sorry for the late reply to our prayer Mondays. Since we last talked to each other we took a trip to Malaysia and spent quality time with Anton. It was a sweet reconnection that evening when we arrived. Like Twans said:”” Today the world is good again.”” We brought Anton some of his favorite foods from Cambodia as he is missing them the most. Wonder if he misses us?? He is enjoying his classes and making friends slowly. He has some challenges that he is working on and it takes time to resolve. Making friends with foreigners is not an easy task and because he is almost the only white person there, it makes it even more difficult. Thank God he is enjoying church and a small youth group.

I am preparing to go on a few outreaches with some friends who are starting to fly today from the States. We will go down South as well as going to the jungle. Please pray with us for this outreach to the jungle as the people from the small church in Rum Jopon want to be baptized. Pray that they do this out of true conviction and not just as an add-on to their old religion. Remember that these people did not know who Jesus was, just a few months ago. We read about this kind of event all the time in the Bible and we are looking forward to a momentous occasion and for the Lord to be present.

Also, pray for Curtis and Din to talk to the school's teacher about what her role needs to be in the future. We feel we want to lay down some sort of guideline for her even if there are only a handful of students—nothing serious, but something to help her along the way as well. As we move forward on this path we do not want people to see us only as an ATM/provider but rather see the investment of their efforts in it, without us being involved too much. We are one amongst us that we want to play a minimal role in this development. One day we will not be there and they need to move on by themselves, so teach them from the beginning.

FGC had 2 teams just before Christmas. One team was a young people team and they had a very big Christmas party at the base. Toinette said that she was very impressed with this young team’s willingness to help and work with the people. The other team was older people doing the 321 Teachings. These teachings encourage all the staff a lot. We could even visit with one member while we were in Malaysia. Just to show how small the world can become when Christians work together.

 

Please pray:

Some update from Ettiene: We saw the doctor this morning and he’s pleased with my dad’s blood results - the liver is healthier than it has been in a really long time. My dad got admitted to the hospital today and will start the tests tomorrow 😊. We’ll keep you updated as we find more. Thank you for praying.

 

May this week be a glorious week for you all.

Love

Rossouw-clan