In less than 3 weeks we will be landing in Phnom Penh.We are going to very much miss our time here, the fellowship we've had, and our families and friends.This year home has been very good for us, and we believe we have grown.We are thankful to all those who have received us warmly in their churches and homes.So many of you pray faithfully for us and support us with your finances and in many other ways.Thank you for your commitment.

A great blessing, one very unexpected at this time, was that both our sons gave their lives to the Lord this year.While we have always tried to teach them about the Lord and His ways, we had never pushed or encouraged them to make such a decision at this age.I had presumed that children their age were not yet mature enough to make decisions about their Lord and Savior. But God has shown my theology and understanding of His ways to be rather limited.

While we are currently preoccupied with sorting, packing, and making final arrangements to depart for Cambodia, I have been thinking more and more of our return to Cambodia.We know what we will do when we first return.We need to return to Mesang (the rural area we lived before) first and will live there at least for awhile, check on our projects and determine what needs to be done with that work.But after that, what will we do?Where will we live?Will we stay in the same village for many more years?What does God have in store for us?Most importantly perhaps, will we focus on God and wait upon His working in our lives and our ministries, as we should? God has been so very good to us on this furlough, answering so many prayers and meeting so many of our concerns.I believe we have grown in our walk with the Lord, and have a better and truer understanding of how he wants us to relate to Him and think of Him.I suspect this happened because we were discouraged to the point that we simply turned over to God many things that we would normally try to do ourselves our own way.And God took care of it all, far better than I had even hoped.

We ask that those of you who pray for us would pray this important prayer - that we will wait upon the Lord, listen to Him, focus on Him, and rely on Him, and that we will turn over every decision, problem, and issue to Him.

Please pray specifically that God will show us:

1)what His will is

2)what work He wants us to do

3)where He wants us to live

4)whom we should work with, whom will help us

and that He will:

5)prepare our hearts to listen to Him and focus on Him

6)prepare Khmer (Cambodians) hearts to want to know Him

7)work in the rural church near our house and its pastor - we have heard there has been serious conflict in the church

8)prepare good relationships between us and the people whom we'll work and interact with

9)prepare government officials to make the decisions He wants them to make

10)prepare the boys to be good students and Debbie to be a good teacher

(she will be homeschooling both boys)

11)prepare our boys for the transition, that they will feel at home in Cambodia

12)that we'll have good health

By His Grace,

John Coats