So many of you have written us cards and letters, and many of you and your churches have sent gifts for both our ministry and family.Please know that Deb and I are very grateful for all your moral, financial, and prayer support!We could not continue here without it.

For those of you who have been wondering or asking, I have not yet had any serious talk with Pastor Sok.I believe I still will, but have been waiting for God to clearly make the right time apparent to me.Please continue your prayers about this situation.I don't want to jump the gun, but neither do I want to miss an opportunity.Yet I'm tempered by my belief that the results will not depend on my words or my skill but the Holy Spirit's preparation and guiding.

I'm delighted that Lee, my most competent garden extension agent, recently accepted the Lord.He's worked with me for 6 years and I've gotten to appreciate him very much.For years, though, he pestered and made fun of the Christian staff, yet we continued to pray for him.Then about 6 months ago he started seriously asking questions of other staff about this strange faith.I knew though he was afraid of his family and neighbors.Christians here are usually ostracized, initially most severely by neighbors and family.One day Lee told me he wanted to make a commitment but he was repelled by Pastor Sok's severe attitude and sermons.I encouraged him to concentrate on God, not men - that there were no perfect Christians anyway. And recently he made a very public profession of faith and now attends church regularly, severe sermons and all.Thank you Lord for Lee.Please pray for his spiritual growth (and for Sok).

Last month our staff gave a presentation to all the village chiefs, school principals, and police chiefs in our area.We introduced our 2003 development plans in agriculture, health, and education to them.I also took the opportunity to present the gospel in very brief form to these authorities, starting with the creation of the world.I explained who we believed God to be, what we believed God wants with us, and why we were working in Cambodia.I was pretty straightforward.I also stated publicly that we do not use our development and humanitarian work as a tool of coercion or persuasion to "convert" people to the "Jesus God religion," but that we try to take helping others in need very seriously and is part of our obedience to God.I also wanted to make clear that it was our hope that Cambodians would come to understand that the Lord God loves them and wants to have a close relationship with them.I was not sure how my presentation would be received, as I know that some local authorities are not happy with us or with people becoming Christians.Many officials appeared to listen intently while a few visibly demonstrated their disapproval.I ask that some of you may pray that the message we presented might be seeds that the Holy Spirit himself has planted and will water in the days and years to come in the lives of these authorities.

• Also please pray for the following situation.We need it.

Deb has been struggling at the government health clinic (not the same as the TB clinic as written about earlier).The clinic is understaffed.The government health staff are underpaid, get little support from their supervisors, and have little experience in administering a clinic.Debbie only goes over once a week now to train the staff and see patients with them.But most of the time, only a few of the government health staff show up.Their salaries provide little incentive, and they are often called away by their supervisors to this meeting or that meeting.Last Wednesday afternoon Deb went over to the clinic and 40 patients showed up to see her.Two were extremely sick and one was dying.But only two government staff showed up.When nightfall came, they had to turn most of them away.

It was overwhelming and frustrating for Deb.We feel there needs to be big changes in this project or we need to simply withdraw.Withdrawing is not entirely simple for Deb, for the patients are still sick and many still dying but there is no other good place to send them within 4 hours travel. Deb and I have started praying specifically about this problem and contemplating what changes need to be made that would make the clinic functional enough for Deb to feel her time and efforts are useful.While we were home on furlough last year, the government staff got in the habit of not asking fees from all patients, giving exceptions to rich patients they were afraid of, and also to relatives and friends.As you can imagine, the exceptions expanded and soon were out of control.With fewer fees, they had to decrease their own salaries, and then of course there is now less incentive to come to work regularly.To their credit, they are still the best-running clinic in the whole district, but that isn't saying a whole lot.

Please pray that God will guide us in this project and show us how to proceed.This is a cooperative project with the government, and often a big headache.But is it also the only way the government will allow us to work in the medical field.Unfortunately, the sick and dying aren't going to go away if we decide to stop cooperating.

On a personal note, we're concerned that our children are getting knowledgeable too fast.Jesse, our 6-year old, said a few weeks ago, "You know what, daddy, when you die, all your money will be ours."

And only a few days before that he had told me that he was sure I would die before him, and probably soon.Could he be plotting?Perhaps some of you have similar children.He gives us plenty of laughs.

By His Grace,

John