Friends In Far Places


The Groth Report
February 2007

From the Word

All Scripture is given by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right.   Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17.

 We have new U.S. born neighbors upstairs. They are both retired. He is here working for the Center for Disease Control. She is doing volunteer English teaching. We must admit that we were pretty surprised when they told us that they were followers of a Vietnamese Buddha. Their comment was, “His writings have influenced our lives.”
 Chuck and I talked about this comment a lot. We are followers of Christ, and we also read the writings of God in His Holy Word. We, too, like to think that these writings have influenced our life in a big way. We are sure that they provide us directions on how to live life and give us all we need to do good works. More than that, we are convinced that the Scriptures lead us to the way of salvation in Jesus Christ. That is why we are here in    Cambodia. What directions for your life do you see in God’s Word?  How has that Word influenced your life?

Current Events

   
 This month Chuck and I had a unique opportunity use Scripture to influence the lives of twelve Christian leaders. We had our first leadership workshop at Trinity Lutheran Church in Battambang. Here these men worked together to learn the basic principles of interpreting God’s Word. Chuck taught, and the men worked in groups to apply these principles to sections of God’s Word and life itself. I helped with notes and groups. There have been two different translations of the Bible into the Khmer language, but neither of these has any tools in it, e.g., cross references, parallel passages, explanatory notes. One day one of the men shared that now there was available a Khmer translation of the New Testament with study tools; you can imagine our surprise and excitement when it turned out to be a Khmer version of the NIV study Bible we were using! After the local pastor, Kosal, made a phone call we found we could buy these New Testaments for 50 cents each. I got the job of riding the tuktuk outside of town and bringing this wonderful tool back to the eager recipients. What eagerness there was to learn about parallel references and notes that enhanced our study of God’s Word. What miraculous timing of our God to have these materials available just when we needed them! It was a joy to hear the men tell of what they learned and how it would make their study and sharing of God’s Word more alive. We also enjoyed the Christian fellowship of evening meals together. The blending of men from different geographic areas and different ministries was a picture of the Body of Christ all working together. When we heard some of their stories we knew that God’s Word had truly influenced their lives of service. 
 
I had the joy of working with the English and Bible teachers in Battambang during this time as well. We put together four lessons for them to share in the next weeks. It was exciting to hear that the one teacher had given out coloring sheets that showed a picture of a child praying under a tree. She explained that she wanted the children to hang this in their home to remind them that they could pray anywhere at anytime. Truly God’s Word influenced her life as she shared with them this important Bible truth.

 I also had a small workshop for the English teachers at the Open Gate Christian Fellowship here in Phnom Penh. It was a busy Saturday morning as we did lesson preparation and worked on activities to make our English classes more exciting. These English classes are bridges to relationships that bring young people to hear about Jesus from these Christian teachers.

 Chuck has been busy working on a well project in coordination with the Church of All Nations in Hong Kong. This weekend a group will be coming to visit the site of the first well. Hopefully this will provide a source of good water for the poor. Surely God’s Word influenced these actions as Jesus reminds us that when we give a cup of water in His name it is as if we give it to Him.

 Finally, we have just returned from meetings in Bangkok. It is time for the volunteers there to decide whether to commit for another year. I listened to their stories of relationships and opportunities they had experienced to influence others with God’s Word. I also learned of new opportunities with a recently opened daycare center. The Pastor mentor there, Rev. Bob Hedtke, talked about his new opportunities to influence the Hmong people with God’s Word. The willingness of our volunteers there to share and be Christian witnesses is a powerful       testimony to God’s influence in their lives.
 
How has God’s Word influenced your life?  How are you different because you apply His Word to your life?  Ponder and share. It will be fuel for our Ablaze goal of sharing Jesus across the world.

 Influenced by His writings and the love they bring,
Chuck and Jeanette Groth

  * Picture - Two Church Leaders Using Study  
                    Tools
  * Picture - Group Study in Battambang

Thanks to God for Prayers Answered

  • Safe travels in Cambodia and to Bangkok
  • Good health
  • Good health for our family
  • A good beginning workshop
  • Pleasant weather! (highs of 90)
Continue to Pray for:
  • Good progress with the well project
  • Good experiences for the HKIS interim  group out at Battambang
  • Good opportunities to share in English and  preschool workshops
  • A spirit of unity among Christians sharing Christ across the world
Garth Family to Friends
updated March, 2007