Thursday, January 31, 2013

Impacting the Next Generation

By Terri & Andreas Mehrguth
Directors, e3 Legacy

During the recent election, many commentaries addressed the debt that our future generations will incur.  While people are legitimately concerned for our future generations, personally we have hope because of children like McKenna (13), Cassie (12), and Delaney (11). They know that prayer changes things; they believe that no time is better than now to share the gospel with the lost, and they understand that they can make a difference in people’s future, their eternal future. Their young age doesn’t stop them; they recognize that they have the same Holy Spirit to rely on as we “older people” do. It was so inspiring to minister alongside these young girls and their fathers in the Amazon basin this past June.

If you were one of the nearly 200 people who attended the recent e3Legacy FILM FESTIVAL 2012, an event to honor God and to thank you for five years of partnering with e3 Legacy by praying, giving, going, then you would have seen the girls’ “praying” picture. The theme for the evening was “What Moves You?” Well, what moves us is seeing our future generation going for it, stepping out in boldness to share about God’s love. They’ve experienced the power of God doing radical things through them, and they’re walking in obedience to God’s call.

Something else that moves us is YOU!

We are humbled by what God has done through YOU to take the story of His great love to 19 countries on 4 continents in 2012!

It is sobering to see the great need around the world. Fortunately, the Lord calls us to just do our part in sharing His love story with those who don’t know Him, yet. It’s a big task, but we only need to focus on our part of this task. At e3 Legacy, our part is to give you opportunities to pray for the harvest, give toward the harvest, and go to reap the harvest.  And in the past five years, e3 Legacy has steadily increased—through your partnership—to bring in an ABUNDANT HARVEST!


REJOICE WITH US!

We truly are moved by what God has done and continues to do. Clearly, God is working through e3 Legacy, and we desire to come alongside Him and trust Him even more for His growth in helping families—families like McKenna, Delaney, and Cassie’s— to be on mission with Him. briefly, this next year’s ministry focus, aside from taking the gospel to the nations, includes continuing to increase staff, to train more leaders, and to mobilize even more North Americans to the field by developing partnerships with more churches and partnerships with nationally-based family ministries into more countries in 2013. But before we’re in Dallas, we’ll be ministering again, this time in Cambodia over New Year’s, with a team of 20, including McKenna, Delaney, and their dad!

Help Carry the Momentum Into 2013!

Thank you for allowing us to share this journey of helping families become Great Commission focused.

Please consider how you can help mobilize more people like McKenna, Cassie, and Delaney, so that when they’re “all grown up” and dealing with the repercussions over our country’s spending, they’ll have an eternal focus as they navigate future challenges.

• Learn more about e3 Legacy HERE.
• Ready to GO on mission?  Find upcoming e3 Legacy trip HERE.
• Do you have questions?  Email Terri or Andreas.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

e3 Legacy Ministry Update - January 2013

As Terri sat with a friend relating to her what we saw God do through our team in Cambodia over the New Year's holiday, she caught herself tearing up as she recounted story after story. Seeing people come out of darkness into light through a commitment to Jesus Christ never gets old; each time is really so sweet. Enjoy some of the stories below. Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Andreas and Terri

Lots of Firsts in Cambodia

Our team of 21 people between ages 11 and 59 experienced lots of firsts in Cambodia: sharing the story of God's love with people who had never heard the name of Jesus, praying with Buddhists to receive Christ, praying over someone for healing and seeing God's miraculous power heal the person, developing a love for people in a far off Asian country who are steeped in idol worship... read more.

News

You'll notice a new format for our monthly newsletter. While you'll continue to receive stories from the field, we'll include other items that you may find useful. It's designed to provide you the opportunity to take a quick look and find what interests you.

Prayer

• e3 Legacy is in the process of developing partnerships with family-based ministries to mobilize their constituents to the mission field. Please pray for God's favor with this endeavor.

• Pray for the e3 World Conference taking place in Dallas, February 10-17. Andreas and Terri will be hosting two workshops for e3 Legacy and one training to certify new Legacy leaders.

• Pray for the Cambodians who came to Christ, those who are still considering a relationship with God through faith in Jesus, and the nationals who will be discipling them. 

By the Numbers

947  # hearing the gospel      
271 # professions of faith     
150 # discipleship meetings 
256 # of people discipled (incl. seekers)   

We are so encouraged that over 80 percent of the people who professed Christ began discipleship within days of that profession!

Support

Special Request:  Please consider making a special gift to help with the costs of Andreas and Terri attending the e3 World Conference in Dallas, February 10-17. 

Thank you for partnering with us in Cambodia. Your financial support made the difference. Both Garrett (21) and Jordan (19) were able to go with us over the Christmas break from college... read more.

Upcoming Expeditions

Go international with your family in 2013; make this year the launching point  for your family to become global by sharing God's love.




Connect

Not only does e3 Legacy have a new look, but we also have a new blog and
Facebook page. Follow us to read more stories from Cambodia.


Contact Us

Andreas Mehrguth

Terri Mehrguth 

Friday, January 25, 2013

Tell Me, Again, What Is It You Do?

By Terri & Andreas Mehrguth
Directors, e3 Legacy

While we endeavor to actively engage you in the ministry God’s called us to, over time people forget or become less clear about what niche e3 Partners plays in missions.  Here we will take a few minutes to give you the bullet-points of what we are all about.

e3 Partners Ministry Vision, Mission, Values 

Vision:  Plant a church within access of every person on earth.  

Mission:  Equip God’s people to Evangelize His World and Establish His Church. 

Values:  Global—reaching the unreached.  Biblical—priesthood of the believer.  Scalable—reproducible models.  

Goals:  Equip 10 million believers to evangelize 1 billion people in order to establish 1 million multiplying churches.

Definitions:  Vision is a picture of our desired future.  Mission is what we do.  Goals are to accomplish the vision.  Values are how we accomplish the vision, mission and goals 
  
e3 Partners’ Mission Statement 

Therefore, the mission of e3 Partners is to…Equip God’s people to Evangelize his world by Establishing his church! 
  
e3 Legacy’s Role 

As the director of e3 Legacy, Andreas oversees the e3 Partners’ ministry of taking families on strategic international mission trip to fulfill e3 Partners’ mission as well as helping families become effective communicators for Christ as they create a missional legacy for their families.  Personally, Terri and Andreas lead three or four church planting trips each year, while a staff of 18 lead upwards of 30 family trips each year.  Andreas and Terri provide oversight to those ministry leaders as well.

What Others are Saying 

e3 Partners truly is an exceptional ministry.  So you don’t think we’re biased, below is a quote from a recent issue of Mission Frontiers, sponsored by The U.S. Center for World Missions, on of the leading mission think tanks in the world. 
  
“Poorly prepared teams of people going on poorly­planned and coordinated expeditions at exorbitant cost to sensitive mission fields have often been the norm rather than the exception…  What we present here are not evangelicals on vacation but examples of well-trained short-term volunteers fitting into highly-focused and well-executed long-term strategies in pursuit of ongoing Church planting movements.”  - Rick Wood, editor, Mission Frontiers.

Let us know if you’d like to experience church planting firsthand this year on one of the several planed trips to many locations around the world.  Where is God calling you?
  
Thanks for your heart and interest in the Great Commission!

Andreas, Terri, Garrett and Jordan 

• Learn more about e3 Legacy HERE.
• Ready to GO on mission?  Find upcoming e3 Legacy trip HERE.
• Do you have questions?  Email Terri or Andreas.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Lots of Firsts in Cambodia

By Andreas Mehrguth
Director, e3 Legacy

Our team of 21 people between ages 11 and 59 experienced lots of firsts in Cambodia: sharing the story of God’s love with people who have never heard the name of Jesus, praying with Buddhists to receive Christ, praying over someone for healing and seeing God’s miraculous power heal the person, developing a love for people in a far off Asian country who are steeped in idol worship.


Our amazing team of 42
Getting our minds around the Buddhist worldview took a few days. While we had done some study on Buddhism, each village seemed to have its own idiosyncrasies. We’ve shared the gospel on five continents and dozens of countries, but we’ve never shared with people with so many questions. It was encouraging!


So awesome having our boys with us once again
When we approached the Buddhist villagers, they were pleased to greet us and to allow us to share the story of God’s love with them. They were mesmerized by God’s love for them in sending Jesus to pay the penalty for their sin; yet, they wanted to make sure we understood that “Cambodians are Buddhists.” Finally, on Wednesday when Chante, a young mother, said, “Our ancestors were Buddhists, and so we are Buddhists,” Terri commented that just because their ancestors were Buddhists, that did not make Buddhism true. Surprisingly, she agreed. Terri then shared a story: “There was a king, and he fed his people rice. Sadly, this rice had poison in it, so whenever the people ate the rice, they died. Now, the children and grandchildren were going to eat the rice. A foreigner asked them why they were going to eat the rice when they knew that it had poison in it, and that they would die. The people all replied that they ate it because that was the way it had always been done.”  The young woman’s eyes lighted up, indicting that Terri’s story resonated with her. She continued to meet with Terri for Bible study, came to the Friday celebration, and agreed to attend church while she learned more about Jesus and then make a decision about following Him.


The intricate ancestral shrines were supposed to keep the evil spirits away
Many people wanted to follow Jesus, but they were afraid to give up Buddhism, afraid of what the spirits would do to them. That was Nit’s situation. As a 51-year old widow, she was poor and lonely with her only child living in Phnom Penh three hours away. After meeting with her daily, sometimes twice in a day to disciple her, she prayed to receive Christ on Wednesday. Thursday she said that a few of her neighbors had been mocking her all week about meeting with us and now she was only 60% sure she wanted to follow Christ. The honesty was so refreshing! By Thursday afternoon, she was ready to follow Him completely. On Friday afternoon, while a team member was discipling her neighbor Makim, Nit stormed in the house, throwing a gospel track on the table and stating, “I’m not going to follow Jesus! It’s too hard!” She went on to share that in addition to the mocking from her neighbors, she was having frightening nightmares since she had received the gospel track and she was afraid of the bad things that were going to happen to her.  This provided the team member the opportunity to explain spiritual warfare and the reality of what was happening. She was taught the truth of a loving God who wanted to protect her, that while spiritual warfare is real, Jesus is the victor and that she could trust Him. The team member went on to battle in prayer for her, asking for God’s peace to reign in her life. As that was prayed, it became immediately clear to Nit and everyone else present that she was filled with the peace of God. It was absolutely beautiful! She bowed her head and received Christ 100%!

Nit on the left and Makim meet with Terri
Cambodians, culturally speaking, do not touch, at least not in the villages where we worked. There is no hand shake, but rather a slight bend at the waist as the hands are pressed together with fingertips being placed just below the nose. Our team found that the benefit of protection from germs exchanged in a hand shake or a hug, did not outweigh people’s need to experience connectedness or love through a simple touch or pat on the back. Loneliness, compounded by the lack of touch, was evident most everywhere we ministered.

Rebecca and her translator pray over sick woman
Terri met daily with Makim, a 71-year-old widow who was desperately lonely even though she lived with 13 other people in a large, subdivided home. Finally on Friday, after many Bible studies, sometimes two a day, Makim opened up and told her story. She was widowed about six years previously. She had adopted two sons, age 23 and 18. Her 23-year-old was married, living in Phnom Penh with his wife and newborn baby, and she saw him infrequently. She then wept as she showed us a picture of her other son at his wake; he had hung himself 15 months earlier as he sat in jail after being accused of raping an eight-year-old girl in the village. Makim insisted it was impossible he could have done such a terrible thing; she remains friends with Rom and Chhor Vichea, the parents of the little girl, a couple we discipled each day. As Makim wept, Terri asked if she could touch her. When Makim agreed, Terri wrapped her arms around Makim, repeatedly kissing her on the forehead and wiping her tears away. Terri was able to share how God had seen every tear she had shed, was grieved by her loss, and wanted to be her Comforter. After 10 hours spent with her over eight visits, Makim gave her life to Christ! Yes, people need the Lord. Often they don’t realize it until we come representing the hands and feet of Jesus. It’s all so very humbling to be used by God in this way!

Makim studied for hours with Terri each day
Mouy, a godly woman who has been radically transformed by God’s grace and is living in Chante, Nit, and Makim’s village, is committed to continue to teach these women about Jesus and what it means to walk with God.  Thank you for praying, fasting, and giving, so that more than 270 Cambodians could hear about and choose to follow Jesus Christ. You will be so blessed to meet Nit and Makim someday in heaven, when they will personally thank you for being obedient to God’s call on your life. You are making a difference in the Kingdom of God! We’re privileged to know you and partner with you.


 

Your Support Makes the Difference!

By Andreas Mehrguth
Director, e3 Legacy

Thank you for partnering with us in Cambodia. Your financial support made the difference. 

Both Garrett (21) and Jordan (19) were able to go with us over the Christmas break from college. They each gave oversight as a team leader to the church planting effort in their villages. They have gained incredible experience and discernment over the past 12 years of ministering internationally. 

Because of your partnership, we were able to train the nationals in church multiplication as well as simple discipleship methods. First, they were taught, then they saw it modeled in the villages, next they did it and we observed, then we left them to return to the States as they committed to follow-up with new believers and seekers, since they were now equipped. This week, we received this update from team member Steve:

I just talked to Sok Von, a national doctor who worked with Mark and I all week in our village. He said he and Pastor John met with 3 small groups on Saturday and 3 more on Sunday in addition to church service on Sunday. Praise God!”

So, yes, your investment in the Kingdom continues!

***
Visit e3 Partners on Facebook
Contact Andreas Mehrguth 


Monday, January 14, 2013

A Sweatshirt Opens A Door to Conversation

By Terri Mehrguth
Director, e3 Legacy

The work in Cambodia was off to a fast start. As we fly over the Pacific Ocean, a Korean teenager was wearing a sweatshirt from my high school’s alma mater in Southern California. It turns out that Harry (his American name) had moved with his mother four months earlier from Korea to Orange County to attend high school. He admitted that he had no religious background and had no idea what would happen to him when he died. He wanted to hear the story of God’s love. He was taking a religion class at the high school and just learning about Christianity, but he had yet to hear the gospel.

I began with the Creation story, answering his many questions. When he asked if Adam and Eve were Jesus’ parents, it was time to back up and provide more explanation. The term sin was also new to Harry, but once the definition was provided, he recognized that he was a sinner. At times, Harry’s eyes would light up when he realized I was sharing something that He’d heard a little about in his religion class, like the Trinity. After nearly an hour and a half conversation, I asked if he wanted to put His faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his sin. His response was “Of course.” I must admit that I almost didn’t ask him if he wanted to be a follower of Jesus, thinking that he needed more time to ponder these truths that he was hearing about for the first time. It was a reminder to me that we don’t know what’s in someone’s heart unless we ask.

As I explained how to invite Christ into his life through prayer, I asked if he’d ever prayed before and did he understand what it was, and again, he did not. After explaining what prayer was, Harry bowed his head as we jetted above the clouds and gave his life to Christ!

• Learn more about e3 Legacy HERE.
• Ready to GO on mission?  Find upcoming e3 Legacy trip HERE.
• Do you have questions?  Email Terri HERE.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Miracles in Cambodia

By David Rinke

Missionary, Cambodia trip 2013
 e3 Legacy

Have you ever been a witness to a miracle?  Have you ever been used by God to be a miracle to others?  Well if you haven't, you will see you have been used to be a miracle to others this past two weeks.  You count the number of miracles and know there were many others which happened but may have not been captured.  I would be interested in hearing from each of you how God blessed you in your own life as a result of playing a part in this mission.

As I had shared at the beginning of this process it was driven my Delaney (11) and McKenna (13) wanting to go first, and I am so grateful for their ability to hear God's voice in the noisy and busy world we live in America and their for their obedience to God by challenging me with going.  You all helped us to be 100%, FULLY FUNDED.  Two weeks out, we were thousands of dollars short and we trusted He would come through.  Thousands rolled in leading up to that final Sunday (before we left) and on that Sunday we had a donor pay the remaining balance in full.  PRAISE GOD!!!!

There are so many stories to share, and hope you were able to keep up with the updates being sent while in-country.  I look forward to having a discussion with each one of you about the trip but wanted to touch on a few stories now.  Keep in mind it will take me a little time to connect with all of you as there almost 100 families involved in supporting us on this trip.

1. Many of you read about little Hong who had gotten his leg caught in a motorbike, and his leg became severely infected and appeared gangrene.  The mother had spent all her money on the local witch doctor to tell her what evil spirits she had to appease for him to get well.  We connected them to the local church who was able to facilitate some medicines for him and you can see a picture of his miraculous recovered leg on www.facebook.com/e3legacy (timeline photo). 

2. Delaney, my youngest, was determine all trip to prove to me, her mom, team leaders and to herself; she was capable, responsible and able to be used by God on her own.   Wow did she ever!  The first day of the trip she grabbed her Evangacube and took every opportunity to share the "Story of God's Love" with anyone possible; from the Indian Hindu motorbike merchant selling shirts at the chief's house to a neighbor women.  She laid hands on the sick and allowed herself to be used by God to heal them.  Delaney pushed to go to a couple houses on her own, only to return with a huge smile saying she "did it" and a women and daughter came to Christ.  She awoke willing every morning at 6am and stood by my side supporting me when she so wanted to step forward.  There are many Cambodian's who we will reunite with in Heaven because of her initiative and obedience.  Delaney led the children's ministry every day, directing McKenna and I with what part we were to play in each day's activities.  Over 50 kids came to know of Jesus and the God on High, neither of which they had EVER heard.  I am so humbled by who she is becoming in Christ.

3. McKenna, my oldest, simply exposed her heart to the Cambodian people as she so naturally does and they could not deny the "pure love" that emanates,  rooted in her relationship with the Most High.  She was out on her own all week as she had in Peru and I never had to wonder what was happening, as villagers would come to me to tell how special she was and that they would be reflecting the Love of Christ themselves because they came to know the Truth through her.  We came to know the villagers of Pum Veal in a very intimate way as we returned to the homes daily to connect with them and answer questions which came to them about God during the prior night.  McKenna was so drawn to one man who was a devout Buddhist, yet he had seeker questions.  She remained committed to him all week and even when she could not come to him on Friday and her heart was in agony as he had not accepted Jesus into his heart, God brought him to her.   She answered many of his questions and the Chief of the village who accepted Christ on the first day, shared his testimony and the man accepted Christ.  McKenna was also a conduit of healing, something us Americans can have a hard time comprehending but when we witness it first hand, we believe in the healing power of Jesus' name and Word of God.  She has truly glorified God and I am humbled by her example.

4. I was given the privilege of leading the site and building up the local church member's for what was to come.  I was truly overwhelmed with the healing power of God's Word, as many sick were healed.  The chief of the village, Song, said "I felt an energy flow from my tumorous region out of the back of my head" feeling immediate relief.  We checked in with him daily and he reported he had improved breathing and no more dizziness.  PRAISE THE LORD!  We were confronted with questions like "do I have to pass on my generational curse to my children now that I have been saved?"  "How did God create everything?" - and after we read Gen 1 (from a Khmer bible) together their faces lit up as the mystery was finally revealed.  

The testament of what happened can be best seen from the response of the local pastor I was working with.  Pastor Ros (Ru) was like many Cambodians, questioning the impact of what God would accomplish.  They have witnessed so much oppression and tragedy, it was hard to see the "possibility."  He was a survivor of the Khmer Rouge, hidden in the forest and fed by local villagers after his entire family had been slaughtered.  Upon the fall of the regime, he was determined to have revenge with those he knew had killed his family.  But then he accepted Christ after his wife, Suk Khang had accepted Christ and he chose different path.  He turned his back on his practices of black magic and cursings; to become a true follower of Christ, even coming to forgive those who had slaughter his "entire" family.  I told him it was God who fed him in the forest and it was God who walked along his side during his tragedies because God had a bigger plan.  His wife had been praying for years that their ministry would have a greater reach in their village and that her sisters/cousins would come to know Christ.  This mission (you supported and prayed for) was an answer to her prayers, they are believers now and so are close to 20% of their village.  God's bigger plan was for Pastor Ros to minister a transformation in rural Cambodia beginning with his own village.  Although the Cambodian culture does not really allow for touching others, Pastor Ros embraced me on Friday night so tightly and literally would not let go, he was sobbing uncontrollably and weeping in my shoulder so humbled by the MIRACLE he had witnessed and the love God had filled his heart.  

YOUR PRESENCE WAS FELT AS PART OF THE SENDING TEAM, THE CULMINATION OF ALL THAT GOD HAD BEGUN.

This is just the beginning and want to ask that you keep Pastor Ros, Suk Khang, the village of Pum Veal and the Cambodian peoples in your regular prayers.  It is a vulnerable time as the enemy will be doing much to reverse what God had begun.  The new believers will be shunned by family members and villagers, evil spirit encounters will deter them but we know our God has supremacy.  The local church needs prayers to develop a system to support those baby Christians, those still seeking based on what they learned about this "God" and those still living in darkness.  

GOD IS TRANSFORMING A PEOPLE HAUNTED BY GENOCIDE AND DARKNESS, TO BECOME A BEACON TO OTHER COUNTRIES IN INDOCHINA.

If this was a handwritten letter you would have witnessed that the paper was rippled with dried tears of joy, gratitude and humility.  It was so emotional for me to look back in summary with what God had done and how he used your and my families to share the Good News with the villagers of Pum Veal, who had never heard the words God or Jesus.

Thank you, thank you and thank you.  Please share with everyone you know what God has done with you and the Cambodian people, as this was not done in secret but to be known by all.

Matt 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Your missionary family,
David, McKenna and Delaney

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Cambodia Update - Wow! (4 of 4)

By Andreas Mehrguth
Director, e3 Legacy

January 2013

One of our translators would become so overwhelmed when we shared at night about the things that God had done during the day that all he could say was, "Wow."  I will never think of the word the same.  
The work this week was difficult as the majority of the people we shared with in the beginning were totally closed to the Gospel.  Well, maybe better said, they were closed to us. The reality was the majority of them had never heard the story of God's love.  Really, you have no idea who Jesus is???  Sharing the Gospel with someone who has never heard the name of Jesus is a phenomenal privilege, a memory that will remain in our hearts.  The last couple of days, we had some major breakthroughs in some of the hardest mission sites, and there were so many who gave control over their lives to Jesus Christ.  

I wish we could have promised them lives of incredible blessings without the hard stuff.  The sad reality, and very real to these new believers, is that the persecution will be severe for them.  Many have already been disowned by their families, and those who remain under one roof will probably be the objects of all kinds of abuse and ridicule.  This is why it was so hard for them to turn their lives over to the one true God.  They are keenly aware of what lies ahead. 

Some of the most radical change occurred in the lives of the pastors and church leaders.  When our e3 Indochinese leaders were making plans for our arrival, they were met mostly with cynicism and doubt.  Many were worn down by years of going it alone.  But, wow, what a change we saw in our meeting on Friday night.  The pastors and new leaders of the house churches were filled with excitement, power, and a vision for what is still to come.  The road for them will not be easy.  We left the pastors with the sobering responsibility of discipling so many baby believers.  Many of the new believers are uneducated and illiterate, and feeding them will be difficult.  However, these new believers are hungry desperately desiring more and more knowledge of their new King.  

Praise be to the King of Kings for all he has done!

Andreas (for the team privileged to serve Him in Kampuchea)

• Learn more about e3 Legacy HERE.
• Ready to GO on mission?  Find upcoming e3 Legacy trips HERE.
• Do you have questions?  Email e3 Legacy HERE.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

We Press on to the Glory of God (3 of 4)

By Andreas Mehrguth
Director, e3 Legacy

January 2013

To put our work this week in perspective, we only need look at our mother churches.  Three out of the four churches had less than twelve adults as we worshipped with them this past Sunday.  The largest church had thirty adults.  All four had been in existence for close to 20 years.  The soil in Cambodia is tough!  As each one of the sites starts to experience breakthroughs, we are truly humbled that God would use each one of us to further His kingdom in a country so desperate for the hope only God can give.

In Pum Veal 1, the Rinke family (David, McKenna and Delaney) had an immediate impact.  God provided as the daily meeting location the village chief's house and, within hours of being introduced to him on Monday, he had accepted Christ.  To top it off, he had been suffering from a tumor in his nasal passage that he was saving money to have surgically removed, and the team acted as a conduit of God's healing power.  Sharing his story of salvation and healing continues to serve as incredible testament of the power of God on High for those within his village.  Both Rinke girls (age 13 and 11) are making a lasting impression with the Cambodian people as they lead many Buddhists to the One True God.  The team in this community was truly an answer to the local pastor's wife's prayers, as she has been praying diligently for the past couple years that her community would be transformed.  It is clear that the preparation and the supporting prayer team from the States have led to God preparing the way for this movement.   

In Srea Ambel 1, Terri, Matt, and Megan have had many opportunities to share share the gospel, but the tradition of Buddhism is strong. While many are interested in Jesus and even believe He is true, the villagers can't picture themselves believing anything different, yet they ask us to return each day and tell them more about Jesus. Only a few people we have encountered have heard anything about Jesus. Matt met a man earlier in the week who suffered physically and only left his home to get medicine. After receiving prayer, he was healed and today went out with Matt and his team to share Christ with several of his neighbors!  Please pray for tomorrow, our last day ministering the gospel and discipling people, that many of our villagers who are wanting to receive Jesus' forgiveness would be able to move past their fear of breaking away from religious tradition and put their faith in Jesus.  We're praying desperately for a breakthrough in Srea Ambel 1.

In Klung, Garrett and Elise have faced a tough battle there. We have been evangelizing throughout the village; however, due to previous bad history between churches and missionaries in the area there has been consistent difficulties. But God will be VICTORIOUS! Over the last two days, we have, through God's grace and His Holy Spirit, been able to share the gospel and the Cambodians have been receptive. There has not been an overwhelming amount of new believers; yet, we have been able to establish discipleship meetings and the new believers are growing. We are looking forward to our last day to see what God will do. To God be the glory. Amen!

The team working in Srea Ambel 2 are starting to experience the fruit of their fervent prayers.  There is a large immigrant population here with most of them concentrated in the area where Joan is working.  A key government leader came to Christ yesterday, and stayed up all night highlighting his Bible in order to have his questions prepared for today's discipleship meeting. Timothy, who is one of our Indochinese e3 leaders, has been invaluable in reaching this section of the community.  Jordan and Kaylee are incredible in forging relationships, and showering love on the people in the community regardless of the opposition.  In one of Jordan's discipleship groups, his national partner shared her heart wrenching testimony.  Thon, who is in her late sixties I think, scampers up and down the hills like a woman half her age.  She had been terribly abused after becoming a Christ follower by her own husband and children.  The women in the discipleship group hung onto every word as she shared how she forgave her family and never stopped praying for them.  Thon's family has been restored one-by-one in response to her never ending prayers.

I'm attempting to proof what I have written, but it is after midnight and my eyes aren't really working so well, so please excuse any typos or grammatical mistakes.  Pray for us to finish strong and in a manner which would bring pleasure and glory to God.  

With love from Kampuchea,

Andreas (for the entire team)

• Learn more about e3 Legacy HERE.
• Ready to GO on mission?  Find upcoming e3 Legacy trips HERE.
• Do you have questions?  Email Andreas HERE.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Greetings from Kampuchia (2 of 4)

By Andreas Mehrguth
Director, e3 Legacy

December 2012

God says that, "His ways are not our ways," and that "He uses the foolish to confound the wise."  Knowing these truths and walking in them are two completely different things.  Our team has been praying for months that God would go before us and that He would prepare the way, but what does that mean and how does that play out?  Our team is breaking new ground in Cambodia.  e3 Partners has been working in Cambodia for about two years, and we have been concentrating on the training of Christian leaders in church planting movements.  Head knowledge is one thing, but having the opportunity to go out and apply these principles is something else altogether.  I mention these things because we were not sure what to expect when we arrived.

Let me start by saying that the Cambodians are beautiful people, very warm and welcoming.  That being said, they are also deeply rooted in Buddhism and the grip on the people is more of a stranglehold.  The reality is that  for them to become followers of Christ is a huge sacrifice.  They consider it an offense to their ancestors and their families to even consider such a change of direction in their lives.  Although they might feel totally hopeless and even agree that the message that we are bringing is true--that Jesus is truth, they still cannot bring themselves to break from their belief system.

Steve was discouraged this morning with the cool response that his team was experiencing today in Pumthemey 1. He, Alissa, and Mitch have had an incredible impact in this rural village, but it has been an emotional and spiritual roller coaster.  The people they are meeting with are torn between what they understand as truth and leaving the deep-rooted traditions of their faith.  Then this afternoon, they experienced a breakthrough as the village leader and his wife both decided to become Christ-followers.

In Pumthemey 2, Mark and Melissa have developed deep bonds within the community as they lift up the needs of the people before God.  The family water buffalo that was feared lost forever, suddenly showed up to the amazement of the whole family and neighbors.  Mark made it clear last night that he does not make a habit of praying for lost oversized cows, but for this family the return of their water buffalo was like recovering a stolen sports car.  Melissa was deeply blessed when she found out this morning that a young pregnant woman that she had shared with earlier this week, privately dedicated her life to Christ as she could not resist His pull any longer.  This young mother-to-be told Melissa that she is naming her child after her; please pray that the baby is a girl!

We are working in two parts of Pum Veal, which is spread out over several square miles.  Pum Veal 2 has been very closed to the Gospel, but this has not slowed Tanner and Rebecca.  Tanner was pressed into service to lead this community when we added an eighth mission site.  Pum Veal is the village of little Hong, the boy with the wound that had begun to gangrene.  I will give you a full update after I visit his family tomorrow.  Tanner, Rebecca, their translators and national workers have fit right into the rhythm of the community.  They and their national partners can be found helping prepare noodles, drawing water for a woman at the well, carrying heavy loads for their new friends, or working the soil in the fields.  I truly believe that God is going to use their servant hearts to break down the spiritual strongholds in Pum Veal 2.  Please pray for them tomorrow as they desire to share the Gospel with the local witchdoctor.  He is a powerful man and the people in the community have said that they fear his wrath if they become followers of Christ.  We know that "greater is He that is within us, than he who is in the world."

I have many more stories to tell and pictures to send, but while your Wednesday has just begun, ours has already taken place and I'm whipped.  The entire team sends their blessings and ask that you continue to hold us up in your prayers. Many people are coming Christ!

With love from Kampuchia,

Andreas

• Learn more about e3 Legacy HERE.
• Ready to GO on mission?  Find upcoming e3 Legacy trips HERE.
• Do you have questions?  Email Andreas HERE.