NTM

Ron and Sally arrived almost two weeks ago and they have adjusted amazingly well. I guess their twelve years of experience in PNG gave them some advantage. They ended up staying with us only one night before deciding to rent the apartment below us. I told them that didn’t speak highly of my hospitality. They appreciate the convenience of not having to run around town picking out furniture and appliances. They have been able to plunge right into culture study.

One of the places that I went with them to last week was the high school in Tuol Sleng where the Khmer Rouge interrogated and tortured men, women and children. I’ve read about the place and seen pictures but it wasn’t until last week that I was able to bring myself to go. The school has been preserved in the condition it was left, which was a horrific site. They murdered 2-3 million people from mere babies to elderly adults It was such an example of the depravity of men’s souls without Christ and how it is capable of unspeakable evils.

The leaders of the Khmer Rouge had all gone to France to receive their education and then returned to Cambodia seeking a revolution. I couldn’t help but to think, “what if….What if they had gone to a country with a Christian witness and had there been introduced to the Lord and returned with desire to share Christ instead?” In America the Lord has given us an amazing opportunity to share Christ with people from all over the world by bringing them to our neighborhoods, schools and businesses. On our flight from LA to Bangkok I sat beside a Thai lady who went to a university in SC for 8 years. I asked her if she ever was invited to someone’s home for a meal, to church or had anyone ever shared with her about Jesus. She said no to all three. The Lord brings many people along our paths so let’s be encouraged to be faithful to open up our lives and build relationships so that we can share about Him. We never know how the Lord may wish to use them to impact their communities.

Thank you for praying about our housing. We found a nice house on the edge of town that seems to be just what we were looking for. The landlord is a very nice and helpful lady. Her sisters live on both sides of the rental property and are just as kind. We look forward to getting to know this family and others in the area. We will be meeting with the landlord again on Thursday and hopefully will be able to move to the house in October.

CSI clinic has approached a local hospital for the usage of their operating room. They seem to agree with the idea. We just have to work out the details and send a formal letter to them. Hopefully in a month we can start doing operations there. This hospital is actually a designated hospital to take care of Buddhist monks and poor patients. Inside the hospital there is a small temple. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to make His name known and share His love in this hospital. During the next 6 weeks, Kit will be helping at the CSI clinic one day a week (on Thursday) – while one of their physician is away.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

Dear Family, friends and co-workers in Christ,

Our furlough time in USA has been very profitable and nearly come to the end. Our marriage, vision, faith and commitment has been strengthened. The Lord has blessed and encouraged us in many ways beyond our imagination. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Isaiah 55:8-9 has been echoing in my head and my heart wherever I work in Kentucky or North Carolina. I am so grateful for His provision which allowing me to get back into practicing medicine and using it to serve Him and provide care to my patients with the expression of Christ’s love.

Avery are doing well and thoroughly enjoy co-leading Bible study in our neighborhood. The group of 8 wives just finished their “Stepping up – a Beth Moore’s Bible study”. We praise the Lord for our new friend and neighbor – Robin and her husband Randy. It is incredible to learn that the Lord has been preparing both of them for a fulltime ministry. Now they are close friend and reaching out to our neighbor in NC.

We are so excited to get to know our future NTM missionaries. Kit will lead a group of 9 missionary candidates visiting Cambodia during May 27 – June 11. We praise the Lord for His provision. Please keep our team in your prayers:

• Please asking the Lord to reveal Himself and confirm His will to us individually
• Please pray for His protection from any sickness or accident
• Please pray for the unity of the team as we work together and travel in remote part of the country – visiting tribal people and learning about the needs

Once the team leave Cambodia on June 11, Kit will stay behind in Phnom Penh looking for a rental house and get it set up. Kit will return to USA on June 25 or sooner (if it is possible). Our family are planning to return to Phnom Penh on August 14. One of our responsibilities is helping new missionaries adjusting to new lifestyle in Cambodia and effectively learning Khmer’s language and culture. It is very important for us to get this rental house set up soon before our new co-worker “Ron & sally” arrival on Aug 28. We are looking forward to have them with us in Cambodia.

Thank you for praying with us for this upcoming trip and the rental house that we need. We are counting on your prayers!

Lucas is doing well and enjoying his friends in our neighbor. It will be a huge adjustment for him – having to leave friends and family that he loves.

The following link is Lucas’s singing. We trust you might enjoy it. The other video is the representation of the need among tribal people of Cambodia. One last request – Please pray for Avery & Lucas too while I am away for over a month. I am leaving to LA this Friday. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfypCEgoki4&feature=email

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cszKylLUYbM&feature=email

Once again thank you for your partnership in Ministry.
With much loves and appreciation,

Kit, Avery & Lucas
www.kitandavery.org 

"The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." 
                                                                              Matt 9:37-38

Thank you for your prayers and partnership. Praise be unto Him: Despite a lengthy wait – Kit received his US Citizenship on September 18. Then only one week after applying, Kit received his US Passport. Our time in USA has also been very beneficial to our marriage, family and personal growth in the Lord. We are doing well and really enjoy our time here. Lucas is growing and mastering his English.

There are some changes in our ministry in Cambodia which we would like to share with you. The Morrison’s decided to join with the Smedley’s to form a team to reach out to the Tumpuan people group. This news made us take a step back and examine our lives and the ministry the Lord has for us. We realized that we would not be able to begin a tribal ministry with the Kavet as we initially hoped because of the lack of co-workers. We have been asked by our leadership to remain in the Capital city (Phnom Penh) helping with administration, supply buying, promoting the field, developing National Language and culture acquisition program and eventually helping new missionary families as they arrive and adjust to life in Cambodia. Our leaders also foresee that medicine, which is being utilized by the Lewis’ in the Kuy Tribe (Preah Vihear province), might be a tool to keeping the door opened and providing good will toward our organization. Kit previously worked a limited time at the “CSI Clinic” which is under the supervision of Southern Baptist missionaries. Upon return to Cambodia, he will begin working there more extensively. This clinic exists to share Christ’s love and message by providing medical care to Christian leaders, church members, Christian workers and any patients which have been referred to the clinic by a Christian organization at no cost. It has been a tremendous blessing to Christian community throughout the country since the medical care in Cambodia is still substandard.

Since meeting with our leader in August, the Lord has been convicting me of my limited goals and vision. I had an opportunity to attend a revival meeting with Pastor Gerald (our senior Pastor) last month. Through Pastor Gerald’s sermon, I was convicted that I have been living on my little vision instead of His. I thought it a noble goal to want to be a tribal missionary (on the surface), but it may have been just my preference – or how I wanted to be recognized. I had never made myself available until now to be used in the support missionary role.

Through various circumstances this year, waiting on God seemed to become a main theme of my life. I have learned that waiting is one of the methods the Lord uses to prepare His servants like Paul, Moses, Joseph, Elijah, David and etc. As I was seeking His guidance, I had the opportunity to visit and speak to a number of Missionary candidates at the NTM missionary training center in September. Working with our new field administrator (Ron & Sally Carraway) and being around other folks who are on fire and eager to serve the Lord (possibly in Cambodia) gave me a glimpse of hope and thought (for the very first time) that all tribal people in Cambodia can be reached in our life time. Having been working in Cambodia during this last 3 years and only seeing one new missionary family come after us – the vision of reaching all people groups was slowly disappearing from my heart. I had become very self focused – something like “oh if the Lord uses me to reach one tribe like the Kavet, it is good enough. I just have to leave the rest of the unreached people groups to the Lord and other mission groups.” It is clear to me now how my vision was shrinking and becoming just my vision not His.

I have been fasting and praying – seeking the Lord to confirm if this vision of “Reaching every tribe in Cambodia during our life time” is His and what is the role that He wishes for my family and I to take in it. It is an evident that this is certainly a God’s size task. It is much broader and wider and it could only be fulfilled by Him and His power. Will you pray with me as I am seeking Him? I trust that you all can see that this might be a bigger role for you also as our partner in helping all 19 tribal people groups in Cambodia be reached.

Once we return to Phnom Penh, we will be finishing up learning Khmer while Kit plans to practice medicine on a regular basis at the CSI clinic. Since it has been over 7 years that Kit has been actively practicing medicine, Kit felt strongly that He need some supervision and additional training to regain/renew his medical experiences. Dr. Tom Ashburn (former IMB missionary) and his practice in Kentucky are extending their help and are providing training for Kit during this next 6 months (starting Oct 22). Kit is also volunteering at a clinic for uninsured patients in Sparta a couple of days a week when we are in NC. Our NTM Cambodia field leaders, our pastors and our family believe that the time spent regaining medical knowledge will be very beneficial to our future ministry in Cambodia.

Here are some Praises & Prayer requests that you can be praying with us:

1. We praise the Lord that He is sending the Carraway’s with their experience in the field of Papua New Guinea to serve in an administrative and leadership role in Cambodia. We ask that you pray that the Lord will lay on the heart of one man with church planting experience in the mission and their families to share in the responsibility of field leadership in Cambodia.

2. More laborers to reach tribal people in Cambodia, we are praying through the vision of reaching every tribal group in Cambodia in our life time. We praise the Lord for the interest among NTM Missionary candidates in serving the Lord in Cambodia.

3. Kentucky medical license: it has been over 4 months since we submitted the application but the verification process has been very redundant and slow.

4. Preparation on returning to Cambodia in next 6-9 months, hopefully before our visiting missionary candidates team arrives. We are praying and waiting on the Lord for the funds to cover our airplane tickets and the expense of resetting up our home in Phnom Penh (such as house rental).

Thank you again for your prayers and partnership in ministry. 

Thank you for your prayer & partnership,

Kit, Avery & Lucas Putrakul

Here are some prayer requests that you can be praying with us:

1. We praise the Lord that He is sending the Carraway’s with their experience in the field of Papua New Guinea to serve in an administrative and leadership role in Cambodia. We ask that you pray that the Lord will lay on the heart of one man with church planting experience in the mission and their families to share in the responsibility of field leadership in Cambodia.

2. More laborers to reach tribal people in Cambodia, we are praying through the vision of reaching every tribal group in Cambodia in our life time. We praise the Lord for the interest among NTM Missionary candidates in serving the Lord in Cambodia.

3. Kentucky medical license: it has been over 4 months since we submitted the application but the verification process has been very redundant and slow. 

4. Preparation on returning to Cambodia in next 6-9 months, hopefully before our visiting missionary candidates team arrives. We are praying and waiting on the Lord for the funds to cover our airplane tickets and the expense of resetting up our home in Phnom Penh (such as house rental).

Thank you again for your prayers and partnership in ministry. 

Kit, Avery & Lucas