Hello everyone!

This is Timmy (Tim, son, brother, cousin, church partner, banana sticker guy, however else you know me as).  I just want to thank you all for being such amazing people that have poured into my life and helped lead me on the straight and narrow to be who God has called me to be.  For those who supported me financially, thank you very much.  I would not be able to go if not for your generosity.  Thank all of you for being such amazing friends, mentors, and family members.  Thank you for being the person God has called you to be.
I cannot wait to embark upon the journey God is sending me on!  I'm glad He is sending me with Ryan Seibert a great man of God and friend.  I will be in Cambodia until I arrive back in the U.S. on August 8th just in time for school to start.

I am going with Global Storm. While there, I will be living and serving through the Hard Places Community which is part of what Global Storm does.  I will be in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Pen. It is an amazing organization led by an amazing couple.  I got to meet them for a weekend of training in Kansas City, and I could not be more excited about getting to serve through this organization!  The primary focus is on loving God.  There is nothing else as foundational as this.  After this they are about loving people.  Since my primary focus this summer will be fighting against sex trafficking, it is obvious that they are concerned about social justice.  They are actually more concerned about evangelism and making disciples though.  Their primary goal for everyone who is there is to engage in relational evangelism (just getting to know and love people around and speaking of Christ's love and hope).  This is the root of why they are concerned for social justice.  The two go hand in hand.

I do not know for certain what I will be doing while there because it depends on how my gifts can fit into the things that are already happening at the Hard Places Community.  Here are some of the possibilities for kingdom work I will be doing daily:

Working at by the river with boys who sell goods during the day and at night they themselves are sold

Loving the children wherever I meet them always ready to give a children's lesson

Surveying people who buy the people in the sex trade (the reason for the survey is because even if we rescue girls and boys from sex trafficking, more will be brought in to replace them.  The only way to end sex trafficking is to end the demand for it.  The Hard Places Community is wanting to start a ministry for the people who buy sex slaves and show them love so they can repent and see the love of their Heavenly Father)

Teach ing English to parents of children who have be sold into sex trafficking (either by the parents or kidnapped and sold)

Preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ

Visiting Cambodian families and helping connect them with The Hard Places Community so that they can either come to know the love of Christ or contribute to God's kingdom through unity with the Hard Places Community.

These are the things I will most likely be doing while there.  There are other possibilities as well, but I do not know them. I hope to send out an email update about every weekend.  It will not come from my email address though.  The email will come from someone at Global Storm.  So if you see an email address with some thing like "allnations" in the title, do not be scared to open the email as it will contain my update.

I wish that I could send more personal updates while there, but my primary focus will be on loving the people in Cambodia and growing in God.  But because I know and love each of you personally please send me emails while I am there.  I cannot guarantee I will be able to email back, but hopefully I can have some more personal communication with you all.  Send the emails to this email address because I will check this one.  And please send me ways that I can pray for you while I am in Cambodia.  Give me a cool story of what is happening in your life this summer.

 

If you have time to pray for me here are some initial things:

Pray against the evil of sex trafficking in Phnom Phen and around the world. Pray that the sex slaves can be freed and the demand for sex slaves will come to an end (check out exoduscry.com. They are about praying against sex trafficking and have prayer guides)

-Pray that I will never neglect my first love and will grow in my relationship with God
-Pray that Ryan and I will have true unity and fellowship while there (and that I won't drive him crazy!)
-Pray that I will be aggressive in seeking out ways to serve and not wait for someone to tell me to do
-Pray that I will die to my flesh daily and live by the Spirit's leading

I do not deserve to have so many amazing people in my life.  I don't even deserve to be able to serve God like He is allowing me to let alone be loved as a son.  But that is what makes our God so great!

May the peace of Christ be with you!
Timmy