Welch July 2016 Newsletter

Welches Grapevine

for the glory of God

Greetings dearest loved ones,

a recent photo of the Sunday gathering at our home

We are extremely encouraged to be sharing with you the joy of ministry.  Your prayers and partnership continues to have a major impact on the work and lives in Cambodia.  Proclaiming Christ is the story and our mission.  It began more than 10 years ago and continues today.  We are grateful you are a part of the story and thank you for your faith and trust in the ways you allow us to impact those we are blessed to serve.

a recent family meal in Phnom Penh with (l-to-r) Theary, Sharon, Pov, Dennis and Khuech

We are so grateful for each one of you.  Thank you so much for the blessings you are in our lives and the Lord’s work here in Cambodia.  Furthermore, we praise God for a time of rich encouragement from family and friends during our recent furlough visit.  We are humbled and incredibly blessed to have you walking with us and cheering us on in this amazing work.  Our prayer is this update uplifts your heart and mind just as it uplifts us to share it with you.  Since our last newsletter we have really been focusing on our next steps; “Refocusing and Transformation in Christ.”  The journey continues!

Great-grandson Percy, Grandson Anthony, Daughter-in-Law Jamie, Grandson Gage, us, and Son Michael

Sandy & Cindy Detherage sending us off

During our Stateside visit Dennis was blessed with an opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia for Christian coach training from Creative Results Management.  Although he had some great ideas on how this program could assist us in our ministry, the coaching program exceeded his expectations.  Dennis has already seen how his training has helped him approach ministry in new ways.  The training incorporates a faith-based perspective and is impacting lives and seeing people transformed.  Dennis already has used this tool to bless others and coaching has significantly impacted the way we do our discipleship training ministry.  Praise God for gifting us with new resources and additional ways to serve.

Come Before Winter, is a Churches of Christ retreat originally started for missionary women.  Sharon joined her first CBW, March of this year in Australia.  She couldn’t stop sharing how great it was.  The first ever men’s version was recently held in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The event was packed with great singing, studying, praying, meditating, reflecting and story-telling through the Gospel of Luke.  Story-telling is a big part of ministry in Asian cultures because, although most people can now read and write, the cultures are still mostly oral/visual.  All who attended were richly encouraged and spiritually challenged.  We are grateful to those who planned and lead the retreat.

First Come Before Winter Retreat for Men, Chiang Mai, Thailand, June 2016

We were blessed earlier in the month to meet with Dr. Evertt Huffard and his wife Ileene.   Dr. Huffard is the Professor of Leadership and Missions at Harding School of Theology.  Ileene, currently directs the Graduate Program in Education for Harding University. Together, with Andrew and Natalie Hayes, we spent a full day sitting at their feet and learning a great deal in regards to using our spiritual gifts, how to accomplishing more by working together and studying through Romans 12:6-21.  Please join us in a prayer of thanksgiving for this Godly couple.

Dr. Evertt Huffard

Late July  we attended the Asia Pacific Elders, Deacons and Spouses’ Conference (APEDS Conference) in Melaka, Malaysia.  The attendees came to the table to feast, listen, and fellowship with one another, sensing what God is doing in the various countries and communities of Asia.  All joining were richly blessed as we reflected on how God is shepherding brethren in missions and ministry.  Directly following the APEDS Conference was the 55th Asia Mission Forum (AMF).  This years AMF study highlights “Living by the Spirit, Guided by the Spirit” taken from Galatians 5:1 and 13-26.  Once again we were blessed to hear from Dr. Evertt Huffard the events keynote speaker.  We were richly encouraged and spiritually charged by the great lessons, the rich testimonies of our fellow brethren and the joyous opportunity to commune with one another in worship, prayer and fellowship and make new friends.  To God be the glory!

Asia Pacific Elders, Deacons, Spouses’ Conference

photo op after the local cultural performance at the 2016 Asian Mission Forum

Thank you for praying with us:

• We all ask you to pray that our family will be a strong and holy witness in the community.
• By God’s strength we will continue to become better listeners in the Cambodian language, better story-tellers of His good news and faithful children and servants of His calling.
• Daughter, Theary asks you to pray for God’s guidance as she graduates (from university) and starts a new season in her life.  She wants to be obedient to His will.
• Sharon asks that you pray for Cambodia and the political unrest, for strong Christian families and for locals to rise up for Christ and His church.

Scripture verses we are memorizing and meditating on:  Romans 5:1-5  “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  (We are memorizing these verses in the Cambodian language.)

What we are reading:

• The Solutions Focus, Making Coaching & Change SIMPLE, by Mark McKergow & Paul Z. Jackson – (The solution focused approach highlights on the individuals skills, strengths and positive qualities and helps one adopt an alternative perspective on the future. We are thrilled we can use this approach to engage with Cambodians in a more realistic and optimistic perspective. It can help them be aware of their abilities, gifts, resources and successes, both past and present to serve and OBEY JESUS.)

We’re grateful to God that He uses you to bless us and our work through your faith, love, encouragement and prayers.  May God pour out His blessings on you for your faithfulness.

Eternal love and blessings,

Dennis & Sharon