From Cambodia to Texas: Expanding Our Reach, Embracing Change

When the five of us started our journey in Cambodia over 13 years ago, we had no idea what God had in store for us. There were many unknowns in the path ahead, but we were excited and expectant. Over the years we have seen God do amazing things and we have developed relationships with people who have forever changed our lives. We've seen communities become stronger, healthier and safer. And most importantly, we've seen multitudes who have come to know Jesus.

We hope we've been able to share this journey with you in a meaningful way as you have partnered with us, prayed for us and cheered us on. We again want to say THANK YOU! With your continued support we hope to see the people of Cambodia and the Mekong Region come to know Christ.

As 2024 has developed we’ve been shocked to see what has happened. Wayne and the team at CCPC have trained 250 men and ladies across 5 church planting schools. By the end of 2025, they plan to double that number with 10 new schools and 450 church planters, expanding into new opportunities in Thailand and other Southeast Asia regions. Tricia and the team at University of Puthisastra have developed an e-health records learning system that has now been launched nationwide in 6 universities with over 900 students in the first cohort. Their education initiative has been accepted for publication in a leading nursing journal. This will be the first publication of its kind across Southeast Asia. This will be a groundbreaking publication for the profession of nurse educators in Cambodia.

At the same time God is helping us to expand our reach, we have also felt it is time for a transition. We are excited that opportunities have arisen allowing us to continue work in the Asia region while also allowing us to relocate back to Texas. This means we will be looking for a new place to settle close to the DFW airport at the first of the year. 

 

Wayne  will continue his work in the Mekong Region from the US, focusing on an executive role with international travel. Tricia has been asked to serve in leadership roles at the University of Puthisastra to assist in advancing the nursing program. She is also continuing her research at the university.  We’re still working out the details and plan to take a short time off to transition, rest, and restructure for what God has next. 

After 13 incredible years in Cambodia, we are returning home to reconnect with our community and continue our work in new ways. We kindly ask for your continued support as we move into this new phase of our ministry. As we transition, we face some significant relocation expenses. If you feel led, a one-time gift to help cover our relocation costs would be greatly appreciated. Your generosity continues to be a blessing to us, and we thank you for standing with us during this time of change. If you'd like to partner with us Click Here 

We will have more detailed updates in January once we are settled back in Texas and look forward to sharing what lies ahead and how you can be a part. 

Wayne & Tricia

What Can Church Planting Look Like?

 

Srey Pov has suffered from mental illness. Living in a rural village she lacks access to sufficient medical or mental health resources. She also lacked a relational support system and is the caretaker of her mother. Several months ago Srey Pov began suffering from paranoia. She began to believe that her neighbors were going to steal her dog, who she greatly loved. 

 

So, Srey Pov locked her dog into her small one room house and moved her and her mother out of the house to live under a tree in the yard.  She did this thinking it would keep her dog safe.

One of our church planters, Kim Chheng, began visiting the village where Srey Pov lived. He believed God was calling him to share the Gospel and plant a church in this village. He began visiting homes in the village and soon met Srey Pov.

 

When Kim Chheng saw the disrepair of Srey Pov’s home and that her and her mother were living under a tree, he began to spend time with Srey Pov and her mother. Srey Pov and her mother had been living in this situation for quite a long time.  He was greatly concerned about the mother’s health living outside and Srey Pov’s health. He was moved with compassion to help them, but knew it would take a unique approach. 

 

He gathered some of his church members and they went to Srey Pov’s home and built a nice, secure dog kennel. Once Srey Pov was pleased with the safety and security of her dog, Kim Chheng asked Srey Pov if his team could come and help her clean out her house and pray and spend time with her and her mother. 

 

Soon they had the house cleaned out and Srey Pov and her mother were able to move back inside. Kim Chheng’s team also noticed that Srey Pov’s water well was very primitive and needed to be cleaned out and a small structure built to protect the well in the future. This would keep Srey Pov’s water supply clean and healthy. They even enlisted other villagers to help in the effort.

 

Through Kim Chheng’s display of love and genuine compassion he was able to share Christ not only to Srey Pov and her mother, but also to the other villagers. Soon Srey Pov was doing much better and had a relational group of people around her to provide some stability. She and her mother were happy to open their home to a weekly gathering of people for worship, fellowship and learning God’s word together.  

Over time people came to know Christ, were baptized and a house church was planted. We’ve seen in villages in Cambodia that planting a church can look many different ways. Church planters must look for the most appropriate ways of sharing the Gospel in that specific village and then over time develop disciples and leaders into healthy fellowship.

Your gift makes the work of the Hester family in Cambodia possible, and we work hard to maximize each dollar entrusted to us. We are grateful for the generous support of many individuals and organizations that share our commitment to informed, responsible and effective service in Cambodia. To partner with us Click Here.