August 5, 2014
Living a Dream
Perhaps the most exciting news blog that I receive each week is a blog sent out by Julie Broyles, Founder, and Director of the BEST Center (Bible, English Study & Training Center) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The daughter of Loren and Penny Hollingsworth, long-time missionaries in Thailand, Julie spent her teenage years in Bangkok. Her parents’ passion for sharing the good news about Christ in Southeast Asia evidently rubbed off on Julie and her sister Ronda. Both are now serving the Lord in Phnom Penh.
Ronda’s husband, Rich Dolan, is the Director of the Cambodian Bible Institute (an extension of SIBI) and works with the University congregation which meets at the BEST Center. The university students housed at BEST Center are taught by the Center’s staff (Piseth, Avy, Dara, and Sreyleak). Others are taught by visiting Americans.
On August 21, Julie reported that Chhoy, the only male university student living at the Center, had decided to be baptized. Can you feel the emotion in her words? “When you pray and pray and study and study, it seems like it takes so long.
You become so anxious about one’s soul once you grow to love and care for that person. Finally, at 6:30 last Sunday morning, Chhoy said he wanted to be baptized. Piseth started getting the water ready. We got everyone out of the bedrooms, and the center was buzzing with the thrill of his decision. So right before 8:00, the singing began, and I am sure it began in heaven too. Wow! Just
look at the pictures. They say it all.”
BEST Center is a year-around school where volunteer teachers from America come for a month at a time to share their faith with students, one-on-one, six hours a day. From the beginning, Julie has used WEI courses in this teaching ministry. Ordinarily, Buddhist students are slow to convert to Christianity, but God has blessed the BEST Center with an amazing harvest of souls this year.
On August 30, Julie wrote, “It has been unbelievable here. God is harvesting, and it is so fun to watch. On Tuesday, two girls who are classmates, not only in our Bible/English class but also at their university, became sisters in Christ. What a beautiful way to begin a relationship in the family of God. Thanks to Helen, Vicki, Maurice, Taylor, and Cheryl who planted seeds for months, and Dara who visited with them too. Every teacher who comes makes an impact on everyone’s students just by the atmosphere in the classroom, the smiles, and the love that is felt.”
Let’s look at one more example of what God is doing through BEST Center in Cambodia. On September 5, Julie wrote, “Sarong is a shy, hard-working, hard studying precious young lady in our dorm. She has known if she decided to follow Jesus, her family would not be happy. They had already told her earlier.
“This last Tuesday morning, she was baptized anyway! When she talked to her brother on the phone, he was very angry with her and told her she didn’t need to come home anymore. Thanks are to God, her older sister was kind, and when she [Sarong] finally talked to her mother, she said it was all right, too. Sarong is so relieved. “Sarong has studied with Sreyleak and still studies with Avy and Dara. She has also been touched with the many loving foreigners who have come. What a joy!!!!!
Praise the Lord.”
Julie, we praise God for you, and we honor you today for deflecting all the honor and praise to God. To him be the glory.
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED
including WEI in your will? By naming WEI in your estate,
you will accomplish two important things:
1. You will lay up treasures in heaven.
2. You will help others get to heaven, too.
