Tim Marshall in Southeast Asia

Tim's Travel Adventures
Tim Marshall went to Southeast Asia May 16th - 30th.

Well, after circumnavigating the globe I've finally landed safely in Seaford!  

As you know by now, we went to Southeast Asia by going west through LA, to China, Malaysia then Cambodia, came back through Stockholm and New York!  Spent a total of about 48 hours in airplanes. (It may not sound like much but for an old Coastie that's a loooooong time in the air!!!)  

Thanks to all of you for praying - God showed us some pretty amazing things along the way and He introduced us to some pretty amazing people.  

Here are a few pics depicting some work being done at a dump site and some neighborhoods around Phenom Penh.    I tried to keep my journal up to date.

Believe it or not this trip was very hard work.  We spent every day carefully studying the environment and our culture and trying to understand our audience and their needs.  Bill (a clinical psychologist) and I spent every day either teaching, preaching, or praying and preparing for our next opportunity to speak.  We each took notes and outlines along on the trip for teaching and preaching, but we realized immediately that they would have to be recalibrated and substantially overhauled or scrapped altogether and reworked to suit our audience and to include what the Spirit was saying to and for and about our audience...  

The most amazing part of this trip, I think, was to see God working in and through the believers in Cambodia.  These young leaders (most were between 25-35) are pouring their lives out for the sake of the gospel, and they are extremely well grounded in the Word.  It felt pretty foolish to think that we could teach them anything about how to live the Christian life or how to make a difference in their community for Christ.  We are embarrassingly and significantly behind them in that.  Even though believers make up only about 1% of the population of ~12Million,  that 1% is a a tremendous force for Christ in a dark and dirty and very needy third world country.  But a theme for me was Paul's text in Romans 1 when he expressed a deep desire to visit believers there - "we were mutually encouraged by each other's faith".  

The average wage in Cambodia for the working class, if they can get work, is about $1/day, and the average life span for adult males is about 52...  36 if they live near the water.  Disease is rampant and the public worship of idols is distressing - we felt a little like Paul when he was wandering around Athens...   just a few years ago Pol Pot exterminated nearly 3 Million Cambodians trying to create a more manageable population, and the country is still really suffering from that... several guys we worked with there lost brothers to his reign of terror...   

Thanks for praying us all around the world and back home again - as I get myself together I'll try to give you a fuller account...  

As I write this my neighbor is mowing my yard...again...    he says its a welcome home gift.  He is just one of many whose love and active faith has encouraged me all along this trip.  Another neighbor, came over to encourage me before I left and then helped us in a big way at the airport in Newark to get from New York to LA - gave substantially and sacrificially.  Some of you gave me notes of encouragement to get me started - and many of you touched base with Kay while I was away to make sure she was doing ok and offered to do anything she might need.   

Thank you my dear friends - God bless you  

Love   Tim  <><

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