FOUNDATIONAL VALUES3/8/2017 Greetings my dear friends a family! I wanted to take a few minutes and update you to some of what's been going on here in Poipet. It's been a month full of foundational work both in our hearts and our ministry. The pioneering pace and culture we walked out last year I'm realizing will have to shift a bit more into a consistent and sustainable pace where clear values and vision are able to sink into our new team members as they join. Last week we received our first long term team member and it's great to see how well he's transitioned right into things as I see this as one of the primary purposes of our base here. To be a place where those who feel called to share the gospel and serve the people of Cambodia can come, feel welcomed, continue to grow, learn language, worship, pray, and adjust to functioning more and more in the Khmer context while not being overwhelmed by complete immersion. I'm a huge fan of complete immersion as someone who's learned that way myself but I've also learned that there's a very small percentage of people who can actually sustain it so we're trying to develop a bit of a process.
At first the person coming here will typically need some English speaking friends and some type of context for continual growth, discipleship, and accountability as they move along the spectrum from being a westerner to a westerner who's able to function and thrive in a Khmer context. This process requires delicacy as on one end you can potentially isolate yourself from your host culture (Particularly in large cities or established ministries) and spend your time on the field eating western food, drinking lattes, going to malls, and speaking, worshipping and discipling in English. On the other end (It's rare but it happened to me) you can so immerse yourself in your host culture, and remove yourself from your own that spiritual growth, accountability, and emotional/spiritual health go out the window as well as your influence in your international community. Striking the balance between these two and helping our staff move further along the scale is the goal. 3 weeks ago I watched as Conner a DTS student on a short term team I led 2 years ago lead the 5 of us (4 western 1 khmer) into a worship session all in the Khmer language and I thought... well the process is working. Developing a system for this process is paramount right now as our new team member Brad is just the first of many to come. Next week Alizabeth a 21 year old Ywamer from Texas will join us, In April we will have a team of 11 with us for 9 months, and in July an awesome family of 4 are jumping in as well. I'm so grateful to the Lord for sending us workers for the harvest but the emphasis has to remain on the harvest not on the workers. Wether writing this blog, studying Khmer, or training new missionaries, I feel my primary role here in Poipet is keeping the purpose of seeing the gospel of Jesus taught and demonstrated to every person in our city as our teams primary focus. Personally I've been quite busy yet managing to juggle things. A usual day begins with getting up at 5am to run (I'm training for my first marathon!), 6am Time with Jesus & get ready, 7am chores, 7:30 breakfast, 8AM Team worship/prayer, 9:30-11:30 Language study, 12pm Lunch, 1-4 Ministry 5-6 Cook Dinner with my crew, 6pm Dinner, 7pm Gym, 9pm Relax & Read. It's a bit hectic but the 1-4 ministry time usually involves a lot of one on one discipleship which usually refreshes and excites me. Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue working towards seeing the gospel taught and demonstrated here in Poipet. Much love. Prayer Requests - Wisdom in establishing our core goals and values - Favor with the government as we register our Youth Development Center - Keeping our focus on Jesus - Balance between staff development and evangelistic engagment - Adequate humility & patience in our western workers to love, respect, and honor our khmer workers and culture.
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God Said To Build A Stage...2/1/2017 Greetings from Poipet Cambodia! I'd like to start by saying thank you to everyone back in the states for helping to make my stay fruitful, enjoyable, and refreshing. It was so good to catch up, eat some amazing food, and see how God has been moving in the various lives and communities I'm privileged to be apart of. It's only been 3 weeks since leaving the states but it's quite the eventful 3 weeks. Our departure from the states and arrival in Cambodia between weather delays, lost baggage, transport problems and immediately jumping into a 2 week conference with 400 people kind of knocked me for a loop. I quickly realized that although America was great the abundance of luxuries and amenities offered there had sadly provided comforts that masked my need for God and allowed for a bit of spiritual apathy which I think if I'm honest I'm still trying to snap out of. Prayers are appreciated as I take the next week to re-center myself spiritually and seek God's direction for this upcoming year. I'm acutely aware of the fact that without His grace and a thankful heart I'm going to get smoked as we say back home like a Philly blunt. Thanks be to God however I haven't had to look hard or far to find things to be inspired by or be grateful for. When we came here last year God spoke to our team in one time of prayer about building a stage. We were puzzled and the more practical ones of our team took it quite literally to mean that we should build stages. We did end up building 2 small school building where education and gospel presentations take place but I tucked that word away in my heart and only when I returned to Poipet last month did I see it come to pass. Last year we worked hard to create relationships and a system of operations through which ministry would flow. When we left we arranged for a Fire and Fragrance DTS team to come out and test out what we had established with only our 1 khmer team member here to help host them. We arranged for them to volunteer as teachers a few hours a day at a friends private school and in return she would provide transportation via their school vans through out the week to villages and various places of ministry. We also set up an opportunity where some of the guys from the team would volunteer as personal trainers at a friends gym. They even taught a Yoga class. To be honest though I wasn't sure it would work. Would the relationships hold strong? Would the team be comfortable in our home? Food? Culture? Language? All the different logistics that go into making ministry work here were stacked against us. Stacked as it was the success of that teams short month long outreach in our city using the "stage" if you will that we've built was beyond my wildest expectations. All over our city people were getting miraculously healed, radically loved, authentically educated, and change was taking place. The team raised money for one of our contacts who had previously been walking miles a day to various villages to teach the poorest and most isolated. One of the team put together a soccer team by combining a local youth group and a private school and took second place in the city. At a thank you dinner the other night provided and hosted by our friends the gym owners one of the team a young man named Matt stopped an employee who he saw was limping to pray for her. My friend the owner, a wonderful agnostic Buddhist, translated to his employee and told him to sit down and let the foreigners pray for her. After a short prayer the women said the pain was better, slightly sarcastically my friend told her to get up and run around a little if it was indeed better. The smirk on his face quickly changed to a jaw dropping stare as the woman stood and quite in shock herself began to yell "But Chung!" "But Chung!" (Completely Gone!) and literally ran away in shock. I had Matt, who my friends thought was a holy man by this point close the meal with a prayer for them, their business, and their soon to be born baby daughter. Seeing all of this has filled me with a great sense of gratitude towards God for allowing me to be apart of starting this new Ywam Base here in Poipet. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for the team of people that were crazy enough to give up 9 months last year and start something new in one of the most unreached and in need cities on earth. At the same time it's put a holy fear in me to persevere and continue to follow God in the next steps as He reveals them. I've never been good at consistency. My life has been basically a long series of drastic ups and downs and that scares me a bit. If there was one time in my life where I would really appreciate not a major or sharp improvement but just a gradual and consistent one that time would be now. Maybe it's my age but I think I'm just too tired to start at square one again right now. Much love my friends. Please keep me in your prayers and if the Lord moves in your heart to support the work I'm doing here financially please consider a one time or even better once a month donation. It's not my favorite part of the job but it's how this whole thing works. We Go, God guides, and typically uses His church as the way to provide. Until next month, stay up and while the world argues and fights over political and social issues keep your eyes on Jesus and your heart full of love. Below are a few photos of the team doing ministry throughout our community Thankfully while the team held down the fort in Poipet we were able to attend a conference at the brand new campus of out big brother base in Battambang. Love our Ywam Community here in Cambodia.
10 Years To Transform A City1/7/2017 When the team and I left Kona Hawaii last year to pioneer a new ministry in the city of Poipet Cambodia I wasn’t entirely aware of what God had in store. I couldn’t have anticipated the bonding that would take place between our team as we grasped out in faith towards the vision we felt in our hearts. I didn’t fore see the depth and quality of relationships we’d establish with key leaders of education and business in the city. I also couldn’t have imagined the size of the vision and of the love He would place in my heart personally for the city.
I’ve found that God will not require commitment before placing an adequate amount of love in your heart for something. However I’ve also found that once the commitment comes the love increases. As I get ready to commit myself fully to the work ahead of me the words He spoke to me about making a 10 year commitment don’t seem all that daunting. I know that God has a plan for the city of Poipet and I want to join Him in seeing that plan become a reality. I believe that God wants the young people in that city to have access to quality, affordable, education and the opportunity to pursue it. I believe that God wants the families there to make a living that will allow them the basics of shelter, food, clean water, and access to the gospel. I believe that God wants the people of Poipet to know who He is and the love that He has for them. I also believe that God wants to use our Ywam team to make these dreams a reality. We have a home now to do all of this from, we have short term YWAM teams committed to coming regularly to help serve this vision, we have staff of educators, business consultants, IT professionals, Hospitality Directors, Administrators, Media & Graphics people, and we have Jesus holding us all together. We have bicycles, motos, and are purchasing a van to get us where we need to be. All of this God has given to us to fulfill the vision He has for our lives and our city. So with all this in my mind my heart is full of excitement for what lies ahead. Someday when I’m old I want to sit in a park at the center of our city that wasn’t there when I began and see children and parents enjoying the life that God has given them. I want to see hope in their eyes as they look forward to spreading the love that came because Jesus loved them, died for them, and put His love and vision in the hearts of young people to change a city and the commitment to carry it out. Thank you for partnering with us to see this vision become a reality and the city of Poipet Cambodia change in every sphere of society by the power of the gospel. I love you guys and am amazed at how many people have come around us to help and serve where they can. The givers give, the goers go, the doers do and the body of Christ becomes the vessel of compassion and change it’s meant to be in the world. Together we will make the name of Jesus Glorious to the ends of the earth. February 13th, 20162/13/2016 Team Cambodia Mission TripTEAM CAMBODIA! Here we are ladies and gentleman the courageous young men and women of team Cambodia.
This fine group of young people and their courageous leader... 😉 (insert inconspicuous cough) actually make that courageous leaders will be heading out to Cambodia in 2 weeks to stay for 9 months. What will you be doing? You might ask, and I'm so happy that you did. 😃 We will be joining several other outreach teams who are apart of a massive push in the SE Asia region to establish new ministries in new locations. We recognize the need for quality education in language and the trades, we recognize the need for clean water and health care, and most importantly we recognize the need for the people of SE Asia to see, experience, and hear the good news of what Jesus has done and wants to do for them and through them. We see these needs and we aim to fulfill them in accordance with the grace that God will provide. We're specifically focusing on starting ministry hubs in 2 locations in NW Cambodia. Working out of Battambang we'll focus on building relationship and trust in the communities of Pailin and Poipet. We then hope to establish and staff a YDC (youth development center) in each location. Location summary [PAILIN/POIPET pioneering project] Poipet: Known as the armpit of Cambodia it acts as the elbow of the greasy arm of the sex and drug trade that exists between neighboring Thailand. It's also the gateway for many into legitimate work and employment and cooperation between these two nations. Believing God will make it the holy elbow of his arm of righteousness. Pailin: Known as the last bastion of the Khmer Rouge (the communist military party that was responsible for the "killing fields" genocide of 3million Cambodians from 1975-79) it's now ripe for the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation. Our co-worker Ben Wunderink has been involved there for some time so we're excited to join him. We want to build, encourage and help grow the Christian community there in Pailin. Leaving 1 month earlier then normal to stay 7 months longer then normal is quite the stretch but God's grace is there. We're still in need of several thousands of dollars for airfare and we'll need faithful partners throughout our time there to provide the funding and prayer to make these projects happen. Please pray about joining with us. This is an exciting time in Cambodia and our world. Let's not sit back and be dismayed by the evil but let's overcome evil with good. Much love and aloha. Redeeming body parts one greasy elbow at a time, Uriah Lyford October 07th, 201510/7/2015 My name is Onesimus and I was born a slave. I never had any formal learning growing up. No family, no friends. Just me and a bunch of other slaves doing the duties for which we were purchased. Beaten by some masters treated kindly by others. It's a cruel lot the life of a slave. More then once I swore I'd get my freedom and that once free I'd never return to live out the worthless existence of a slave. I'd rather of been dead then spend my life serving someone else. One day I finally got the chance I had been waiting for all my life. Me and Fatty the cook were in the kitchen late one night snacking on some bits of cold meat our master had left for us. Our master was a good one as far as I could tell. He was kinder and different then the others I had. His name was Philemon and I now consider him my friend. Oy there I go again getting ahead of myself. Where was I...? That's right, me and Fatty eating some bits in the Kitchen. Well on this particular night a merchant had come to sell some wares and my master being pleased with what he had to offer stayed up late into the night and must have drank a bit too much cuz in time he nodded off. The merchant being a simple man and having drank too much trotted off into the night humming a song. Mindless I'm sure of the evil thoughts running through my mind. I not too quickly bid Fatty a good night and made as if I was going back to my room. At the last minute however I was out the back door and making for the road I knew the merchant must be traveling on. Him, his cart, his horses and wares, not to mention the large bag of coins I knew jingled in his pocket. After following him for a few miles watching him swagger drunkenly on his horse I couldn't wait any longer. I grabbed a stone and with a practically perfect throw I knocked him soundly on his head. Falling off the horse to the ground I grabbed the bag of coins jumped on his horse and made for the Port where I had heard one might obtain passage on a boat to Rome and once in Rome although a slave I could blend in with the money I had stolen and live what I thought would be a free and joyous life as my own master.
After bribing some sailors to stow me below deck I arrived after a few months in Rome what I hoped would be a type of heaven where I'd be free for the first time in my life. With a pocket although a bit lighter now after those thieving sailors had at me was still heavy with gold. For a number of years I lived in that great terrible place. Doing what I could to get by. Always hiding, always afraid, aware even when drunk thatI was that I was still a slave and a runaway slave at that. What I thought would be freedom became a kind of hell. The idea of returning to my master was beyond reason. He'd more then likely have me crucified as was the custom of our times and the just penalty for my crime. So I went on stealing, hiding, lying and drinking my way into an early grave. Then I met him. They said his name was Paul and although he was a prisoner with shackles to prove it he had a joy and peace on his face that both baffled and enraged me. How could he look so joyous and free while in a state worse then a slave while I who had, or so I had thought freed myself be so miserable and wretched. I had to know. I hung around the home he was being held in like a dog hoping for some scraps from the happy diners within. All day the joyous people came and went. It drove me mad! "What in blazes does this man have that sets all around him on fire with joy and mirth!" "He's in CHAINS for crying out loud!" Then it happened. On the third day of my slinking and pacing about I saw an old friend of mine enter the home. It was Epaphras! An old friend of my master. He was always kind to me and although I knew he might turn me in I couldn't stand it any longer and decided to risk it. After several hours of listening to the joyous laughter and singing from within Epaphras finally left. I had my chance. Running up I grabbed at him. He turned started at first then looked at me and smiled. As I watched the tender sparkle in his eyes at seeing me and the understanding smile break on his face I found myself crying. Crying for the first time in all my life. Half mad from all the coldness I seemed to melt in the peculiar warmth I saw in his gaze. "Tell me!" I sobbed. "I must know!" He wrapped his arm around me and took me back to the home he had just left. As we entered, me all a mess still sobbing like a little girl no one seemed particularly surprised or alarmed by my hysterical entry. There was an odd hodgepodge of folks sitting around a table with several candles giving light to the room. There was a soldier, a Dr, and an odd assortment of the high and the low although I didn't give much thought to them. I looked right at this Paul I knew I must meet. There he sat, an old man. Battered and scarred he looked like some of the retired gladiators I'd seen around Rome except he was too small to have been a soldier. I remember wondering what on earth he had gone through. Chained and under watch by guards although they didn't seem none too mindful he sat there grinning from ear to ear as he looked at me. "You seem troubled" he said. "Troubled" I responded "You don't know the half of it!" I told him pretty near all I could sometimes sobbing and sometimes shouting my story of woe and my fury at seeing him walk about in chains smiling at everybody! I had to have what he had! He must give me this eternal fire of joy that I saw burning in him and his friends. He asked me if I was done and when I said yes. He called for silence. Then he began to pray. Not like anything I'd ever 'eard before. The room was dead silent and it seemed I could hear God listening loudly. I don't remember much but I remember Paul praying to Jesus. Paul seemed to know this God and this God definitely knew Paul. I could feel this Jesus God without a doubt all around us in the room. After he stopped praying he explained to me that we are all runaway slaves. Our true master was God and that he wanted us to return. Thinking of my own master I couldn't imagine that kind of forgiveness. He told me about what had happened just 30 years earlier. That God became a man and came to earth to pay the price of our rebellion. This God man was Jesus who I had heard Paul praying to earlier. "Now" Paul explained "You can return to your true master without any fear of punishment." That did it right there! All the rebellion and pride left me. I knew I'd never be free. Philemon was never the one I was hiding from. I'd never be free and I knew it so long as I ran from God. I turned myself in right there. Not to my earthly master but my heavenly one. Willing to accept whatever punishment he would see fitting but hoping strangely aware that my heavenly master wasn't even angry with me. I felt a rush and heard a sound like wind! I began to jibber away I don't know what and was filled with a type of fire that began to lift me to a place of stature I didn't know existed. An ease of spirit and a release of shame overcame me. I knew I had obtained what I saw in Paul and felt like the luckiest man in all of Rome. Me a fugitive slave forgiven and free! I knew I'd never be a slave again no matter what I might do. In fact the idea of being a slave on earth didn't seem to bother me anymore. I was aware of life being about much more then I had thought before. As I write this now an old man restored to both my heavenly and earthly masters no more a slave but as a brother I can't help but see the hand of God through it all. It ended rather nicely and today the group of us meeting at my brother Philemon's house is growing all the time. Free at least for you see we're all born as slaves some of us are aware of it and others aren't. Only in Jesus have I found any true freedom I hope that you will reconcile yourself to your heavenly master as I did. You might be surprised by the freedom that comes from surrender. Greetings and salutations! I'm writing you from the comfort of my parents wonderful home fully equipped with the wonderful amenities that are so often under appreciated here in the west. Carpet, central air, coffee pots, wifi, and comfortable couches just to name a few of my favorites. Our team’s time in Cambodia was for me incredibly redemptive, full of joy, abundant in fruit, and marked by peace. Redemption has been a major theme in my life this last year and I'm excited to see God continue the redeeming process. I hope that my testimony of redemption encourages you to continue to believe in God's power and commitment to fulfill His purposes in your life as well. I’d like to share a little bit about my background, my time in Cambodia this year, and a little glimpse into the future using the story of Peter as a comparison. The Disciple Of all the men in the bible I’ve always felt a certain affinity with Peter. He was overly passionate, quick to speak, usually mistaken but well intentioned with a great love for Jesus. Ever the natural leader he was always blundering forward quick to “step out on the water” at times getting it right but often getting it wrong. I love the example of this we have in Matthew 16. Right after nailing it with calling Jesus the Messiah and getting a real glowing affirmation from Jesus he then apparently get’s a big head and tries to rebuke Jesus. Jesus then calls him Satan. I can see his open mouthed blank stare in my head as he stood aghast at his ecstasy of praise quickly turned to the agony of correction. More then once I’ve had this experience myself. As a younger Christian this was typical of my relationship with Jesus. Motives askew and methods galore I plowed forward with all the zeal and exuberance I could muster and made many mistakes. Thankfully Jesus is a gracious teacher and looks at our heart not just our actions. Jesus patiently worked with me over the next 6 years and I saw Him do many amazing things before coming to the end of myself and what I assumed would be the end of my ministry. The Apostate John 21:3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” In 2009 I went through a time where like Peter after the crucifixion although I had determined to be willing to die for Jesus when my faith was challenged I failed. I felt like Jesus had left me alone and I decided like Peter in John 21 to “go fishing”. For me this meant going back to a life of entrepreneurial ventures. I left the ministry of helping to train rural church planters and went back home to do what I knew. Now for Peter Jesus quickly calls him back into the ministry the very night he steps out of it. For me it took 6 very difficult years of fishing and failing before I saw the Lord again. The Redeemed Relationship John 21:6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Luke 5:5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! When we compare John 21 and Luke 5:5 we see a striking similarity. It’s practically the same story and so we see Jesus reinstates Peter in the same way that he called him in the first place. Now when I left Cambodia I was working helping to start a rural bible college and one of my favorite students there was named Bo. I felt connected to him and loved seeing all that God was doing in his life. When I left I wondered if I’d ever see him again. Fast forward to the first week I was back in Cambodia. I was asked to come help translate and meet with a pastor an hour outside of Siem Reap the town where we were working. Imagine my surprise to find that the pastor of the Church was none other then Bo’s father. Bo had left the bible college a few months after I left and through various circumstances God led them halfway across the country to a remote village I had never heard of and then 6 years later brought me back into their lives. This for me was my reinstatement. Jesus assuring me that he was guiding me to fish for men and if I was obedient to him my nets would be full and I would enjoy fellowship with Him. Six years later God reinstated me right where I had left off. The Apostolic Acts 2:41 Those who believed what he said were baptized. There were about 3,000 more followers added that day Over the next month and a half my team and I worked very closely with Bo and his father sharing the gospel throughout their village. We saw people accept and commit to Jesus in ways I had never before seen. We worshipped together and prayed fervently for revival in our own lives and throughout the nation of Cambodia. The next three months our team had committed to serve a local YWAM ministry in Siem Reap teaching English and helping them rebuild a focus on discipleship with the students. When we arrived there were less then 200 total students and not a lot of discipleship was happening. Over the next 3 months the amount of students doubled and our team was able to build a core group of believers who met together regularly for food and fellowship. One of the most miraculous things I saw during this time was in the Sunday fellowship at the school. Only a handful of students showed up the first few weeks but by the last Sunday we were there we had almost 200 students attend and we had Bo come out to share the gospel with them. That was a marvelous day. We spent the last few weeks visiting various ministries throughout the country. One of them being the bible college Bo and I were apart of 6 years earlier. I can’t begin to say all that God did during our time there. Leave it to suffice that God continued to do miracles, people continued to hear about and find faith in Jesus and I rejoiced at the mercy and power of God through it all. The Imperfect Galatians 2:11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong Even after being re-instated, filled with the Holy Spirit, and being used mightily of God Peter continued being Peter and needed to learn more. Similarly I now find myself in a place where I feel the need to grow and bring some reconciliation to all this redemption. After returning to Kona I took a month long leadership course alongside my friends Eric and Kayla who had helped to lead our team in Cambodia. I’m now taking a few weeks to rest, spend time with friends and family, while working on getting a financial support team put together. In October 4 members of our Cambodia team and myself are enrolled in a 3 month intensive Bible Core Course in Kona. After which we will help staff another Discipleship Training School in January and then return to Cambodia with a team to serve there for a year. We will be partnering with YWAM Cambodia and are believing for God to open up an opportunity to serve there by coming alongside of a long term vision to see it pioneered. That means started, staffed and sustainable before we leave. It’s a tall order for only a year but I believe with God’s help it’s doable. I’m excited, expectant, and ready. Prayer Requests
1. Right now I have 2 committed supporters giving me a total of $150 a month. I need to get this to $1000 a month before leaving to Cambodia. If you’d like to help please email me. 2. There is still much in my heart and mind that God is healing please pray I’ll embrace the process trusting His wisdom and power. 3. That God would be with our team leading us and building us in unity, love, and a common vision. Foreign Missions for the Jesus Junkie3/23/2015 Does living a life spent in abject poverty appeal to you? Is the thought of sweating it out in a foreign county year in and year out sound like a blast!? What about being separated from friends and family and all that it entails? Can you catch, kill, pluck, and cook a chicken? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions then a life of radically serving God in foreign missions could be right for you!! This is typically the first things that probably enter our heads when considering being obedient to Jesus's final command to His church. In Matthew 28:19-20 before returning to heaven Jesus gives his disciples a final job. He says "All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." John Piper writes in his book let the nations be glad "You have three choices in world missions: be a joyful, sacrificial goer, be a joyful, sacrificial sender, or be disobedient.”. So I know you're probably ready to stop reading at this point. Here we go again you're thinking another missionary telling us that we need to support missionaries or be missionaries or maybe you're not even a Christian and you're thinking what the heck is Uriah talking about. Here's where I want to shift focus a little bit. Coming back out here to Kona Hawaii 3 months ago I told God and some leaders I know out here that I wasn't going to "bang the missions drum" as I put it. I wasn't going to rant and wail about the billions of Muslims, Hindus, atheist, and agnostics, who are not going to heaven unless we do something about it. It's so tiring and uninspiring. What then would motivate myself as well as the staff and students in the discipleship school I'm apart of to a radical, wartime, sacrificial life style of being on mission. The answer I've found is simple. For our own Joy. Through out these last 3 months a theme has been coming up. In lectures, worship, prayer, studying scripture, and discussions with friends I've realized that the more we let go of, the less of this world we possess, the more we hunger for Jesus the more we will be satisfied. Truly and utterly satisfied like nothing nothing else on earth can satisfy satisfied. The last 3 months have been the best months of my life. Not because I'm in Hawaii although that has been great but because I've found an entirely new joy then anything I've known before. So if you're as selfish and in need of comfort as I am please consider the teachings of Jesus as an alternative to whatever you're currently following. Consider partnering with me and others in a life spent pursuing heavenly treasure and true earthly pleasure. To borrow again from John Piper "The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon the pursuit of your own joy, you cannot love man or please God." In closing as me and my team prepare to spend the next 4 months in Cambodia and our time here comes to a close it isn't with fear or anxiety that we look out onto the mission field. We look to Cambodia and see Jesus there calling us saying come and draw near to me. I will give you water that if you drink of you'll never thirst again, my yoke is easy and my burden is light, he that would keep his life will lose it but he who loses his life for my sake will find it. I can't wait to spend time in Cambodia in all of it's craziness with Jesus again. We have such good times there. Pray I will be able to introduce many people to Him and that they'll find Jesus as wonderful even more wonderful then I do.
Past Ministry & Future Calling2/16/2015 In September of 2003 I went to Honolulu Hawaii to do a DTS. While there I discovered the radical truth of the Gospel and who God is. During our 2 month outreach one month in Cambodia and one month in the Philippines God began to show me the great need of the gospel throughout the World. After graduating I returned to Ywam Honolulu as a volunteer DTS staff. I felt like God was calling me back to Cambodia. In July of 2004 I went back to Cambodia for 6 months working with the local church we served while on my DTS outreach. I started an English program at the church. At the end of 6 months the class had grown to around 50 students and I had trained 3 of the best students to teach as well. All 3 of them are now in full time ministry. At the beginning of 2005 I came back from Cambodia. It had been one of the most difficult but fruitful times in my life. I spent a few months running maintenance on the Honolulu Ywam base and prepared to staff another DTS in April. I led a small team back to Cambodia in July where we spent time training the young leaders at the same church as well as pioneering team contacts in 2 new areas of Cambodia for future teams to be able to connect with. God began to show me the need to train up the youth of Cambodia to do the work in areas where the gospel wasn't yet established. To that end I signed up to be a student in the S.O.M.E (School of Missions and Evangelism) in September. During the S.O.M.E we learned more about missiology, missions strategies, and the 10/40 window where 86% of the 2.7 Billion people who are "unreached" (those who are apart of a people group where less then 2% of the population are Christian) live. I began to see that there is great need for the gospel everywhere but it seemed to me a great injustice that some had so much opportunity to learn about Jesus while others had no opportunity. God began to challenge me to be willing to carry the gospel to these "least reached people groups" So for my S.O.M.E outreach I went back to Cambodia at the beginning of 2006 I went to continue learning the language, search for ways to contextualize the gospel and to meet with missionaries and church leaders in hopes that God would show me a wise and effective way to begin spreading the gospel in Cambodia. Especially the areas where there was currently no one working. Romans 15:20 " It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known..." In conversations with rural pastors who were working in the areas of greatest need I began to sense a reluctance to release their young leaders to be trained. I found out that churches throughout the country had been sending their best and brightest to the capitol city Phnom Penh to the bible colleges. There hopes were that although they desperately needed these young leaders to help continue the work in the hardest and darkest areas; they believed that their young leaders would be trained, and sent back to them better equipped and impassioned to advance the gospel in their home churches. Sadly this wasn't the case. These areas of Cambodia are the hardest and darkest for a reason. Any normal sane Christian would want to run for their lives from communities like these. Rampant poverty, alcoholism, death, and disease are just a few of the things that permeate these areas. So the young leaders they sent out, potentially the hope of their communities almost never came back. They got comfy jobs working in the office buildings of Phnom Penh, they like the western church ignored the need in order to ease any sense of responsibility. Little did I know that in time I would fall prey to this same apathy myself. In 2007 I had brought a team to Cambodia with the expressed mission of establishing the school I felt God had given me the task to begin. Me and my team lived in the Province of Kampong Cham praying, serving the local churches, hosting outreach teams, leading many people to Christ but no school. It wasn't until my team was leaving and it seemed that it was all a failure that I received the call. Jeff and Heather Williams are missionaries with CMA. Click to learn more about Jeff and Heather. They're virtually unknown to anyone outside of Cambodia but to those in the know they're probably the most radical frontier missionaries in the country. They've been involved in ministering to Cambodians since the 80s. First with the refugees on the east coast while Jeff finished seminary and when Cambodia opened up in the 90's they were some of the first missionaries into the country. They had been mentoring me in the ins and outs of effective ministry for years. Much of the time I simply learned through watching them live their lives. I first met them while leading my first outreach in 2003 at that time they were overseeing a small church plant they had begun amongst the Cham Muslims in Cambodia. A COMPLETELY unreached people group of around 250,000 with maybe a handful of believers. They called to inform me that CMA Christian Missionary Alliance had been asked by the KEC (khmer evangelical church with roughly 200 congregations) to begin practically the exact school I had been praying for in the exact location I felt called to do it in! I was so excited but unaware of the war that lie ahead. I returned to Honolulu to staff an S.O.M.E one more time in September. At the beginning of 2008 I took a small team for that DTS outreach to India, where I had gone to teach at YWAM schools for 3 weeks the year before. 2 of the students stayed in India long term and I went back to Cambodia for the 5th time to continue working towards the formation of a school that wouldn't pull away young leaders from the most needed areas but would train them in there own context. At this point I also began to learn how to read and write the Khmer language. In June of 2008 We finally started the RMTC (Rural Ministry Training Center) the entire vision and need for a school like this is hard to understand but I assure you it's meeting one of the greatest needs in the most practical way I can think of. It's sustainable multipliable and is funded, and ran by the KEC. No foreigners needed. Khmer people taking the gospel to Khmer people. Khmer pastors training Khmer pastors. In a rural context with focuses on sustainable agriculture, sustainable technology, teaching EE evangelism explosion, Chronological Bible teaching, basic health care, community development, and a wonderful basic theological training program called T.E.E (theological education by extension) Sadly for me I didn't make it through the first year. 9 months into the school I decided to leave Cambodia and step out of ministry. The same comforts that pulled the young Cambodian leaders away from the hardest and the darkest pulled me away as well. I was tired and wanted the comforts of the western world. I left in February of 2009. I didn't know for sure at that time if I'd ever go back. But the RMTC was started and is still running today. In fact I just got word that they're starting another one and Jeff and Heather asked me to pray about possibly joining them. 2010-2015 To include more details of the past years would require a book I believe. Perhaps I'll go into more detail someday. For now this is the best summary I can do. I should however include a note here that during the past 5 years I've walked through some really tough consequences of some really foolish and selfish decisions. I don't think it was a coincidence the columbian put "new call for ex-missionary." I hid from God and my brothers and sisters in the church and walked in sin and brokenness. It wasn't until just last year that I even began to allow God to restore me. My leaders here in Kona are aware of what I'm coming out of and are believing with me that God is able to redeem anyone and anything if we allow Him to. I'm so grateful to be back in ministry and am just getting my feet wet again. I'm believing God for the next 20 years to be spent in obedience to fulfilling the calling He's placed on my life. I want to see the gospel spread throughout Cambodia that all the people there would at the very least have the opportunity to come to Christ. I'll be co-leading a team of 10 back to Cambodia in April. It's a 2 month DTS outreach and I'm believing that God will use it to inspire some of them to commit there lives to radical long term missions amongst the least reached people of the World. I know that the 48 students currently enrolled in this DTS will be forever changed for the better. I know that our team is going to make an eternal impact on Cambodia and as for me I know that God will continue to use me as long as I let him. Thank you for caring about spreading the gospel to the unreached. May we fulfill the task of bringing the gospel to every nation together. I cannot do it without your help. You partnering with me in finances and prayer make it possible. Thank You!
Team Cambodia!2/9/2015 I'm going to be co-leading a 2 month outreach with these guys the beginning of April. I can't wait to see what God does in us and through us. Please be praying for us!
Keeping Your Head In The Game2/8/2015 Welcome to my blog. So that I don't bombard Facebook with lengthy posts I thought I'd try this format and just put a link on my Facebook page. I wanted to write about keeping our head's in the fight, keeping on mission, eyes on the prize, enduring hardships, not growing weary in doing good, or like Jesus for the joy set before us enduring our cross. I joined Ywam when I was 18 years old. God called me and He used Youth with a Mission to disciple me, and send me. I learned of the amazing opportunities and joys of reaching out to the least reached people with the Gospel of Jesus, The only hope for the World that we've had for 2000 years and still haven't completely made available to all people. I'm a hedonist at heart and embrace a life of pursuing the best and most satisfying things available. It's this hedonism in me that is terribly dangerous if I'm not allowing God to be my pleasure and settling for scraps from the garbage can of the World. It's also the hedonism in me that has compelled me to a radical snobbishness towards the world's dainty rotten morsels and a hunger for the meaty things of God. Not just the milk buffets so readily available in most western churches but the choice cuts of spiritual goodness that are to be found in a life completely surrendered. To be honest I've found the choice cuts of the world to be as satisfying if not more satisfying then the watered down milk that's being greedily lapped up and poured out to the spiritually malnourished here in the west. I'm a big guy and have never been able to survive off of it alone. My hunger for hedonism has been too strong. The problem in my opinion in the western church isn't that we have too much desire for pleasure it's that we don't desire it enough. The bible does talk about two different desires that dwell within us. One for the things of the Spirit (things of God, holy and pleasing things) and one for the flesh (worldy things, sins). For me half measures in my pursuit of satisfying either one have seemed pointless. The worldly person who does his best to maintain an appearence of goodness so far away from his claims of agnostic or atheistic belief baffle me. If we are freak accidents of a scientific phenomenon, no more then evolved pond scum then crush your fellow man, do all you can to establish your own kingdom and fulfill your own fleshly pleasures. Life has no value no meaning. If however we are created and loved by God, if God sent Himself in the form of His son to bring us a message of hope and pay a price necessary for our restored relationship with God then we must live as though we believe it. Nothing compares to knowing God, and walking in the light of his presence and love, let us do all we can to eradicate anything in our lives that separate us from that light and love, let us throw off everything that hinders and run the race marked out for us, let us get our heads in the game and play for keeps. For a number of years I had my head in the game. I fought the good fight, I labored in the ripe fields where the work was overwhelming and the workers non existent. Sadly after 6 years of fighting and getting knocked around quite a bit I quit. I had no more fight left. Like Forest Gump I suddenly stopped running. I was tired and wanted to go home. For me the final kick in my pants I needed to get my head back in the game was the death of the Rogenback family. Jeff his wife Jiin and their daughter Jasmine died this July in a car wreck in Thailand where they were actively waging war against the darkness and lies of Buddhism. That's right I said darkness and lies of buddhism, live in a buddhist nation, see the end result of a buddhist worldview and tell me it's all peaceful and lovely. See the Grandma tell her grand daughter that she's an orphan and a cripple because she was a bad person in her past life and has to pay off her karma now in this life. Watch the crowd of onlookers staring and murmuring as the mangled carcass of a half dead person lays bleeding in the street and no one does a thing to help lest they simply delay his inevitable karma. Watch as the Khmer people allow their land to be destroyed by the wealthy and not care because it's all an illusion anyways and to care would be to sin. Anyways the Rogenback's went to Thailand out of the love for the Thai people and gave their lives in the belief that nothing in this world compares to the surpassing worth of knowing God. I on the other hand was sitting around in Idaho feeling sorry for myself, smoking cigarettes and reluctantly considering being a nominal Christian again. However when I found out about their death it pissed me off. In fact it pissed me off just enough to do something about it. I decided that if God would free me of the chains I had allowed myself to be enslaved to once again that I would take up my rusty sword and return to battle. Like Samson I prayed "Sovereign LORD, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." Miraculously I am now here at Ywam Kona. Running through a 3 month spiritual boot camp we call DTS alongside 25 fellow veteran soldiers and 48 new recruits. Getting ready and being willing to storm hell with squirt guns if God would call us to it. I can feel the missions zeal burning again deep within my heart and my hunger I can akin to that of my favorite missionary C.T Studd who said. "some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell" So my desire is there and God is doing the necessary work within me to make it happen. However without a home base to provide prayer and support I will be of little use. I hope and pray that God will speak to some of you right now to partner with me once again. I've done what I can and will continue to do what I can do. I'm willing, able, and I humbly submit that with the power of Holy Spirit I'm competent. I'll be starting things off with a brief 2 month tour in Cambodia. A place I know and love well. I have a good knowledge of the language, the land, and the enemies strategies there. My primary purpose will be to help strengthen the long term missionaries and their ministries while providing reinforcements with the 7 students and the other 2 staff that will be with me. I'm praying about committing again to this long term. There are realities and consequences to the 5 years I spent out of the game. I'm financially in debt, and many of my relationships are broken. I need your help if I'm to actually do this full time in order to be restored fully. I will use any finances given wisely as a good steward. I will pay off my debts, do the Lords work, and God willing we will reap a harvest and share in the rewards together. Please pray that I will have the strength, faith, and wisdom to continue to keep my head in the game, and finish my part of bringing the gospel to every tongue, tribe, and nation. AuthorMy name's Uriah Lyford and I'm a volunteer with YWAM. My dream is to see the spiritual solution of a restored relationship with God through Jesus be made available to every person on earth. I do this through the mentoring and training of young people to build and become the Church Jesus died for. Archives
June 2018
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