Trip Report for Cambodia and Myanmar
January 14-31, 2018
Norman Light (an elder and close friend for many years) and I arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia the evening of January 16. We began teaching the next morning. I taught The Preacher and His Work each morning from 8:30-12:00, and Norman taught the book of 2 Corinthians each afternoon from 1:00-3:00. We also enjoyed a time of singing and preaching each evening.
On Saturday, January 20, the local brethren had organized a lectureship using Norman and me along with several Cambodian brethren. Although we could not understand the brethren when they preached, we could certainly tell they were well prepared and that their lessons were well organized by viewing the PowerPoint presentations they had made, the handouts they used, and their outlines they wrote on the white board. The students did well on their exams and took exceptional notes. Their genuineness and desire to learn was easily noticed. Three very capable men, Phanat, Darat and Piseth, lead the school. They will hold their graduation ceremony later this year.
Myanmar
We left Cambodia on January 24 and arrived in Yangon, Myanmar that evening. We were greeted at the airport by Philip Van Biak Lian, the director of the school of preaching and Winsome the secretary for the school. We enjoyed dinner at the hotel and discussed the plans for the week. I taught Old Testament 1 to the students four hours each day, and Norman taught the account from Jacob to Joseph’s death in great detail two hours each day. Since these students (eight men and one woman) are from various parts of Myanmar where different dialects are spoken, the common language among them is English. We enjoyed getting to teach in our native tongue.
In all we enjoyed five days in the classroom, a gospel meeting on Saturday, and two worship services on Sunday where Norman and I both spoke. The church meets in the homes of members each Lord’s Day. Their worship, especially their singing, was very uplifting. The school is brand new, but is way ahead of schedule as far as their organization, quality of students, and foundation. There are some wonderful brethren who have been working in Myanmar for many years without whom this work would not be possible. We stand on their shoulders!