Is it Really Christmastime? It's 80 degrees here.

Hey, friends. Sorry it's been so long. Ronda is having computer trouble and that's where most of the pictures are. This first picture is Soklay at her baptism. The second picture is the group praying after the baptisms.

We've had a good December. Loren Hollingsworth, my father-in-law, was here teaching on Revelation. He did a good job. Most of the new students did not pass, but will have a chance to take this again. Dennis Welch taught on Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, then I taught Personal Evangelism.

After that, we had an evangelism week. The students spent the day harvesting rice, then had a bible study time at night, with only one light, charged by a generator. They were at two new villages and one we'd been to before. One teen was converted to Christ and many are interested.

Two of our students (Khim and Sothea, pictured here) have completed the requirements to graduate. They are the first class!!! They have been here 4 years. The ceremony will be in mid-January.

And, Seryvuth and Soklay were baptized into Christ here. And, below is an edited account on Seryvuth that I shamelessly stole from Julie's (my sister-in-law) blog. Have a great New Year!!!

"... Seryvuth and how God worked in his life! Seryvuth's brother told him of the English Bible Study Program. He got on his bicycle and rode around the area trying to find Partners in Progress. Finally, on the third day...he found us! That is determination! He came to take the entrance exam, but at that time, our current teachers' schedules were full. Then we went through a month with no teachers at all. During this time, he would attend the worship services asking me every week when he could begin his studying."

"God was working during this time, and while he was at the services here, one of the preacher students from Cambodia Bible Institute talked to Seryvuth and he decided to become a full time student at CBI, studying bible all day, everyday! Then, Russ Burcham agreed to take Seryvuth as a student on Saturdays each week, since Seryvuth could no longer study during the week. Then the week of Christmas, he (along with Sokhla) accepted the greatest gift of all, eternal salvation!"

And, of course, what would a blog from me be without a story of being stopped by the police? This time, Ronda was with me and is my witness. I was in my friend Tawn's car. We'd gone to meet Julie and her son, Brandon, for lunch. Because it was dark in the parking garage, I had my lights on while driving out. The police stopped me later and wanted me to pay for driving with my lights on!!!! Can you believe that? How many cars in America have their lights on during the day automatically? Ronda just laughed at the policeman and he told us to go on.

----- Rich