Hephzibah United Methodist Church
Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Missionary Support

In our Mission Journey… Together!

Emmanuel & Beverly Barte

GBGM Missionaries in Cambodia 

FAITH ENGINE MINISTRY (FEM):

The  FEM offers renewed hope and joy to the  Khmer youth  as the program empowers them with skills they can use in a lifetime. Also, they are nurtured spiritually during the course.

In May 9, 2008, the 12th FEM Closing Program awarded certificates and basic mechanic tools to nine (9)  young men. To date there are now a total of 116 FEM trainees who finished the short-term courses, and about 50 % have found jobs. The rest use their skills in their daily activities. Others have turned more active youth leaders in their  local churches.

In July 2008, we plan to have the 13th FEM  Training with the second set of FEM women trainees. We are hoping for a positive response from the churches to turn in women applicants. This endeavour is not just new for the Methodist Mission in Cambodia (MMC), but in the Kingdom of Cambodia. This is an opportunity of empowering our women to gain skills and find jobs that were only used to be offered to the men. We also include basic English conversation and computer skills.  We further share them of God’s love through Bible Studies, Devotion and Counselling.

 

 


 

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRIES :

The Children’s Resource Design Team of the  C. E. Ministry distributed the Sunday School Book 4  to our 150 local churches through the District  Superintendents in March, 2008.  We aim to distribute the S. S.  Book  5 this August, 2008.   We praise God for the  chance of  bringing salvation to the Khmer  young children through these  S.S.  curriculum resources for the teachers.

The MMC Sunday School Teachers’ Training for 2008 has been  held in  district levels.  We have served the S.S. training in five districts already and would continue with three more districts. Local Pastors and Lay serve as the main trainers and facilitators. The trainers claimed that this opportunity and experience have empowered them as church leaders. We aim to continue to train the church leaders towards a Khmer-led and Khmer-sustained Methodist Church.

 

 


 

CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM:

 

The 2nd Discipleship and Training, a continuing education program for Pastors and Lay held in February and March, 2008 was participated by 220 church leaders. The MMC was divided between the Northern and Southern area and the trainings were held in Siem Reap and Cambodia Methodist Bible School respectively.

Trainers for the Discipleship and Training  are Cambodian Clergy. The 3rd  Trainers’ Training for the Khmer Trainers would be held in August, 2008 and the actual third session would be in September, 2008.  The Core Committee that prepares and plans for this program is chaired by missionary Beverly Barte.   

 

Email Received on January 23, 2010 from Beverly, Emmanuel and sons.
 
Dear all,

Sabaidee from Laos!  We have arrived in Laos in January 18, 2010, and  
we were greeted with a cool weather. As Filipinos, we arrived with our  
tourist visas, and next week we would start processing our business  
visa. The Inspire Centre for Higher Development, run by Singapore  
Methodist would be my sponsor as an English teacher. Em, together with  
the kids, would apply temporarily as 'Dependent'  while we explore the  
possibility of him getting also a business visa. There''s just a  
liitle challenge as the Inspire Centre has not received yet its  
renewed license and so we have to wait for the government to issue  
that before we can finally work on our business visa.

In the past few days we were busy getting kids back to school,  
attending to their assessment and meeting with the school heads and  
personnel - in Vientiane International School. Finally, they would  
start classes on Monday (VIS started the semester last January 18.) I  
believe they would easily adjust as the VIS staff and students are  
nice people. We have as well been searching for a house for our new  
home here in Vientianne.  Without any Lao language, we had been  
exploring the city in a tuktok. We found a nice house with a good  
yard, with mango and jackfruit trees, and where our three sons can be  
able to set up a basketball court.. Finally, we move to our new home  
on Sunday afternoon.

 Well, people think we are Laotians, except that we are  
English-speaking Laotians. We find the people very nice and hospitable.

Today, we bought English-Lao dictionaries, aswe really have to learn  
the language fast. we have no hired translators like what we have in  
our office in Cambodia.

We were not able to visit some of the Methodist churches yet, as we  
have just been here for 6 days, and we were caught up with getting  
settled. But that would eventually happen. We have several religious  
restrictions. But we are glad to know that there are several English  
worship services amongst the foreigners here, and an active Christian  
youth group
where are children can be a part of. We have learned we  
can actually freely visit local churches, as worshippers, as we did in  
December, 2008.

We hope to also get registered our own UMC-sponsored English school,so  
please be praying for that.

In general, we are fine. We hope we can work on our business visa  
soon, to make our stay (to work) here official.  Just please continue  
praying for us as we undergo this new transition in our life and faith  
journey.

You can continue to email me in this same email address for the next  
six (6) months. I would share with you an alternative email address  
sooner  or later.


Blessings to all and a peaceful new year!!

Beverly, Emmanuel and sons
 

     Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!