Dear Friends and Family,
   We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.  We realize this is a belated hope, several months so, but it comes from the heart.
  We made a trip to the USA in December.  We had to have Yuko's passport stamped before the New Year to be sure she had no problems retaining her green card.  We brought our broken computer with us but were not able to get it fixed in time.  With that computer we were able to send pictures without difficult to open attachments.  We are sending you a snail mail message this month so that you can have a recent photo without the hazard of computer complications.  Postage costs here prohibit us mailing to everyone; we hope our news gets to you.
   Last year was great.  The boys had their share of accidents and illnesses.  Boys will be boys.
The beard in the picture above is a matter of history.  It is hot season now and a beard is a vestigial organ at best.  The picture is taken in our living room.
  We are having our annual conference this week.  I will be appointed the position of Field Supervisor.  Now you know how drastic the situation here is!  Part of my new responsibilities will be traveling in a rotation to our churches.  I will also be a member of every committee.  I believe I wrote to you about our trying to empower our local leaders.  We've had some real successes with the Evangelism Committee assuming leadership in supporting our struggling churches.  The Development Committee is beginning projects at the childcare facilities and interested churches to help with the expenses of those ministries.   We have plans to involve the Finance Committee more in planning budgets for the various committees in the future. The idea is to include our local leaders in the decision making process. I also hope to put together a book of local operating policies just to give everyone a history of how we've made decisions, and so we can know what
 policies are in place.  This way we don't need to reinvent the wheel every time a rut in the road manages to break a spoke or two.
   I do not wish to be an administrator.  We have someone for that position. I hope to keep meeting people.  This past week I saw an African young man walking on the main thoroughfare and asked him if he needed a ride.  He plays soccer here.  His name is Stephan and he is from the Ivory Coast.  To date I've met several members of the team.  I'll be picking some of them up for the worship service this Sunday. 　　Note:  Sunday has come and gone and Chris and Sylvester from Nigeria came to church.  They teach soccer here so I hope they will offer to help us with a soccer program for the church in the future.
   I visit a local coffee shop for my iced tea and study time.  I get tea with lime and when that's finished I can have jasmine tea from the pot provided for general consumption--all for thirty-five cents.  I usually bring my sermon to study.  About a third of the time I chat with folks.  I met one man, Sophat, who ministers to poor children down by the lake.  I went with him once and will probably go again.  He drives a motorcycle taxi in the afternoons to support his own family of four.  He inspires me.
   Speaking of inspiration, I am doing all my preaching in Khmer.  I have a file of several sermons and can prep myself with only a couple of days notice.  I preached for forty-five minutes this last week.  A lady who had been imbibing early in the day came with a baby and started singing during my sermon.  This is the second time at the Tahkmao church that someone came begging while I was speaking.  This time I handed the microphone to one of the musicians and said: "Please sing while I talk to her."   I got them started on I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, it's the only song I know in Khmer, and gave her a tract and a small donation.  After she left I shared a forty-five minute message and was coherent for at least half an hour.  The Word tells us to not despise small beginnings!
  Yuko has developed a couple of products for the Reaksmei Development.  If you would like to help the pastoral support fund and our church members, you can find pictures of our products on the Free Methodist website under the topic Seed.  Several countries have development projects sold by FMC Seed.
   Yuko is the treasurer for the Asian Pacific Free Methodist Mission Association, the US Mission, and the Development Committee.  She makes great pizza and whole wheat bread, too.  She just started a Japanese monthly fellowship.  We had nine of us at our home for the first meeting.  We all had sushi afterwards.  Next month she will begin her role as a voluntary teacher for the sixth grade in the Japanese Saturday school.  Caleb will attend the class for his age group.
   We have been enjoying devotions together.  We just finished The Prayer of Jabez, and now we're doing The Purpose Driven Life.  She has the Japanese version and I the English one.
   As for family clips, I asked Caleb which was better the apple juice from the big container or the little container.  He answered: "The big container is better and the little container is better."  I fear he may consider politics in the future.  He has been saying, "I love you" a lot lately.  He has a song that goes:  "A spreakaluck a spreakaluck I love you."  You may wonder what this meaning be "a spreakaluck a spreakaluck."  I can offer no help here.
  Corey is riding the radio flyer now when he can get it away from his brother.  He is stockier than Caleb.  In the near future I suspect he will be gaining more respect from his sibling when they play.
   Well, we sure hope you are enjoying your adventures with the Lord.  Dare I say, Happy Trails to You?   This was a song sung in the 1950's by Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans on their cowboy show.  You remember cowboys?  Anyway, we are very thankful the Lord allows us to be partners with Him and you for the folks here in Cambodia.  We feel your prayers.  We appreciate your sacrificial giving.
We look forward to seeing you again.  We'll be back for a few months this autumn-a perfect time for a pot of tea and a chat.  You can tell us all about your exploits with Him.  It's really rather grand, isn't it, this Kingdom of God

   Thanks again,
             Chris, Yuko, Caleb Yuta, and Corey Yuki (CYCYCY)

                  A spreakaluck a spreakaluck we love you!
 

           "For in Him we move and live and have our being." Acts 17:28

Ps.   Recently, Genesis Conference was created from two groups.  I am sending this letter to all the FM Churches in this conference.  We do not wish to compete for funding with any of the brethren; we just want to get acquainted as some of you may have decided to help us continue in Cambodia.  And, of course, we ask for your prayers.  Thank you, again.