“And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, …”  Many years ago someone shared this verse with me.  Rodney, baby Ryan, and I were preparing to leave America and come to serve the Lord in Cambodia. I thought, “That’s a nice verse and a great promise to claim,” but I had no idea how true it would be in my life!  The day we left for Cambodia I was SO excited to be headed to the place God had called us to serve.  This verse was far from my mind.  I was heading out on a great adventure!  That feeling lasted all the way from Detroit to California!   We attended church in California the Wednesday night before our final flight to Cambodia.  As we sat in the front row of the church building, the pastor pointed at us and said, “You see these kids sitting here?  This morning they said goodbye to their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their aunts and uncles… They may never see their grandparents again!”  I have no idea what else he said that night!  I was SOBBING!  I really did leave all those people!  I grew up in a wonderful Christian family and always hoped that God would allow me to serve Him in the same city my parents served in.  I thought God had changed my heart and given me peace about being an overseas missionary, but suddenly I wasn’t so sure!  I wanted to go HOME!  What did that verse mean anyway?  How could God give me back another mother, a father, brothers, sisters….?  It didn’t make sense!

We have now been in Cambodia for over fifteen years.  On June 7th, we will be leaving for our third furlough.  You know what?  It is as hard to leave here as it was to leave home those many years ago.  Do you know why?  It is because God has given back to me everything I thought I was losing!  I still have my family in America, but I have another whole family here in Cambodia.  God has given us a special bond with the wonderful people He has allowed us to serve here. Several of them now serve along with us.  We have become a FAMILY!  God kept His promise to me!  Cambodia has become our HOME.  Next Tuesday when I get on that airplane I will again be claiming God’s promise.

Both are family!

Pray for us as we say our goodbyes here!  It won’t be easy! Please pray for New Hope Baptist Church and the other ministries God has given the people of New Hope.  They will continue to serve the Lord in our absence and we look forward to hearing about the things God accomplishes through them over the next year!  Pastor Sakaun especially needs your prayers as he leads the ministries here.  Also, pray for our family as we travel to many churches and report about the work God is doing in Cambodia.  Especially pray for our children as they “experience” life in America as teenagers!

Many of you have prayed for us over the past fifteen years and we appreciate the part you have in our ministry here.  You have been a blessing to us in so many ways.  I don’t remember who it was that shared the verse above with me as we prepared to leave America, but it was probably one of you!  God has been SO good!

Some of our church family.

See you soon!

Becky Ruppel

Missionary kids have huge vocabularies…..just not all in the same language.  One day early in Ryan’s elementary education, the school curriculum led Becky to teach synonyms.  Words were read out loud to Ryan and he only had to answer with a single word that had the same meaning.  Ryan did great, but Becky got a bit flustered.  Ryan did come up with a “synonym” for every word Becky said, but they were all Khmer words.  The English synonyms were a bit harder for him.

When we began our furlough in 2005 the kids were all excited, because the house we were renting had a “dungeon.”  Some of you might call it a basement, but my children had never encountered such a thing inCambodia.

During the same furlough our children had the opportunity to be enrolled at the Christian school of our home church.  Blake’s class had assembled in the church’s auditorium where one of the students got out of hand.  The teacher immediately ordered the rest of the class to sit in a pew while she took care of it.  Blake got all teared up and looked lost.  The church secretary asked him what was wrong, to which he replied, “What’s a pew?”  (We don’t have pews in Cambodia either.)

A few weeks ago the whole family played Apples to Apples.  Rhadee put a card face down and said, “Mom, I don’t know what this card means.  The bottom of this card says ‘Tornado Magnet’.  I know what a Tornado is, and I know what a magnet is.  But I still don’t think I understand this word.”  Becky and I looked at the card which read “Trailer Park”. The sad thing was that Becky and I had a hard time explaining what a trailer park is to our children.

All three of our children are now in junior high or high school, and on August 29^th, they will be starting school in America after 5 years away. Please pray for the kids to quickly expand their English vocabulary.

As I have already said, Baptists believe that they are wrong and the Bible is right!  The Bible is our sole authority for faith (doctrine) and practice. No church covenant, constitution, or doctrinal statement trumps the Word of God. 

Since 1996 some of the comments coming from ”Baptists” that visit Cambodia have astounded me.  For example, a visitor from America introduced himself to me as a Baptist who supported another missionary whom I love and respect.  This man expressed surprise at what he found in a prayer meeting on this mission field as he told me, “….the missionary was actually praying as if he could pray someone into Heaven.”  When I asked him to explain himself, he further said, “He prays for everyone, as if he believes all men could get saved.”  It was starting to dawn on me, and upon inquiry, he confirmed that he was a “convert” (his word not mine) of the T.U.L.I.P. acrostic.   Of course I showed him I Timothy 2:1-4, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;…….God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”   These verses took him back for a few minutes.  It seemed that he had not seen them before.  After a long pause, he responded with ” you don’t really think all men will  get saved, do you?”  Of course not, and that is not what this scripture says.  I do believe that we are to pray for all men to be saved, and we are to tell all men how to be saved.  With that he responded, “where does the Bible say that? ”  In a matter of seconds we had the Bible open to Mark 16:15.  It seemed as if he had never seen it before.  How could such a “scholar” of deep Bible doctrine be caught off guard by such a clear scripture teaching?  This man had come to Cambodia with a TULIP in his hand, but the Bible was packed away somewhere.    

As Baptists, we believe that men and their teachings are wrong, but the Bible is 100%  correct.  Does this mean that we are to throw away our systmatic theology books?  Is it wrong to have a doctrinal statment?  No!  It means that the Bible must be used to keep our doctrinal staments in check.  Don’t correct the Bible with TULIP.  Correct TULIP with the Bible.

In the Bible institute which I teach, I often tell the students “our beliefs and practices are wrong,  that is why we continue to study the Bible.”  For the rest of our lives, the Scriptures will be profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. We only understand a fraction of what there is to know about this finite planet.  How can anyone possibly claim to have a full grasp on the infinite knowledge of God?  

By the way, I believe in both the Sovereignty of God and the free-will of man.  You may not be able to reconcile these two beliefs in your logic, but I can show you both in the Bible.  That is good enough for me.  No, I don’t have it all figured out. I am still open to Bible teaching and preaching, because I know that I am wrong and the Bible is right.  I am a Baptist!

Sharing testimonies can be such an encouragement and blessing to believers! This past Tuesday night our family invited a young couple who were saved in our church to have dinner with us. What a joy it was to sit and listen to the way God has changed their lives. In particular, I was speaking to this young lady about her life as I was working on a project for one of our supporting churches. Although I have known this young lady since the time of her salvation, I enjoyed being reminded of the way God has given her a whole new life.

Chenda was born into a family that worshiped spirits. An entire room in her house was taken up with an altar for worshiping these spirits. Lighting incense and appeasing these spirits was just a way of life for her. She had never even heard the name of Jesus Christ. Then when she was sixteen years old a distant relative invited Chenda’s family to attend a Christmas play at our church in Phnom Penh. Chenda had no idea what Christmas was, but any trip into the city was fun and she was thrilled to have the opportunity to go. She will never forget that night! Although she did not totally understand the meaning behind this Christmas play, it touched her heart in a special way. She first heard about the death of Christ to save people from sin in a song that was sung that night. She did not understand this either, but she fell in love with the song and enjoyed humming it and singing it throughout the day.

Soon Rodney began going to her house weekly to do a salvation Bible study. She would sit a distance away and listen as Rodney shared the wonderful Gospel story with her parents. She accepted Christ along with her entire family just a couple months after attending the Christmas play and her whole life changed! She found out what love truly was! She started to have a very special relationship with her parents as they grew in Christ together. She watched her father burn the spirit altar that had been such a big part of their lives. They no longer had a need for spirits to protect them. They now knew the One True God.

As Chenda grew in her faith and began serving in the ministry of New Hope Baptist Church, one of the faithful young men noticed her and soon they were married. God has used this couple in great ways both in our church in Phnom Penh and in a church they helped start just outside of Phnom Penh. I will never forget the joy of this young couple and Chenda’s parents when Jonathan was born. This was the first member of their family ever to be born into a Christian home. They now have two little boys, and it is a thrill to see them raise their little ones to know and love Christ!

Tuesday night was a reminder to me of the many blessings God has given to us here in Cambodia! It is such a thrill to serve Him in the place where He has put us.

Yours for Cambodia,   Becky Ruppel

(April Prayer Letter)

Many of you have entered into a work of faith with us by praying for the men that have been studying the Gospel with me.  The work we do can be seen (your prayers & our soul winning efforts), but that which can’t be seen is what we trust God to do: a life changing work in the hearts of men. God recently reminded me of just how much Khmer people must change in their thinking when they get saved.

 During Cambodian New Year, we had a wonderful service and gave our people opportunity to testify about how they got saved.  It was very enlightening.

• Proh first heard about Christ through literature that was passed out near his home.  The tract mentioned a “lake of fire”.  Proh thought, “Surely this religion is false. Everyone knows that lakes are filled with water, and fire and water cannot be in the same place.” 
• When Wang came to church for the first time, Sakaun (now his father-in-law) was giving a salvation testimony.  Wang thought that he must be a liar, because God surely could not be as great and good as this man was saying.
• Nuet believed a common Buddhist teaching that if you sin, you must receive sin (punishment) back.  She was sure that there could not be any other who could receive the punishment for her sins.
• Theary says she hated missionaries because they turn Khmer people against their own religion, nation, and king. (Cambodians believe that if you betray one of the three, then you have betrayed them all.) She was also mad at the government for allowing those foreigners in to destroy her country.

 These testimonies only begin to illustrate the battles that wage in the hearts of Cambodian people.  There are many more obstacles that they encounter when faced with the truth of God’s Word, but with God’s help, His Word will produce fruit.

 On March 7^th, I asked you to pray for Meoun to be saved.  About a month ago, he was rushed to the emergency room.  The following night I stayed with him at the hospital so that his wife could get some sleep.  A white man staying up all night to tend to a Cambodian was a bit strange to most, and Meoun (whom I found out prefers to be called Sokmait) was fielding questions from many people who were assuming that he had already become a Christian.  Initially, it made him a bit uncomfortable, but he seemed to handle it better as time passed.

 After arriving back home, his mother demanded that he make an offering to the spirit of his dead father.  This, she said, would help him get better.  As I talked to this family about this spirit offering, Meoun confirmed with me that he had not yet decided to believe in Christ, but he was still considering it.  However he was now doubting the usefulness of such a spirit offering! I told him that no matter what he decided to do, I would still be willing to go teach him more about Christ.  By the end of the visit, Meoun had decided that if his mother wanted an offering made to her dead husband, then she could do it herself.  Then he used this phrase, “but not in my house”   I was astounded.  A little over a year ago he was persecuting his wife because she wouldn’t participate in such worship.  

 Four days later I had the great privilege of further explaining the Gospel for over an hour to Meoun and then seeing him trust Christ as his Saviour!  Praise God!  Discipleship has already begun, and his first assignment was to tell his wife and daughter that he had accepted Christ.  On Sunday, they were beaming with delight about their husband/father’s new life in Christ. 

 More good news is on the way.  Cambodians are considering Christ.  Barriers are being broken down.  Truth is being revealed. God is doing what we can’t!  

 Thank you for being a part of this Work of Faith.

Cambodia is one of those places that “Christian” aid organizations have hired many workers, distributed much aid, and confused many people about the Gospel.  One organization admitted that they were telling people they could have a job, if they first became a Christian.  Another large church in town, run by an aid organization, gives out rice to all those who come to its services.  It is no wonder that when we meet people in the streets and begin talking to them about Christ, they often ask us, “What will my salary be, if I become a Christian?” 

Another missionary friend of mine came to me a bit discouraged about the growth of his people.  You see, he had taken a trip to Indonesia and witnessed a new church just four years old already giving enough money in its offerings to pay all of its expenses and even support some missionaries.  He wondered why his church, also four years old, was hardly giving enough money to pay for a few tracts each month.  This man was beating himself up because his “orange” wasn’t anywhere near as red as someone else’s “apple.” 

I told him, “Your people are sacrificing a lot to come to your church.” 

He said, “But they’re not even tithing.”

“Yes,” I said, “but they are not getting paid to come either.  They could go somewhere else and get something just for going to church.  Your people are sacrificing all of that just to be in your church.”     

It has been a blessing to see the people of New Hope Baptist Church grow past that and start giving their tithe to the Lord and His work.  They have also given enough money to buy one piece of property and build two structures for mission works in the province.  For the last 3 years and 4 months the members of New Hope have given about $5000 above their tithes to a land fund, which they hope will eventually purchase their first church building.

In New Hope Baptist Church, Pastor Sakaun is leading the way in the area of giving.  He was saved in 1999 and quickly began to grow.  Whatever he sees in the Bible, that is what he endeavors to do.  A visiting pastor from America met him and was so impressed, that he went back and asked his church to give pastor Sakaun $1000.  Sakaun had only been saved a short 3 years, and I was afraid that this money would damage his faith.  When I gave Sakaun the money and explained who it was from, he rejected it.  He told me that there was no reason for that church to give him money.  Then, he asked if he could have just $100 of it to fix his moto (motorcycle) instead.  “No,” I said, “this is your money.  You have to decide what to do with it.”  So, he kept 10% and gave 90% to God in the offering.   Pastor Sakaun is about as peculiar as a living deer lying down for a nap in the middle of I-75 in northern Michigan.

I have known many missionaries who have helped buy a moto for a Cambodian.  I have know many Cambodians who have asked for one, and some who have even stolen one from a missionary. Me being the missionary.  But tonight, Pastor Sakaun just handed me the title and the key to a moto.  I have not owned one since mine was stolen almost four years ago.   The moto is probably worth about $300 in the market, but to me, it is priceless!  My heart truly was blessed this night!

Did you enter a work of faith with me? As I went, did you pray for the men I mentioned in my last letter? If so, then you are probably interested in how God is working with, for, and through us.

• Heng has now finished four Bible studies. His foreman has been pushing him and his co-workers to work over-time lately, so he has been more exhausted and has less time. However, he is not making excuses. He is still making time to study. His questions this week helped clarify for him what becoming a Christian is all about. He mis-understood that people receive salaries for becoming Christians. Now that he understands that this is clearly not the case, we will see how much interest he still has. (By the way, this is a common misconception here in Cambodia)
• Roet and Panna both finished four Bible studies but were then moved to a different construction site in another town. I have a friend in that town, so if he can find them, they will continue to here the Gospel explained to them. If we don’t find them again, we believe that God will take the seed sown and continue to work in their hearts. Continue to pray for them. 
•  Phalla and Nieng are both young men that were working with Roet and Panna. They would often listen from a distance, but if I glanced at Phalla, he would turn away. When Roet and Panna left, I asked Phalla if I could continue to come and teach him instead. He agreed and added that he would like to come to church. He and Nieng have both finished the third lesson in the Do You Know God booklet, and Phalla came to church last Sunday just as he said. 
•  Viasna has been in church the last two Wednesday nights. One of our young men has been explaining the Gospel to him when he comes for those services. I have been able to visit the shop where Viasna both works and lives. There is a 67 year old man there who had a stroke 7 years ago. Most people (in his own family) ignore him, but he lightens up whenever I sit down with him and give him some time. He needs God too! 
•  Meoun is the husband of one of our members. He has denied me opportunity on three different occasions of explaining Christ to him. However, he is sick right now and has agreed to meet with me at his house to explain the Gospel to him. 
•  Pu (this means uncle, I don’t know his name) lives close by with his children and grandchildren. He can not read or write and so assumed that it would disqualify him from studying about God. He has already allowed me to explain through lesson 3 of the Do You Know God booklet.

Seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ need to be patiently watered. Some may wither because of the heat of persecution, but we trust God that some will bring forth fruit. And we pray that the fruit will remain. I am sure most of you understand that there are many other tasks in my life that are pressing for my time and need to be accomplished. I have weekly sermon and weekly institute preparation, furlough preparation including setting up meetings, and MUCH work to solidify the relationship of Baptist missionaries and pastors with the government, not to mention my family!  But thank God for the opportunity and responsibility to give and explain the Gospel to others. Giving the Gospel to others is not just an obligation or even just a priority. It is not just a method of church planting or church growth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ gave us life, and more than that, Jesus Christ and His Gospel are our life. I will continue to take time to share the Gospel of Christ with these men. Will you continue to take time to pray for them as I go? God Bless You, Rodney Ruppel

(Copied from Ruppel Report March 7, 2011)

 Every week we spend time on Saturdays making “cold calls” in a “door-to-door” type evangelism. A little over a week ago, we had an exceptionally good day. God just seemed to lead us to people that he had prepared. Over the last 10 ten days I have had the opportunity to follow up on these calls. They have all gone remarkably well.

• Heng, a 37 yr. old construction worker, has now finished two Bible studies. After the first study, his boss moved him to a different site. He called me to make sure I could find him at his new site. 
• Roet and Panna are both construction workers in their early twenties. These two men have finished three Bible studies despite being mocked and laughed at by the other guys on the site. 
• Viasna is a 21 year old man working at a nearby stainless steel shop. He told me not to come back, because he would come find us instead. :)  We made an appointment, and he didn’t show up. However, he did show up yesterday apologizing for missing our appointment. Most people that come looking for me are not looking for Christ but for English. Viasna was told in no uncertain terms that English was NOT being taught here. He still made another appointment to come back for church Wednesday night.

Initial contact was made with all four of these men in less than two hours on the street. Past experience tells me that there is very little chance any of these men will make it past the fourth lesson. The world “tells” me that there is nothing I can offer these men to compare with all of its glamour. The devil “tells” me that they belong to him, and he won’t let them go. However, the Bible tells me that the Gospel is the power unto salvation and that God’s Word is sharper than any two-edged sword. It will not return unto our Lord void, without bearing fruit. The Lord Jesus Christ “tells” me that He loves those men more than I love my own children, so much so that He gave His life for them. The Holy Spirit “tells” me that He has been working in the hearts of these men long before I met them and will continue to work in their lives when I am no where in sight.

I choose to believe and trust in the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I will continue to go and follow up on these men and many others.

Will you enter this work of faith with me? Will you pray for these men as I go?

Reaping Where I Bestowed No Labour

John 4:36-38

 
This past Thursday (July 29, 2010), God gave me the privilege of leading a man and wife to a saving knowledge of Christ.  Samnang and his wife Sokhom both have a 40 year history of God planting Gospel seeds in their hearts.  

Sokhom had been to church in the sixties before meeting Samnang.  During that same time Samnang was travelling in and out of the country studying at universities abroad.  Though he had not made room in his own life for Christ, his brother accepted Christ and became a pastor for an evangelical church.  That brother was later murdered by the Khmer Rouge during their regime.  At their Buddhist  wedding (about 1970), Sokhom and Samnang had no idea what lay ahead.  God would continue to water the seeds he had planted in their hearts while protecting them from being destroyed by the Khmer Rouge Regime.

 
A Christian nephew who started pastoring in the province during the nineties coupled with radio ministries in Phnom Penh continued to water the seed of God’s Word growing in their hearts.  Samnang and Sokhom turned away from Buddhism and started to search for the truth.  Through Bible reading, visits from Mormons, listening to the radio, and talking to Christians they realized that there were many different denominations in Christianity and were confused about where to go to church.
 
Just last year a new missionary family, the Carlyles, rented a house across the street from this couple.  The Carlyles were a great testimony to them and quickly won their trust.  Since brother Carlyle is still in language school, he introduced them to me in order to finish the task of explaining the Gospel.
 
Sometimes we plant. Sometimes we water.  Sometimes we reap. Sometimes we do all three.  Surely, God is involved in every step of the miraculous process.  What a privilege it is to be one of many labourers over more than a 40 year span.  So much the more, what a privilege it is to be a labourer together with Christ in bringing in an eternal harvest!  
 
Please pray for this couple to continue to come to church and become committed to church.
Please pray for their discipleship as I start this Tuesday explaining the wonderful relationship that they have just begun.
Please pray for their 3 children and 2 grandchildren to be saved.  All of them live with Samnang and Sokhom. 

 

In the field,
Rodney Ruppel

 

Another perspective on this same story from my friend Stephen Benefield at www.themissionarymemo.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-grandpa.html

A “Difficult” Decision

 A young man named Liep Heng started attending our church early this year. He came to us with many questions and quickly understood the Gospel, because, before coming to us, he had been reading a “comic” book called Good & Evil written by Michael Pearl and translated into Khmer by a missionary here.

 Accepting the Gospel of Jesus Christ was much more difficult for Liep Heng than merely understanding. He is the only son of his Chinese-Cambodian family. The responsibility of carrying on the “family” spirit altar falls squarely upon his shoulders. (Much like the spirit altar represented in the Disney cartoon film “Mulan”) Most Cambodian-Chinese believe if they stop lighting incense on the family’s spirit altar they are abandoning their ancestors in a purgatory-like Hell. It is also commonly stated that your mother and father are God #1. Other God’s, including Buddha, come after your parents.

Liep Heng’s father allowed him to attend church but told him to not be mistaken about his responsibilities to his family. This weighed heavily on the heart and mind of this young man as he contemplated a decision for Christ. In May, Liep Heng stated in a sad tone of voice, “My family’s spriit altar is my responsibility, so I cannot accept Christ.” However he continued to come to church and remain hungry for teaching from God’s Word.

On June 20, 2010, Liep Heng raised his hand for salvation after the Sunday morning service. I dealt with him immediately. It was absolutely necessary for me to ask the hard questions. “Who is God?” ” Are there any other true gods?” “Is the Lord Jesus Christ more important than your parents?” This last question did not retrieve a quick reply. Squirming in his seat and wringing his hands, Liep Heng was considering what many in this country would call “treason” and betraying one’s own family. After a long pause, Liep Heng answered, “Yes! Jesus Christ is the most important person in the world!”

After accepting Christ, Liep Heng received counsel from God’s Word about how to live for Christ and maintian a peaceful and loving relationship with his parents.

Liep Heng has been doing well. He works hard to help his father in their family business, attends church, and just went out soulwinning with us for the first time last week. Of course the Devil is not pleased with his decision to follow Christ. The Mormons have found an in-road to this young man through some of his friends. Liep Heng understands that they are different, but seems to be intent on maintaining contact in order to “straighten out” some of his friends. Lord willing, Liep Heng and I will be meeting with some of the “elders” to discuss differences.

Please pray that God will give me wisdom to show Liep Heng clearly from the Bible that Mormon belief is erroneous from scripture. In order to do this, these “elders” will have to admit what they believe. Admitting what they believe is not something they readily do. Please pray for God to guide Liep Heng into all truth. Please pray for him to continue to grow in this witness and testimony for Christ. Please pray for his family to also be saved.

 Serving Christ in Cambodia, Rodney Ruppel