Pregnant!!

Pregnant!!!! No.. not us. :) Our best friends in Cambodia are pregnant!!!  Tess is due June 13, 2013.  So excited for them!!!!!  Wishing we could be there in June... glad we can go in January!

Romdenhs' November Update

Friends, Family, and Faithful Supporters,

We have great news! Aldean got his visa!!!! Titus and I are praising the Lord for His gift of grace to Jessie & Aldean and we trust that He will be glorified in their testimonies! I remember very well the day that I received news from Titus that he passed the interview; and a week later, when the visa was stamped into his passport. Titus and I are especially happy for Jessie & Aldean because we know personally how relieving and overwhelming and GREAT that piece of news is! Aldean is scheduled to arrive in Indiana from the Philippines on November 17 and the wedding is two weeks later on December 1. We’re excited to meet the guy we’ve heard so much about, and anxious to see how a third culture blends into our family!

In other news, two days ago, Titus and I purchased round-trip tickets to Cambodia. We’ll be leaving a few days after Christmas and staying for three weeks. Our primary ministry will be an encouragement to the pastors and the churches, which have experienced some hard transitions and challenges since Titus’ departure in October 2011. Our plans include coordinating a pastors and wives’ retreat - a time to get away, to get together, and to rejuvenate their bodies while rekindling their passions [at the beach!] We are almost half-way to our goal of raising $1,600, which will allow 30 pastor’s families to attend at no cost to them.

On October 29th, we celebrated our one-year-anniversary. On the 26th, Titus and I flew to Baltimore, Maryland to spend 5 days with friends. As you know, Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast on October 29th. Although our friends’ home retained power and had no significant damage, the whole experience will be a long-lasting first anniversary memory! The wind was unlike anything that I have ever heard or felt before and we are very grateful for the protection over our friends’ home!! We had lots of fun before the storm hit! On Friday, we enjoyed exploring Baltimore City and visiting the National Aquarium. On Saturday, we explored Washington D.C. I really enjoyed getting to know the Long family and it was so good for Titus to be able to spend time with a friend from Cambodia! How we value and cherish our relationships with friends who understand cross-cultural marriage!

 As always, thank you. Thank you for reading, for supporting, for praying, for loving, and for giving. The knowledge that you are simply behind us gives us confidence to pursue God’s will and the visions that He has given us.

Serving Him,

Jewel & Titus

Mourning and Thanksgiving

Declared by Prime Minister Hun Sen, today is the official day of mourning in Cambodia for the tragedy of the 375 lives lost during the stampede at Monday's Water Festival activities. Ironically, today is also Thanksgiving in North America. I'm not torn between the two -- between mourning and being thankful -- because I know that we can be thankful in all things. However, my heart is heavy today for those who died without knowing their Savior.

I'm thankful for friends.

Left: Pastor Poleak and family; Right: Ladies from the WBI

[Some of the best friends I could ever ask for.]

I'm thankful for family.

Left: Greg, Resie, Aleeyah, and Esher Fernandez; Right: Vandy and Tess

I'm thankful for passionate and dedicated missionary partners.

Tim, Tiffany, and Katie Gallant

I'm especially thankful for the incredible man and partner in ministry that God has blessed me with.

Titus

God, thank You for calling me to Your people in Cambodia. Thank You for the joy that comes from knowing and serving You. Thank You for entrusting me to Your work, and for empowering me to do Your work. Thank You for showing me love, that I may share it with others. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.

Isaiah 42:6,7 --
6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness."

Love love love, Jewel

Missionaries to Cambodia

I am privileged to work beside a wonderful team of pastors and missionaries in Phnom Penh and around Cambodia. There are currently three Wesleyan missionary families on the field, and here is just a little about them.


Tim and Tiffany Gallant and baby KatieTim and Tiffany are the reason I initially chose to go to Cambodia (although there were many prayers given to the decision, and eventually I felt God's peace.) When they are in town, they attend my home church, and we have many memories together - both stateside and in Cambodia. I am blessed to share a love for Cambodia with these two!
You can read the Gallant Gazette HERE


Greg and Resie Fernandez, Aleeyah and EsherGreg and Resie are two of the most passionate missionaries people that I ever met. They are also very wise, disciplined, and humble. They are two of my biggest challengers and two of my biggest encouragers. They previously taught at the WBI, but are now involved in Church ministries and outreach. Because of their specific ministry field, I will be working more closely with the Fernandezes when I am in Cambodia.
You can read Resie's blog HERE
Greg's blog HERE
and Aleeyah & Esher's blog HERE


Chet, Virginia, and Bekah QuinnThe Quinns are from Kentwood Community Church in Kentwood, Michigan, and are maybe ten months through what I believe is a two-year assignment. Chet teaches computer at the Wesleyan Bible Institute, and Virginia volunteers at Daughters of Cambodia, a faith-based non-Government organization reaching out to victims of sex trafficking in Cambodia. I'm anxious to meet them in December!
You can read the Quinns' blog HERE

Two Weeks of Ministry in Kratie

Here's a journal entry of a time that has definitely influenced my decision to return to Cambodia. This describes a time in June 2009:

The jump-start to my internship was definitely rougher than the previous three weeks of ministry. I was just recovering from a grueling week of restless parasites, mysterious antibiotics, and the unmistakable English accent of a shady Khmer doctor. Once a member of a cherished team of seven girls, I found myself discouraged and alone; my only company: an agonizing headache and the reverberating sound of an oscillating fan that accomplished nothing more than to feed the worsening headache. I wasn’t ready to leave, but I was ready for a change of circumstances. Then it came – the smallest car I had ever seen – and in that Tico rode two escorts, my missionary hostess and her pastor.

The Tico (at just $1,500 new, built not for traveling in comfort) took us six hours to Kratie, a lively riverside town with an expansive riverfront and some of the best sunsets in Cambodia. Yet beyond the river’s edge, it is a remote and wild land that sees few outsiders. For me, Kratie means more than the Mekong River and the rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins, but it means names like Richard, Nary, Ratana, Piney, Rado, Song, Sokha, Rolitess, Pastor Vandy, and others.

My ministry in Kratie was focused on the English students at the School of Hope, established by World Hope International, and on the youth at the Wesleyan church, which shares a property with the school. By opening their home for English classes and reaching out to the young people, two young pastors (Titus and Vandy) planted Jesus Saves Wesleyan Church only five years ago. Because of its partnership with the school, the church’s youth are strong and active, despite a lack of support from parents, and difficult circumstances at home.

During the evenings I taught two English classes. The first I co-taught with my hostess, Rolitess Galam, a Filipino WHI missionary. It was a basic intermediate class with twelve girls and two boys. Initially I was discouraged by the poor attendance and a lack of participation, but eventually circumstances changed (including my own attitude,) and while I cannot admit to you that I learned all fourteen names, I did connect with every student and felt extremely appreciated by each.

I offered a second English class to high school seniors who are preparing for graduation exams and scholarship tests. Nekru Jewel’s English was previously not offered by the School of Hope, but when the need was seen for a more focused study, I was asked to open the class for the almost three weeks I would be in Kratie. Again, presence was dependant upon Mother Nature’s cooperation (it was the rainy season!) but there was a new student in attendance almost every evening, and the nightly turnout averaged ten to fifteen. Class was scheduled for one hour; but, like clockwork, one student would always ask, “Ten more minutes?” then after ten minutes passed, “Just five more minutes.” I was inspired by their excitement and commitment to learn English.

Many of these students I was able to connect with in my home, whether sharing meals, telling stories, or gathering together for prayer meetings. If it rained during lunch break, public schools were not able to reopen for the afternoon, as both teachers and students travel by foot, bicycle or moto-bike, and cannot easily walk or ride through muddy or flooded streets. So nearly every afternoon, Rolitess and I were blessed with company, usually young, but occasionally old. This time of fellowship truly was a blessing, as we ministered through hospitality and prayer. I grew especially close to two youth, who came eager to further their English vocabulary and improve their pronunciation, to teach me new Khmer phrases, and to compare and contrast the cultures of America and Cambodia. We also shared our testimonies, our hopes for the future (both near and far), and one small pillow on the hard wood floor. I gave Richard and Nary t-shirts, and they gave me their promise that if/when they visit the States, they will call me to be their personal escort.


Nary and Pagna
On Wednesday evenings, Rolitess regularly holds prayer meetings in her home; in addition to her and myself, there were five other students who came and participated with us each Wednesday. Song led us in Khmer worship, Rolitess and I gave short devotionals, and we held hands and prayed aloud collectively. We prayed together for personal needs, for the Church in Cambodia, for the salvation of friends and family members, and for God’s will to be done in each of our lives.

The students have remarkable testimonies of serving the Lord under trying circumstances, persecution, discouragement, and heavy financial burdens, and I was so encouraged to see their faithfulness to the Lord and His ministry in their village. I was moved with inspiration as I heard the stories of the students who continue attending church and prayer meetings, despite a lack of support at home, and even their parents beatings.

Song, Phiney, and Ratana
More to come later!

Love love love, Jewel