December News!
Christmas greetings to you all! We are excited to share what’s been happening with us in Cambodia!
Thanksgiving in Cambodia
We had a lovely traditional Thanksgiving here. A group of 12 of us ate together on Thanksgiving evening at a local cafe. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry relish, rolls, pumpkin, pecan and apple pie. It was delicious like being home. We enjoyed our “international” fellowship of friends from Australia, Switzerland and the US.
Two days later, all the Americans from the house church we attend had a potluck dinner for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful and eventful celebration. The power went out just as we all arrived and our hosts were still cooking the turkey in their instant pot. They had to take the turkey down the street to a hotel that had a generator and ask to finish cooking the turkey there. They also got to explain American Thanksgiving to the Cambodian hotel manager. We had a great time and made some new friends, and the turkey was delicious!
Zoe Youth Group
On Sundays, we have been attending a house church in the afternoons, We really enjoy the fellowship with other expat believers here, from all over the world– The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, the US and more. However, we have been looking for a Cambodian church to attend in the morning. Our language teacher, Sophat, invited us to his church. We went for the first time about two months ago and really loved worshipping there. The church is zealous, passionate, and friendly. Best of all, they have a very active youth group that Zoe has gotten involved in.They have a youth service on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. She has enjoyed making new friends there. What an answer to prayer. We love seeing her get to be a teenager and do things with kids her own age. A few of the teens speak English and Zoe is getting better each week at understanding Khmer.
Team Arrival
This past week we had a Gap Year squad arrive in Cambodia (Gap Year is a team with Adventures in Missions of young men and women age 18 to 21 that serve in 3 countries for 3 months each). They have spent the past three months in Costa Rica. We welcomed them on December 8, tired and jet-lagged. They are serving with two ministries that we partner with here. They will be involved in various ministries in schools from primary to college age, church planting and village ministry. One of the leaders, Jordan Harrington, is from our hometown of Chillicothe, Ohio!
Our Minisry
I (Shannon) have been visiting our ministry partners here in Cambodia. We are encouraged more each day as we see what God is doing through the church here in Cambodia. A few weeks ago, we met with a young lady and her mother from Korea that have a ministry in Battambang and the floating villages Joyner and her family came to Cambodia 8 years ago. Her father was a doctor and her mother a nurse. Her father fell ill with cancer and died 4 years ago. Her and her mother said that God called them here regardless of circumstances and that the ministry should continue even without her husband They continue to serve here touching lives in a very difficult area. They said that they only take Adventures in Missions World Race teams because they are the only team that can stay in the floating village. (World Race Teams are age 22 to 35 and serve in 11 countries in 11 months) What a testimony to the ministry of The World Race Participants!
In addition to the Gap Year Squad already here, we have both a World Race Team and a Semesters team arriving in January. It’s going to be a busy few months for sure. We are so excited to receive these teams! We continue to pray and seek God’s guidance for direction of our long term ministry.
We have found that to be able to visit our ministry partners, meet the needs of the teams we host, and to travel around Cambodia, we really need a vehicle. We have started a “Go Fund Me Account” to raise the amount we need to purchase a truck or SUV. If you would like to contribute to our vehicle fund please visit this link:
https://www.gofundme.com/manage/wheels-for-the-bobbs-cambodia
Gifts can also be sent to us directly through Taylor at this address:
Taylor Collingsworth
2872 Rio Dosa Dr.
Lexington, KY 40509
Or through the Christian Union Missions Board (please designate that it is a GIFT to:
Neal Skiles
905 Ethel Ave.
Heath, OH 43056
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at [email protected]
Christmas in Cambodia
Celebrating Christmas here is sure to be different. This is the first Christmas we have not spent with our extended families–EVER! While we are sad to be away from home, we are very excited that our kids will all be here to spend Christmas with us! Taylor, Wes, Canaan and Madison all arrive on December 17 to spend two weeks with us! We thank God that He has made it possible for them all to come!
We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! It’s hard being so far away, but know that you are always in our hearts! May your hearts be filled with the peace and joy that comes from Christ’s presence! Thank you for partnering with us in Cambodia!
Love,
The Bobb Family
