Less Than A Month Left In Cambodia

Dear Family and Friends!

SBS Update

For the last month, we have been studying the major and minor prophets! With less than 3 weeks left, it is so important for us to finish strong in the midst of our 50-60 hours per week of studying. The prophets for us have been especially convicting in seeing God’s heart for missions and reaching those everyday who around us that have lost sight of who God is. It is easy in America to think missions HAS to be overseas, but in reality... It is in our own neighborhoods. We are going to living this very thing out in our time on the West Coast. In 3 weeks, we will have read and interpreted each book of the Bible 5 times. Thank you for being on this journey with us.

The Ministry

Everyday God is opening up doors for us in our community to see his name glorified. Each week for the last couple of months, the same lady has been digging through our trash outside of our house for recyclables. Recently, we have been able to connect with her, and have invited to our community gatherings each week that has a message, and worship. This woman has 5 children, and her husband has left her, and she often doesn’t have enough food or work to survive. By the graciousness of your financial support, we were able to buy a bag of 50 KG of rice for her which is able to last her family 6 months. Please be praying for her as she continues to come to our weekly gatherings that she would see God within the midst of it all.

The Travel and Transition

Our time here in Cambodia has flown by very quickly and it is bittersweet to think of our time coming to an end. We came with our hearts and hands open to how God would lead us these 9 months, and are truly leaving our hearts behind as we venture back to the States.

We are in urgent need of travel expenses, and expenses that will supplement our transition. In open honesty, we will be off of the mission field come our arrival in America, but are asking for continued financial support until August 1st.

For traveling our need is at around $850 dollars. This will help us in our travel from: 

Cambodia ---> Thailand ---> NY ---> PA ---> SF ---> WA.

Please consider supporting us as we trust God for many unknowns and transitions in the next couple of months. (click here for info on how to give)

The Praise

We have an apartment! We move in August 1st and feel so blessed that God opened up an opportunity for us before our arrival.

The Request

• Pray for safe travels back to the States.
• Pray for a car that will serve us for several years.
• Pray for furniture and small appliances for our awesome apartment.
• Pray for finances for travel and transition.
• Pray for our friend and her family we have been able to reach out to and connect with our family here.

(If you would like to be an answer to any of these prayers please contact us via email or facebook and we will talk. click here for our contact info)

Love, John and Roberta

Some photos from around Battambang, Cambodia.

Preparing for The Third Quarter of SBS

What an awesome privilege to see our sister
grow so much in her DTS!

Hi family and friends!

Roberta and I are coming into our last 3 months here in Cambodia; it has been filled with God's grace, love, and revelation thus far. Here is a few things that have been happening!

Sarah in Cambodia – It has been has been an absolute pleasure and blessing to watch my sister go through her Discipleship Training School here in Cambodia. Roberta and I had the privilege of praying for her and her team as they headed off to bring the gospel to another part of Cambodia and later, to the Burmese people. Please continue to pray for her that she would find her place in spreading the gospel across this awesome world.

Nations to Nations - Last week, our base, here in Battambang, Cambodia, hosted a conference that's focus was on the gospel being spread all over the earth! We had 42 different nations represented here, and it was a beautiful picture of what heaven will one day be like. The week was filled with teaching, worship, culture celebration events, and networking with all the focus on God's great commission going forth. I, John, got to see one of my good friends from a course I took in Norway and Sweden in 2006. Here's a video of our Cambodian staff and students singing, "How Great is Our God."

SBS - We have been in full swing with our study of the bible! These last few months we went through the Pentateuch and each historical book in the Old Testament. We have slowly begun our intro to the prophets. Week after week we are studying the word of God and how it applies to our lives today, it is very hard work but we know it's vital to our Christian walk and life in missions. Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers through this time!

Culture - The Cambodian culture is one of great hospitality, love and warmth. We have so much to learn and are still learning daily. It is the "hot" season, with temperatures at between 100-107° on average with high humidity always. Please continue praying for us as living overseas and immersion in culture isn't an easy transition, and challenges us daily.

Thank you so much for all your prayers, love and support! Here are some recent photos of life here in Cambodia!

Prayer points:

Listening to some teaching from our leaders at the
Nations-to-Nations conference.

• Endurance and strength as we continue to press on.
• We are coming with in 3 months of finishing, but we still want to finish the school well. Pray we finish well.
• Open doors for future opportunities, God to guide us as lead us in our next step in this upcoming summer and following in the states!

February Celebrations, Prayer Requests, and Plans

Roberta and I dressed up for our first Khmer wedding.

Hello,

family and friends!

Just wanted to send a quick update on how life is going in Cambodia! We are so grateful for each and every one of you who are supporting us prayerfully and financially! It is because of you that we are able to do what we are doing here in Cambodia.

Celebrations:

• We have finished studying The Pentateuch! The first 5 books of the Bible(the Pentateuch) lay a foundation for the rest of the Bible! The Pentateuch has completely changed our view of the New Testament, and we believe it is so vital to the foundation of our faith.
• Roberta is loving her work at Cafe Eden, training/working with at risk youth.
• Our relationships with the Cambodian people through our studying and work in the community constantly point to the great work that God is doing here in Cambodia. One of the students of our school was previously a slave in Malaysia before God had given her freedom. She is a great woman of faith, and is studying this Bible School in order that she can go plant churches in remote villages. This is just one testimony of the great work that God is doing through the Cambodian people. God is bringing Cambodians to Christ everyday and creating disciples that will change nation!

Eating dinner with our SBS and YWAM friends in the
Yellow house.

Prayer Requests:

• Finances - We are still waiting for $800 to come in to completely cover our plane ticket home! Our flight schedule will be long, full, and expensive come our time when we leave in June. Please continue to pray and consider for this need to be met financially.
• Safety! - Please be praying for our safety during travels(roads and cars and motorcycles here are crazy!), and also in our home! Last week, a thief managed to break into the YWAM house next door. He managed to only get into one room, but still a little scary!
• Health - Roberta is just getting over a week long bug in her belly that caused her some pain and discomfort. She took antibiotics and that helped remove it, and we have taken some worm medicine as a precaution! Please continue to pray for our health!

The SBS Classroom and John's seat.

Whats to come:

• SBS - We have finished the Pentateuch so up next is the History Books (Joshua - 2 Chronicles). We are super excited to know God better and study some fun stories along the way.
• Upcoming Summer - Toward the end of June we will make our way back to the States! We plan to spend 1-2 weeks on the East Coast in New York/Pennsylvania for a dear friends Wedding and visiting YWAM NY. Then we plan to spend 1-2 Weeks in California visiting Roberta’s family and another wedding! Followed by our arrival back in Washington by early July.

Thank YOU.

Roberta and I are praying through and solidifying our plans for after our time in Cambodia. Stay tuned for some exciting updates about where God is taking us as a couple as we seek to serve him and his kingdom! We are so blessed by all of your love and support. No words can describe how incredibly grateful we are.  Thank you for all your support, love, and prayers!

Love,

Johno and Roberta

SBS Progress and Airline Ticket

John, Roberta, and SARAH in
Siem Reap, Cambodia

Greetings from Cambodia family and friends!!!

We hope that you all had a great holiday season and enjoyed making great memories. Roberta and I definitely missed the cold and warmth of the holiday season with family and friends this year, but we’re resting in God’s perfect plan for us.

As many of you may know, Roberta lost her grandmother last week. It has been a very difficult time of being away from family. Please continue to keep her and the whole family in prayer as they grieve the loss of their grandmother.

The School of Biblical Studies has been going amazing!! Never have I been so in love with the Bible as I am now. Don’t get me wrong I have always enjoyed the Bible, but now I love the Bible even more! We have completed all of the New Testament but Matthew and we are beginning the book of Leviticus this upcoming week. Roberta and I have been absolutely loving seeing who God is through the Bible. Thus far we have each put in more than 700 hours of Bible study. On top of all that Berta has been working with a local cafe owned and run by the YWAM base here, she has been helping with job training of some of the employees there. I have been mostly focusing on my Bible study along with Berta, but I have also had many opportunities to help around the Base with IT work. We have built amazing relationships the people here so far, please continue to pray for our time here that it would continue to be even more fruitful than the first half of the school.

It is with humility that we come to you and ask for your help! We are trusting God and know he will work everything out, but we are seeking out support for our tickets home after the School of Biblical Studies is finished! Our summer plans have been revised, a lot of flying is happening before we settle in back to the States! Here is our upcoming journeys...

• Cambodia -> New York
• This is our main leg of the trip and it will cost about $1,600.
• New York -> San Francisco
• After this hard time away from her family, We have made the decision in faith to go home to spend some time with her family. This will be about $600 from NY for both of our tickets.
• San Francisco -> Seattle


• The last quick leg of the trip will be hopefully less than about $400.

These are all estimates as we have been doing research. We ask that in this time of need you would prayerfully consider giving towards our ticket home.

HOW TO GIVE: A tax deductible donation is possible through the our my home church (Faith Reformed) back home, for more info please click here. In addition, you can give online to us if you click here.

AGAIN, we thank you so much for how much you have blessed us over the years. we are deeply grateful!

LOVE,

John and Roberta

A Very Cambodian Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from The Olin’s!

This year Christmas means more than it ever has, and we hope that in this season our Savior reminds you of the greatest gift that has ever been given, the gift of Jesus Christ.

This past Sunday, I (Roberta) spent time helping a friend with her ministry that she started here, and in the midst of starting this ministry she adopted two wonderful little boys. The ministry is called Jeevit’s House, “Jeevit” in Khmer means “life”. This house is focused on supporting Children-At-Risk because their families in the village have been severely affected by HIV/AIDS. Many of these children come to Jeevit’s House simply for a meal, weekly, and the home currently sponsors up to 41 children with the intention to grow to be able to sponsor even more kids!

The kids at Jeevit's House hearing the
gospel.

I, Roberta, helped at Jeevit’s House, with their annual Christmas party, and the party ended up being for about 200 kids. Games, Food, Presents(for all!) , and the Gospel message, this was Christmas for the kids. All with the intention to show the children that despite how much they had, that Christmas was about the best gift that has been given to them, the gift of Jesus Christ. As I watched some of the children, my heart couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of grief to think of the poverty, obstacles, and loss that these children will face if they have not already. But the other side of me was overjoyed knowing that the hope of Christ is a hope that is for all, and that little by little everyday these children in Cambodia were coming to know the true meaning of Christmas.

I, John, have been spending a lot of my time studying very hard in the SBS. This is not the only thing that we are currently involved in at the moment. I am also working with some of the staff to help with the IT here for the SBS department. I have also begun to play soccer with a group of staff at the local soccer fields! It is so great to get to play such a great sport with incredible people and get to be in the community with soccer.

Being far away this year during the holiday time has shown us many things, including an appreciation for family and also for the ability to eat a good meal, have health, and also what a blessing it is to not only know Christ, but to serve him. Our time here in Cambodia has reminded us to never ever grow comfortable and take our blessings for granted, because there are so many others who have close to nothing. A statistic is easy to understand in a church pew, but the face of a child whose family is living on less than $2 dollars a day changes it all. We are blessed everyday, and this especially this Christmas.

Thank you to all who support us prayerfully and financially. We would not be here without you and know that your investment in us honors the Lord.

3 John 1:8

“Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

 All of you, friends and family that give and pray, you are our "fellow workers for the truth" and we are so thankful beyond words this holiday season for all of your support.

To learn more about Jeevit’s House, and all the work our friend, Laura, is doing… http://jeevitshouse.org/