In early 2021, we arrived on the Pnong Project with clear instructions, a goal and a vision. We inherited a school, a farm, a bakery, a village ministry and ten student (and short-term) missionaries. Our assignment was straightforward yet weighty: take over leadership, develop local Cambodian leaders and eventually hand the entire work over to the local Cambodian Adventist Mission.
We gathered our team, spent intense days brainstorming, and crafted a five-year strategic plan. Each person took clear responsibility. One family focused on village ministry. Another accepted the role of principal. We examined every moving part and made bold changes. We moved the bakery to the school campus to reduce overhead. We put systems in place for day-to-day management. We introduced a morality curriculum so teachers could lead Discovery Bible Studies right in the classroom. Physical exercise became part of the weekly rhythm, and teachers received training to serve as coaches. Teachers and student missionaries began visiting students’ homes regularly. We established a consistent worship schedule for our own team and hired local Pnong farmers—excellent stewards of the land—to maintain and develop the farm.
The student missionaries followed a clear rhythm: English classes each morning and evening, a weekly team meeting and a monthly check-in. We alternated vespers, church services and Discovery Bible Studies—sometimes with local friends and house churches in the villages, sometimes as a team with a different member leading each time. Everyone learned how to facilitate a Discovery Bible Study.
Training never stopped. We prepared a local principal, vice principal, administrative staff and teachers. Experienced student missionaries helped develop the teaching team. Others lived and worked in the villages or on the farm. God sent the right people at the right time for the right purposes, and we remain deeply thankful for every person who played a part.
By July 2026 we completed the final entry in that five-year plan. We handed the school and farm over to the local Cambodian mission. They received a profitable, well-managed school now known throughout the community as SALA JESU—Jesus School.
Village ministry among the Pnong people will continue with a career family for the next couple of years so that the fourth generation planted churches can keep growing as an indigenous Seventh-day Adventist church-planting movement. The goal remains the same: guide and train new believers not only to follow Jesus but to make disciples who also follow Him. We have watched families bring their relatives and friends to Jesus, study Scripture with them using the Discovery Bible method, teach them to obey what they learn, and apply it in daily life. They are learning what it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist within the context of the Pnong culture in a Cambodian village. They experience Jesus in ordinary ways in their daily lives and share Him with others. God is clearly at work among the Pnong people, and we are grateful to have been a small part of His larger story.
For the past two years, we have managed the project and served as part-time field directors. God has now called us into full-time field directing, and we transitioned into that role this September. Our new responsibilities include coaching and walking alongside other families on the front lines—helping them develop strategic plans, understand local culture, notice where God is already moving, follow the Holy Spirit’s lead, make disciples and teach others to do the same.
We thank God for the chance to learn and grow these past years and to trust Him more fully. Tasks that once seemed impossible became possible because He supplied the strength and wisdom. We could not have done any of this without His presence. He orchestrated the entire process, and we are thankful He allowed us to participate.
As we move forward, we ask for your continued support and prayers. Your faithful intercession and partnership carried us through hardship, sickness, fatigue and difficult seasons. We could not have reached this point without you. Please keep standing with us as we step into this next season of faith.
Our prayer is that one day we will all stand together on that glorious morning when Jesus returns—and that we will introduce you not only to our Pnong brothers and sisters but also to the many other people groups we will have the privilege of serving.
Please pray for us as we transition once again to what God is calling us to do. Your support and prayers matter more than you will ever know.
Please also let us know if you would like us to stop by in person, or if a Zoom or phone call would work better. We are also available during the week for prayer meetings or visits. If you wish to contact us, please do so through the AFM office at 269-473-4250.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
