Throughout the Bible, we see examples of God choosing not to provide immediate answers to prayer. The Israelites wandered for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. Joseph sat in prison several years before seeing the light of day again. Paul also was imprisoned for several years. They all had a period of waiting on the Lord.

In December 2012, we wrote an article about purchasing land for a school. When we wrote the article, the purchase seemed a certainty. We had made a down payment, and things appeared to be moving forward. However, after another six months and having no documents signed, we began to get frustrated. We hired a lawyer to try to help things move forward, but to no avail. Finally, in July 2013, we stopped pursuing the land. This was hard for us to swallow. We had put significant money into the land already, having been assured things were moving forward. None of this money was refunded to us. AFM administration were very supportive of us, assuring us they had helped us in the decisions and that they were just as responsible for the loss as we were. Still, we felt remorse for the donor funds that had been taken from us. We began to question whether we were pursuing something that was not in the Lord’s will.

We were encouraged to look for other land and not lose sight of the vision God had given us. About this time, we decided to modify our original plan for the school. Instead of purchasing a large piece of land for the entire campus, we decided to focus on a smaller piece of land near town for the K-6 school. We will open the school with grades K-2 and build from there each year. Then, in the future, we will look for a larger piece of land outside of town for the 7-12 grade school.

By December 2013, we had found two more pieces of land, but nothing came through with either of them. We searched for land that had a secure title to make the transfer quick and easy, but all the options we found were either poorly located or too expensive.

Finally, the Lord brought to my memory the very first piece of land we had looked at more than a year and a half ago. Since our original plan was to purchase 18 to 20 acres, we had quickly passed over this 3.5-acre piece. Now the Lord brought it to memory and prompted me to ask the local church planter’s wife if it was still for sale. The following day, she told me it was still for sale. The owners were in need of money and were willing to negotiate a lower price.

We were excited and went to look at the land one more time. Daniel and I were both happy with what we saw. After some dialogue with the Cambodia Adventist Mission, the church planters, and our lay worker, the negotiations began.

After planning our school’s outfitting and operating budget, the amount of money we had available for purchasing the land was significantly lower than the asking price. Also, the Mission wanted the seller to be responsible for the transfer of title, taxes, etc. God is good, and the negotiations came to the exact price we had hoped for! Last week, the papers were signed, and the Cambodia Adventist Mission now holds the temporary title for the land. The owner is working to get the secure title processed for us. This will take another three or four months, but in the mean time we can develop the land and use it like it is our own.

The school will open the first of October, and we are looking for a suitable location to rent. We are stepping out in faith. Our current funds will be depleted after the first school year, but we know God will provide as we trust in Him.

If you would like to make a contribution to the school project, please mark your donation “Pnong School Project.”

Waiting on the Lord has been a lesson of perseverance and patience for us. But our Father has proved faithful. As we continue to plan and move forward, please remember this project in your prayers. We serve a mighty God!

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