Life marches on in the midst of the mess

The sun rises and sets, the rivers and lakes rise and fall with the rains, birthdays and anniversaries pass; many things go unchanged in a world wrestling with the fear of a war, politics and pandemics.

Children laugh and play as usual.  Until they don’t.

The threats and actual harm that come to children at the hands of adults who should be guarding and nurturing them is an atrocity.  It is not a new thing.  It has happened for generations.  It is multiplied where the Gospel is absent from the lives of the adults.  Where communities value pleasure more than worship of the God who created man (and children) in his image. When the Gospel is shared and absorbed the care of children increases and thereby their safety. The Gospel has the power to change lives.

Minimization of the importance of the church and is a threat to the serious nature and necessity of knowing Christ.  This is a serious threat to the spread of the Gospel.   It is not just knowing ABOUT HIM but actually repenting of sin and knowing him.  We simply have to help native believers share in their own culture and language the hope of Christ.

Thank you for being a part of our advance into places where the Gospel is absent and children are abused.

Please stay connected as much as your life allows.

The Look of New Life

These folks have an eagerness to engage.  The anticipation of hearing hope.  The witness of a life changed.

This is what happens within the workplaces and schools we are honored to be a part of.  We get to see it and be a part of it.  We try to bring that story to you but, it would take far more than a thousand words to paint the clearest picture of the look of a new life.   The teams that have come to work with us can testify to the direction to transform lives.  One life at a time we engage.   One life at a time we see change.

Everyday the Word is shared.  Everyday the seeds go a little deeper.  Everyday there is a witness of the power of Christ to bring new life.  This is the work of IncurableFanatics and we appreciate your prayer and financial support of the work as new life spreads within the community.

Be a part of what God is doing.

Entrapments with a high cost

The travel is long, but far more convenient and comfortable than the missionaries who paved the trail that we now follow.  We have far less fear of unknown acceptance than those who arrived in these places a hundred years ago, even 50 years ago. Survival to be able to share is not so great a concern.  Today, it is peoples coolness to considering eternal consequences of knowing the ONE true God.  Trinkets and toys, power and prosperity; life today and what it offers have all placed a powerful filter over the eyes and hearts of people.  It is not automatic to consider,  “where will I go when I die?
How to prepare, how to know about going to heaven or hell seems to be a distant concern.  It is our work to make that a present concern.  It is not our job to convict or convince but it is our work to create awareness. So many have no answer and seem so unwilling to even confront the question.
The absence of the Gospel results in atrocities to mankind.  Including child trafficking which to us is the spotlight showing us the communities where we should focus our work. The communities where only changed hearts can provide lasting changed culture.
Riches, power, control and fame are the entrapments that lure many away from truth.  Like a mouse to cheese, many go for the cheese and the result is never what was expected.
Dear friends and supporters, please pray for our effectiveness even more than “safe travels”.  As we work with the rising generation of leaders in Cambodia, it is our privilege.  It is your gifts that enable us to be engaged.  To be offering the most useful years of our lives to the work we are privileged to do.  We hope in the end, we will draw many to the facts of the truth.
Too much is at stake, for too many people to not use every ounce of energy God gives us for His work.
“As for me and My house, we will serve the Lord.”
       ~ Joshua 24:15
We plan to be running full-out when heaven calls us home.
This is an invitation to you to partner with us if this cause seems right to you.
Merry Christmas and thank you for being part of our support team.

Be The Change

See something wrong?  Do something about it.

See something questionable?  Ask some questions.

See suspicious activity?  Record it and report it.

Everyday on social media I see complainers who think complaining accomplishes something.  It rarely does.  Action brings change.  Action takes only a small amount of effort and it really can bring change.

See an abandoned kid?  Check it out.  See a struggling old timer?  Help them complete their task.

Be The Change!

If you won’t, and you, and you, and you ………and me ..…

Our world is in free fall decay and there are way too many spectators.

Be The Change! Do It!

 

For what are we designed? For what are we saved?

The primary purpose of man, of the life of man, is to glorify the One who created it and saved us for his purpose.

That thought is certainly not new to me, so I claim no authorship or bright insight to have expressed it.  But…..

This thought has so captivated me that it has altered the course of my life, my work, my joy.

So, in believing this so deeply, I cannot carry it simply as an academic or intellectual truth.  It compels me to think and dream and plan for how I can use my life each day to spread the greatest joy to the hearts of those who have not yet discovered this for themselves.  It drives me to act every day.

Debbie and I share this passion and this in itself is a joy.  To share a vision with your covenant partner in marriage adds both excitement and ease in decisions.

In April, we will return again, as the government permits, to our beloved friends (family) in Cambodia to walk with and beside them in the work they are assuming to change their communities.  Make their communities where kids are safe because the value of human life is viewed thru the lens of Scripture.

Cambodia has not embraced the Gospel for a long time but just a few weeks ago celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first Christian movement in the country.  Awareness at present is very high as there was a country wide celebration and major event in the capitol, Phnom Penh.  The opportunity to press into this culture is at present, uncharacteristically open.  We want to sieze it more deeply with expanding our work to increase educational opportunities through opening strong academic Christian schools.

We have a working model.  We want to seize the expansion opportunities now open to us.

If battling human trafficking is more than a fight against an atrocious social injustice, if it is a sign of broken people, broken families, and broken societies where the Gospel is absent; join us in this fight.

We are not slowing down. We are not giving in. This is our God given purpose and passion – helping families live for the Lord.  Where communities become safe for children. Thru micro businesses and education we help local leaders and believers change their own world.

If you can, donate to this work on a monthly or one-time basis.  DONATE here.

or by check to:
IOM (International Outreach Ministries) memo P Livingston
PO Box 2140
McComb, MS 39649
IOM contact info for help:  601-684-0558 (ask for Karen for donor support)

We are not slowing down.

The Growing Impact

Education does not make one better.  More knowledgeable yes, but not better as a person.  But it does seem to bring confidence and certainly it brings respect when achievements are made.

This week, we celebrate the college graduation of two of our original teachers.  Seng Thida, BA Education, and Ah Thoun, BA Education.   Both are part of our original team at New Vision School where they still serve today.  Both come from tragic backgrounds but have overcome the world with a passion for Christ.  We are so proud of both of them.
They are quite likely our next school leaders as we ask God to allow us to expand this model.   More children, more communities, more Gospel seeds and more plants growing up like Thida and Thoun (pray for Sarey and Sokny next).  Community changers with the confidence and now respect from hard earned degrees.   And oh my, the respect their parents get now in their home villages because of the accomplishments of their daughters.
And we get to watch, encourage and help chart a growing course.
Thank you for your support.  It gives Debbie and I confidence, stamina and courage to know you are with us.
Thank you for your continued support at:
IncurableFanatics Donate online
or by check to:
IOM (International Outreach Ministries) memo P Livingston
PO Box 2140
McComb, MS 39649
IOM contact info for help:  601-684-0558 (ask for Karen for donor support)

Intensity is enormous

In all my years of coming to Cambodia and living in Cambodia, I have never seen this many small packs of older foreign men roaming the streets. Never have I seen a refreshing of the child trafficking business like I am seeing now.

The depth of financial, food, education, and spiritual poverty is staggering and results in children being offered for sale for the vile  atrocities often at the hands of these foreign men.

Rarely have I made a direct appeal for support to continue this work in changing communities, we are helping leaders change themselves, and change their own communities.

This is Giving Tuesday. Internationally a big day of support to nonprofits. I am asking that if you are considering a gift to a nonprofit on giving Tuesday, that you consider incurablefanatics.org/donate here, donations are tax deductible and work to help the local community change from within the conditions that result in child trafficking.

And it’s working! In the communities f our work, there is great change.  Please, if you are giving on Giving Tuesday consider.

 

Thank you,

Pete & Debbie

 

incurablefanatics.org/donate.incurablefanatics.org/donate.

Again! We take the Good News

They love to come to school.

All around the world, the face and practice of missions is changing. In the Middle East many missionaries have had to go underground to continue their work. In places like Afghanistan, some have moved their mission work to nearby countries.  In China, the movement continues underground and at great risk and usually by nationals.  But the work of the gospel continues to advance, He continues to save, it continues to change lives.

For Debbie and I, the face of our mission work has changed. Our ability to reside permanently in Cambodia is presently not possible, but the work we do continues every day.  And we return in just a  few days.

Every day in Cambodia. We are at work. Consistently. Persistently. And differently.

What seemed to us to be a good idea, being mentors and not the official leaders in each of our work environments in Cambodia, has turned out to be the sovereign direction of God. As we developed young leaders, they learned to lead while we were at their side to encourage to promote and to prepare. Covid changed that way of success in our work and kept us stateside. Now, while we no longer reside in Cambodia, we continue every day in the work there electronically and in person as frequently as possible.

The advance of technology permits us to do zoom meetings, and training with our growing leaders, who have accepted the responsibility of in person leadership in ways we could not have foreseen. We will continue to return to Cambodia on intermittent and as frequent as possible trips to move into this stage of expansion with our now mentored leaders who know well how to manage what has been started. Now they need to be mentored in expanding.

On November 8 we will return to Cambodia for whatever time is permitted and develop the strategies and plans and identify and begin work with the next group of leaders to expand the work.

It is a very special time of opportunity there right now. Many of the people who professed Christianity professed a prosperity faith that didn’t work out very well during Covid.  But they have heard the name of the One.  Now the work is to point them to the Truth of being a follower of the One.

If you can partner with us in this work, we would be very grateful. First, pray that we would be effective for whatever time we have to be there.  Second, if, after giving your tithes to your local church, you have something left over to give please consider Incurable Fanatics.

IncurableFanatics.org/donateIncurableFanatics.org/donate

And join us with a team to be onsite in the work.  We have some select opportunities.

Yes, Child exploitation in the US is on the rise.

©271 EAK MOTO/shutterstock.comWe are hearing more about human-trafficking in the US due to the flow of lives across our southern border, many are children who are accompanied to the border from the south and are abandoned as soon as the “adult” transporting them can flee into the US.

This is human trafficking:

“the unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation.”

The purpose of this post is not political.  It is protective.  The children being exploited as “tickets” to cross into the US in a presumed family are frequently exploited sexually along the way to our border and then abandoned without education, income, safety or guardians once they get across our border.  Such children are then prime for another round of exploitation after arriving in the US.

Be against human-trafficking.  For the safety of the children,  be against it.  Don’t pretend it isn’t happening or is just a handful of cases.  It is dominant and the success of exploiting children in this way increases the number of people who do it.

Stop it!

Join us in the battle.  Invite us to hold a Human Trafficking Awareness Event in you church, school, business or neighborhood.

You alone can make a difference.

 

Seeing the real message of half-time SB24

Trying to make sense of Super Bowl 54 halftime “entertainment”.

Because of the value of all human life, because of my view of women inspired by God’s Word, because I have worked in human trafficking prevention and recovery and because I have seen the entry doors to brothels with children and young slaves inviting perpetrators of evil to enter in, because I know that these invitations lead to the decay and destruction of dignity, equality, honor, respect and even perceptions of the value of an individuals life; I am appalled by the halftime show of Super Bowl 54.

Last night, for the little I watched, I was peering at the “designed to entice entry to the brothel” value of women and young (very young) girls. I have seen where this goes and it is destructive to life. It certainly debases women and emboldens an objectifying view of all women.

How many men watching in bars, homes and even in their churches last night, were pushed toward lustful thoughts? How many let those thoughts run unchecked?

It hurt my heart to see it elevated as “entertainment”.

Ephesians 5:3 my dear friends is so fitting.

Dads. Next time such a display comes to your TV take your sons and daughters from the room.

Dads. Tell the NFL, and Fox Sports you would not want your daughters on that stage (even if they were paid huge amounts of money – does the dignity of your wife or daughter have a price tag?). You don’t want them aspiring to be stars of openly suggestive behavior. That is well below the design of God for women. And this is happening at a time when there is acute awareness in the US thru #metoo.

Dads, what is your life displaying to your children?

Last night, I had to get up and do dishes. My heart aches for the lost view and value of purity in the world today.

Dads, lead the charge to restore it in your home.

You can join us in this fight by supporting our drive to grow awareness to the pressures resulting in human trafficking and the drive to end it- here, there, anywhere!  DONATE