But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ I Corinthians 15: 57 NKJV
I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30 NKJV
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 2 Corinthians 2: 14 NKJV
Our God in heaven is good wherever we are. All good things come from our Lord God because of Jesus in our lives. May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving! “
Here are some photos and highlights of our past couple of months here in Asia.
Tower Project Dedication Ceremony in Phnom Penh: February 28, 2025
Last Minute Antenna Repairs, February 27, 2025
Thank the Lord for working it out to have the antenna repairs finished the night before the dedication ceremony, allowing us to broadcast once again at full power of 10kw. In addition to the new tower, we also built two new buildings for the transmitter and generator.
A Dash to Singapore
On February 20 – 25, 2025, David and Vicki took a flight to Singapore from Phnom Penh to pick up some important items needed for the tower/antenna repairs. Thank the Lord for helping us find the tools needed.
Visiting Listeners in the villages, February 6, 2025
We praise and thank the Lord for His faithfulness and support of our ministry partnes.
On most Wednesdays when we are not traveling, we have an English language lesson to help our media-ministry staff practice and improve their English skills. Most of them have good English, but just need practice. On Thanksgiving week (November 27) our topic was about Thanksgiving. Each one shared a verse from the Bible that they like. They also shared what they want to thank God for. With their permission, here is the summary of the Bible verses each one shared and the things they want to thank God for:
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)
Chantha, one of our media hosts/programmers, shared the above verse. He is thanking God for blessing him, for being with him in all situations, good and bad. He also thanks God for His protection.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)
Rukha, the administrative/office manager, shared Ephesians 2:8 with the group. He is thankful to God for blessing him and his family, and for God’s protection. He also thanks God for providing for all his needs.
“We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.” Psalm 75:1 (NKJV)
Bopha, another radio/media host, shared the above verse. She thanks God for the blessing of family, for His care, for blessing her with a baby, and for a good husband.
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 (NKJV)
Kiry, another radio/media host, shared Psalm 107:1. He is thanking God for the support, love, and joy of family and friends. He also thanks God for making each day more meaningful. Kiry continues to thank God for giving him talents and abilities, and for giving him the opportunity to experience new things. He thanks God for helping him overcome many challenges and enjoy the simple blessings of everyday life.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 118:1 (NKJV)
Mengly, one of the newest staff members in the ministry office, works in the IT department. He shares the above verse. Mengly wants to thank God for blessing him and his family with this new job. He expressed how much he likes and enjoys his job.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God,” Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)
Sopheak is the manager for the programming department and shared the above verse. He wants to thank God for taking care of his family. He also thanks God for blessing him with a satisfied heart and good health.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)
Reaksa, another radio/media host, shared this verse. She wants to thank God for everything; for blessing her to grow into the person she is now. She also thanks God for blessing her with family, friends, and people who care for her.
David shared the same Bible verse, Psalm 100:4. He shared with the group that he thanks God for the blessing of his wife, as we celebrated our 127th month-sary on November 27th (our wedding was on April 27, 2014).
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3 (NKJV)
I (Vicki) shared this verse with the group. I also thank God for blessing me with my husband, and for blessing us to serve God with these wonderful people, the FEBC Cambodia staff.
On Thanksgiving Day, (Nov 28th), we all had fun and a good celebration. We thank the Lord God for providing a Thanksgiving traditional meal of turkey, stuffing, pie, etc.
Why Do We Celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday?
During this session, David and I shared a quick and simple history of American Thanksgiving, beginning with the time when the Pilgrims sailed from Europe to the New World. We also briefly shared the old and modern traditions of celebrating Thanksgiving with family dinners of turkey or ham, vegetables, pumpkin pie, etc. We also shared that family reunions and watching American football are also part of the modern Thanksgiving Day celebration. We also shared the following with our staff:
“Some 100 passengers set sail on the Mayflower in 1620 to start a life in the New World. They landed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and settled the first colony in New England, shaping the future of the American colonies.” (https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/mayflower-pilgrims)
The First Thanksgiving was on November 23, 1621, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.
Thanksgiving was recognized as an official holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.
Since 1941, the annual tradition and official holiday has been on the 4th Thursday in November.
We hope you all had a good Thanksgiving holiday with your family. May our hearts be full of gratitude to our Lord God, not just on Thanksgiving, but everyday. We thank our Lord for blessing us with the love of families, friends and for the gift of life and eternal life.
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. 4 [a]In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. 5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Psalm 95:1-5NKJV
We praise and thank the Lord for His blessing to visit another FEBC radio/media network in Southeast Asia. Indonesia is a country of 17,000 islands with a population of 279, 408, 000. According to Joshua Project, about 70% of the population is considered unreached, 83.3% are adherents to Islam, out of the 11.43% of Christian adherents, only 3.23 % are Evangelicals.
Here’s some highlights of our visit to Indonesia from September 9-23, 2024 (Please see the link to YouTube for the recording of the live broadcast below)
100.6 FM Heartline Karawaci
Staff Chapel Devotion
David working on transmitter for Makassar
Transmitter in Karawaci
Lunch fellowship with management team
David & Owen doing set up for drive around the city using Deva to test radio signal strength
Visit with Jimri, the Heartline network manager
Visit to Heartline Lampung
Travel to Lampung island
David, Owen & Yono working on the transmitter
With the radio staff at the transmitter site
To watch the live interview, please click the link above
Last week was our second week in the city of Phnom Penh. We did paperwork for our visa extension and apartment hunting. We thank the Lord for the kindness of Voice of Love (FEBC) staff helping us with the paperwork. At the same time, we looked at several apartment condos in the area. We also thank the Lord for the kindness of the staff of Quality Expat Services who are helping us to look for different apartment condos. Most of the apartment/condos are in high rise buildings.
This past weekend while recovering from jetlag, trying to adjust to a warm climate and different environment, we went to a park and the riverside.
Mekong River
Royal Palace Park
While going around the city, we noticed many places that have altars and images of the traditional religion. It seems many people are engaged in traditional religion as we see food and other items offered on altars and carved images. It is sad to see many people worshipping gods that do not have life. As the Bible says,
“They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; 6 They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; 7 They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat.
Psalm 115: 3-7
We are praying for many eyes to be opened to the One True God, who loves and cares for them. When we meet people like taxi or rickshaw drivers, shop workers, and others, we try to tell them, “Our God in heaven bless you!” Sometimes we say, “Our God in heaven cares for you, His name is Jesus!”
It feels overwhelming sometimes to see many people who need to know the One True God who created and saved them. We are praying that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers to the harvest field. (Matthew 9:37-39).
We are also grateful to our Lord for His provision, faithfulness, and protection. The Lord provided for us even before we arrived. We have household stuff that we are using now from friends who used to live here, Mike & Brigit. We are thankful to the Lord for keeping us safe while we ride around the city, and for a trusted driver, another blessing from Mike & Brigit. We are thankful also for little ways God encourages us, like finding almond milk, breakfast cereal and other USA products we are familiar with. We thank our Lord God for His faithful provision for all our needs. We thank Him for friends and ministry partners who pray and support us.
A Little Adventure to Share:
Here is a little adventure to share about the first day we arrived in the city. After checking into the apartment/condo and getting into the room, I said a little prayer. We needed to go out to buy some items at the store. When I saw a safe deposit box in the closet, I thought we could keep our passports there and not carry them around. It did not look like the regular safes I had seen in other hotels that have numerical keypads. (Later, I found out, it had a numerical keypad behind a cover). After I placed my passport in the safe and shut the door with the key, I tried to open it but it would not open. After several tries, still it wouldn’t open. We asked help from the hotel staff and they could not help either. They said, somebody will come in the morning to help. David and I spent a lot of times in the afternoon and the following morning trying to crack the safe. David researched online how to open or crack a safe. We were getting anxious about the situation. We prayed hard and earnestly.
The following morning, we again asked the staff for their help. They kept telling us, the manager was on her way.
That morning, as I prayed and had my morning time with the Lord, He reminded of His Words in Ephesians
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. … 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (Ephesians 6:10-17 NKJV)
The Word of God in Ephesians 6 spoke to me, first to be strong. When I started to think of the worst, and when doubts and fears started to creep in, the Words of the Lord encouraged me to be strong and to take “the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the of the wicked one.” (Ephesians 6:16)
Instead of fear and doubts, I was reminded to have faith that our Lord God would send help and will take care of us.
After asking a few times, the manager finally arrived just before 12:00 noon. She had the passcode of the safe box, opened it, and got my passport, PRAISE the Lord! Thank you Lord Jesus!
Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (NKJV)
As Jesus fulfilled this word to His disciples, it is still the same today with His followers:
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It is the plan and desire of God that all followers of Jesus be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit so we can be witnesses for Him – with our family, friends, neighbors, and people of other places, countries, and to the ends of the earth. God loves people of every nation, every country, language and ethnicity. God wants every person to know Him, His Word, His love and salvation through Jesus Christ.
In October 7-28, 2019, David and I had the privilege to travel to southeast Asia to visit and help our FEBC ministry fields. Photos from our travels to Thailand are in this post
Here are the highlights as we traveled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia:
The growing and developing city of Phnom Penh
FEBC’s Voice of Love FM 99.5
David and the engineering team visited the Transmitter site of Voice of Love radio.
Workers at the transmitter site.
FEBC Staff chapel
A ferry ride to cross the Mekong River
Life on the Mekong River
A visit to a silk factory
The new Outside Broadcast (OB) equipment finally arrived after many days of waiting. Praise the Lord!
Engineering team testing and working on the new OB equipment
David & Mike testing the new OB equipment in the studio.
Setting up the OB equipment to broadcast a live Christian concert via FM and Facebook live
A thousand young people came to praise and worship Jesus in the concert.
The Bible story from creation to Jesus’s birth was presented in the local language in their cultural context by the Bible Society.
The cast of the Bible Story during the concert. According to Franklin Graham, the country’s community of believers is growing, but approximately 98% of the 16 million people still need to hear the Gospel.
A tuk tuk (taxi) ride to the FEBC office every morning.
We thank and praise the Lord for those who prayed with us during this trip. Thank you also for those who faithfully support us so we could serve the Lord and reach more souls for Jesus.
And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
Last weekend, David and I arrived Singapore after a long, long flight from the USA. We flew from Birmingham (AL) on June 13, through Chicago, San Francisco and arrived Singapore on June 15th. Of course there is also a time difference. It was long and exhausting but thankful to the Lord for a safe journey. We are thankful also that the Lord worked it out for us to travel together on the long international flight. When we arrived the Guesthouse of Salvation Army in SG, I was pleasantly surprised to see the big words on the wall, (see photo above). It’s not only a great Bible verse in the Old Testament, but a personal word from the Lord. The day before we left Alabama, during our devotional readings, (with “Jesus Always” devotional), one of the key verses was the same exact words in Exodus 33:14 “And He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”‘. Isn’t the Lord so cool? I had had some concerns before making the big trip, but a confirmation of His words ten thousand miles away is truly amazing!
We had a couple of days in Singapore to recoup from the long journey and get ready for another journey. We had enjoyed fellowship and worship with the brothers and sisters of Bukit Panjang Methodist Church. Another one thing cool being a follower of the Lord Jesus, is anywhere we travel, in any country, whatever nationality, we feel connected to the people even when we do not speak the same language, because we worship the same God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then on the same Sunday afternoon, we took the subway train, and went to the Gardens by the Bay.
A fancy park with spectacular landscape and hanging gardens. The park is actually free to public, except for the Flower Dome and the Cloud Dome. David and I enjoyed the freebies!
The park was filled with people from other tourists visiting and local people, not only because it was a weekend, but Disney had a set up to promote their coming movie, “Toy Story 4”.
It was a nice weekend, after long flights and days of travel preps, it was good to have an enjoyable Sunday in Singapore. That helped us get ready for the following week busy activities. David participated in Broadcast Asia while I had to catch a flight to Bangkok. We are grateful to the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness. Hope to post more if and whenever I find a chance. Hope you enjoy reading our travel blog.
The Creels' Catch 