Team Building Letter

Matthew 6:33 "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." (NLT)

To Our Dear Praying Friends & Family,

Cambodia: A Forgotten Nation of Forgotten People
As I write this I am sitting in my office which is about 90% humidity and 90 degree Fahrenheit. Strangely enough this feels normal. A fan is blowing and I am content and happy in a way that is unique to the circumstances surround me. My heart is filled with joy after spending another day encouraging, teaching and showing God's love to my students. They respond with joy and eagerness to very moment that I am with them and I am able to simply let them know how special they all are, and how much God loves them and has wonderful things prepared for them. So many of them operate in the realm of innocence that you would see in a young child, but have the intelligence and dedication of someone working on their graduate degree. It makes for the best of heart and mind for a teacher. I am overwhelmed at how God has led Cynthia and I to this precious mission field.

You're probably wondering, so just how did God choose us for His work in Cambodia?
If God leads us somewhere of His choosing, do we really believe that it will be the place we will find the greatest joy and contentment? It took years of preparation to get where we are, and many of our friends have walked parts of the journey with us. Why Cambodia - "the forgotten nation?" With most of the population under 25 years of age, due to the slaughter done by the Khmer Rouge, there is great need here for people who love children. May people have asked us, "So how did God speak to you? How did you know it was God's will, I mean there are so many other 'safer, or better places' that need Christ, aren't there?" We answer the question this way, "There was a need, and God needed someone to go...we were available and equipped, so there was no reason to say no, so it was clearly God's will that we go." Some say I oversimplify God. So be it! Guilty as charged. Cynthia and I just know that we could have come up with many reasons not to go, and we would have lost out on the indescribable joy we have when our students mob us as we show up each morning. Each one with a story, a dream to share, an aching heart to pour out, tears to cry, laughter that won't be silenced until you share in it. It's all here, blessings untold, and to think that we had the choice to tell God "no."

Those of who know me well, know that if there are kids around, especially teens, we will quickly find our lives intertwined and you will probably have to pull me away at the end of the hour, or day. It is who God hardwired me to be. Ask Cynthia how many times she has had to drag me out of a church, event, concert, or game night, etc, where there were kids that needed Jesus' love, joy and hope. Many times kids just need to laugh until their sides ache. This is who I am, it's what I do, it's what I love doing.

What will we be doing the 2011-2012 school year?
This year Cynthia taught 3rd grade at Logos International School and will do so for the coming school year. She is also considering teaching one or two education classes on the weekend at an International University in town. She is interested in educating the young adults of Cambodia to prepare them to go out and teach their own future generation. She is like the Rock of Gibraltar in the classroom. Steadfast, organized, tender, yet firm. She is my hero in many ways. She is also the woman who watches my back and gives me perspective, and loves me in spite of myself. She is my partner in this grand adventure.

For the past year I have been teaching grades 7, 8, and 10 also at Logos. As a first year teacher it has been...a learning curve of epic proportions. I am a natural story teller and History is nothing but one huge story. I couldn't be more in my element if I had planned this myself. However, my role will be changing a bit for this coming year. I have been asked to step into the Middle and High School counseling position. This is quite a bit different than a school counseling position in the States. Here it is more about relationships with the students, parents and community. Yes, I get to spend even more time building into the lives of these wonderful young men and women. I have also been asked to develop a weekly devotional theme for grades 7-12. In addition, I will help out with chapel (music, skits, speaking, etc) and teach History to grades 8 and 10. Thirty years of preparation by God has plopped me into just about the most perfect job description in my life. This just confirms my understanding that wherever God leads you is exactly where you will be the happiest and most content, even if it means going 12.000 miles around the world.

What are our physical and spiritual needs?
Logos International School provides us with enough of a salary to live a the standard of the local people. As we get older though, our sense of adventure seems to lose that luster when we are up at 4:00 a.m. drowing rats in the sink.
1. Prayer: Safety from the spiritual and emotional attacks of Satan on our marriage, and in our personal lives.
Physical safety on the roads as we travel around the city on our moto (small motorcycle scooter). Wisdom for
Cynthia and I to rightly divide the Word of God as we teach, counsel, love, and encourage these precious students.
God's continued and gracious mercy on our health; to date, we have been spared the more serious health concerns,
such as dengue fever, malaria, cholera, etc...
2. Air Fare: Air fare back to the States each summer to see our family, our church family and our dear friends. Two
round trip tickets are about $3,400.
3. Renewal Time: We are also in need of some financial flexibility to meet our needs for keeping our marriage alive
with times of renewal. I heard the other day that Cambodia is called the missionary graveyard, because so many
missionaries who come here leave the ministry. It is just a very intense environment spiritually, physically and
emotionally. You are always running at 110% in all areas, so breaks for refreshment and rest are something that is
taken very seriously over here. Don't get us wrong, we love our job, but every day life here is so unique and
challenging that the school "highly encourages" their staff to get away for rest and relaxation.
4. Mentoring through Music: I have a passion, and a vision for developing students who are creative musicians,
but have very little in the way of recording or production equipment, instruments, etc...that will take funds to make
this vision a reality, but I have done it before and seen God do wonderful things through this creative avenue, and
with God's help we can do it here in Cambodia.
5. New Housing = New Ministry: God provided a wonderful 4 bedroom, 4 bath home just minutes from school.
This is a big answer to prayer. Not only for our health (we were looking for a house that was not overrun with rats,
mold, and sewer smell), but this "happened" to occur at just the right time that an urgent need for housing became
apparent to our Logos School community. Cynthia and I applied our "is it God's will" question and then we ventured
forth in faith to meet an urgent need for both short and long term housing. This summer we will make our house
available to 5 summer school teachers. In addition, another need became apparent for a student that will need long
term housing, love and care over the next two years. Yes, it looks like we are being called by God back to the
wonder and privilege of helping to support and build into the life of a very precious and wonderful teenage student
who will be living with us. We are trusting God to find us team members to stand with us as we add this opportunity
as a blessing to our plate.
6. Wisdom in counseling and mentoring: I have not even officially started my counseling position for next year
and am already meeting with different students after school three times a week.

Cynthia and I are committed to giving our lives away for the sake of others that they might know the Lord and spend their lives for Him. God has placed a huge opportunity to impact kids, but it is going to take many more resources than we currently have available. We are asking if you will prayerfully conisder partnering with us as part of a team, to bring Christ to these kids. We absolutely love doing the front line work here in Cambodia. This is an opportunity to make a daily and lifelong impact on so many lives. As we sow into the lives of the students and families here in Phnom Penh, would you pray about sowing into us so that we may reap a harvest together? Please take some time to pray and ask the Lord what part He would have you play.

If you have a church that is interested in missions and are in need of a missionary to partner with, we would love to come speak to you and share the vision that God has for the youth here in Cambodia. We will be in Tucson, Arizona from June 7 - 21, then off to Killeen, TX approximately June 27 - July 15 and then in Wichita, KS approximately July 16-25. After that, we'll head back to Tucson for a few days before leaving to come back to Cambodia July 29.

Your partners on God's team,

Tim & Cynthia Jones

States side contact:
Tim & Cynthia Jones
c/o Bill Jones 316-393-1119
615 South Lorraine Avenue
Wichita, KS 67211

Online contact:
keeping up with the Joneses: http://www.cambodiablend.blogspot.com/
e-mail: jonesworldwide@hotmail.com
You can also find us on Facebook.

Tax deductible money gifts can be sent to:
Innovo Christian Fellowship
P.O. Box 75112
Wichita, KS 67275
(please designate: Tim and Cynthia Jones Cambodia)
Contribution statements, for tax purposes, will be sent out at the end of the year.