Hi All
This is Jonno Nutter, back on Australian soil writing a blog of the last month in Cambodia. so so many things have happened. it has been a very packed month. I have been engaged, Ren has been baptised, there has been P2P (which is happening as I write this very blog) and of course the grand bible school.
So I arrived back in Phnom Penh with my Karen my Mother, Joel my younger Brother, and Jamin, Joel's friend on the 7th of December. I had come from doing mission work in several other South East Asian countries. Mum, Dad, Joel and Jamin are still preaching up in Northern Thailand.
so we spent a couple of days in Phnom Penh, showing them the sites ect...Ren had told me when I was in Thailand that she wanted to be baptised. Bong Him has been saying he thinks she's ready for a little while, but the decision was up to her, and finally, before I had even arrived in Cambodia she asked for baptism. I was OVERJOYED!! Bong Him said to wait at least until I arrive. she took several evenings off university and went through a very difficult questioning session with Michael, Brother K, Bong Him and Myself. after a few quick days we went to Ren's house. my Mum and brothers wanted to meet her family, So Ren got a day off work (and typically Cambodia, there was a public holiday the next day + the weekend) so she had four days off work in total. left is a photo of Mum, Ren, Ren's Mum and Dad and myself.
later on the same day we headed down to Sihounikville, with a van of Spewing up boys. Joel and Jamin weren't feeling so good. we spent the night there. the next
morning was an early one and we departed to go back to Phnom Penh to pick up the rest of the crew and head up to Siem Reap. Marv, K, Chantoun, Dara and Dara's Uncle's dog joined us (although Dara and the dog jumped out at Kampong Thom, about halfway to Siem Reap), many foreigners don't realise how many Cambodians have actually seen Siem Reap. many of the dormers that I've spoken to haven't been before, because of the expense in going. this was Ren's first time to Siem Reap.
Everyone enjoyed Siem Reap. they saw the magnificent temples, and had a brief glimpse I guess of the Khmer culture that took place during the time the temples were built. we also saw engraved on the walls of the temples foreign religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, I am so grateful our God is a God of love. the grotesque pictures displayed along the walls of the largest of all the temples, pictures of hell that appeared as torture chambers ect.... I'm glad that the reality is that hell is simply the grave. that we aren't eternally tortured in everlasting pain. also 
Heaven looked really boring. left is Jamin riding an ancient lion and below that is K, who looks like he is trying to kiss it. 
See what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called the Children of God; and so we are - 1 John 3:1 
2 days later on Tuesday the 15th I asked Ren if she would marry me. To my absolute delight she said yes. (* the photo on the left is right after I proposed and Ren is wearing the ring) In Cambodia courting is a bit of a quiet affair. But I guess you could say Ren and I have been dating since April last year. So preparations had to be made, about 70 people came to the engagement from Phnom Penh, including just about all the BEC staff, nearly all of the dorms, stacks of people from Transform. And then Ren's family, her friends from her village, and her family's friends were all there as well. Well... what an experience! I had to get dressed up like a King, and 
Ren had to get dressed up like a Queen, not that it mattered as she's a M-jar-sut-traye anyways. We basically then had to sit there and allow our jaw and cheek muscles to ache and ache as we smiled for photo after photo after photo. We gave our respects to our respective parents and each other, and then continued to pose some more. Raju bought a pig for the occasion too. So everyone went down stairs to enjoy succulent pork and delicious Khmer noodle, and just as I saw a glimmer of hope, a
This is Jonno Nutter, back on Australian soil writing a blog of the last month in Cambodia. so so many things have happened. it has been a very packed month. I have been engaged, Ren has been baptised, there has been P2P (which is happening as I write this very blog) and of course the grand bible school.
So I arrived back in Phnom Penh with my Karen my Mother, Joel my younger Brother, and Jamin, Joel's friend on the 7th of December. I had come from doing mission work in several other South East Asian countries. Mum, Dad, Joel and Jamin are still preaching up in Northern Thailand.
so we spent a couple of days in Phnom Penh, showing them the sites ect...Ren had told me when I was in Thailand that she wanted to be baptised. Bong Him has been saying he thinks she's ready for a little while, but the decision was up to her, and finally, before I had even arrived in Cambodia she asked for baptism. I was OVERJOYED!! Bong Him said to wait at least until I arrive. she took several evenings off university and went through a very difficult questioning session with Michael, Brother K, Bong Him and Myself. after a few quick days we went to Ren's house. my Mum and brothers wanted to meet her family, So Ren got a day off work (and typically Cambodia, there was a public holiday the next day + the weekend) so she had four days off work in total. left is a photo of Mum, Ren, Ren's Mum and Dad and myself.later on the same day we headed down to Sihounikville, with a van of Spewing up boys. Joel and Jamin weren't feeling so good. we spent the night there. the next
morning was an early one and we departed to go back to Phnom Penh to pick up the rest of the crew and head up to Siem Reap. Marv, K, Chantoun, Dara and Dara's Uncle's dog joined us (although Dara and the dog jumped out at Kampong Thom, about halfway to Siem Reap), many foreigners don't realise how many Cambodians have actually seen Siem Reap. many of the dormers that I've spoken to haven't been before, because of the expense in going. this was Ren's first time to Siem Reap.
Everyone enjoyed Siem Reap. they saw the magnificent temples, and had a brief glimpse I guess of the Khmer culture that took place during the time the temples were built. we also saw engraved on the walls of the temples foreign religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, I am so grateful our God is a God of love. the grotesque pictures displayed along the walls of the largest of all the temples, pictures of hell that appeared as torture chambers ect.... I'm glad that the reality is that hell is simply the grave. that we aren't eternally tortured in everlasting pain. also 
Heaven looked really boring. left is Jamin riding an ancient lion and below that is K, who looks like he is trying to kiss it. After that we took off back to Phnom Penh, just a few hours before Ren's baptism was due.
Ren's baptism was a beautiful even for all to remember. As you can see from the photos, Ren was baptised by Bong Him and I. Ren gave her confession of faith before Michael (now known as Bong swar), K, Bong Him and again, Me. Ren is from Kampot province, h
er 
house isn't too far from Sihounikville. She studied grades 11 and 12 in Phnom Penh, living in the mission house (that used to be what the current girl dorms was called, until it ran out of funds and Bethezer took the dorms under their wing), and started working in another Australian organisation run by Christians called "Transform" ( something similar to a kindergarden/school where Ren is a teacher). She studies accounting in the evenings and only has 2 more years to go. 
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house isn't too far from Sihounikville. She studied grades 11 and 12 in Phnom Penh, living in the mission house (that used to be what the current girl dorms was called, until it ran out of funds and Bethezer took the dorms under their wing), and started working in another Australian organisation run by Christians called "Transform" ( something similar to a kindergarden/school where Ren is a teacher). She studies accounting in the evenings and only has 2 more years to go. 
So on the Sunday afternoon of January 13th, in front of many witnesses (most of the dorms, BEC, the ecclesia and a few extras) a new child of God was born. The Angels themselves sang in heaven. What a wonderful event, that Ren has chose to accept the invitation to eternal life.
See what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called the Children of God; and so we are - 1 John 3:1We started the memorial meeting as the boat left River side going towards the baptism place, did the reading, sang the first hymn, did the first prayer, we then arrived and baptised Ren, sang another hymn, did another prayer, and then continued with the rest of the memorial meeting including the right hand of fellowship (which poor Boren hadn't prepared for).
2 days later on Tuesday the 15th I asked Ren if she would marry me. To my absolute delight she said yes. (* the photo on the left is right after I proposed and Ren is wearing the ring) In Cambodia courting is a bit of a quiet affair. But I guess you could say Ren and I have been dating since April last year. So preparations had to be made, about 70 people came to the engagement from Phnom Penh, including just about all the BEC staff, nearly all of the dorms, stacks of people from Transform. And then Ren's family, her friends from her village, and her family's friends were all there as well. Well... what an experience! I had to get dressed up like a King, and 
Ren had to get dressed up like a Queen, not that it mattered as she's a M-jar-sut-traye anyways. We basically then had to sit there and allow our jaw and cheek muscles to ache and ache as we smiled for photo after photo after photo. We gave our respects to our respective parents and each other, and then continued to pose some more. Raju bought a pig for the occasion too. So everyone went down stairs to enjoy succulent pork and delicious Khmer noodle, and just as I saw a glimmer of hope, a possibility of finally changing out of these clothes and joining
(the bus to Ren's house -
packed full) everyone, they gave me a 
suit and tie and Ren a wedding gown. And surprise surprise, there were some more photos. But we didn't get married just engaged. I think they were putting a western spin to it for my sake, I probably would have appreciated it a bit more if it wasn't 35 degrees Celsius, standing under an iron roof with a humidity that can kill.... naw it was OK. for Ren I can go through that sort of agony. And then as soon as the photo's came to an end we jumped into some swimmers and climbed down to the rock pools near her house where everyone went for a swim. It was GREAT! So I'm now an engaged man. - that's the end of Part 1, Part 
will be about P2P and the Bible school!!!
suit and tie and Ren a wedding gown. And surprise surprise, there were some more photos. But we didn't get married just engaged. I think they were putting a western spin to it for my sake, I probably would have appreciated it a bit more if it wasn't 35 degrees Celsius, standing under an iron roof with a humidity that can kill.... naw it was OK. for Ren I can go through that sort of agony. And then as soon as the photo's came to an end we jumped into some swimmers and climbed down to the rock pools near her house where everyone went for a swim. It was GREAT! So I'm now an engaged man. - that's the end of Part 1, Part 
will be about P2P and the Bible school!!!
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