Gallant Gazette

Gallants in Cambodia II

2009-09-14T09:22:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

There are many exciting things happening here in Cambodia. We wanted to share two special events with all of you in the United States because this is your ministry as well through your involvement through prayer and support. The picture to the left shows the group of pastors who came together at the beginning of September for the semi-annual pastors meeting and fellowship. These men and women travelled from six different provinces to meet together to discuss the matters of the National Church and to be restored spiritually and mentally through worshipping and fellowshipping together.

We were blessed to be a part of this conference, through preparation of the school, arranging the programming of the conference and being a part of the meetings. We were also blessed to be a part of the installation ceremony for Pastor Hourng Vandy, the new President of the Wesleyan Bible Institute. Here you are seeing the District Board of Administration uniting to pray for the ministry of Pastor Vandy at the WBI.

To see more pictures of this event and the engagement ceremony for Pastor Vandy and Teacher Tess, click here or on the 2009 Gallant Photos link on the right margin.

Thank you again for your interest and your prayers.

God Bless,
Tim, Tiffany and Katie Gallant

Gallants in Cambodia I

2009-09-07T11:43:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

The Gallant Trio has official arrived in Cambodia!

We are sorry that we have been incommunicado for several weeks, but now that we have set up our house and are getting more into the swing of the ministry here at the WBI and the National Church, we will be able to more regularly update the blog with pictures and stories from the ministry here in Cambodia.

As parents, bringing our daughter to Cambodia made us quite nervous. The changes in weather, time zone, culture all gave us reservations about how Katie would adjust. The first week was hard, but we have been blessed with a great house that stays pretty cool during the hot days, good weather, and help from our staff and students at the school. One of the greatest testimonies that we have is the way that Katie has taken to the Khmer people. She loves our students and the staff. She smiles and is completely content for them to hold her and take her around the school. That is a great comfort to us because it gives us God’s confirmation that His calling to Cambodia remains on our lives, on our family. That calling is what keeps us in Cambodia.

We want to thank you for your continued prayers and support. God’s light is shining here in Cambodia, but there is much work yet to be done and much darkness yet to be illuminated by God’s love. Two things are key: 1. The transforming power of God’s Word in the lives and hands of our pastors on the field and taught at our Bible School. 2. The prayers of the faithful for God’s hand to continue to move here in Cambodia and that we as leaders are sensitive to His leading in all situations, in all conversations, and in all aspects of the service.

Thank you again for your prayers, and remember that you can see more pictures from our first month on the right hand column, following the link 2009 Gallant Photos

Choosing this day to follow Him,
Tim, Tiffany and Katie Gallant

Final Update from the USA

2009-08-04T10:43:00.004-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We are excited to return to Cambodia in the coming days, excited to return to the ministry, to see our pastors and friends, and excited to begin this new phase in our ministry. Our time of home ministries has been a wonderful experience, made so by all of you, our friends, family and supporters. You have done so much to encourage us, to take care of our new family, and to be God’s blessings to us over these past eight months.

We have updated our webpage with new pictures and stories of our travels. Here is a list of a few of the updates.

Gallant Team Tour V: an update of our travels through the Dakota District

Gallant Team Tour VI: pictures of our travels after returning from out West up until the present time.

Gallant Family Fun Pictures: on this page, you will be able to keep up with the growth of Baby Katie, viewing month by month pictures

August Prayer Card: View our flight itinerary and the prayer concerns for our first month in Cambodia.

Through your interest in God’s work in Cambodia and your prayers and support of the ministry, you are partners with us, all of us working together to expand God’s Kingdom. God has blessed us greatly through you.

In Him,
Tim, Tiffany and Katie Gallant
Your Career Missionaries to Cambodia

Gallant TEAM Tour 2009

2009-05-22T22:10:00.009-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We have again updated our blog with recent pictures of our home ministries travels. Each new place that we go, each church with whom we share, each family with whom we stay and meal that we eat are so special to us for they are made possible by the greatness of our God in Heaven, the vastness of the Body of Christ, and the beauty of a group of brothers and sisters, praying for and supporting each other. This is your TEAM, the ministry team that is impacting the work in Cambodia and the lives of this missionary family. To view pictures from this most recent update, click here or by clicking on the 2009 Gallant Photos link on the right hand margin. We have also added a new feature to the site that focuses on our family, pictures of our family and namely Katie as she continues to grow. To visit this site, click here or by clicking on the Gallant Family Fun Photos link on the right hand margin.

We appreciate all of you, and we thank you for your involvement on our team. We pray that God's face continues to shine down upon you, and that His Grace and Peace would be incredible in your lives.

Grace and Peace to You,

Tim, Tiffany and Katie Gallant

Gallant TEAM Tour 2009

2009-05-02T12:42:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends and family,
The Gallant Team Tour continues, and we have been extraordinarily blessed by our team of supporters. The interesting thing about this tour around the United States is the fact that these people are not just a part of Tim and Tiffany’s Team, but they are a part of your team, fellow brothers and sisters who have committed to praying for and supporting the work in Cambodia. The people and the churches that you see on this page are part of your TEAM, and you all have been such a blessing to us. To see more pictures of these trips, please click here or by clicking on the 2009 Gallant Ministry pictures on the right hand margin.

The final week of March was very busy for us as we travelled to 4 different churches in just 8 days. Churches like Avon, Wallace, Big Tree and Forestville have supported us faithfully over the past years of ministry, and we were privileged to be able to share with them in person, sharing in the fellowship and joy that we have in the Lord.

We will continue to keep you updated on our travels around the country. The month of March was very busy, but we can testify that God kept us safe throughout the many miles that we travelled, kept all of us healthy, and gave us wonderful times with our brothers and sisters on our support team.

God’s Blessings to you all

Gallant TEAM Tour 2009

2009-04-13T13:14:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We want to thank you again for your involvement in the Gallant Ministry TEAM and the advancement of the Kingdom of God throughout the world. The Gallant TEAM Tour has continued, and as you can see in the pictures above, the numbers of churches we visit continues to grow week by week, which can be a little tiring to our little daughter. However, we have found that this time of home ministries, though at times exhausting, has been a nonstop flow of God’s blessing and love, shown through our brothers and sisters across the country. It is great to have family in places like Columbia Station in Ohio, Olean in New York, and Athens in Pennsylvania, place where we would never have travelled and people we never would have met except through the ministry that God has called us to in Cambodia. To see more pictures of these trips, please click here or by clicking on the 2009 Gallant Ministry pictures on the right hand margin.

We are constantly learning how to be a family, how to take time for ourselves, how to get ready in the morning, and how to prepare to speak at and be involved in missions conferences at churches. In the picture to the left you see the Gallant Trio at the missions conference of Athens Wesleyan Church in Pennsylvania. It is always great to be involved in conferences like this one, but it is so much the better that we get to share it with our Little Katie, and see how she reacts and learns to live the life of a called missionary to Cambodia.

One of the greatest experiences for us is to have a church partner with us in prayer and support for it is through these partnerships that great things are being done around the world. In this picture, you are seeing the brothers and sisters of Athens surrounding us in prayer at the close of the conference. Through times like these, you can truly feel the power and love of our Father flowing through His people. Being a missionary can at times be very lonely, oppressive and difficult, but it is through men and women like all of you, like those shown in this picture, that God’s work is done as we march onward to the time of His return.

God’s Blessings to You,
Tim, Tiffany and Katherine Gallant

Gallant TEAM Tour 2009

2009-03-20T12:22:00.005-04:00

That is right, the Gallant TEAM Tour has officially begun, and now you can be a part of it week by week by visiting our blog. This blog update will be a summary of the first few weeks of the tour, but subsequent updates will be done on a week-by-week basis so that you can stay up to date on what is happening during this tour of people, whom like yourself, have been a part of the ministry by being a part of our TEAM of supporters and prayer warriors. These past weeks have been full of visits to churches, dinners with supporters, and many miles travelled on the road with our new baby girl. We have met with old friends, pastors and members of congregations that have not only supported us over the past years of ministry, but also have been great sources of encouragement and joy to us during our time of serving God in Cambodia. Additional pictures of the Gallant TEAM Tour can be accessed by clicking here or you can click here or by clicking on the 2009 Gallant Ministry pictures on the right hand margin.

It has also been a wonderful time of growing close together as a family, witnessing together the providence of our Father in heaven as He continues to bless our family with safety on the road and with a constant shower of His Goodness shown through His people. There have been moments where we simply marvel at how Good our God is, times like that which is pictured on the right, where we dedicated Little Katie to the Lord, praying for continued favor to rest upon Katie as she grows, and that God would use us as her parents to raise her in His ways, being God’s love to her as she learns about Him. It was even more of a blessing to have people in our home church of Brookhaven Wesleyan standing with us as we prayed, people who have been so instrumental in our lives also praying for our daughter. It was a blessed time.

This Gallant TEAM Tour, thus far, has allowed us to see people on our TEAM, so they are on your TEAM as well, in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. We have been able to report on the great things that God has done in the ministry, reconnect with friends after several years on the field, and very importantly, introduce the newest member of the Gallant Ministry TEAM. Katie has been such a valuable member of the TEAM over the past weeks, travelling well, enjoying the new locations, and charming just about every person that she meets. She is such a blessing from the Lord, and we look forward to the time when we can begin to share with her the blessing that it is to have so many people praying for our family. You are all such valuable members of the TEAM, and we look forward to continuing in our time of travelling where we will hopefully get to meet with many of you before we leave for the field again in July.

Please remember to continue to pray for the ministry in Cambodia. The pastors and missionaries serving need to be lifted up to the Father as well as us as we travel along the roads of the United States. More detailed prayer requests can be found by clicking the Praises and Prayer Requests link on the right hand margin of this page.

God’s Blessings to all of you, members of the Ministry TEAM to Cambodia,
Tim, Tiffany and Katie

A Special Gift- January 7th Update

2009-01-07T12:46:00.008-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,
We have wonderful news for all of you. On December 26th, our daughter arrived. Katherine Maybelle Gallant arrived at 1:07 PM, and after nine months of waiting for her to arrive, we were still astounded by the great blessing that God has bestowed on us in this little, perfect daughter. Both she and Tiffany are doing very well, both in good health, and we are now working to adjust to our new lives as parents to little Katie.

Tiffany began to have contractions on Christmas day, and we went to the hospital at 5 o’clock in the morning on the 26th. After about 8 hours of labor, Katie was born, and she was 6 lbs. 12 oz., and 20 ½” long. In her first 20 minutes of life, her proud new daddy took nearly 160 pictures, the picture to the right being her official weight. However, numbers cannot accurately express the significance of the occasion of her birth or the amount of joy that this little girl has brought to our lives.

Feeling her in our arms for the first time, this special little person whom we had just met, allowed us to understand the great joy and privilege that God has bestowed on us when He allowed us to be parents. This little, helpless child is a gift from the Father, and as Tiffany so accurately put it, a gift that allows us to have a glimpse of what the Father feels when He looks at us, His children.

To see more pictures of Little Katie and other happenings in our lives, please visit the 2009 Gallant Pictures link on the right hand margin of the page or click here. We are trying to get the webpage updated with new features that will allow all of you to keep up with us in the new year. Please visit the Gallant Ministry Calendar page and don’t forget to leave us messages on our Guestbook.

God Bless,
Tim, Tiffany and Baby Katherine Gallant
Your Career Missionary Family to Cambodia

December Update

2008-12-02T13:21:00.005-05:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Leaving Cambodia was a very bittersweet moment in our ministry. After 2 ½ years of working in country, we were ready to travel home to the United States for a time of rest and to wait for the arrival of our baby. However, it was very difficult to have to leave all of our brothers and sisters with whom we have worked and prayed and bonded together over the past years. In the picture to the left, you can see our final picture in Cambodia before we travelled into the airport terminal. To view more pictures of our activities since we have been home click here, or on the 2008 Gallant Photos link on the right hand margin to read about these events.

As said before, the greatest event that we are looking forward to is the birth of our first child in December. Tiffany and the baby are doing well, and we are trying to get ready for something that people continually tell us that you are never quite ready for, parenthood. We have been blessed by our friends and family as they have held several baby showers for Tiffany, providing us with some of the necessary items and clothes that our new daughter will need. For the remainder of the month of December and then into January, we will be in Ohio, waiting for the baby and celebrating the holidays with our families.

After the birth of our daughter, we will then begin traveling around the United States to report to our supporting churches. We will begin to travel in the month of February, speaking in Indiana and Ohio. In March and April, we are scheduling churches in Michigan, New York, Virginia and Florida, and then at the end of April and then into May, we will be traveling again to the Dakota District to share with our many churches in that area of the country. Please pray that our schedule would meet our need to connect with our churches in the time available for our home ministries. Pray also for our young daughter, that she would follow in the steps of her mother and father who love to be on the road, telling of the goodness of God.

Thank you again for your interest in our ministry, both in Cambodia and here in the United States. Please continue to visit the blog, and we promise to upload pictures of the baby as soon as she is born.

In Christ,
Tim, Tiffany and Baby Girl Gallant

Webpage Update: September 25th, 2008

2008-09-25T09:11:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We want to thank you for your continued interest in the ministry here in Cambodia. Over the past weeks, we have been very busy with numerous meetings, emails being sent and received in record volumes, phone conversations, and preparations for our coming time of home ministries. We are coming to the end of our first term here on the field, and we marvel at the great variety of experiences that God has given us over the past two years. This blog update is just another example of the greatness of God and the wonders of serving Him. click here, or on the 2008 Gallant Photos link on the right hand margin to read about these events.

As you can see from the picture on the right, we are getting close to making a wonderful addition to our family. Tiffany is nearly 27 weeks pregnant, and the baby is due around Christmastime. We want to thank you for your continued prayers for Tiffany and the baby as we prepare to travel across the ocean on the 9th of October. This ministry experience in Cambodia has been made a blessing by your encouragement and support for we truly have felt your loving care throughout these past 28 months. You have been great blessings to us, and we hope that we have been able to adequately share with you the blessings and workings of God that we have experienced and witnessed here on the field.

God Bless
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

August 23rd- New Blog Update

2008-08-23T07:43:00.005-04:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We want to thank you once again for visiting our website to hear the stories of the happenings here in Cambodia. We have updated our picture page, so if you click here, or on the 2008 Gallant Pictures link on the right hand margin, you will be able to view these pictures. This past week was full of activity surrounding our living quarters. First of all, as you might have read in our prayer card, we moved from the house that we have been living in for the past two years. On Saturday, the 16th, the movers came to help us move our furniture and items to the new WBI building where we will store them for the time that we are in the United States. In the picture above, you are seeing a few of the workers and Tim lowering the couch over the railing to the truck waiting below.

The move went very smoothly, beginning at 6:30 in the morning and finishing about 11:30. After a short break, we prepared to take the remainder of our things to our new apartment. When we arrived at our place, we were greeted with the site that can be seen in the picture to the right, about 8” of water outside of our house and about 5” on the inside. What made it even more difficult was the fact that we could not do anything to remove the water because the water on the outside had not yet begun to recede. Added to all of this, it was beginning to rain again. We will call that point in time, the low point of the day.

We stayed the night in a guest house, and then we returned to begin cleaning up the house. It took us about half of the day to bail all of the water, clean under the furniture and then prepare a small dike of sandbags in front of our house that would prevent further floods. That was Sunday, and on Monday we began to work from the new apartment, business as usual, language school, meetings, etc. However, on Thursday of this week, we suffered another hardship; our new apartment was broken into, just 5 weeks after our previous house was broken into while we were away. While we were at language school at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, the thieves took the ministry money that we had kept in our house; however we praise the Lord because He protected us, not allowing us to come home in the middle of the robbery where they might have hurt us.

In the middle of all of this trouble, we still know that God is good and that His Will is for us to be here in Cambodia. We continue to strive forward in encouraging the national leadership and the pastors. We continue to supervise the construction of the new WBI Building. We continue to trust in Him, to have confidence in Him, because we know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is always dependable.

Once again, we want to thank you for reading, for praying, for supporting and for your encouragement. You are a blessing to us.

God Bless You All,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

July 30th- New Blog Update

2008-07-30T09:19:00.007-04:00

Dear Partners in Ministry,

We have once again updated the blog with the happenings here on the field of Cambodia. This update is composed of times of great joy and pleasure with our students and times of solemn remembrance of one of our pastors who went home to be with the Father. Please click the following links or click on the 2008 Gallant Pictures on the right hand margin.

Visit to Boeng Krum

Meetings and Fellowships with the Students

Pastor Emtee's Funeral

Once again, thanks for your interest in the goings on here in Cambodia. It is a great blessing to our hearts to see that so many of you have visited our webpage over the past few weeks. God Bless you all, and thank you for your prayers and your encouragement.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

An Answer to Prayer, July 19th:

2008-07-19T13:21:00.000-04:00

In our prayer card for this month, we requested that you pray specifically for God’s care and protection to rest upon our health and wellbeing this week, and we can say that your prayers were directly answered, as last night, the 18th of July, our house was broken into.

As missionaries we are allowed one month worth of vacation each year. Last year we had the privilege of visiting Tiffany’s brother in Japan for 10 days and this year we have just been too busy to take any time for vacation. That is until this week, when we decided that it would be o.k. to go to the beach for the weekend. Then, this morning, at 8:30, we received a call from our neighbors, telling us that the doors to our house were open early this morning. Praise the Lord that they knew that we were not home and that they also called our landlord as well. It was at this time that we called our leader Pastor Kimsan, the National Superintendent, and asked him and another teacher from the Bible School to go check our house and see what the damage was. At that time, we decided to cut our vacation short, after only being gone from Phnom Penh for less than 24 hours, and head home. We were not sure what we would find when we returned home, but we were praising God that He encouraged us to take the vacation; because on that night, while our house was being broken into, God allowed us to sleep safe and sound.

Once we arrived in Phnom Penh, Pastor Kimsan met us at our house with the keys to the new locks for our house; seeing as the burglars had cut four locks off the front door as well as removing the deadbolt. When we entered the kitchen, we immediately saw the mess and it was obvious that the thieves were in a hurry, searching and going through everything, every drawer, and every cabinet. However, God is very good. There were many things that the thieves could have taken from our house; the furniture, TV, computer, voice recorders for our Language, and most importantly our Passports and the donors’ money for the new building fund (that money was wisely hidden by Tiffany in 3 different places around the house before we left). But they didn’t steal any of these things. Praise the Lord!

After finding the mission’s money and our cat, Tinkerbelle, the shock of being robbed began to wear off and God gave us a peace about the whole situation. Even though we lost several things that we daily use and enjoy, God was able to bring a smile to our faces when we had to talk to Pastor Kimsan, Rotha and Leak about some of the things that the thieves had stolen. First, we decided that the thieves must have liked coffee because they took our coffee maker, coffee grinder, and water heater (as well as a few other electronics). Then we decided that the robbers were hungry because they ate the rest of Tiffany’s cookies out of the fridge and took our ham and bread from the fridge as well. Finally, we decided that they were cooks because they took many of our spices and seasonings, some cooking utensils, and dressing/hot coco/taco seasoning packets that we received from people in the States, as well as sugar, flour and our Crisco.

All we can say is that God is good and He was watching out for us and the things that belong to the mission, there is nothing that we lost that we cannot live without. Even though we felt, and still feel, quite violated, we ended our time today with the pastors praising God that nothing for the ministry was taken and that our cat and our lives were safe. Even our landlord sent us a text over the phone saying “Good news to hear that you lost only a small amount and may loose only a little bit of money. You are lucky and I realize that the God of your missionary job helped you because of your belief in Him.” Praise the Lord. Today we said “Awh-Gkoon pBray-Awng” over and over with our neighbors, our landlord and Pastors, Thank you God!

Once again, we thank you for your prayers. They made a difference last night and will continue to make a difference for the rest of our term in Cambodia. Please continue to pray for the safety of the people here during these elections and struggles with the Thai people. God is moving here and Satan does not like it so we have to fight harder, on the knees! But don’t loose hope because we know the victory is ours.

God Bless,
Tim and Tiffany

New Update 2008

2008-07-01T12:28:00.012-04:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The past months have been very busy with teams, new responsibilities, and events following other events. It has been a time of developing relationships, listening to pastors, working for the future, and handling the day to day activities and duties here on the field. With the Rafaels being in the United States raising support, we are here by ourselves, and we are travelling new roads here in Cambodia.

We have updated our blog with pictures of the past few months. We are sorry that it has been quite a while since we updated the blog, but we hope to be able to keep it updated from now on. Click on the following links to see the pictures or click on the 2008 Gallant Photos link on the right hand margin.

Pastor Kong and Sinat’s Wedding

District Conference 2008

Kratie Church Dedication

IWU Team Pictures

Pastor Manydt’s Wedding

Tim Preaching in Siem Reap

Women’s Conference 2008

We hope that you enjoy these pictures and the updates. We want to thank all of you for your interest, your support and your prayers. With these new duties comes a greater weight of responsibility and difficulty. We covet your prayers during this time that we are here on the field by ourselves. Please pray that we remain focused on each new opportunity and responsibility, listening with open ears and hearts, and always keeping our relationship with God foremost in our lives for it is only through this rightly connected relationship with the Lord and Master that we can have any hope for the future.

God's Blessings to you,

Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Your Missionaries to Cambodia

April Update

2008-04-09T10:38:00.007-04:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We want to thank all of you who were praying for our recent trip with Tiffany's language teacher Bpou to the celebration for the 10 year anniversary of her grandfather's death. It was a great opportunity to spend time with Bpou and meet her family, sharing several meals with them and conversing with them about their lives and their beliefs. Bpou remarked that her family did not believe that her Christian friends would want to attend a Khmer service, however, they were very pleased that we attended and appreciated our presence and interest. Here you are seeing Bpou lighting incense sticks in her respect to her grandfather, a cultural and religious practice. We wanted to share this story with you because we feel that the positive attitude that we saw in Bpou and her family were in direct response to your prayers.

We also wanted to let you know that we have updated our webpage. We want to thank you all for your patience as you have expectedly waited for this blog update, and we hope that you enjoy the following posts and stories from the month of March. We know that you will not be disappointed because God has been doing amazing things here in Cambodia. To view the pictures, click the following links or click the 2008 Gallant Photos link on the right hand margin.

God Bless you all and thank you again for your interest, your support and your prayers for us and for the ministry here in Cambodia.

In Christ,

Tim and Tiffany Gallant

January Webpage Update

2008-02-14T11:39:00.010-05:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We want to thank you again for visiting our blog to read about the great things that God has been doing here on the field in the month of January. As you can see from above, we have been very busy this month with many teams and groups coming to work and visit, many opportunities for ministry, and many great memories with our students and fellow workers here in Cambodia.

We appreciate your continued interest and support for the ministry here in Cambodia. To view the pictures from this most recent update, click here or on the 2008 Gallant Photos link on the right hand margin.

Teacher Rotha's Engagement

New Years Day at Pastor Kimsua's House

Birthday Party

Tiffany Speaking at WBI Prayer Service

Kentwood Construction Team

February Student Fellowship

Iowa Ministry Team

God Bless you all, and thank you again for your support and encouragement. You are all great blessings to our hearts and to this ministry.

In His Strength,
Tim and Tiffany

December Webpage Update

2008-01-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Believe it or not, this is a Christmas photo here in Cambodia. Here in Cambodia, the perfect day for a Christmas celebration is a cool, sunny morning when the leaves are falling lazily from the trees. Please continue reading and click on the following links to go to the posts that record our Christmas season here in Cambodia.

Christmas time here in Cambodia is one that is always full of activity, celebrations, travelling, and parties. As this was our second Christmas here on the field, we were not surprised by all of this, but we were very tired by the time that it was all over. However, unlike last Christmas when we had only been here in Cambodia for several months, this year we were able to sing the songs, understand the messages, laugh at the jokes during the dramas, and spend long hours in conversation with the people at the churches. It was a great Christmas, one that we will not forget, and we hope that you enjoy reading about it as well.

Click on the individual links below to view the pictures and read the captions or you can click on the 2008 Gallant Photos Link on the right margin of this page.

We thank you for your continued prayers, support and interest. God is doing awesome things here on the field, and we thank you for playing such a large role in the ministry here in Cambodia.

God Bless,

Tim and Tiffany Gallant

November Webpage Update

2007-12-29T11:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

As I sit and type this entry, I can look back on the past two months and remember the sights and sounds, the emotions and laughter and I can truly know that these have been great months in our journey with our Father in heaven. We were extremely busy, as can be seen in the list of activities below, but we always had enough time, energy and strength to move to the next event, and each one was a testimony of God working in the lives of His children here in Cambodia.

You can click directly on the links below to take you to the pictures and the captions detailing the following activities.

We hope that you enjoy these pictures and stories, and we pray that your heart has been warmed by the greatness of our God and His amazing ministry here in Cambodia.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany

Skating Friday Fellowship

2007-11-23T08:47:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We have to apologize for the long absence of new posts here on our blog. With Tim's parents coming to visit at the beginning of November, and then the marriage retreat down in Kampong Saom, we have been very busy over the past month. However, we want to keep you all up-to-date on what is happening in our lives here in Cambodia. Thanks to a gift from one of our supporters, we were able to take our students skating at a local skating rink for last month's Friday Fellowship. In these pictures, the one to the left being taken at the place where we bought ice cream for the students (you might be able to make out the tiny cones that they served us), you will see the smiles on our students' faces that reveal the fun that they had that evening. It was a great night of fellowship, though we did lose one student for a time in the mall (all of you parents will understand that feeling), and we hope that you enjoy seeing the pictures and reading the captions below. Stay tuned in the next week as we will be posting pictures of the Tim's parents' visit and the marriage retreat in Kampong Saom.

God Bless,
Tim and Tiffany

Here you are seeing Tiffany skating with one of our students, Lis. This night was Lis's second time to go skating. Her previous attempt at skating was described by one of our students as "walking fast". However, this night, she skated fairly well, and she had a great time skating with her favorite English teacher, Teacher Tiffany.

It always strikes as funny to see the students wearing anything other than sandals. Here you are seeing Som On trying on his skates at the beginning of the night.

Not only were the students hot and sweaty by the end of the night, some of them were also quite sore because of repeated trips to the ground.

We truly believe that God created this world for our enjoyment. We had a great night with our students, in fellowship, activity, fun and in the knowledge that we are indeed all brothers and sisters in Christ. What a blessing!

Ministry in Takeo

2007-10-27T08:27:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Several weeks ago, we were invited to a cell group meeting in Takeo, a province south of Phnom Penh. This cell group has only been open for several weeks, and we were honored to be invited by Pastor Poleak to their Saturday meeting. For this Saturday meeting, many people took a break from their work, and we were very happy to talk with them and share with them the message of Jesus Christ as Savior for all people.

Tim shared with the people the story of the crippled man who was let down through the roof by his four friends, citing the faith and love of these men and Jesus’ reaction to it. The message of a God who is not only capable of love, but who loves generously is one that is different than any religious message these people, many of whom are still practicing Buddhists, have ever heard. However, it was a blessing to have them come to hear the Good News, and to see them considering the story about this man Jesus who is at the center of our faith.

Tiffany spoke about God as Creator of all things, the world, the sun, the earth, humans and all of the animals. As an example of Creation, she gave playdough to several of the nearly seventy children who attended the children’s lesson and asked them to sculpt an animal to see the difficulty in actually creating something with their hands. Here, you are seeing Chany giving instructions to the students.

This boy, once he actually picked an animal that he wanted to sculpt, was the winner of the challenge, forming a very nice green snake with his clay. When asked, he said that it was very difficult to sculpt, not only because he had trouble working with the clay, but also because he could not think of an idea of what kind of animal to make.

After the competition, Tiffany took the children through an interactive telling of the story of Creation and the coming of Jesus to restore Man to a right relationship with God. Here you are seeing Tiffany helping the boy who played God create the “heavens and the earth.” After explaining about God’s creation and the sins of man, she told about how God lovingly sent His Son Jesus to save us all from our sins. The story had a powerful impact with the children and with the adults who were also watching.

We want to thank all of you who continue to pray for us and support our ministry here in Cambodia. Days like our day in Takeo would not be possible without your encouragement, prayers, and financial support. God bless you all, and thank you again for reading about God’s greatness and His ministry here in Cambodia.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Spiritual Emphasis Week

2007-10-22T11:34:00.000-04:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The new school year at the Wesleyan Bible Institute has begun, and we are excited to report that it started with a great moment in the history of the WBI. During the first week of school, we held a spiritual emphasis week where we were led by the Filipino team in a search of what it truly means to be Called by God to Holiness. Here you are seeing Pastor Kimsua and Pastor Fitz sharing at our night of prayer and fasting where we spent many hours praying for topics such as the country of Cambodia, the national church, and our own spiritual need to be living with the holiness that we can have when we are filled with the Spirit of God.

During the week, the missionaries prepared a special song. Now we, the Gallants that is, do not usually do a great amount of singing in front of people, as anyone who has heard Tim sing aloud, will agree is a good thing. However, we did learn and perform "The Potter's Hands" in both Khmer and English. It is always great to praise God, and being able to do it in the native language of our Khmer friends was a blessing to their hearts and ours.

During the night of prayer and fasting, we were blessed to see the level of dedication our students had in bringing their requests before the Lord. There were many tears shed that night as they prayed for their country, for their lives, and for Jesus to continue to transform both. Here you are seeing some of our students during the break where we all relaxed and fellowshipped together.

The final song of the night was performed by our WBI President Greg Fernandez and his wife Resie. They sang the song "My Tribute", and followed it with a closing prayer for the WBI, the National Church, and for all of us to continue in our walk with the Lord. It was a special night for all those who attended, and it was a great way to begin our new school year.

We want to thank you for continuing to visit our blog to hear about the great things that God is doing here in Cambodia. We have also been having a great number of celebrations here on the field such as birthdays and baby dedications. If you would like to see pictures of these events,click here or on the 2007 Gallant Photos Link on the right hand side of the page.

Thanks again for your interest, and we hope that hearing these stories of God's faithfulness and blessing will also be a blessing to your lives and encourage you to continue to trust Him with all things,

In His Hands,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

2007 Youth Conferences

2007-10-01T10:52:00.000-04:00

Youth Conferences, where the excitement and energy levels are always at a premium. We held two youth conventions this year, and both were well attended by young men and women of the Wesleyan Church of Cambodia. Nearly 150 youth came from seven different provinces to attend these conventions, and it was a blessing to see this huge turnout. To view more pictures from the Youth Conferences,click here or on the 2007 Gallant Photos Link on the right hand side of the page.

These youth learned together from a team of pastors from the Philippines. They stayed together at each of the venues. They ate together, sometimes even in different shifts because we did not have enough tables, and they worshipped together. These young men and women are products of the ministry of our pastors and teachers around the country. The purpose of the WBI and the National church is the raise up strong leaders, and the youth pictured here and all those who attended the conventions are the outcome of their ministry.

Life principles were taught, applications were reflected upon, decisions were made, and many youth recognized and accepted the life that God is calling them to as the future of the church of Cambodia. In the future, the young men and women praying here may be pastors, teachers, national leaders, and though we do not know what the outcome of their lives will be, we can trust that God’s wisdom and cosmic plan has a special purpose for each and every one of them.

Thank you for your prayers during these conventions. We were exhausted at the close of the last conference, but we know that the prayers of the faithful had been lifting us up to the Father whose providence supplied just enough energy, time and strength for each day.

God bless you all,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

**We have a special prayer request for Mamel Rafael, our mission director’s wife. She has been sick for nearly two months with acute stomach pain. She has seen countless doctors, and they still have not determined what is causing her illness. Pray that the right doctor is found, either here in Phnom Penh or in another country, and that God’s healing hand would be upon her.

Groundbreaking Ceremony - September 13th, 2007

2007-09-22T05:50:00.000-04:00

It had rained the night before, and we could not drive the vehicles directly to the new lot, so we walked, many of us carrying our shoes as we stepped around and through huge puddles in the road. This day was three years in the making, and we were not going to let a little water deter us. We held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Wesleyan Bible Institute, and the wait and the walk were worth the effort that they cost us as over forty pastors and leaders of the National Church attended this special ceremony to bless the commencement of construction. This truly was a memorable day for everyone who attended and for the many donors and prayer supporters from Kentwood Community Church and the Dakota District, our main supporters for the project, who have also been eagerly awaiting this day.

Our Asia Area Director, Dr. Romy Caringal, was the guest speaker. He spoke about the biblical nature of groundbreaking, i.e. when the ground shook as Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi. The ground was broken to release these men, to show the power of God, and that the jailor and his family would come to a saving faith. Our ground breaking is very similar in the fact that when this ground was broken, and the new Bible School is constructed, the pastors and teachers educated within its walls will go out and share the Gospel with the hurting people of Cambodia.

The families of the pastors also attended the event. Here you are seeing the daughters of Pastor Kimsua, a teacher at the Bible School, and Pastor Perin, who pastors a church in Kampong Cham. The moment was perfect, and we hope that you enjoy this picture as much as we do.

We ask that you pray with us and the national leaders for the completion of this project. Here you are seeing Pastor Nit Banyon of the Siem Riep church praying at the close of the ceremony. The funds promised for the school will not cover the projected building costs, so we are stepping out in faith to begin building at this time. However, as Pastor Jun mentioned during the ceremony, “with God, nothing is impossible.” God is our Jehovah-Jireh, and we truly believe that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.

We have waited and planned for this day for many years. We as the missionaries felt a certain sense of accomplishment during the ground breaking ceremony. The project has begun, and though we know that it will require a great amount of work and attention from us during the next years, we know that God’s provision will not only supply the funds necessary to complete the building, but He will also provide the energy, wisdom, and perseverance to see this project to completion.

Again, thank you for your interest in God’s ministry here in Cambodia. If you have any questions, you can post them at the end of this blog, or email us at tntgallant@hotmail.com.

God’s Blessings to you all,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

2007 Single Pastors Retreat

2007-09-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Many people are familiar with married couples retreats or even pastors and wives retreats. These events give us the time to really focus on what makes our marriages work and how we can be blessings to our spouses. However, here in Cambodia, we have many single men and women who are pastoring our churches. They deal with the same problems with community leaders, with the same persecution and with the same day to day struggles that the married pastors do, yet they do not have someone with whom to share this burden. This is why we felt that it was necessary to hold this single pastors retreat down in Kampong Saom; that these young pastors would be able to meet together, have fun, relax, and most importantly, that we could all reconnect and focus on what is really important.

One of the things that was very important was having fun. We did have times of meetings, teaching seminars, and discussions, but we also had a lot of fun. It would be so wasteful if we came all the way down to Kampong Saom and did not enjoy the blessing that God provided when He gave us things like the beach, the ocean, and the community of believers. We played football (soccer for all of you back home), Uno, games on the beach and other games such as the game of Bible charades that you are seeing in the above picture. We ate together, worshipped together, and generally enjoyed life together.

Every morning and evening, we would come together for times of worship, prayer and sharing. In this picture you are seeing Pastor Jun and Teacher Chaney singing together during one of these gatherings. When we were last in Kampong Saom with many of these pastors, it was just after we had arrived on the field. We did not know the language, we did not know the songs, and we did not know these pastors. However, after this year on the field, it was a privilege to deepen our relationship with these pastors who have become our friends and fellow workers, and it was a great thrill to be able to sing worship songs with them in Khmer that give praise to our God in heaven.

The theme of the retreat was Finding your Worth in Christ. Worth and honor here in Cambodia are two very important matters. How you are treated shows how other people consider you, what worth they have ascribed to you as a person. However, as Christians, we are not to get our worth from worldly wealth or people’s ideas of our significance. We are to find our worth in God who really could not care what type of car we drive or how important our job is. Tiffany and I taught the final seminar where we focused on the characters of the rich man from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus and the character of the Apostle Paul, giving illustrations of a worth that lasts, one that is found in God.

Sharing our hearts with these young pastors was an honor for us, and we thank all of you for supporting us in this ministry. Because of your sacrificial giving, your prayers, and your encouragement, we can be involved in events such as this single pastors retreat that expanded the Kingdom of God by enriching the hearts of the community of pastors and believers here in Cambodia. Everyone in attendance left with what I believe to be a greater supply of energy, a clearer sense of purpose, and a new vision of a worth found in Christ that cannot be shaken.

God’s blessings to you,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Visit to Okinawa

2007-09-14T11:49:00.000-04:00

This simple picture might not seem very impressive to you, but it was a welcome sight for us when we went to Okinawa to visit Tiffany’s brother. We marveled at straight roads where the dividing lines actually meant something. We walked across green lawns and were enthralled how they felt on our feet. We visited places like Taco Bell and Long John Silvers and were amazed that they tasted just like we remembered. It was like being back at home in the United States, but best of all, we were able to spend time with Tiffany’s brother Joe as he was stationed there with the Marine Corps at Camp Foster.

Tim had not seen Joe since he left for the Marines in May of 2006, and Tiffany had not seen him since his graduation from boot camp after her father’s funeral. It was great to see him in uniform, Lance Corporal Joseph Neuenschwander, to meet the other men in his squad and see what life is like for the many men and women who sacrifice so much for the rest of us. It was even better to be able to spend the week with him, relaxing together and reconnecting, sharing our experiences over the past year of us being on the mission field and him in his Marine Corps training. Being reunited, after so many months and miles had separated us, was a great blessing to our hearts.

As of August 16th , Joe’s battalion has been called up for service in Iraq. Joe, and 8 other men in his squad, will be in the "Hot Spot", which means a terribly dangerous place, for the next three months. We praise God because we know Joe is a Christian, having a true relationship with Jesus Christ, and we pray for him as he serves in Iraq. He and the rest of the troops need our prayers while they serve to protect the freedom of the people of Iraq from terrorism and hatred.

We have witnessed first hand the power of prayer in our lives and therefore ask that you would join with us in prayer for Joe...

Please pray for his safety and the safety of his entire squad as they serve in very dangerous areas.
Pray for his spiritual walk during these difficult months, that he would sense the protection and provision coming from our Father in heaven, and that he would continue on his walk of faith with Jesus. Pray also for Joe's witness to the members of his squad, many of whom are not Christians.
Pray for the end of the hatred and violence in Iraq, that peace and tranquility would indeed break out in this war-torn country, and that our troops would be able to come home.

Thank you for being there for us in so many ways, including celebrating with us as we were able to visit Joe before he left for Iraq and helping us lift him and his squad up in prayer.

God's blessings to you all,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

June and July Update

2007-09-07T13:19:00.001-04:00

When we remember special times in our lives, what is it that we truly recollect? Is it the face of that one child? Is it the sights and sounds that we remember? Is it the emotions that we felt that day such as pride or joy? The months of June and July held many such emotions, memories, and faces that bring us back to the times when God allowed us to be part of His grand “Rescue Mission” for all of humankind, and they certainly were glorious months.

We have updated our blog with pictures and stories from these two action packed months. When you view these pictures, you will hear about missions teams from the United States, weddings, and of graduations. We hope that you enjoy reading the short excerpts and seeing the pictures telling the stories of the ministry that you all support through your giving and your prayers. To see these pictures, click here or on the 2007 Gallant Photos Link on the right hand side of the page. Also, we have just published a new prayer letter that will be in the mail soon, but you can view it by clicking here or on the 2007 Gallant Fall Prayer Letter link on the margin.

We now have the Internet in our home, so we will be able update our blog with much more regularity. Next week we will be putting on photos of our adventure in Okinawa to visit Tiffany’s brother Joe who serves in the Marine Corps. After that, we will take you down to Kampong Saom for our first ever Single Pastors Retreat. Finally, we will be pleased to give the report of the ground breaking ceremony that will signify the beginning of the construction phase of our new building. This has been an event that has been three years in the making.

God's blessings to all of you,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

God's Blessings in the Midst of a Fire

2007-07-27T10:18:00.001-04:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Bringing a smile to faces that previously have been covered with tears is truly the work of our Father in heaven. God turned the sadness of Jewish people, on the brink of destruction in Persia at the hands of Haman, into joy as they were spared through the courage of Queen Esther. He turned their sadness into joy, their tears into smiles. Another example can be found in Psalm 30:11-12 says “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” This is the business of our good Father in heaven, and we can have faith that He is there for us in our time of need and distress.

In this blog update, you will learn why these people, who are now smiling, were once filled with grief. It is a story of God’s blessings, the willingness to help, and the ability that we all have to share God’s goodness with others. We hope that you enjoy reading about it. To read further, Click here or go to the 2007 pictures link on the right hand margin.

God Bless,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

June Update

2007-06-18T03:45:00.000-04:00

As we have mentioned before, in many of our e-mails and blogs, our students (who will be the future pastors of this country) are the passion of our ministry here in Cambodia. Our responsibility to these students goes far outside of what the classroom entails, for they watch our lives, reactions to each other, and how hard we are working to learn their language. Every aspect of our lives are being watch and sometimes even mimicked by these future pastors. But not only are our lives being watched, but the lives of every team and pastor that comes to Cambodia to help us teach and minister at the Wesleyan Bible Institute.

During this time of year, we are being blessed by many teams who are venturing over to this side of the world to join in the ministries that are happening here in Cambodia. Pictures from this past 6 weeks have been added to the blog. If you would like to see them, you can Click here or go to the 2007 Pictures Link on the right hand margin of the page.

As any teacher knows, one of the main joys in being a teacher is in seeing your students succeed. We want to PRAISE GOD for all of the pastors and ministry teams that come to minister with us here in Cambodia. And we wanted to share with you the effects of your ministry as we have been encouraging our students to “continue in what [they] have learned and have become convinced of…” (II Timothy 3:14) The following quotes are from our students as they discussed what they learned during these past weeks.

“We need to take the good examples that we are given and make them our own. If we only study our material and ideas at the Bible school and do not put it to practice, we will not learn and we will not be good pastors.”

“Drama, songs and pictures are all effective and easy ways to teach others about the Lord, especially youth and children.”

“We have learned many new games, songs and dances to practice and share with our children and youth that will help them to remember what the Bible teaches.”

“When we teach others about the Lord we need to teach with heart.”

“When we work together, we need to be respectful and untied in what we are doing.”

To all of you who come with short term teams and pour into our students and pastors, helping us to equip them for their ministry here in Cambodia, thank you! And for those of you who are pouring into us, we want you to know that your encouragement and support helps us to thrive here in Cambodia. Thank you, you are much appreciated and needed in this ministry.

Only by His Grace,
Tiffany and Tim Gallant

“…so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:17

April Update

2007-05-02T09:37:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We apologize for the long duration of time that has passed since our last update. We want to begin this update with a special explanation of the main ministry opportunity that took place over the past month. To view our other pictures from this month, Click here or on the 2007 Pictures link on the right hand margin.

All over the world, Christians celebrated Easter, but the Cambodian Christians have yet to understand how Easter is celebrated all over the world. We decided that it was a good time to begin a new tradition in the church. Along with Greg and Resie Fernandez, we planned a Good Friday celebration at our house. In this first picture, you are seeing Tiffany and Channa, one of our Bible School students and the daughter of the National Superintendent, preparing the food for the evening meal.

We had many of the pastors and their families over to our house for the celebration. In the next picture you are seeing Chamroeun going through the line for food. The evening started off with a great meal and great fellowship together with all of our Cambodian brothers and sisters. Sharing in a meal together brought a sense of familiarity between all of us and prepared us to think about the real reason we were meeting together that night.

The final picture is of Tim with Kim Sua who is one of the staff members of the Bible School and his young daughter Hannah. After the meal, we all went upstairs to watch the Passion of the Christ together, hear from Pastor Greg and Pastor Kim San on the meaning of Good Friday, and then we shared in Holy Communion. It was very touching to see tears in the eyes of our brothers and sisters as they took the elements, coming to a new reality of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. It was a very special night of fellowship and faith, brothers and sisters coming together for the greatest of reasons, to celebrate our unity in the Body of Christ.

February Update

2007-02-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Sometimes when we get to see a sunrise or a sunset here in Cambodia, it seems like we are the luckiest people in the world. To experience God’s great creation in His beautiful country here in Southeast Asia and to be here specifically to bear witness to His love for these people, makes us feel very privileged.

Greetings again from Cambodia. We hope that you continue to enjoy receiving these updates from the field, for we do enjoy choosing the pictures and writing the captions for each picture. There is always a great amount happening on the field here in Cambodia, so we have many pictures and stories on this newest post on our website. To go to the picture page, Click here or go to the 2007 Gallant Photos link on the right margin of this page. We hope that you enjoy all of the pictures and stories. We have also updated the praises and prayer requests. If you do have any questions or comments, please email us, and we would be happy to explain further. We love talking about what God is doing here in Cambodia, so do not be hesitant in asking.

God bless you all,
Tim and Tiffany

2007-01-19T08:49:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Welcome again to our little corner of Cyberspace where stories of God’s goodness are shared through pictures and testimonies.

We hope that you have been encouraged by hearing that Pastor Sideth is making a good recovery after his motorbike accident, and we hope that you have been encouraged in the fact that prayer makes a difference.

The month of December was very busy, and we are sorry that we were not able to post these messages and pictures earlier; we hope that all of you understand and grant forgiveness. December, from beginning to end, was full of celebrations, planning, and more celebrations. We hope that you are encouraged when you see the pictures of where we have been and what we have experienced, for God orchestrated our entire time, and He blessed us immensely. To see our pictures Click here or go to the Pictures link on the right margin of this page.

God bless you all, and thank you for all of your prayers and support. God’s ministry is furthered when you allow yourself to be a blessing in these ways.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Greetings

2006-12-10T09:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Brothers and Sister in Christ,

The splendor of this country and its people still amazes us. We have been blessed to be able to serve God here in Cambodia, with its beautiful lands, rivers and people, and it truly is a privilege. In the picture above, you are seeing a man who was traveling with us on the ferry that took us to Boeng Krum. Click here or go to the picture link on the left to visit our webpage that will show more pictures and give some explanation of what we have been doing this past month. Also, please Click here or on the praises and prayer requests link for an updated list.

God bless you all,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

New Student Ceremony

2006-11-02T07:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for visiting our webpage. It is a great blessing to be able to share our pictures and stories so immediately with our supporters because we get to share how your prayers and support are directly involving the mission field. Most recently, we hosted an Opening Ceremony for the new term at the Wesleyan Bible Institute.

(above: Kay Bickert, Tiffany, Resie Fernandez, and Chaney who is one of our teachers. below: Bob Bickert, Kim Sua and Rota also teachers, Tim and Greg Fernandez)

As you can see from these pictures, our dress for this occasion was very Khmer. We did this to show those in attendance how important we felt the ceremony to be and how dedicated we were to ensuring a good education for their students. To read more about this great event, Click here, or you can click on the pictures link on the right margin of this page. To get our updated praises and prayer requests, click here, or on the Praises and Prayer Requests link on the right.

Once again, thank you for visiting, and we hope that you are encouraged to see the way that God is working in our lives and in the lives of the people that are affected by His ministry here in Cambodia.

God Bless,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

2006-10-07T02:44:00.000-04:00

The Gallants are smiling because God has been doing great things in their lives. Click here to read about the great works that He has been doing. Also, be sure to click on the Praises and Prayer Requests Link that is on the side of the page, or you can click here. We need you to be praying for these requests because there are many great opportunities happening here in Cambodia, and we need to have them bathed in prayer by our prayer team. Thank you so much and remember to click on the links above to read further about how God is working in our lives.

Tim and Tiffany

Update

2006-09-10T03:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Due to webpage problems, you much click here to see the new update for the 10th of September.

Sorry for the inconvience. Once again, go to this website www.10-9-06pictures.blogspot.com to see our new update.

Your Brother in Cambodia,
Tim Gallant

Arrival Newsletter

2006-08-30T23:22:00.000-04:00

To all of our friends and family,
We are happy to let you all know that our blog is up and going again. After several months of technical problems, we should be able to continue posting our pictures and updates about what God has been doing in our lives. We hope that you enjoy this newsletter that we created when we first arrived. You might have seen some of the pictures, but we wanted to post it again to show you all how great our God is. Thanks for your prayers, encouragement and investment in our lives.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

It is Finished!

2006-06-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

It is Finished!

Jesus said those words from the cross as He fulfilled His purpose on this earth. He came to die that His perfect life may be the payment for the sin debt of the people of those people who believe in Him. As I say those words today, they do not hold the same importance as Jesus’ words, but they do hold a great deal of importance for Tiffany and me. We are finished with our support raising; we have reached 100% of our faith promise, and we will be leaving for Cambodia on the 1st of July, the exact date that God showed to us over six months ago.

How great is our God in heaven? Great enough to bring in the final $10,000 of our support in during the past six weeks. Great enough to provide opportunities to meet with churches and individuals that not only provided the support but also encouraged our hearts and gave us the opportunity to encourage the ministries that God is doing at the churches through them. During the past month, we have had numerous experiences where God showed us His glory and providence, and we hope that the following pictures and short paragraphs can give a small glimpse into the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us.

The Next Generation class at Brookhaven Wesleyan committed to supporting us and the ministry in Cambodia at $100 per year. This is a huge commitment for kids their age, and they decided to sell t-shirts at church to raise their funds. Recently, we went back to the class because they said they had a presentation for us. The presentation was the check that is shown above, and praise the Lord it was for four times the amount they had initially promised. God brought in the funds necessary to meet their commitment and He also taught everyone a valuable lesson; when you step out on faith, be prepared for the fullness of God to shine through and do great big things. These kids are a great blessing to our hearts, and we are blessed to have them on our ministry team.

This is Cornerstone Chapel where we spoke on the 21st of May. Here at this church, we found a pastor and a congregation focused on evangelism in their community and throughout the world. We were blessed in meeting them, and we continue to pray for them and their ministry. We were also tickled to see our name on a notice board for the first time ever.

This West Chester Wesleyan Church near Cincinnati. We spoke here for the PM service after we spoke at Cornerstone. Here we met a pastor whose heart for the lost was evident in all that he did and said. We also found a congregation whose focus on praying for and supporting missions is a way of life. It was a blessing to be with them.

We were also able to go to South Dakota once again to visit our friends at Watertown Wesleyan Church. We spoke to this church the first time we were in the Dakota District, and we were happy to meet with all of the friends that we made the first time we visited. It was a blessing to hear things like “We have been praying for you every week/day” and “how is Tiffany’s throat doing after her surgery?” This is a great church, and we are blessed to be supported by them in our ministry to Cambodia.

Finally, we went to Wallace Wesleyan Church near Corning, NY on the 5th of June. Our friends Bill and Kathleen Spencer pastor this small church in central New York, and we felt extremely privileged to be present a part of their first faith promise commitment as a church. We spoke on Sunday morning to the congregation and to the brand new youth group in the evening, and we were blessed to see how the church is looking outward, seeing what God would have them do in their community. They had set a goal of $1,200 as a church for their faith promise, and Pastor Bill asked them to search God’s will for their part of that commitment. When the figures were in, the church promised nearly $2,500 for our support, blowing us away, and making us praise God for His providence.

These are just a few of the stories of the fulfillment of the promises of God. There have been churches who have decided to support us without ever actually meeting us; a big thank you to Dighton Wesleyan in Michigan and Emmanuel Wesleyan in Roanoke, VA. There have been individuals who have come forward, exceeding all of our dreams, and partnering with us in God’s ministry in Cambodia. We feel blessed, and we know that our God takes care of His own and He fulfills His promises.

We will be posting one more time before we leave for Cambodia, but until then, keep looking to the Lord for all of your needs and trust Him inherently.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Note: Sorry that the pictures did not appear on the post. We are having some troubles with Blogger that we hope to have resolved shortly. Thank you for your patience.

Learning a Lesson in Home Ministries

2006-05-17T13:59:00.000-04:00

After our first journey to the Dakotas last August and September, we came home to Indiana with a big problem. We had not scheduled any speaking engagements for the months of October and November. Those months passed very slowly, and we were not getting anywhere with our support raising. This time, while we were in the Dakotas, we learned our lesson. King Soloman speaks about this in book of Proverbs… “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:” Proverbs 24:32 The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom about daily living and prosperity, and we observed our mistake in the previous months. We spent several weeks calling the churches all over the Midwest, and we were able to schedule churches over the months of April and May, after we returned from the Dakotas. We “learned a lesson from what “we” saw.”

The first church that we spoke to was Trinity Wesleyan in Lima, OH. We are originally from the Bluffton area, which is only thirty miles from Lima, so therefore, we invited a number of our family and friends to come to hear us share with the congregation at Trinity. It was a blessed morning, not just because our family was there, but because the wonderful people of Trinity welcomed us into their service, worshipped God with their hearts, and responded to the message of God’s Mission to reach the lost in Cambodia. We want to thank all of them for their support, and a special thanks goes to Pastor Eric Allen for allowing us to come to speak to his congregation.

The following Sunday, we traveled to Barberton, OH, which is about 10 miles west of Akron, where we spoke to Calvary Wesleyan Church. We learned another lesson of a different kind while we were at Calvary; don’t depend too much on equipment. Our presentation would not work with their system, so we prayed that God would allow us to be more articulate and expressive as we shared with the congregation. God answered that prayer, and He also provided a great amount of financial and prayer support from the church. The prayer support from this church is exceptional for it truly is a praying church. Brother Rollan Hall heads up a Prayer Force Team that lifts up the concerns and vision of the church to the Lord, and we feel very lucky to be on the prayer list of these warriors.

As we walk through life, whether we are doing ordinary, everyday tasks, or if it concerng our time of Team building here in the United States, God wants us to be listening to Him, to learn from His teaching in our lives. The verse that Tiffany and I have chosen for our ministry in Cambodia is Romans 8:28 “For in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” In all experiences, positive or negative, God can use them to improve your walk here on Earth, to deepen your relationship and dependence on Him. That is my prayer for myself, my wife, and all of you as I close this update; that we all continue looking to God for direction, for guidance, and for His wisdom as we serve Him wherever that may be.

Only by Grace,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

From Rapid City to Ohio

2006-05-06T12:44:00.000-04:00

At the end of our second trip out the Dakotas, God blessed us with the opportunity to speak to First Wesleyan in Rapid City. We had spoken to this church when we were in South Dakota in September, but when the pastor learned that we would again be in the district, he allowed us to be a part of his missions conference. We really appreciate all that Pastor Mike Schultz has done for us in the past, and we felt privileged to be invited to share again with his great congregation there in Rapid City.

Included in the events of the missions conference was a dinner on Friday night, a breakfast on Saturday morning, and then the Sunday worship services with an international dinner following. We shared on Friday night to a group of families about the culture of Cambodia as we all took another “Walk through Cambodia.” Then we were involved in a missions fair where the children experienced different cultures and foods from around the world.

On Saturday morning, we were involved in a breakfast sponsored by the church. The theme of the missions conference was “Neighborhoods to Nations” and the church exemplified this theme by sending out invitations all over the neighborhood, inviting people to the church for a free breakfast. It was great to see the church reaching out to the community in such a manner. It was also a blessing to be at First Wesleyan because we could meet with our friends Jeremy and Amber Johnson and their new baby. We met them during our last trip to the Dakotas, and it was good to see them again.

On Sunday morning, we shared with the congregation of the church, giving a short update on the ministry in Cambodia and telling them where we are in our fundraising. After sharing, we went downstairs to share with the children’s church while Jim Eckart, a missionary from Nicaragua shared for the rest of the service. It was a great time at First Wesleyan where we were able to touch base with several supporters. We were also able to talk with Eckarts about missionary life, gaining insights on ministry and living overseas that will be very valuable.

It took almost a full day to travel home from the Dakotas, and we arrived home in time for a meeting down at headquarters. We were also able to connect with our adopted parents Greg and Cathy Martin down in Fishers which was a blessed time of relaxation and fun after a long time of travelling. We then went home to spend the Easter holiday in Ohio. The following pictures are from the time that we were able to spend with our families, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We hope that your Easter was also enjoyable. We have been able to share with two churches in Ohio during the past weeks, so we will be doing another post in the next few days concerning the happenings at these churches.

Until we meet again,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Forsyth and Miles City Wesleyan

2006-04-05T21:16:00.000-04:00

When I was growing up, Montana and Wyoming were always those states on the map that never interested me very much, and I never had much of a desire to visit them. They just did not seem very exciting. However, as I look back on our experiences during this trip through Montana and Wyoming, my mind has changed. These states are treasures, and the people who call them home are treasures as well. To see a few scenic pictures of Wyoming and Montana, click here.

We arrived at Forsyth Wesleyan on the 25th of September, and we were greeted by the pastor of the church. To say that Darrel White is not the typical Wesleyan pastor is like saying that the state of Wyoming has a few antelope (for clarification Wyoming has more antelope than people). Pastor Darrel is 6’5”, and he refuses to be called Pastor White, which got Tiffany in a lot of trouble as she found it hard to call him by his first name. However, in all of our travels, we have not met a more fun-loving and thoughtful pastor, and we enjoyed our time with him and his family.

Our time of sharing at the church on Sunday was great as we were able to share about Cambodia during the church service and also share our testimonies with Doug Roberts’ Sunday school class. After the service, we were also invited to a pot-luck in the church where we shared in great food and conversation with the congregation of the church.

The following weekend was again spent in Montana. On Friday, we returned to Forsyth so that Tiffany could attend their Women’s retreat. As Tiffany had fun with the ladies as they learned about being a “Mary in a Martha World”, Darrel and I had fun watching movies and sports and playing video games. It was a relaxing time after so many days on the road.

That Sunday we spoke at Miles City Wesleyan, which is about 40 miles east of Forsyth. We spoke to a combined children’s Sunday School where we shared about the country of Cambodia and what we, as missionaries, will be doing in the country. We also shared the salvation plan with the kids, explaining to them that sharing Jesus with others is always our most important job.

After sharing with the morning service at the church, which went very well with several new individuals joining our support team notably young Caitlin (pictured here) who committed to be on our prayer team, we went downstairs for dinner with the congregation. We were honored to hear that they had moved their monthly dinner up on the calendar so that we could attend, but sadly that meant that Pastor Tom and his family would miss out because they were out of town that weekend. Pastor, if you are reading this, the food was wonderful, especially the three-bean casserole.

We have traveled to a great number of churches during this trip, and we have told you about our experiences in speaking so far in these blog entries. However, for those of you who have never traveled to Wyoming or Montana, these states have certain features that make them uniquely beautiful. We had a chance to visit Spearfish Canyon and Devils Tower and several other locations. We took a great number of pictures that you can see if you click here.

As we were driving home after speaking at Miles City, we crossed the line between Wyoming and South Dakota, and a certain sadness passed over us as we thought that it would be over two years before we would be able to return. However, we know that God is calling us to serve Him in Cambodia, and we are going with the support of the Christian brothers and sisters we have met in our travels through Wyoming and Montana.

Montana Week

2006-03-24T19:14:00.000-05:00

Hello again from the Gallants!

Our travels have again taken us to Montana, where we have spent the past week in Billings and Joliet. Billings is referred to as the “Banana Belt” and even though we did get about seven inches of snow on Saturday Night, the weather never did get very cold. It was nice to be in such great weather, but what really made the week great was the people. To see pictures from the trip, click here or on the link on the margin of the page labeled Montana Week.

On the Monday following our speaking engagement in Buffalo, Wyoming, we traveled up to Billings, Montana to meet with Pastor Dan Robertson of Eastgate Wesleyan Church. The pastor and the missions committee planned a conference that was unlike any that we have participated in so far. During the week, we had meals with families in the church where we were able to get to know each other. Then we would speak to their Wednesday Night “Frog Club” and then to the Thursday evening Bible study. It was an amazing week as we met some great people, especially the Chestermans with whom we stayed for the week. We also felt blessed during our times of sharing with the congregation, especially during our time with the children where we were able to present the Gospel message through the “Bridge Illustration.”

On Sunday morning, we spoke to Tree of Life Wesleyan in Billings where we met Pastor Jim Head and his wife Joni. We shared with the congregation and with a Sunday School group, but we were also privileged to hear the District Superintendent Isaac Smith preach the Sunday Sermon. After the service, we went down to the basement and had a great pot-luck, and we were reminded again that very few people in the world can cook as well as ranch ladies.

On Monday, we traveled to Joliet, MT, where we would stayed with Ruth and Burl Baty, the assistant pastor of the church. We were blessed in our conversation with these two as they have been pasturing in the Wesleyan church for nearly fifty years. We were able to be speaking on Wednesday morning. Because we had a few days before our speaking engagement, we spent the days visiting with the Batys, eating at their table, shooting Burl’s bow in the basement, and working on some of the ministry work that needed to be done. On Wednesday, we shared with a Bible Study group of about 25 individuals. It was a very relaxed environment, and we truly felt the Lord’s presence in that room. After we spoke, many people came forward to join our team through prayer and financial support. It was a blessed morning.

On our drive back to Rapid City, we stopped to see Pastor Bob McHenry, the pastor of Buffalo Wesleyan Church. During our meeting, he informed us that the church board had met and they had decided to support us and the Wesleyan Bible Institute in Cambodia. It was the perfect end to a great trip through Montana. During the 10 days, we had gained over thirty new prayer partners, ten new individual faith promise supporters, and a new supporting church. God blessed us so richly through these days, that we simply must give Him all of the praise. His blessings rained down upon us at every turn. To hear more about the trip and to see the pictures, click here. We hope that you have been encouraged through this testimony of God’s faithfulness. Remember that He simply asks us to step out on faith, and He will most assuredly take care of us as we walk with Him.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Buffalo Wesleyan Church

2006-03-15T12:15:00.001-05:00

Buffalo… In our past travels around the country, Buffalo, New York was always at the top of our list of great places to visit, both for the great food and for the great people we have encountered. However, a new Buffalo is in contention with the one in New York, and that is Buffalo, Wyoming.

God blessed us immensely as we shared at Buffalo Wesleyan Church this past weekend. The scenery was breathtaking as the city of Buffalo sits at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains, and though the snow did fall in abundance, we could both envision living in the great city of Buffalo because of the beauty and the great family of God called the Buffalo Wesleyan Church.

Though being the first time we have traveled to Buffalo, our history with the church began much earlier. In our last travels through the Dakota District in September, we were originally scheduled to share with Buffalo on a Sunday evening. However, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans a few weeks before we were scheduled to share. The people of the church saw the need for humanitarian relief, and gave generously to the need. The pastor believed that because of the church’s focus on the relief in the South, it would not be a good time for missionaries to share with the church.

We firmly believe that the pastor made the right decision for his church. It was not God’s timing for us to come to Buffalo. However, the pastor’s interest in Cambodia and his desire to see his church’s involvement in the ministry there caused us to seek God’s will about another trip to the Dakota District… and here we are. God opened all of the doors again, and we happily traveled to Buffalo.

The weekend was great. Meeting with Pastor McHenry, his wife Cheryl and his son Dylan was a huge blessing to us as they opened their home and their lives to us. The reception that we received at the church on Sunday was heartwarming as the people responded to our invitation to join in the Cambodian ministry through joining our support team and partnering with the Wesleyan Bible Institute.

We also had an opportunity to share with Pastor Jamie’s youth group on Sunday evening. The focus of our message for the night was being observant to the culture around you. As many of the teens are looking into short term missions, we wanted to teach them about culture learning and being aware of your surroundings. We played two games that focused on observations, one being the “Walk through Cambodia” that we played with Brookhaven and Lakeview at home. The other game focused on learning correct patterns of behavior in a group. The game is very frustrating to some when they cannot determine the pattern, but it is great to see the look on their faces when they finally get it. We also examine our own American culture and put it into a Biblical perspective by comparing it to what God wants our focus to be in this world. We were impressed by the level of spiritual maturity of the teens, and we know that God will use them to impact their schools and the world.

The weekend was a blessing to us. Pastor Bob and Pastor Jamie have encouraged the church to be one that affects the world for the Lord and His Kingdom, and we look forward to a partnership with these Christian brothers and sisters of the Buffalo Wesleyan Church.

Blessings to you,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Relaxation

2006-03-15T12:15:00.000-05:00

So… What do missionaries do when they want to relax?

The answer to that question is a bit varied in this missionary family, but Tiffany would say with great enthusiasm that she “Stamps” a.k.a. making decorative cards.

On Thursday and Friday of this past week, we were able to visit the home of a pastor and his wife that we met during our first trip to the Dakotas. Pastor Dwight and Bonnie Peterson minister in Sturgis, SD, and we were fortunate to be able to spend two days with them. When we first visited in September, Tiffany and Bonnie made an instant connection, and they spent many hours in Bonnie’s basement, working on cards and enjoying a shared passion.

When we knew we were coming back to the Dakotas, Tiffany sent an email to Bonnie, who immediately scheduled a time of stamping. While the girls stamped for the two days, first by themselves, and then as Bonnie taught a stamping class, Pastor Dwight showed me around to several of sights around the Black Hills. (Pictures of these places will appear on our website in the future as we will be going back in the next few weeks.) The remainder of the time was spent in conversation, watching the news and sports, and working on various duties of our respective ministries.

It was a great, restful two days for two tired missionaries who had a hard schedule ahead of them. We are very thankful for the way that Pastor Dwight and Bonnie welcomed us into their home, and took care of us so well. If you are a member of the First Wesleyan Church in Sturgis, and you happen to read this post, make sure that you remember the great blessing that the Peterson’s are, and thank them for their dedication to serving the Lord in their lives and in the church.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Big City Folk?

2006-03-10T18:47:00.000-05:00

I have never been labeled as a “Big-City” boy before having grown up in the country surrounding Bluffton, Ohio, but that is how we were labeled this past weekend at Biddle Montana.

We spoke to the Sunday morning service at Biddle Wesleyan Church, and God really blessed our day. The day started with the 50 mile drive up to Biddle from Gillette, WY. It was amazing to see the scenery and the wildlife that inhabits the lands around the Montana/Wyoming border.

After we arrived at the church, which happens to be the second oldest church in the Dakota District, we set up our materials and were privileged to sit in on a Sunday School taught by Dusty Gilger that focused on “Being Strong and Courageous”. That was a great topic for the morning, as God does call all of us to those two character qualities.

The service was a great time of sharing and worship with Pastor Jim Pope and the congregation of Biddle Wesleyan. God has given us the message for each time of sharing, and though there are similar elements to each message, He always makes it new and fresh for the congregations, and this time was no exception. When it comes time to share our vision and goals and to tell stories of the students at the Wesleyan Bible Institute in Cambodia, it is always an emotional time for us and for those in attendance. We know that this is not us, but God transforming a simple message into something powerful.

After the service, we attended a pot-luck that featured some of the best food we have ever tasted. We were told all day that ranch ladies are the best cooks in the world, and we had to agree with their sentiments. We had roast chicken, homemade noodles, and best of all, barbequed buffalo.

Afterwards, Pastor Pope arranged for us “Big City Folk” to travel to a ranch that was about 30 miles from the church. The Riesland ranch is very busy at this time of year as they are lambing and calving. We were able to see a lamb being born and spent the afternoon with the kids on the ranch as they gave us the guided tour. We saw the baby goats and sheep, the horses and the cattle that live on the 6,000 acre ranch. It was a memorable day.

We hope that you enjoyed our report on our weekend at Biddle. Stay tuned as we will be traveling this next weekend to Buffalo, WY for the Sunday service and then on to Billings, Montana for the entire week following.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Memorial Drive Wesleyan Church in Muncie

2006-03-10T18:34:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The week before we traveled to the Dakota District was very busy. With the Family Night of Missions at Brookhaven, writing and mailing our new prayer letter, treating an ailing Tiffany, and packing for the trip, we were very busy. We were also given the opportunity to travel down to Memorial Drive Wesleyan Church in Muncie to share with their Wednesday Night Missionary Service. In the middle of such a hectic week, God showed us a special truth about being in His service. He will always provide the energy for the opportunity that He provides.

We had a great time at Memorial Drive, sharing with a church that makes a point to hear from a missionary or a missions speaker each month. It was a blessing to us to be asked to share with such a special group of believers in our home state of Indiana. The Pastor, Rev. John Blair, and his congregation welcomed us and showed a great interest in listening to us share about our call and God’s ministry in Cambodia.

One of the great pleasures we receive in speaking to churches is sharing missions and foreign cultures with the children of the church. The children at Memorial Drive were very interested in the musical instruments that we had at our table, making a “joyful noise” for the entire church to hear. They also did something that we have not experienced in past times of sharing. They took out our scrapbook of pictures and went through every page with Tiffany, asking questions about the people, the places shown, and many of the special aspects of the Cambodian culture.

God blessed us with a great evening at the church and in our time of fellowship afterwards at McDonalds. We were tired when we returned home, but as I said before, God provided both the opportunity and the energy needed to not simply go through the motions of speaking, but to share with the passion that He has placed on our lives. God is good. You all might be tired of hearing me say that, but the true of that statement is more evident each and every new day.

Blessings,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

5th and 6th Grade Class at Brookhaven

2006-02-28T16:23:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday Night, we were privileged to speak to the 5th and 6th Grade class at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church. Our main focus for the evening was to share the many hats a missionary wears each and every day in the service of God overseas. We talked about such things as being a teacher, a student, an encourager, a Team builder, and especially a practicing Christian. We did this through many examples and games that the kids played.

Most of the pictures that you are seeing show one of the games that we played with the students. The game’s focus is to help the kids understand what it is to be in a different culture where you cannot speak the language and you seem to have people working against you. Imagine drawing a simple house with someone when you cannot speak to them and they are working solely to prevent you from drawing the house. It was a great exercise.

The final part of the night was a highlight for us. After we had finished sharing and the questions had run dry, Wes Munsell one of the leaders of the group, showed us a catalogue of shirts that the class would be selling for us. The proceeds of the sale would go to meet the faith promise goal that the class had pledged. It was great to see these students getting excited about their faith promise and the missionaries that they were supporting. One student continually repeated you are “one of us…one of us….” and that is exactly how we felt. Thank you, 5th and 6th grade, for joining in God’s Great Commission.

God is Good!

2006-02-28T16:23:00.000-05:00

If you would like to see pictures from the Family Night of Missions, click the link on the left margin of this page.

I was reminded of a simple fact this weekend. It is a fact that we oftentimes forget, one that gets pushed to the backs of our minds in this world where we are always so busy to get ahead and to do our best. The fact is that “God is Good… All the time!”

I was reminded of this fact at the home of some friends of ours, Marv and Ann Rockhill. The Rockhills held a dinner party where we would be featured as the main speakers, allowing us to build our support team. However that “we” did not turn out as “we” expected because Tiffany was feeling very sick that night. We decided that it would be best for her to stay home, and for me to travel to Fishers by myself and do the presentation.

For any of you who have heard us speak in the past, you will know that public speaking is not one of my gifts. Consequently, while I drove down to Fishers, I was very nervous, praying that God would speak through me to this group of people. He answered that prayer. Was I still nervous? Yes. Did my speaking skills greatly impress the audience? No. Did God move in that room where we were meeting, causing a great stir in their hearts and mine? Yes.

This brings me to the fact that I mentioned earlier. After I was finished sharing, and all of the people were beginning to leave, I was speaking to Ann’s father. He told me about his past year, and the health problems that had troubled him. His main point was not to share his troubles; it was to testify to the fact that “God is Good… All the time!” And He most definitely is. I have witnessed His goodness, that night and all nights past, present and future.

The next day held an even bigger challenge for the Gallant family. The Family Night of Missions had been on our calendar for almost two months, and we had been working on it for about as long. The night included a dinner for the church featuring international cuisine, a time where we would play a game called “A Walk through Cambodia”, and a cultural fair for the kids where they would learn about different countries and the aspects of missionary life. It was a big night in many ways, in scale, in planning, in work, and in potential for Brookhaven’s world view.

With Tiffany being sick, this day was very difficult for both of us. In the morning we had to pack everything for the day before we went to church. After church, with six hours remaining until the night began, we had to cook all of the food, set up the gymnasium, prepare all of the centers, and get ourselves ready to speak. Tiffany did a great job. Even though she was sick, she did not let it take her out of the action. It was a very busy day, from start to finish, but it was when the gymnasium started to fill up that we really started to get nervous.

We had planned for about 150 people to attend this dinner. We set the gym for 190 to have plenty of room, but when people started to arrive, we saw that we would need a few more tables. This presented a problem for the food as well, so we started to pray for a miracle like Jesus performed with the loaves and the fishes. Again, He answered that prayer, and though we did not have 12 baskets of food remaining, we did have enough to serve everyone.

It was a great night. You can see from the pictures that the people, especially the kids, enjoyed themselves. We are extremely thankful to all those who helped make this night possible, from the set up crew to all those who helped at the cultural centers, the night would not have been impossible without your assistance. And as we left that night, tired, sick, and completely worn out, we remembered that “God is Good… All the Time!” He brought us through the night, took care of all of the plans, and provided energy and time for everything. He even provided a doctor for Tiffany to write a prescription for the antibiotics that she needed to get better before we leave for the Dakotas on Thursday. God is Good. He doesn’t change. Let that be our reminder when the future looks difficult, when the waves are crashing down upon our heads. “God is Good… All the Time!” Why, I believe that with this mindset, God will bring us through just about anything this world has to throw at us.

Basking in His Goodness,
Tim Gallant

Hillside Wesleyan Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2006-02-15T13:46:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

After an amazing weekend of sharing at Hillside Wesleyan in Cedar Rapids, it feels good to have the opportunity to share it with all of our friends who visit our ministry website. We want to thank all of you who were praying for us this weekend, praying for our travel and our time of sharing with the church. If you read below, you will hear about the trip, and how your prayers were answered.

Our trip started on Saturday morning at 7:00, but the story starts nine hours prior to that when we received a telephone call from Mike and Janet, the people we stay with, inviting us to use their van for our trip to Iowa. Our Escort is starting to become allergic to long drives after traveling over 215,000 miles in its lifetime, so it was a blessing to drive their van as it gave us the peace that our vehicle would not strand us along the highway.

In our travels to Iowa in the Bonner’s van, we encountered some snowfall and fog that caused the traffic to become hazardous, so hazardous in fact that we ran into not one, but two traffic jams that were caused by accidents happening ahead of us. Needless to say, traveling through Illinois and Iowa was slightly frustrating as we spent a great amount of time simply sitting on the road, waiting for the traffic to clear out ahead of us.

When we arrived in Cedar Rapids, we were welcomed by the pastor, Pastor Randy Richter, and his staff for the Saturday Evening Candlelight service. We had a wonderful time of sharing with the people who attended, especially with the people in this picture, Lindy and her daughter Dakota. Tiffany had the opportunity to share with them back at the table after the service. Lindy told us later that when she and Dakota arrived home after the service, Dakota told her that she wanted to make some cookies for the missionaries. So that is what they did, and they brought them to us the next morning. They were great cookies and they gave us something to munch on during our long drive back to Indiana that night. Thanks Dakota and Lindy.

We stayed the night with the Youth Pastor at Hillside, Pastor Mike and his new wife, Ashley. It was good to sit around with them, and share about ministry and about the great works of our God. We ate quesadillas and played games through the night, and we felt very blessed to spend the night with such an awesome couple who are so on fire for serving God.

The Sunday morning services went very well, and we were encouraged by the response that we received from Pastor Richter and his congregation. We first met Pastor Richter back in the month of August, while we were traveling up to the Dakota District. We stopped by churches in his district, sharing with pastors and introducing ourselves. On the second day of our travels, we stopped by his church at the end of the day, and we had the chance to sit down with him and talk about Cambodia. His focus on missions in his church was evident from that first meeting, and we were encouraged and sure the God would provide something from this chance meeting. God did provide for us through Pastor Richter, by allowing him to work out something with his faith promise budget that allowed Hillside Wesleyan to give us a one-time gift for support. It is awesome how God uses these opportunities to show that He truly is a God of love.

As I said before, the Sunday morning services went very well, though it was a bit hectic during the Sunday school hour where we shared with four different ABF classes, for ten minutes at a time. It was a whirlwind tour, but we met a great number of people, and we were able to share God’s great work in Cambodia with our new friends from Cedar Rapids.

It was a great trip to Iowa, one that I will not soon forget. The trip reminds me of a simple principle of serving God. Work as if it depends on you, but be sure to pray and remember that it really depends on God. We were very tired of traveling that day in September, but without the meeting that we had with Pastor Richter on that Tuesday afternoon, we never would have had the opportunity to share with his church this past weekend. But most importantly, without the working of the Holy Spirit in this situation, we never would have had either the opportunity to share or the power and strength to travel and proclaim God’s greatness in front of the church this weekend.

It was a great trip. The journey with God always is, and I hope that your journey with Him is both exciting and daunting; exciting so that you never want to stop the ride and daunting so that you never want to travel it alone.

God’s Blessing to all of you,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Freedom!

2006-01-24T14:07:00.000-05:00

To all of our readers… We want to apologize for the lack of posts that have appeared on this webpage. We hope that you will accept our apology and continue reading our blog and viewing our pictures. We are changing the format of our pictures on this page. They will all be on the links on the left margin of this page. We will work to keep you updated in the future, for we know that God is always at work in our lives.

This post begins with a little movie trivia for all of you movie buffs. Movies usually have at least one quotable phrase or line i.e. “I’m Spartucus” or “There’s no place like home.” Can you name the movie whose famous line is “Freedom!” Hint: The line is delivered when the main character is being tortured to death. The answer of course is the movie Braveheart, where the Scottish leader William Wallace uses his final breath, not to plead for his life, but to proclaim the purpose of his life, freedom for his homeland.

A Cry from the Cross…
As we humbly sit at the foot of the cross, listening to our Lord’s final words, we hear “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”(Mark 15:34) and “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Both are a cry for freedom for all who believe in the Name of Jesus Christ as their Savior. Our Lord knew that if He was forsaken by God that we would never have to be, and that for the last time a lamb, the Perfect Lamb, would be offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

As the pressures of the world (raising our support), our pride (being where we are, Sweetser, and not being where we want to be, Cambodia), and just plain exhaustion have been weighing heavily on our hearts, we praise God for the continual reassurance of the FREEDOM we receive by being His children.

1. The cross gives us freedom from the pressures of this world because we know that God is in control and our work for Him is not in vain.
“Therefore my brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that our toil is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58

2. The cross gives us freedom from being devoured by our pride, because we are able to rejoice as God performs His will in us, for His good pleasure and His pure glory.
“For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

3. The cross gives us freedom from exhaustion because our strength is not our own, God is our strength!
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tried and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31

Praise GOD! At just the right time in our lives, God reminds us of the FREEDOM that we can find in Him! The past months have been full of opportunities, though they were not the opportunities that we were hoping for. God provided opportunities to spend quality time with our families over Christmas break. Tim was able to go to a men’s retreat where God refreshed him and refocused his purpose. Most importantly, God has provided opportunities to grow in Him, in our relationship with Jesus Christ, the true source of the FREEDOM that we have in this world.

As you seek Him this week, may you not take a single step without Him!
In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany

God is Good

2005-11-19T12:42:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Supporters,

When I think about all of the messages that have been posted on this blog, I can see that they all have something in common. Some people might say that it is bad grammar, and I would have to answer “yes, you are right, but that wasn’t the one that I was thinking about.”

A verse in Psalm 145 reads “Your marvelous doings are headline news; I could write a book full of the details of your greatness. MSG” This verse made me think about this website and what its real purpose is. It is a tool with which we can communicate with our friends and supporters, especially while we are overseas, sharing words and pictures to let people know what is happening in our lives. However, that is not its main function.

This website’s main function is to bear witness to the greatness of God in heaven. This is the one commonality in all of the posts. God works awesome miracles in our lives everyday, and one of our responsibilities, as the recipients of these blessings, is to tell others about them.

Since returning from our 45 days in the Dakota District, God has provided three very remarkable and unique opportunities to share with churches. Before we left for the Dakotas, one of Tiffany’s neighbors in Bluffton approached us, offering us the opportunity to speak to his church. We accepted his offer, and the weekend after we returned, we traveled home to visit family and to share with this church. We were worried that our message would be boring because we did not have PowerPoint or slides to show while we spoke, but God spoke through us that chilly morning and provided the message for that congregation. We had a great time sharing with those brothers and sisters at Beaverdam Church of Christ, and we look forward to meeting with them again in the future.

The following weekend, we were privileged to speak at the missions conference at Lakeview Wesleyan in Marion. On the Friday night of the conference, the organizers had planned a time for children and parents to experience missions together through a dinner and a children’s missions fair. We were to be the speakers after the dinner. We knew that our normal message would not be appropriate for this group, and we began to think of alternatives. God again gave us the perfect message for this group in the form of a game called “A Walk through Cambodia”, which we used to share about the culture and people of Cambodia using pictures and the participants’ powers of observation and recollection. We had a great time sharing, and we were so encouraged to see children, parents, and grandparents working together, learning about Cambodia.

Most recently, we traveled to Chicago to speak to Broadview Wesleyan in Chicago. We were working one day when the pastor from this church called us, inviting us to speak at their missions fair; we did not know how he got our name. He told us later that his wife was searching for missionaries on the Global Partners website and thought that we looked like a cute and interesting couple, which made us think that either she wasn’t wearing her glasses at the time or God really wanted us at this church. We had a great time sharing at the church during the weekend, and we learned that both the church and several members of the congregation would be joining our support team. God is so good.

This post has been lengthy, but we feel that God deserves all of the praise and glory. He provided every speaking engagement, every word of this post, and every good thing that has happened in our lives. We hope that your hearts have been encouraged by these words, and we hope that you visit again to hear more about the great works of our Almighty God in Heaven.

Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Second Installment of the Dakota Trip

2005-10-06T12:32:00.000-05:00

As we pulled in to the driveway in Sweetser, we were shocked with the realization that we were home. I stood in front of our car for a few moments, considering our journey over the past six weeks, our purpose in Cambodia, and this car that resembled a dog after a very long, hard run (though our car, unlike most dogs, had a huge amount of bugs splashed over its grill, bumper and headlights). During this quiet time, I reflected on these topics.

The Car
The car had been a great blessing from the Lord. Charles and Joan Sexton from Brookhaven had offered to trade cars with us while we traveled through the Dakotas, rather than have us spend the money to rent a vehicle. The car, a Buick LeSabre, was the perfect vehicle for this trip because it not only had more room than our little Ford Escort, but it also was equipped with cruise control, which was a great blessing for the thousands of miles that were covered, and the security of OnStar, which gave us reassurance that if we indeed ran into some trouble, such as an antelope or another of the large critters that inhabit the Dakotas, we would be able to call for help. The phrase that Charles and Joan had used when offering their car was that it was “God’s car”, and it certainly was in every way, and we are extremely thankful of Him and our friends who followed God’s calling in their lives to partner with us in this special way.

The Journey
In our devotional readings, we read Deuteronomy 2:7 which says

“The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over you journey through this vast [Dakota Wilderness]. These 40 [days] the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.”

I bet that you never knew that the Bible spoke of the Dakotas, and neither did we until we read this verse, at least it spoke directly to us. God worked many great miracles during this trip, providing everything that we would ever need during our trip, places to stay, churches with whom to share, and warm weather for traveling and camping. (I just learned that it snowed in the Dakotas last night, and I am reminded again that the Lord was looking out for us.) In our “wilderness training”, we learned to trust in God to provide for us, financially through the love offerings at the churches, in safety as we traveled, and in encouragement from each other as we worked for the six weeks that we were gone. We did not have manna, quail, water from a rock or a pillar of fire, but the signs that God was with us were just as apparent.

Cambodia
If this trip did anything, it strengthened our resolve that the Lord had called us to Cambodia to serve Him. He trained us in what it would be like as we lived overseas, without many of the comforts of home. He taught us again and again that our strength to endure is found in Him and His Word, not in earthly measures of finding peace. God put us in contact with many people who have experienced His ministry in Cambodia. We shared stories, experiences, and lessons that we have learned in Cambodia. Finally, God instilled in us a desperate need to be in Cambodia. After every time of sharing or while we packed up our display, we would stand in the foyer together, praying that God would bring in our support. God spoke to us again and again that we could trust in Him and it would happen on His time, in His way, which was a comfort in those difficult times.

As I stood over the car on that silent night in Sweetser, I was shocked that we were home, that the trip was over. But I knew that we were different people from the ones who had left the same driveway 44 days and 11 hours ago. God had refined us during this time, and I knew that we were that much closer to leaving for Cambodia, to fulfill the purpose that God had placed on our lives. That feeling of peace penetrated all of my thoughts, and as I walked inside, I knew that if God could bring us through such a journey as the Dakotas, He would lead us through even greater ventures in the future.

Thank you for reading, and I pray that this story has encouraged you to take a great journey, whether long or short in duration or distance, with our great God in heaven.

To Him be all the Glory,
Tim Gallant

Dakota Update #1

2005-09-21T18:28:00.000-05:00

The trip through the Dakota District has been a wonderful time of sharing, living, and trusting in our God to provide for all of our needs. Read further to hear about how the trip has gone so far, and how trusting in the Lord is the only way to live life. Thank you to all of you who have been praying. We will be posting another update of the trip in the near future

To see pictures of the trip or praises and prayer requests, click the links on the left hand margin

This trip has been awesome so far, but it did not start out that way. During out second night of camping, we were staying in Albert Lea, MN. After we went to bed, the weather changed. It became cold, so cold in fact that we were shivering in our tent as we huddled together. During the night, we both thought “What in the World are We dong Here?” We had been traveling so much, we were tired, we were cold, and the purpose for the trip seemed so far away.

However, we should have trusted our Father in Heaven because He was the one who planned our journey into the Dakota District. He provided fifteen different speaking engagements during our trip, and promised that He would be there with us in every step of the way. In our times of sharing with the churches, He provided the message that was especially tailored to each congregation and group. He provided love offerings that would cover all of our expenses. He provided churches and individuals who committed to partnering with us financially and prayerfully. And He especially provided opportunities to grow close with people that we met along the way.

It was amazing to meet Christians from all over the district who were interested in missions and in Cambodia, and who were willing to open their homes and their lives to two bedraggled missionaries on a long journey. We met a pastor and his wife in Bismarck who took us in, provided for all of our needs, and taught us some handy skills that have benefited us along our way. We met a family of ranchers who opened up their home to us, teaching us about ranching and allowing us to experience life as they knew it. We met a retired pastor and his wife who “ordered” us to stay with them instead of camping, and showed us love and caring as we stayed with them.

Yes, our God in heaven is great and powerful. When we were shivering in that tent in Albert Lea, MN, we should have remembered just how much our God loves us. His love “endures forever”, and we know that it will take us through the rest of this trip, to Cambodia, and throughout the rest of Eternity. He has promised to do the same for you. Just trust in Him, reach out to Him, and put you lives in His hands. Jesus told us “Surely, I will be with you always, to the very end of the age”, and we need to live our lives like we trust that He will fulfill His promise.

An Update from the Gallants

2005-08-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

We would first like to thank all of you who logged onto our webpage to read the update about the "Trouble with Transportation". We hope that your hearts were encouraged and your faith in God's provision strengthened. It was the most read post in the history of our webpage. Thank you, and here is an update about what has been going on lately.

We spoke at Sonlight Wesleyan Church on Sunday the 17th of July. We had a great time sharing with the congregation and the Sunday school classes. We also had a great time with Pastor Lyle Breedings and Pastor Tom Bradley, the two pastors of this church, and it was encouraging to sit and talk with them about the church and about the ministry in Cambodia.

Here Tiffany speaks with a member of the Sonlight congregation. We had a great time speaking with her as she told us about her daughter who attends Indiana Wesleyan University and is very interested in the mission field. It is great to meet people around the nation who have such a passion and an interest in overseas missions.

When we first returned from vacation out west with my family, we worked with the VBS program at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church. We were fortunate to work with the 5th and 6th graders whose time at VBS is different than most children's. Every night, these students went out to visit a different ministry in Grant County. They visited with the chaplain at the jail, took a tour of the Grant County Rescue Mission, and here they are learning about MICO. Marion Inner City Outreach is a program that ministers to men and women who live in downtown Marion who need someone to show them the love of Jesus Christ. Barbara, shown here speaking the children, and her husband Paul, are the people who serve in this much needed ministry.

We were also able to spend time with a great group of kids and adult sponsors. Paul and Lora Clark and Wes and Susie Munsell are the leaders of the 5th and 6th grade group at Brookhaven, and it was a privelege working alongside people whose heart is focused on ministering to these young Christians. The students were also a great joy every night as we drove them around, talked, played, and served beside them. In this picture, you are seeing the girls was out medicine bottles that are used at Bridges to health, a free medical facility that is operated in Marion. The students learned a great deal about the ministries in the county and about the people who are served by these ministries, people who may not be as fortunate as the students are.

Also, Tiffany and I were very honored to be the guest missionaries for the VBS. Each night the students heard a little about Cambodia and they took it upon themselves to raise money for our vehicle that we will use in Cambodia. It was so neat to see the kids bringing in their money each night, the boys and girls competing for the heaviest offering bucket. God blessed this offering which exceeded $1000, and we were very thankful to all these children who gave so willingly.

Finally, on the 24th of July, we traveled up to Forestville Wesleyan Church in New York. Some of you might be wondering how our car functioned on the travels, and I am happy to announce that it ran like a peach. We spent time with Pastors Bruce and Patrcia Ellis, along with their family, and we had a great time sharing with the congregation.

Here you are seeing pictures of the people who came to visit our table after the service. As always, it is so great to see children interested in foreign culture and in missions. On the left you are seeing Pastor Ellis son Joshua work to open our Cambodian Puzzle box, and the picture on the right is of a parent and child investigating the Cambodian "kicker" that is a very popular item at all churches we visit.

Thank you again for you interest in Cambodia, and if you have any questions, just leave us a comment. Keep expecting miracles in your life.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

The Trouble with Transportation

2005-07-21T12:55:00.000-05:00

WARNING!!! If you do not believe that the hand of God is at work in our day and age, you will not want to read any further. Run away and find solace in your notion that you are merely a speck in the middle of a very chaotic universe. The rest of you, continue reading to hear about the awesome God that we serve and how He works miracles in the lives of His children. I know that it is lengthy, but I promise you that your heart will be encouraged by this story of our Great Provider in heaven.

Situation: Our 1994 Ford Escort has been a blessing from God right from the beginning. It has faithfully carried us over many miles, getting great gas mileage and always being ready for any length of journey. However, about two months ago, it started breaking down. It began running very rough, stalling when it stopped, and we were worried that it was on its last legs.

Blessing #1: During Missionary Training Institute, we were travelling with some new friends, Josh and Becca Bowlin, and the car was giving us great problems. While we were with the Bowlins, they offered to let us borrow their car while ours was being worked on in Marion. They had two cars, one they were not using, and they happily agreed to let us borrow it. God provided these friends, who are missionaries to New Zealand, to bless us with their generosity.

Blessing #2: After MTI, we went home to pick up our car. Though the mechanic changed two sensors, he said that it still was running rough, though it was idling better when it was stopped. We tried to drive the car back to Sweetser, where we are staying, and the car continually lost power over the six mile drive. By the time we got to Sweetser, we were only travelling 10 miles per hour, and we actually had to stop the car to let it cool down before we drove it the rest of the way home. We realized that we had a major problem on our hands. We were to leave from Columbus, OH the next afternoon for a vacation with the Gallant family, and now we had no means of transportation to get there. When we arrived at Mike and Janet Bonner’s house, the couple who took us in after we moved out of our apartment, we searched in vain for a rental agency that would allow us to rent a car last minute and drop it off in Columbus at the airport. While I was calling, Mike and Janet talked it over and decided that they would allow us to borrow their van for drive to Columbus and be without it for the entire week that we would be gone. God was again at work, blessing us through someone’s generosity. (A side note to this story must be explained. Mike and Janet had originally promised to loan their van to a friend of theirs for the weekend. However, on Friday, the day that our car refused to run properly, the man called Mike and told him that he would not need the van… That is the hand of God at work!)

Blessing #3: After spending a wonderful week with the Gallant family in Lake Tahoe, we returned to this problem of a car that refused to run. We had spent the week thinking and praying about what we should do with our car, and when we returned, we sent a prayer request out to our prayer supporters via email. We simply asked for them to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance in making this decision on whether to try to fix our car again, or to look in to buying something new. We sent this email out on Monday, and we joined with our many prayer partners in lifting this request to the Lord. We decided to take the car in one more time, have it checked out by the Ford dealership, and decide from there whether to fix the car or not. On Friday, a friend and I towed our car in, waited for it to be checked, and learned from the mechanic that the repairs would cost nearly $650. I felt defeated and was resolved to start looking for another car. But it was at this time that God blessed us again by allowing Chad Vice, the friend who helped us tow the car in at 8:00 in the morning, to be there to give me advice. He informed me that we could perform the repairs on the car for a fraction of the amount that the dealership would charge. So that is what we did. Chad showed me how to make the necessary repairs, which tools to use, and he also spent a lot of time going over each part in the engine. It was a great time of learning for me, and it was also an incredible answer to prayer. We had prayed that God would use something unexpected to fix our car, and I, Tim the uneducated mechanic, fixing our car is about as unexpected as can be.

That is the story of our Trouble with Transportation, and God’s awesome plan to both help us in our need and reveal His almighty glory. The God we serve is awesome, don’t ever forget that, and He will care for you as well if you only place your concerns at His feet. We had a sign on our wall that was a wedding present from Pastor Warren and his wife Anita from Ebenezer Mennonite Church in Ohio. It said, “Prayer is where burdens change shoulders.” And that is what happened with our vehicle. We gave our concern over to God, trusting that He would care for it, and He did! That is the relationship of dependence and faith that God wants from all of His children.

Thank you for reading, and keep looking to God for miracles in your lives.

In His Service,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

It's not a backdrop, we promise...

2005-07-14T13:32:00.000-05:00

Our vacation to Lake Tahoe and San Fransisco was a much needed time with family. Here we stand in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. We may look taller, but it was such an awesome experience seeing such a massive structure and thinking about all of the work that went into constructing this historic bridge.

Beautiful Scenery

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We loved spending time in the mountains. Here, Tiffany sits on an overlook over Emerald Bay, which is located on the southern tip of Lake Tahoe.

Time with Family

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One of the greatest things about spending the week with my family in Lake Tahoe was the opportunity to be with our little nephew. He is only 17 months old and he is already winning over every girl that he meets.

Missionary Training Institute- 2005

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The Wesleyan Missionaries of 2005
The Wesleyan Church should be proud of sending out this group of people who are passionate about serving God overseas.

Quality Time

2005-07-14T13:10:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest things about MTI was the time that we were able to spend together talking about the new ideas and information that we were learning about in the sessions. Tiffany and I had so many great discussions as we walked around the camp, and it will be a time that we will treasure for many years so come.

Knot Tieing at MTI

2005-07-14T13:02:00.000-05:00

She should have been a Boy Scout!!!

Tiffany astounded many of the people at MTI with her ability to master the knots that were shown to us. Here she shows a baffled Scott McNett and Phil Boardman how to tie the "sheepshank".

2005-06-08T22:56:00.000-05:00

We also learned how to play a new game with our Cambodian toys. Here the boys made up a new game using our kickers and the rear wall of the church.

2005-06-08T22:55:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun at Avon Wesleyan Church this past Sunday. In this picture, you are seeing what happens when you play with a "kicker" too close to a church with a low roof. A member of the congregation, whose hand you can see supporting the boy, came to our rescue to retrieve the kicker from the gutter.

2005-05-18T17:13:00.000-05:00

We spoke at Hillside Wesleyan Church this weekend, and God blessed us so richly while we were there. The story of how we happened to have the opportunity to speak was a miracle in itself. While we were traveling around New York, we stopped to speak to Pastor Long, and he just happened to be planning the Missions Conference. We were scheduled to speak there that day, and we had just met. It was a great blessing from the Lord, and we know that God blessed our times of sharing as well, speaking through us and moving the hearts of the people in the congregation about God's mission to reach His lost people overseas.

Quiz Time!

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Quiz Time: Which country's flag is shown here? Answer in the comments section below to receive a special Cambodian prize in the mail! Remember to leave your name, address, and phone number.

We were very privileged to be a part of Hillside's Missions Conference. One of the highlights was the Parade of Flags that was done by the children of the church. The woman pictured here, Carolyn Smith, assembled the flags of all of the countries in which Global Partners has missionaries. Some flags she had, others she made herself. It was very touching to see so many flags brought into the sanctuary, knowing that the Message of Jesus Christ has been brought to so many countries.

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We were also blessed to be presented with a large Cambodian flag that Carolyn had made for the conference. Thank you, Hillside Wesleyan, for making the weekend so memorable.

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One of the great joys that Tiffany and I have when we speak to churches is meeting the youth of the church. We were able to share with the Middle and High School classes at Hillside Wesleyan, and we had a great time telling them about being a missionary, what it is like in Cambodia, and how important a relationship with God is in their lives.

2005-05-18T17:11:00.001-05:00

When we went to Olean, NY, we were coming off a week where we had been very busy, running from one event to another. We had hardly spent any time together. We usually stay with a family from the church when we speak, and were disappointed when we found out that we would be staying in the parsonage by ourselves. However God knew what we needed for when we arrived, we found these baskets, one full of food and another consisting of toiletry items, like we were at a spa or retreat. It was a great weekend and we were able to speak to the congregation and spend some time together as well. Thank you Hillside Wesleyan Church.

2005-05-18T17:11:00.000-05:00

The baskets were gifts from women on the missions committee, and they made us feel very special and appreciated. God also met our fellowship needs by allowing us to visit several different families in their homes where we had a wonderful time in conversation. Thank you Eric and Betty Lundberg for More than Bread, we had a great time at your house. Also, thank you to David and Jody Joseph for allowing us to come to your house. We had a wonderful afternoon with you and Tiffany is practicing all the sign language that you taught her. We felt very privileged to have the opportunity to fellowship and share with these brothers and sisters in Olean, NY.

2005-05-18T17:10:00.000-05:00

Tiffany and I had a great time at East Aurora Wesleyan Churchs Missions Fest, and one of the highlights of the entire evening was the food. The people of the city of Buffalo have certain foods that are unrivaled around the rest of the United States, and the pizza and wings at this Missions Fest made it exceptional in our minds.

2005-04-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

We never imagined how God would open up the state of New York to us, yet through His grace, we again found ourselves there this past weekend. We were priveleged to share with the congregation of East Aurora Wesleyan Church, a group of Christians who are passionate about reaching the lost for the Lord.

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East Aurora gave us such a welcome and we look forward to future times of sharing with the congregation there.

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We had a great time visiting with our new friends from Buffalo, Jay and Carrie and their children Brendon, Isabella and McKenna. We met them during our previous trip to New York, and we were able to spend a great night sharing in laughter, Phase Ten and way too much Chinese Food. The Lord has blessed us so much through their friendship.

East Aurora Wesleyan Church (more pictures below)

2005-04-27T17:31:00.000-05:00

For several days last week, our devotional readings came from Matthew chapter twenty-four where Jesus speaks about the End Times. As I sat in our host families house in East Aurora New York, I could not help but think joyously about the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; coming “on the clouds of the sky, with great power and glory.” (v. 30) These thoughts are very liberating for those who can claim Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives, but as Matthew says, it “will cause all of the nations of the earth to mourn.” (v. 30) As His disciples, we are called to share this message with people all over the world, and that is why we were in East Aurora, New York.

We had come to share at the church’s Missions Fest, expanding the mission view of the church to what God is doing in Cambodia. God blessed our time of speaking, giving us the privilege of speaking about His greatness but also the desires of our hearts to serve Him overseas in Cambodia. He also provided new prayer supporters and a potential partnership with the Wesleyan Church there in East Aurora, but our great God in heaven did not stop there.

He blessed us with safety in our travels. When we left for New York on Friday morning, it was raining, and it continued to rain for the entire eight-hour drive and even into the next afternoon. Then, as we were driving home on Sunday, we ran into a heavy snowstorm around Cleveland. Our vision was impaired as we drove into the sleet and the snow. We saw cars that had slid into the medians and into the guardrails. We had semi trucks passing us while sending sheets of snow and water onto our windshield, completely blinding us. But in all of these difficulties, we were kept safe and our God in heaven led us all of the way.

One final blessing that I must tell you about is the opportunity to hear the testimonies of many brothers and sisters in Christ whose lives have been transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ. Not only were these men and women Christians; they were disciples, giving their all for Jesus Christ and seeking Him with their lives. I was reminded once again how our lives are only fully realized when we completely lose them in our surrender to our Creator.

As we drove, we had a verse on our dashboard.

“The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice… Fire goes before Him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory.” Psalm 97:1,3-6

It was an amazing weekend, and I hope that all those reading this post will share in this view of His glory.

Thank you for reading and for all of your support and encouragement.

In Christ,

Tim Gallant

2005-04-27T17:27:00.000-05:00

Once again, we were able to speak to the children on Sunday morning. We had a great time of sharing with them the culture of Cambodia and just generally having fun with them. Here, Tiffany prepares two of the children for a race using Cambodian clothing.

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The children are always interested in the games and music of the people overseas. The girls here are trying out new instruments from overseas.

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Ron and Bonnie Kimmel were our hosts at East Aurora, and they did a great job of making us feel welcome in their home. We had a wonderful time talking with them about travelling and their grandchildren, and look forward to visiting them and their beautiful home in the future.

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We had the opportunity to speak to Hartford City Wesleyan Church this weekend. Af first we thought that speaking a total of six times during one weekend would be overkill. However, we learned that not only did God provide all the messages and the energy we would need, He also provided a great experience where we were able to grow close to a group of believers who are strongly dedicated to missions. It isn't just part of the job as a missionary to speak to churches, it really is a privilege.

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There was a definite communication problem at Hartford city, and it did not involve our times of sharing with the members of the congregation. The computers did not want to agree with us during the weekend, leading us to believe that Satan did not want us to share the message with the people about how the Lord is working in Cambodia. However, due to the work of Pastor Tom and Joe, the presentations went smoothly and the goodness of the Lord was known by all in attendance.

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In this picture, Tiffany is explaining the function of the scarves that they wear in Cambodia. Not only did she share missions with the kids, she also laid out the entire salvation message using the bridge illustration. She is a great partner and a wonderful wife.

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Here the children in Sunday school examine the strange missionaries who decided that eating spiders would be a good idea. I believe his exact words were "Ewwwwww....."

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One of the great joys that we have in speaking to churches is the privilege of meeting children who are very enthusiastic about missions. This young man came to every presentation and took as much information as he could about the ministry in Cambodia. It was a great pleasure to meet him.

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We had a great time this weekend visiting the Martins. It was a bright, Sunday afternoon, and Tiffany and Cathy had a chance to enjoy the weather and cruise the streets of Fishers with the top down.

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It was an honor to have two of our prayer partners, Nick Jacobson and Chad Vice (going from left to right) guard the tomb as well as play other important roles throughout the performance.

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The race was very heated as the Cambodian buttons were not nearly as easy to work with as the ones that we have on our clothes.

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Some of the greatest times we have with kids is when we talk about the food in the country of Cambodia. Their amazement as we tell about the eggs, the spiders, the fruit, and especially all the rice that is in their diet. Here , Zach shows his proficiency at using chopsticks.

New York Update: Pictures below

2005-03-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

The Good Samaritan

When Jesus was asked to define a neighbor, He could have answered, “anyone you come in contact with… most importantly, someone with a need.” But he didn’t. Instead He told a story showing us who was in need and how we could help him or her by using our materials, using our transportation, using our money, and most importantly using our time! As we traveled this past week in New York, we were looking for people who would be our Good Samaritans and people whom we can be Good Samaritans to.

And our God was faithful, in a great, big way.
-He provided transportation through our adopted parents, Greg and Cathy Martin, when they allowed us to use their car for the week.

-He provided people at the churches to bless us with their interest and their support.

-He provided new friendships with the people who opened their homes to us during our trip. Myron and Doris Tubbs in Athens, Pennsylvania were such a blessing with their quiet encouragement, peace, and support. Pastor Jay Williams and his wife Carrie, along with their three children Brendan, Isabella, and McKenna, gave us the opportunity to talk and laugh with a couple our age.

-All of the people who gave us directions, helped us carry our luggage, and even that deli guy at Wegemons in Hamburg, NY, God used you, your smile, and your kindness as a blessing.

-And most importantly, all of our prayer partners who were on their knees, interceding on our behalf, praying for us as we traveled, spoke, and worked to raise support to answer God’s call to serve Him in Cambodia.

Thank you, to all of you. May the Lord’s glorious face shine on your this day.

In Christ,

Tim and Tiffany Gallant

2005-03-08T17:42:00.000-05:00

We Gallants were unable to "pack light" for this week long trip, so it was a double blessing for the Martins to allow us to use their car for the journey. Not only was it more reliable for the trip, it was also more spacious.

2005-03-08T17:41:00.000-05:00

Athens Wesleyan Church in Pennsylvania

2005-03-08T17:40:00.000-05:00

Here, Tim speaks to the youth leaders of Athens Wesleyan Church. A main focus of the conference was getting the youth involved in missions. It was great to hear how they were already planning where they would like to go for a short-term trip this summer.

2005-03-08T17:39:00.000-05:00

Here, Tiffany stops to pose with a child at our display table.

2005-03-08T17:38:00.000-05:00

We were blessed with such hospitality at the churches we visited this week. Here we sit with Pastor Stilson and his family and our hosts for the weeken, Myron and Doris Tubbs.

2005-03-08T17:36:00.000-05:00

It is a great joy to share the culture of Cambodia with the children here in the United States. We never get tired of answering their great questions.

2005-03-08T17:35:00.000-05:00

It is amazing how much the children always love our Asian tea.

2005-03-08T17:33:00.000-05:00

The snow in New York was unbelievable, falling for more than two days straight.

2005-03-08T17:32:00.000-05:00

Some churches were easier to find than others. This is a picture taken in the hills of Pennslyvania, where we searched in vain for Berryhill Wesleyan Church. I think we will just try to give them a phone call next time.

2005-03-08T17:30:00.000-05:00

Driving around the state of New York provided many picturesque scenes. Here, the snowy banks of Lake Erie required a picture.

2005-03-08T17:29:00.000-05:00

The trees on Goat Island were covered by ice from the condensation of the steam from the falls. A pastor that we met in Buffalo equated the island to C.S. Lewis's description of "crystal trees".

2005-03-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

This is a picture from our visit to Niagra Falls on Saturday. It reminded us that the Lord created water for us to live, but He created waterfalls for us to enjoy. His Creation is awesome.

2005-02-21T17:37:00.000-05:00

Dr. Harold Bardsley commissioning the Gallants to serve as missionaries in Cambodia.

Speaking at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church

2005-02-21T17:33:00.001-05:00

I have a question for you, have you ever just felt yourself being carried along by the Lord? Have you ever felt His arms around you and had Him open your eyes to just who you can be if you would only put all your trust in Him?

God did a great work in our lives this Sunday. We were given the opportunity to speak at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church, which is our home church here in Indiana. We spent Saturday night until the wee hours preparing for our message, practicing, praying, and setting up the presentation that we would be giving in front of the church. Needless to say, we were exhausted when we entered the church at 7:30 A.M. to set up our display.

But this is where the miracle happened. In our exhaustion, and also our nervousness at having to speak in front of all of our friends and family, God gave us a peace about our message. We realized that all we had to do was share the passion that God has placed on our lives for His mission in Cambodia. God would do the rest. He would pull the hearts of the audience, moving them to involve themselves in the ministry in Cambodia.

And that is exactly what He did. He took our words, and like the loaves and fish, He multiplied them. He brought so many people forward as partners in the Cambodian ministry. He reminded us again that He does not make mistakes. He called us to serve Him, and we know that He will provide all the support we need. He carried us this day, and encouraged us to keep depending on Him for all our needs as missionaries in His service.

We want to say thank you to all those people who attended our commissioning and presentation. It was very encouraging to look out into the audience after we were commissioned and see the faces of friends and family, and know that they were behind us as we go out to serve God in Cambodia. It was a great weekend, and we hope that reading about how God carried us gives you encouragement to allow Him to do the same for you.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany