Reimer's Update!!

Hello Friends!!! I pray you are all doing well!
This update is long overdue, sorry for leaving some of you hanging!!!

I’ll get right to it, I AM A MARRIED MAN!!!

On October 8th, 2011 I married Avin Leigh Houghland from White Rock, BC!!

The Lord blessed us with a gorgeous fall day, and a powerful ceremony where we felt the presence of the Lord!! God is so Good!! He answers prayer!!!!
We had an unreal honeymoon in Mexico, despite the hurricane that blew through our resort!!!!

We are now living in South Surrey off 152nd Street, and we are both working 4 nights a week at restaurants. I am also doing landscaping and construction during the days for friends whenever I can.

This also may come as a surprise to you, but I am no longer working with Victory Churches International. Before Avin and myself were married I made the transition from Victory Churches to the ‘Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.’ As you can well imagine, after being with a ministry for 11 years, it was not an easy transition for all involved.

Avin and myself have both been approved as ‘ Global Workers’ with the PAOC and are now preparing to head back to Cambodia to serve the Lord.

We are planning to live in Phnom Phen, Cambodia for a year to study the language intensely and to serve in various ministries part- time. We also have the opportunity to teach and mentor young people at ‘Impact School of Missions’ in Bangkok, Thailand September 2012 and January 2013.

After our first year in Asia together, we are hoping to continue to plant Churches and make disciples wherever the Lord may call us in Cambodia.

We ask you to please be praying for us as we prepare to head back to the mission field.
Please pray that God would prepare us spiritually in Canada, that He would provide the necessary connections, and that He would provide the finances.

Please check out these sites for more information on how we can work together to see the Lord build His Kingdom.

www.paoc.org
www.paoc.org/donate/JoelAReimer

We would love to hear from you so please don’t be a stranger!! You can call me at 1-604-832 2603 or email me at joel_reimer@hotmail.com

Blessings

Joel and Avin Reimer

www.myspace.com/joelareimer

9 More Days!!!!

The Final Countdown is on!!! 9 Days and counting to the BIG DAY!!!
Things are definitely shaping up and coming together!! Avin and myself are really thanking God for that!! Who knew it was this much work to organize a wedding?!!!!!
We have been really blessed by the generosity of our home church, Christian Life Assembly in Langley, our parents and so many others!! Because we are having a much bigger wedding than we originally planned, everyones generosity is truly making this wedding possible!!

Avin has been unreal taking care of all the little details with Abby Penner, our wedding planner, and they have let me take care of all the guy stuff!! It's been great!!

Besides all the wedding planning and work, we have been quite busy as well with the whole application process with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. We have just been approved as ' Global Workers' ( a fancy name for missionaries!) and once we are back from our honeymoon, we will begin raising funds so we can return to Asia and continue serving the Lord out there.

I also have been dealing with the transition process and its effect on the ministry back in Poipet. It hasn't been an easy one by any means, and its not exactly over, but I think we have gotten through the thick of it, thanks in majority to my missions board who really does treat the work in Cambodia as their own. God is so good and so gracious.

So yeah, it's all happening!! If you can make it to Christian Life Assembly on October 8th at 1pm, you are more than welcome to our ceremony and the open reception in the Church Gym afterwards.

Blessings
JR

The Ring!!

For some reason, unknown to me, people keep on asking for pictures of the ring?!!! Must be a girl thing!! Anways, here is a shot of the ring and another one of us!! I am not gonna lie, God has blessed me with one good looking fiance!!!
JR

Big Announcement!!!!!

Friends, I just wanted to let you all know that last Sunday, July 24th, I proposed to Avin Leigh Houghland and thank God, she said "Yes!!!" So we are pretty excited these days about being engaged and are hoping to get married sometime in October!!!
When I was in Thailand in June, for a PAOC missionary retreat, I went to Bangkok for a few days and with the help of Cavelle Dove, got an unreal ring made in China town. Thank God Cavelle was there because I had no clue about diamonds and bands and all that stuff!! I got a crash course in rings and we ended up getting a sweet ring made!!!
I asked Avin's Dad two weeks ago if I could marry her and he gave me his blessing and some fatherly advice which I really appreciated.
So on Sunday morning I typed out a letter to Avin that expressed how I feel about her and what I am believing God for concerning our future together. It took me a bit longer then I thought so I was a little late for Church, which really had her wondering what was going on!!! So after meeting her at Church, I went and got Gas in my Dads truck, thanks Dad!!, and then picked her up at her place in White Rock. She had no clue where we were going!!! I just told her to wear clothes that were suited for physical activity and being outside!! It took us 2 hrs to get to Stanley Park from White Rock which is just horrendous!! The rush hour was unreal!! After finding a parking spot we walked to Lumbermans's Arch and while Avin was in the washroom I set up the picnic blanket and our picnic lunch. She came back and was pretty impressed by the whole set up!!! We prayed and had a great lunch together, including sparkling apple cider and some great sour dough sandwiches. After eating we played Bocce Ball for a while and then headed back to the truck so we wouldn't get towed.
We watched a street entertainer for a while at English Bay and then walked down to Denman street where we stopped at the Italian restaurant where our first date was. We weren't super hungry so we just had Pizza which was really good. Then we got some Gelato Ice cream and walked back to the truck. We drove back to the Park around 11pm and took out the picnic blanket and some candles and went down to the water. I put candles around the blanket in the sand and after talking for a while and looking at the stars I took out the letter I had written and gave it to her to read. She was in tears in minutes and then out of no where, 6 russian guys in their 20's show up. Most of them were smoking and they were all laughing and talking a good 50 feet from us!! I tried to ignore them and then shared some scripture with Avin from Psalms. When I realized they weren't going away any time soon, I was like. " We need to get out of here!!" So we blew out the candles, packed up the blanket and walked back to the truck, when one of the Russians spoke English for the first time and said something really rude. Avin fired back that he shouldn't talk like that and we just kept on walking!! I think I was in shock that he said what he said!!( You don't want to know!!!)
So we went to 3rd Beach and laid out the blanket and set up the Candles again. All of a sudden we see a flashlight and then a homeless guy starts looking for bottles right beside us, for like 5 minutes!! He left eventually and when I thought we were all alone, another homeless guy showed up looking for bottles. This guy was really thorough and was hanging around for like 15 minutes!!! It was unreal!! I just laughed!! Finally we were by ourselves and by this time it was almost 1am Monday morning. Finally I got the ring out of my pocket and asked Avin if she would marry me!!! After a real awkward embrace, JUST JOKING!!! JUST TRYING TO KEEP THIS BLOG ABOVE REPROACH!!!!! we waded into the ocean and I washed her feet cause I just wanted to symbolize that I wanted to serve her for the rest of our lives.
Then we packed up and I dropped her off in White Rock!!!
It was awesome!! Will keep you guys posted about the wedding details! Please be praying for us!!

Update from Harley Voogd!!

Friends!! Here is a brief update and some pictures from Harley, showing and explaining what God is doing through the ministry in Cambodia.


Hello from Poipet, Cambodia

God is working in Cambodia, and He is continuing to build His kingdom. Poipet is one city where God is moving in a powerful way. Sometimes it is difficult to see His work. A tsunami wave cannot be seen when it is still moving through the deep ocean waters. It only becomes noticeable when it reaches the shoreline. It is the same with God's work here in Cambodia.
Our church members continue to grow in their faith and understanding of the gospel. Our visits to the surrounding villages continue to reach people who know nothing about Jesus so that they can hear the good news. We love to have meetings with the local youth to teach the bible, and just have fun too.
Please pray for the work being done in Poipet, and ask God to prepare the hearts of the Cambodian people to accept the gospel. We believe that Cambodia will be a powerful Christian nation in Asia. The tsunami is working its way to the Cambodian shoreline!

April '11 Trip!!

China/Thailand/Cambodia!!!!

Friends!!
Here are some pictures from my last trip to Asia. I left on April 4th with 27 people, most of whom are doing an internship program at my home church, Christian Life Assembly in Langley, BC.
We first flew into Hong-Kong and then the team made a few trips into mainland China. The mission was successful!! Thank you Jesus!!!
The Thai team that I co-led with Avin worked with Imagine Thailand in Mae Sot, a town that runs a long the Burmese Border. We were originally going to help with a massive youth Camp in a refugee camp but our plans changed so we did a 4 day Camp at a Karen School. It was a great time that Dave and Loralee Hanson with Imagine Thailand helped organize.
We played lots of freeze tag, duck, duck goose, some pretty sweet kids songs with actions, crafts of all kinds, Bible lessons and even had a graduation type ceremony for the kids, followed by Ice Cream and in Thai tradition, joined in the 'Song Krahn'
(A nation wide water fight) spirit, and had a big water fight ourselves!
We visited a Church in Chonburi where Justin Reimer preached and after that rode Elephants in Pattaya and ate dinner by the Ocean,
After the CLA team left for Canada, Avin and myself visited my friends in Sriracha, where I lived for 5 years. Then we headed to Poipet to visit Harley and the rest of our Church family. It Was a brief but really good visit and its awesome to see how Jesus is continuing to change lives there and build His church.
After we spent time in Bangkok visiting Avins friends and fellow missionaries and got to ECB on Easter Morning.
Thanks for praying for us.
JR

Missions Board!!

This is a picture of the guys on my missions board. There are a few members missing but, these folks are not only awesome friends of mine, but also people who have a lot of wisdom about how to go about doing the Lords work overseas. This year we are believing God for new ideas, new strategies and new exploits that will bring Glory to God and many people from darkness into light. Please be praying for all of us as we pray and meet together about the next steps for the ministry in Cambodia!
Blessings
JR

Home for Christmas!!!

Here are a few pictures from this last Christmas! Was amazing being with the family!! Ate a lot of great food, laughed a lot with my sisters and watched more Hockey than I have in the last 10 years! Gotta love Canada!!
Blessings
JR