Life and Friends!!

Currently it feels like our life is in Limbo!! We are wanting to be living and serving in SE Asia, but at the same time need to be working and preparing in Canada, Both places are truly amazing but at this time it seems, emotionally for me,

we're kind of stuck in the middle! The blessing about being home is of course being around family and friends! Good friends of ours Kris and Tabitha Pagan, missionaries in Thailand, were traveling through Vancouver on their way back to Thailand and spent 4 days with us. It was so awesome having them around and part of our lives. They have a little boy, Ephraim, who was truly a miracle, and we just had a great time showing them around the lower mainland despite the rain and cold! When the Pagans were here we also had a little mini 'Band' reunion! We all got together with Kyle and Andrea Hendy and their little baby girl Ivy in Walnut Grove. It was the first time that Kris, Kyle and I have been together since our Bible School days in Thailand where we ended our Graduation night with a concert for the staff and students. We called our band the 'Sriracha Rangers' Kris was the lead singer, Kyle played guitar and I was the drummer. In our minds the one and only concert was legendary!! So I had to include a picture of the band reunion! The other pictures are of me and Avin at a little getaway, that was part of a wedding present from her old neighbors in White Rock. Blessings and please be praying for us as we prepare to go back to Cambodia to preach the Gospel and make disciples. Joel Reimer

Reimer News!!!

Friends!!!!! How are things going?!!! Pray you're all doing well!! We are doing fantastic!! We have been married for over 5 months now and every day just keeps on getting better! God is so Good!!! We just wanted to give a little update as to what we have been doing, and what we're planning on doing in the future!! To start with, we are both still working at sister restaurants, 'The Washington Avenue Grill' and 'The Vault'. God continues to provide for our needs through our jobs and we're both amazed at how many 'God' moments we have at work with customers and co-workers. Despite the late nights at our jobs, we have been able to share with the Missions classes at my old high school, MEI in Abbotsford, and help teach Thai and Thai culture with an MEI team heading to Thailand this spring. As well, I have had the the opportunity to serve on the worship team at our home church, Christian Life Assembly (CLA) in Langley, and on occasion preach at evening services. This month at CLA there is a Missions emphasis and we will be involved with some of the banquets and different meetings to encourage people to get involved in missions. Recently we were in eastern Washington state, visiting my cousins church, and we were able to share our vision and our hearts with them. Driving home from there in blizzard conditions was quite the adventure but that's another story! As many of you know, we are still planning on returning to Cambodia as soon as possible. We are planning on moving to Phnom Pehn, the capital city, and enrolling at a Language school and learning the Khmer language, as well as volunteering at New Life Church and whatever opportunities God brings our way. We also have been asked to teach various courses at 'Impact School of Missions' in Bangkok, Thailand in September 2012, and January 2013. After our first year in Cambodia we are hoping to continue to plant churches and preach the Gospel wherever the Lord would lead us. At this time we are fundraising and believing God for the monthly support that we will need to live overseas. The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) is encouraging us to have 75 percent of our budget raised before buying our tickets for Cambodia. At this time we have raised 45 percent of our monthly budget. Please be praying for us as we prepare to head back to Asia. Pray that God would use us while we're in Canada and that Jesus would be glorified through our lives in all that we do. If God is leading you to support our ministry in Cambodia, please go to www.paoc.org/donate/JoelAReimer Blessings Joel and Avin Reimer joel_reimer@hotmail.com www.joelreimer.blogspot.com 604-832-2603

Christmas Pictures!!

2012!!!!

Friends!!! Myself and Avin are doing awesome!!! Jesus Christ is Lord and we are so blessed to be called his kids!!!
We went to CLA for the Christmas Eve service with the Houghlands, spent Christmas with our families (the Houghlands on Christmas Morning and the Reimers Christmas night) and on Boxing day we went to Vancouver Island to visit Avin's Uncle Richard and his family. Pretty much everyone drove up these old logging roads in 4x4's with guns and ammo and for a couple hrs we just shot targets on the side of a hill! It was awesome!! We shot Winchester rifles, .22's, shot guns, AK-47 type guns ect. Had a a blast! Avins Cousins and family were such good hosts. We ate like Kings the whole time and just had a lot of fun!!

On New Years Eve we both worked at our restaurants, The Vault, and the Washington Avenue Grill, and since then we have just been working hard and getting little details worked out and things organized in preparation for going back to Cambodia.

Blessings
Joel and Avin

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!!