When we last wrote you, God had miraculously led our family through a maze of medical mysteries, and we had emerged in one piece at the other end J. By the beginning of March, my own health felt so completely restored that I began to once again engage in activities I had laid aside for the previous four months. My energy has been good, my strength is returning, and my activity levels are resuming. Zachary and Samuel have thrived in their school settings, and we are catching up with family, friends, and supporters.

March and April were full of visits to church communities and sharing about God’s work in Cambodia.

One particular highlight in April occurred on a Sunday morning visit to Gateway Friends Church. We anticipated seeing our old teammate, Elise Lature (née Paty), and her husband Evan, who are now on staff there. Imagine our shock to be visiting Evan and Elise in the church parking lot, and look up to see our really old teammates (not in age! But in length of time serving in Cambodia together J), Fede and Diane Hernandez, with two of their kids!! They were in the area and decided to worship at Gateway that Sunday. What a joy and special gift to have an impromptu team reunion with our old friends!

Now we find ourselves on the cusp of May. We have two big prayer requests this month for you, our faithful prayer warriors. We long more than anything to get home by the first week of June.  In order for that to happen, we need two things:

Despite feeling great, I had one more doctor appointment at the very end of April with a vascular surgeon. Due to ongoing ‘too-high’ blood pressure, he has ordered another MRI. I have a nuclear medicine test next week to evaluate the actual function of my right kidney. He wants to look at these two results and decide on the next steps.

1. Please pray that I am able to get an MRI scheduled ASAP.
2. Please pray that the results of these two tests show that my kidney is either 1) fully restored or 2) fully dead. It is possible that my not-totally-dead kidney is triggering my high blood pressure. This is not good for my body in the long term. So, we need it to make a decision.

Please pray with us for spiritual protection, which encompasses bodies, minds, and hearts. Our small missionary community in Stung Treng has experienced one trial after another in the last two to three years. Please pray that Jesus will be victorious in Stung Treng, and that his Church will remain strong in the face of so many challenges. Please pray with us for our boys as we go home. They will face many changes in their community upon their return, and this brings additional emotions to process.

You know we could not, we would not, be here without you. Thank you for your incredible generosity to keep us financially supported on the field, thank you for your encouragement to lift up our hearts, and for your ongoing faithfulness in prayer for us to keep us protected in Jesus. We are so grateful for you!!

Much love,

Andrea and Scott Sward

The post Sward Family | May 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Our plan for home assignment this year was to return in May of 2025, well-prepared and equipped for 3-4 months of traveling, sharing about ministry in Cambodia, and preaching. Instead, we find ourselves on the ground and taking a running jump into what we know will be an exciting home assignment. God has demonstrated his faithfulness so clearly to us over the past three months that we have no doubt he has something big in store for as we begin these next three months of visiting YOU!

We are completing a 2.5-year term which has seen the birth of a Bible training school in our home province. The Stung Treng Bible School was started at the beginning of this term as a partnership between three different mission organizations, reaching out to every believer in our province, regardless of denomination. We hoped for 20 students in January 2023, and this past December, 45 graduated- having faithfully shown up each month for two years! This endeavor was one of our greatest joys to witness. We’ve also had the opportunity to begin relationship-building into a Muslim, ethnic minority group who we have prayed over for many years. Our work with these tribal people has continued and is bearing fruit as early believers are establishing CHRIST-FOLLOWING families with new, God-honoring traditions. We are excited for the chance to share with you about what God has been doing in our little corner of Cambodia. What a blessing to see God’s Church growing in Stung Treng!!

Over the next 3.5 months, we will be visiting eleven churches on Sunday mornings, with more mid-week visits planned to other church families. We are so grateful for our network of Friends churches, and the 15.5 years you have partnered with us, blessing us with your prayers and financial support.

Our biggest regret when we are Stateside is not having enough time to meet with all of you BUT WE’D STILL LIKE TO TRY!! If you’d like to connect while we’re here, please email us at andreas@friendsmission.com AND we will try to find a time to catch up.

One way you can stay abreast with what we are up to and KNOW how to pray for us, is by becoming one of our prayer partners. We know that so many of you already pray for us faithfully, and we cannot thank you enough. Because we believe in the power of prayer, we would love to actively increase the amount of intentional prayer support behind our us and our ministry. If you or anyone you know would like to pray for our ministry, please fill out this form.

We are so grateful for each of you, and hopeful to see many of you while we are here!

Rejoicing in this day He has given,

Andrea (and Scott) Sward

The post The Swards are Going on Deputation! first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Autumn is quickly coming upon us!  Our family had a full, productive, and FUN summer. After a brief, two-week summer holiday in June, the boys started their next school year. We are hoping to leave for our deputation a little earlier than usual next year and thus miss some of the hot season here .  Zachary has started 7th grade, and Samuel is in 4^th grade. Scott has had many teaching responsibilities and some traveling teaching roles as well. A few weeks ago, one of my sisters and her oldest daughter came to visit us for a week.  That was definitely the highlight of the summer and such a refresher as we gear up for this next season!!

A few months ago, I shared with you in pictures what it looks like when we say that “Scott was going to the village”. Many of the expressions we use to describe our ministry assume that you can imagine what we are referring to. When we have visitors, I am reminded that pictures are worth a thousand words – they create a much stronger link between your imagination and our words. Scott usually devotes more time during rainy season to preparing lessons. What does this mean? Well, come along, and I’ll show you!

During the week, Scott tries to wake up early for personal study and prayer. By 7:30, he is in his office, ready to work. (A few days of the week, he has YWAM staff meetings, or breakfast meetings, or travels to some village or another – but on the days he is home, this is what his day looks like J)

Where it all begins – the coffee pot at our kitchen window and a brilliant sunrise over our landlord’s garden.

Scott’s small, crowded office (I stay out of it, or I would go crazy ), where all the writing happens! Behind him are two floor-to-ceiling bookcases of books, and stacked all around the office floor are more piles of books!

One of the ministries that Scott has poured himself into is developing resources in the Khmer language. As a teacher, he has utilized this gift by developing materials in the Khmer language that he can make available to other Christians for free. (There are more and more existing books being translated from English into Khmer, but very often, these don’t address some of the key cultural views that shape a person’s heart). In the past number of years, he has written Lord of Heaven and Earth (25 evangelization/discipleship lessons), Wisdom is the Best Medicine (health lessons), Rooted in God’s Word (52 lessons for house-church leaders), and

Preparing for Marriage in Jesus Christ (pre-marital lessons). He is currently working on a book for Christians regarding finances and another on Bible study methods. These books are available on a Christian resource website, where people can access and download them for free. It is encouraging to hear of people around the country using these books and seeing fruit from the lessons in people’s lives.

Four completed books on the Cambodian Christian Resources website

 In addition to writing materials, Scott does a lot of in-person teaching, for which he spends many hours preparing – in the above-mentioned office! He is currently teaching a group of elders once a month on topics related to church leadership and discipline, once a month in our provincial short-course Bible school, and in various other weekly Bible studies in different villages. On the days Scott works in his office, we all have lunch together at noon and take a short break after lunch. Then I go back to finish school with the boys, and Scott continues to work – either in the office or out at an afternoon Bible study.

A Bible study about an hour away from our house, a Kavet Bible study, and a Stung Treng Bible School Saturday session

Thank you for joining us in another ‘day-in-the-life’! Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, and for standing with us as we serve our King here in his kingdom of wonder.

Blessings,

Andrea, for the Swards

The post The Sward Family | August 2024 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

The post June 2024 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

In March, the sun starts raining down its heavy, humid gold showers on our heads. We look for places to retreat out of the heat (in vain hopes that the shade will offer relief from humidity!) And in the heat, and in the shade, we do as the Cambodians do. We watch, and we wait. We notice that while the air may be heavy with golden heat, our river road has begun to boast golden showers of a different kind.

Cassia Fistula is a terribly unromantic name for such a stunning tree, and so I prefer the street name of “Golden Shower Flower”. It is not very creative, but it is much more apropos to its beauty. I savor the abundance and delicacy of these trees, cascading their wealth onto the street below. They are so lovely and so generous with their blossoms. God has blessed us abundantly in these days, and so we want to share our blessings with you, our witnesses to God’s beauty being worked out in our lives.

Province – Blessing Blossom #1:

God is continuing to open doors among the Kavet people, who Scott visits each month. They are responsive to the Gospel and desiring of the transformation that God’s presence brings. Men stop drinking, husbands stop beating their wives, children have more food to eat when the peace of God is sown in hearts. We praise God for the many young people (both Kavet and Cambodian) who have been taught and trained through the Discipleship Training Schools, and are now back in their Kavet villages, leading house churches. Scott taught one week on our identity in Christ for the current two-month Discipleship Training School (DTS).

City- Blessing Blossom #2:

Five years ago, Scott began meeting with a small group of a few younger men in our church. They continue to meet weekly and have grown to around 15 men. Once or twice a year, the husbands get together with their wives and children. A few weeks ago, we had one such afternoon get-together at a nearby resort – totally planned by them. They ordered the food, planned games, and even brought babysitters for the kids after our lunch, so the adults could meet without interruption. Scott shared briefly with the group. He closed by asking the husbands to pray blessings over their wives. There were not many dry eyes in the room after this time together. This growing community of Cambodian Christians has been hands-down, one of the greatest blessings we have reaped in our years in Stung Treng.

Blessing Blossom #3:

Last summer I helped to restart a Sunday School program at our church. It had been long neglected, and, frankly, I had felt a bit too overwhelmed to add a full-on ministry to my plate. What finally drew me through my reluctance to start was the knowledge that all of the other moms at church felt the same way. We all had kids at home, husbands who needed to eat dinner, and we were all working in various capacities. No one person had enough bandwidth to take on Sunday School by themselves. So, in a desperate attempt to recruit more help, I pitched the idea of “the more the merrier”: the more teachers we had, the fewer times we would have to teach!!

By coercion and convincing, we managed to gather a group of 12 women. We sub-divided into groups of three. Each group was responsible to lead Sunday School only once a month. That sounded doable to us all, and so it was that we began. In a completely unforeseen turn of events, this group of initially reluctant teachers has transformed into an enthusiastic group of women. We have essentially started our own ‘mom’s group’ under the pretext of teaching Sunday School. I found the opportunity I was looking for to engage women on a regular basis. The ladies have become motivated participants on their own, and we now have women asking to join us as teachers because they see the fellowship we share with each other. It has become so much more than “just” teaching Sunday School. I cannot thank God enough for these young moms, and for the influence they are having on our church (as an additional bonus, many of them are the wives of the men in Scott’s small group!)

Home – Blessing Blossom #4:

I am so proud of my husband and his gift of bringing people together. We have a tight-knit, small group of expat friends here in Stung Treng. Scott got the dads of sons together for a camping trip on an island in the Mekong River. (Did you know the Mekong River is so big that it has islands? And the islands have beautiful sand and creeks and incredible mangrove trees? It does, and they do!! You should come see them!!) The boys will be talking about this trip for the rest of their lives. I am thankful for an intentional husband and for the blessing of friendship with families who share our goals and dreams.

Blessing Blossom #5:

Zachary and Samuel are growing so big (Zachary’s feet are bigger than mine now!!) and independent. We are looking for more tasks to give them in the attempt to train their wings for flight in a few years (gulp). Among other things, they are currently working on some different foods in the kitchen. They are braiding challah bread here, and it is fun to see their personalities at play in the way they approach food. One is v.e.r.y slow and methodical, and one is ready to jump in there and get things done. Can you tell which is which from the picture? They are our biggest blessing always!!

Blessing Blossom #6: YOU!

We thank God for you and your prayers for us. Thank you, for your generosity that allows us to serve in Cambodia. Thank you to our families, for their sacrifice in sending us. Thank you all for your regular encouragement. You are a blessing to us, and we do not take you for granted!! May God bless you each today, to reflect his light and grace to those around you, as you walk into the world and relationships that surround you. May you be HIS golden showers of blessing to others!

Much love,

Andrea, for the Swards

The post Sward March 2024 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Scott and Andrea Sward | Serving in Cambodia

The Lausanne Movement was founded by Billy Graham in the 1970s and is a collaborative effort of evangelical Christians worldwide. As a movement, they have a fourfold vision: 1) the gospel for every person, 2) disciple-making churches for every people, 3) Christ-like leaders for every church, and 4) kingdom-impact for every sphere of society.

With this third goal in mind (“Christ-like leaders for every church”), ten Cambodian and foreign Christian leaders met last year to discuss how we could work together to form and equip Christ-like leaders in the province of Stung Treng. The result of this meeting was what we’ve begun referring to as Monthly Bible School (MBS).

Like the rest of Cambodia, most people in our province live in rural areas.  The majority are poor farmers. And while most church leaders do their very best to serve their flock and fulfill their calling, many have had little education and/or almost no pastoral training.

When we launched MBS in January, our hopes were modest. Given the time and money required for most church leaders to travel to the provincial capital, we knew it wouldn’t be easy for them to attend. Maybe we’ll get 15 people, we thought. Instead, we got 50. Since then, the number has only increased. We closed enrollment in March with 62 students.

Students come from churches of various denominations, spread all over our province. They meet for one full day every month. Classes are taught by Cambodian leaders and foreign missionaries. There’s a Bible overview class; a lunch-time elective on miscellaneous topics (currently on how to conduct Christian weddings and funerals), another class on how to study, teach, and preach the Bible (which I’m responsible for); a literacy class that runs parallel with mine; and a class on Christian doctrine. It’s a very full day!

To me, the unity among teachers and enthusiasm among students is evidence that the Lord is in this.  There’s been no attempt to plant organizational or denominational flags. Instead, teachers and students alike are motivated by one thing—to see the Kingdom of God come in greater fullness in our lives, churches, and province.

In the future, if the Lord directs, we’d like to start a new MBS cohort every year; and, perhaps, even offer night classes for working professionals. However, as is so often the case in missions, we don’t lack for students, but for teachers.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Mt. 9:37-38).

Scott and Andrea Sward

Download this month’s prayer letter here…

The post June 2023 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

In many ways 2023 feels like the start of a new season of ministry.

Here are a few new things for us…

In December we joined EFM at the Missionary Worldwide Gathering in Thailand. While there, we updated our ministry video and are excited to share it with you! This short video is a great way to learn how God is working through our ministry in Cambodia. Please feel free to share and use it as it fits your needs. If you are unable to download it, please contact the office at efm@friendsmission.com.

In 2020 I heard about a new church in one of the farthest Kavet villages—near the Cambodia/Laos border. The Kavet are the largest tribal group in our province, Stung Treng. They speak their own language and have their own unique culture. For generations they lived in the forests and mountains. However, in recent decades, the Kavet have mostly settled in villages, and a small percentage of them have come to Christ.

Because of COVID-19 and impassable roads, I was prevented from visiting this new church until last month. I travelled there on motorbike with another missionary and a Khmer Christian leader. When we finally arrived at the village, we were greeted warmly by around ten believers. One Christian family welcomed us into their spartan home, prepared food, and began sharing how a couple years ago God used a drunken evangelist (!) to lead them to the Lord. Since then, they said their family had experienced peace and freedom from demonic oppression.

We came to later discover that this small group of believers didn’t have a single Bible among them. They did, however, have a Khmer hymnal. But since none of them knew the songs, they didn’t use it that much. When I asked what they did when they met for worship on Sunday, they said they prayed, encouraged each other to stay faithful to Jesus, and took up an offering. That’s it. Week by week, they prayed for each other, encouraged each other, and shared what they had.

Not having a Bible, their understanding of the Christian faith was quite limited, and they were eager to learn. But they’d also clearly encountered the risen Jesus, and they were trying to follow him as best they knew how.

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

In 2021 a few Cambodian Christian leaders of different denominations and missionaries from different organizations met together to discuss how we could partner together to train church leaders in our province. After a few delays, last month we finally launched our Stung Treng Bible School with 50 students.

Our Bible School meets one full-day every month (the first Saturday). The first two-year module, consists of three classes—Bible survey, Bible interpretation and teaching (which I’m responsible for), and Christian doctrine.

We’ve seen the Lord’s hand in organizing this school, and in the enthusiasm of the students and we’re eager to see what God will do.

Our partnering organization, YWAM, has been providing aid to inmates at the local prison for over 20 years (food, blankets, mosquito nets, medicine, etc.). But, despite repeated requests, we’ve never been able to hold Bible studies in the prison. Recently, however, the new prison director informed us that he’d allow us to meet with prisoners for Bible studies if we built a building on the prison grounds for this purpose. This building would belong to the prison, but we’d have regular access to it. Since we’ve seen the fruit of prison ministry in other provinces, this is something we’re very interested in pursuing.

The prison director estimates that the project will cost $7,000. If you’d be interested in contributing to this project, we’d be deeply grateful. To make a donation, you can…

• Donate online, on our webpage here. Make sure to select “Projects | EFM Cambodia | Prison Bible Study as the project designation.
• Donate by credit card over the phone at 303-421-8100.
• Mail a check marked with “EFM Cambodia Prison Bible Study” to EFM, PO Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277.

The post Sward Family February 2023 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Friends Southwest Missions means the world to me. My wife and I served in Central America with FSW Missions in the late 1980s. (Yes, I am that old.) I visited Cambodia a dozen times in official roles. I have known the present Cambodian missionaries – Scott and Andrea Sward and Elise Paty – for many years.

I believe that God will use this partnership to do something more than we can even imagine.

WHY THIS CHANGE? Sung Kim, FSW Missions Director, recently wrote… “EFM has an excellent track record of sending and caring for their missionaries as it seeks to preach the Gospel and plant churches to the ends of the earth. They also have the organizational capacity to help FSW grow in our Mission in Cambodia and future mission endeavors. Because they are the mission sending arm of Evangelical Friends North America, the greatest advantage is the support EFM will give to our family of churches as FSW seeks to continue in our passion for missions.”

I would love for you to get to know the ministry of these missionaries and consider supporting their ministry. You can do that a few different ways:

Pray For Them

• Sign up to receive news and updates from Elise, The Sward Family, and all EFM Missionaries here. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for our monthly prayer letter that features praise and prayer requests from EFM Missionaries.
• Download our printable one-pager that features all EFM Missionaries here.
• If you would like to order prayer cards for Elise and/or The Sward Family, please email Krista Alvarez.

Learn About Their Ministry and ConsiderFinancially Partnering With Them

• Visit Elise’s personal webpage at https://catalog.friendsmission.com/paty. Her email address is elisep@friendsmission.com.
• Visit The Sward’s personal webpage at https://catalog.friendsmission.com/sward. Scott’s email is scotts@friendsmission.com and Andrea’s is andreas@friendsmission.com.

If you have questions, please contact Kimberly Mer, Director of Operations and Communications at kimberly@friendsmission.com.

Throughout this process, I continue to remember Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:20-21.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”

God is at work in ways that are incomprehensible to me. I’m glad we are doing this together.

Because of Christ,

Stan Leach
Executive Director

The post We Are Excited to Partner With Friends Southwest! first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.