by Scott and Andrea Sward, EFM Great Commission Mobilizers

I want to tell you a story.

One night, deep in the jungle and off a bumpy trail, in a small village of tribal people, smoke curled up into the dark sky as a dying man had a dream. He was an old, sick man. His face was thin and worn from illness. He had been born into this jungle and had grown up in its trees. He had witnessed the slow transformation of a land once filled with wild, roaming elephants into a war zone of guns and starvation. After the guns left, the jungle people were forgotten again and left to sink into deeper and deeper poverty while the world around them rushed forward into development.

Somewhere during those years, new stories made their way into his village, stories about a God this man had never heard of before. He was captivated, at least for a time. But as his sickness worsened and this new God did not bring immediate healing to his body, his hope began to fade. Now he was sick, and he was dying.

His family gathered around him beneath their stilted wooden house. Fires burned for warmth, and the smoke rose to ward off evil spirits. Voices filled the night, loud and constant, in an effort to “prove” to those unseen spirits that there was nothing here worth lingering over.

In his dream, this old, dying man clutched a small booklet, the very one Scott had gone over with him earlier that evening. Scott had been summoned to the Kavet village just hours before with the message that this man, Joon, was dying. Even more striking, though Joon could no longer recognize his own family or remember their names, he kept repeating Scott’s name clearly, over and over again. How could Scott refuse that call?

When Scott arrived, he took out a small booklet filled with pictures and once again explained to Joon our sin and Jesus’ forgiveness upon our confession of our need for him. He showed Joon a picture in the booklet, a simple image of a cross bridging the gap between man and God. This man, so dear to Jesus, began tracing that cross with his finger over and over again, and at last a look of peace came over his face.

Later that night, he fell asleep and dreamed. In his dream, while holding tightly to the booklet, he saw his parents, long since gone, approaching him. They reached out their hands, but their faces were not kind. Their anger made it clear that they intended to take the booklet from him, not out of any desire to understand. Joon pulled the booklet closer to his chest. As they came nearer, he hid it beneath his shirt and turned away from their grasping hands.

In the gray light of early morning, his family found him sitting still, propped up in bed and turned to the side, the booklet tucked under his shirt, his hands folded protectively over it. When Scott departed later that morning, Joon remained there, holding the promises of Jesus close to his heart.

How we rejoice that even in a small, remote tribe in the jungles of Cambodia and Laos, God is at work in people’s lives. We are moved yet again by his heart for all the unreached people groups in our world. How many Joons are there, dying, restless, reaching for Jesus? And even more sobering, how many parents of how many Joons never had the opportunity to hear his name?

Would you pray with us this month for the many millions around the world who are still waiting to hear the name of Jesus in their villages?

Written by Andrea Sward, shared by Scott & Andrea Sward

The post May 2026 | Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Happy New Year!! As I write this, the winds of change are blowing gently in Cambodia, and threatening to blow away our brief and beloved cool season already. And as I write this, many of you are shivering underneath piled feet of snow and shuddering winds!!

The winds of change in this new year also usher in a new ministry season for our family. For the past five years we have lived in Stung Treng and January to May (dry season) is the season in which Scott leaves our family at home for a week each month. He travels around to visit various Kavet villages and fellowships in the more remote areas of our province.

We’ve been sharing with you for some time that he goes out to the villages, but, thanks to another co-worker who has been traveling with him lately, we now have some pictures to share of these adventures. I thought some of you might wonder what exactly it means to “go out to the villages” – and decided to document this most recent trip for you as an example of what these weeks look like for our family.

A few days before his trips, we begin gathering “groceries” he will take to the villages, snacks to share during teaching sessions, or gifts for his hosts. This trip, we bought cinnamon bark at the market (“sweet wood”) as a hosting gift – because the villagers can boil it in their water to make it taste a little better. We bought a big bag of dried and shredded pork that can be easily sprinkled on rice, as a snack during teaching sessions. This is always a hit for the extra protein and vitamins it brings. Our missionary colleagues got a few precious bars of butter and blocks of cheese in the cooler!

Scott gets out his packing list each month to make sure he has all the needed supplies for a week away, with each night in a different village.

The night before he leaves, Scott gathers up all the supplies and packs them into his little duffel bag that he will carry on the moto with him. Everything he takes needs to fit on the moto.

Bedtime the night before he leaves always involves an extra-long wrestling session with Zachary and Samuel.

A few days before he goes, people start dropping by the house with things they want to send with Scott – either for the two missionary ladies living on the Lao border or for different Kavet people Scott will visit. This trip, the truck has filled up fast!! He drives our truck two hours north towards the Lao border to the town of Siem Pang. Then, Scott parks the truck at the YWAM house there and transfers himself and his things onto a moto. Once on the moto, he crosses the river on a ferry and then makes the rest of the trip by moto.

Once the car is loaded, Scott grabs his bag and is ready to leave. (That is my little rickshaw in the back .  I don’t do motos, so this is the family wagon when he is away .  )

Last hugs are given to everyone…

… and off he goes!

Once at the YWAM house of our two missionary colleagues in Siem Pang, the truck is parked, and goods are transferred to the moto.

Scott wears long-sleeved shirts, even in the heat, because they protect him from sunburn on the long rides. Our friends’ house is a short ride to the river, and then the river is crossed on a ferry like this. Once the river is crossed, all the roads are dirt, and motos or rough “cow-tractors” are used for transportation.

Once in the village, studies are taught at night and during the day. Each day Scott travels to a new village. He usually makes these trips with one or two Kavet believers. This past year, our YWAM teammate, Alli Blair, began joining some of these trips as well. She is a jewel of a woman, who first began working with Cambodians in Thai refugee camps in the 1980’s. She went on to move to Burundi in the 1990s, where she spent the next 20+ years. Feeling like she was getting “too comfortable”, she asked God where he would like her. At a young 70 years old, and in the middle of COVID-19, she found herself back in Cambodia, working with the Kavet and learning a new language!

Leading an evening Bible study.

Praying with and for all who come looking to meet with Jesus.

From the young….

…. to the old.

Jesus loves the Kavet, is at work among them, and we are grateful to be part of his team, bringing his light and hope and freedom.

Thank you for praying, thank you for sending us, and thank you for joining me today on our little mini-journey into, “Kavet-land” (as we affectionately call it . )

May God richly bless you this new year with his joy, his peace, his love, and his unchanging faithfulness, no matter what winds of change blow around you.

Much love,

Andrea, for the Swards

And everyone is happy to welcome Daddy home upon his return!!

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