Access the Akers'

Yuri is growing fast

2007-06-24T18:55:00.000+07:00

Here is a picture of Yuri at 1 month with teddy and 7 months with the same teddy

Time with family

2007-06-24T18:49:00.000+07:00

While we were in Japan we had a chance to spend time with Yuri’s Grandparents, aunts, uncles and her 10 month old cousin. Yoshiko has a sister and 2 brothers and Yuri is the first grandbaby, so naturally everyone was so happy to see the new addition to the family.

Yuri likes to take the Subway

2007-06-24T18:39:00.000+07:00

Yuri gets a lot of attention

2007-06-23T16:43:00.000+07:00

It has been fun traveling around with yuri - she gets a lot of attention. We try to tell her not to let it go to her head. haha. At first we thought it would be very difficult to itinerate with her but God has really helped us. Just about every church we have visited someone was there to help watch her while we had to speak. And if no one was able to watch her the congregation didn’t mind us holding her while we spoke. God is good.

Matt’s 9 day hospital visit

2007-06-22T19:08:00.000+07:00

It’s amazing that during my two years in Cambodia I hardly got sick but when I came back to Japan I spent 9 days in the hospital. I started out with a fever (which lasted for 3 weeks), then I had some type of pneumonia, then I toped it all off with a problem with my lungs. But praise God I am now healed. We knew that it was more of a testing time for us. While I was in the hospital, Yoshi and Yuri had to visit the churches without me. it was a challenge but we continued steadfast in prayer and knew that God would get us through - and He did.

Itineration

2007-06-22T09:36:00.000+07:00

We arrived in Japan last March in order to visit the churches that support us and give a report about what we have been doing and what God is leading us to do next. Yoshi and I have been praying that God would raise up intercessors who would hold us up in prayer. It has been on our heart to encourage the churches to “stand in the gap” and intercede for us and for those we will minister to. (In August we start our next term which will be for 3 years). If you feel the Lord leading you to join us in the ministsry in Cambodia through intercession please contact us at matt_akers@hotmail.com and we will send you our newsletter with current prayer needs.

we are in Japan

2007-03-27T08:58:00.000+07:00

Sorry for the long absents, we finished our first two year term in Cambodia and for the past 3 months we have been itinerating throughout Japan. It was a big weather change for Yuri leaving a hot Cambodia and arriving in a cold Japan.

Pentateuch Class

2006-11-28T09:41:00.000+07:00

November was an awesome month. Yuri came out right in the middle of my Pentateuch class. This class was a two-week block course with 4 classes a day. We knew that she would come during this time but we also knew that God was in control. Someone else was ready to teach for me if Yuri came out during the weekday, but praise God she came out on Saturday night. It worked out perfectly. God continually shows us that His ways are higher than our ways and His thought are higher than ours. This should always give us an incentive not to worry about anything. Praise God. Well the class was great. We had 10 students in all. I know that they too will impact this country with the Gospel. AMEN!!! God is moving in Cambodia

Romans class at CBI

2006-11-28T09:20:00.000+07:00

On November 3rd I finished teaching the Romans class at Cambodian Bible Institute. It was a three week course with 3 classes a day. I had such a wonderful time teaching them. There were 26 students in all. it was my first time to teach such a large class, but by God's grace it was an awesome experience. Please hold these students in your prayers. they are first year students and in a few months they will start their first church plant. i expect much fruit to come out as they take what they learn and spread it throughout Cambodia. Amen!!!

2006-11-28T09:18:00.000+07:00

2006-11-28T09:14:00.000+07:00

Yoshi's eyes and Matt's nose

2006-11-28T09:10:00.000+07:00

Yuri has Yoshi's eyes and Matt's nose. her eyes are kind of a dark hazel. so beautiful. forgive me for being a proud father. haha

2006-11-28T09:08:00.000+07:00

2006-11-28T09:04:00.000+07:00

2 minutes old

2006-11-28T09:00:00.000+07:00

this picture was taken about 2 minutes after Yuri was born. they wrapped her up tight. i thought she looked like one of those Russian dolls. so cute

Yuri and mom

2006-11-28T08:28:00.000+07:00

Yuri Janice Akers was born November 18, 2006, at 5:27pm. she was 6 lbs 6 oz (3kg). She was a miracle from the start. God has truly blessed us with her.

Matt and Pastor Mob

2006-09-13T11:18:00.000+07:00

here I am with Pastor Mob, he was one of the students we had in our Pentateuch class. Last month he asked Yoshi and I to speak at his church. its always a blessing to be invited by our students.

in the market

2006-09-13T11:14:00.000+07:00

although Yoshi is expecting, she still has the energy to go shopping. haha

Yoshi and I with Dr. Carter

2006-09-13T10:59:00.000+07:00

Dr. John Carter, who was the president of APTS during the time that yoshiko and i attended, came to visit the bible school here in Cambodia, to do an evaluation. It was great to see him again. I took his class while I was studying at APTS and it was by far the most difficult class I ever took. haha. I told him that. I learn the most out of it too.

the baby is growing (4)

2006-09-12T16:46:00.000+07:00

this is yoshiko in september (1 and a half more to go)

the baby is growing (3)

2006-09-12T15:40:00.000+07:00

this is Yosiko in August (7 months)

the baby is growing (2)

2006-06-12T09:09:00.000+07:00

this is Yoshiko in June

our baby is growing

2006-06-12T09:04:00.000+07:00

this is Yoshiko in May.

2006-06-12T08:52:00.000+07:00

While I was in Malaysia I stayed with the parents of my good friend Kevin Lee. They were such a blessing to me. I also got to attend an A.G.A.M.A. (Assemblies of God Asian Missions Association) meeting and hear many wonderful reports of what God is doing through the churches in the surrounding countries. In attendance was also a delegate from a country in the Middle East who shared many testimonies of how God is moving there. Praise God!!! at the meeting I was able to see many of my old friends that I had while living in the Philippines.

2006-06-12T08:38:00.000+07:00

In May I went to Malaysia to meet with our missions directors. (Yoshi couldn’t go because it is still not good for her to travel while expecting). It was good to meet them and to give a report of what is happening in Cambodia.

2006-06-11T17:23:00.000+07:00

This young man, Ratanak, has a wonderful testimony. He came from a pour family and with no money to send him to school his parents sent him to live in a pagoda (a Buddhist temple). Since the age of 12 he grew up there and his job was to serve the monks who lived there as well. at the same time the monks would teach him how to read and write. Well since the spring of last year he started to go to the church and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. Soon after that he and his friend went to an AG youth camp (which was the first time it had been held in Cambodia). While he was at camp he was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit and his life was completely changed and transformed. He began to get evolved in the music ministry at the church. All during this time he still lived in the pagoda, and received severe persecution from the monks there, (they could tell that he was changed too). Last December he was water baptized and the church offered him a job as a security guard so he was able to leave the pagoda and lived on the church grounds. Right now he is a cell group leader for the church and is fully committed to serving God. Through his life we see a good example of God’s grace and the power to transform a life for His glory.

Pentateuch class

2006-06-11T17:05:00.000+07:00

We finished the Pentateuch class in Batambong. It took about 7 weeks to complete. It was a blessing to see how hungry the students were to learn more of God’s word. As each class went on they became more and more excited to study. By the time the class finished we had more people join in than when we started. Praise God!!! God’s word really has power to change lives. On the Sunday before we left, the pastor of the church asked me to speak for the morning service. It was a nice way to finish the class.

Baby on the way

2006-03-25T22:14:00.000+07:00

I have the wonderful pleasure to announce that Yoshi and I are going to have a baby. Praise God. We have been praying for one and God answered our prayers. Please add this to your prayer list. (In about 8 months I will start posting pictures of the baby)

Pentateuch Class

2006-03-25T22:10:00.000+07:00

we have started teaching a class on the Pentateuch in a city called Batambong. We will be teaching it on Saturdays for the next 5 weeks. We have taught two times already. The students are really eager to learn, we know God will move in their lives. Please be praying for this class.

Matt's Birthday

2006-03-25T22:01:00.000+07:00

on March the 18th I turned 30. here I am with another missionary who had a birthday on the same week, so the team decided to have a joint party. It was fun. You know I don’t feel any different than when I was 29. I like the fact that Jesus started ministering when he was thirty.

Baptism

2006-03-25T21:48:00.000+07:00

We attended the baptismal service of this girl named Ly. She has been attending a bible study group but hadn't put her faith in Christ. We have been praying for her to take a stand for Christ. Just last month she was saying that she didn’t want to get baptized until she moved out of her house. This is because when you live with your parents in a typical Buddhist family here in Cambodia, you have to participate in all the religious festivals and give offerings to the family altar. People know that when they are Baptized they you have to break away from that. For some this means being disowned by your family. Its amazing how much we take it for granted back home. Well God really moved in Ly’s life and she took the step of faith while at the same time living with her parents. God is Awesome!!!

Small group

2006-03-25T21:42:00.000+07:00

Once a month Yoshi and I are in charge of a small group at the Bible School. All the teachers there have their own group. We have those in their 20’s. this is for the first year students who have just arrived. We just have fun getting to know each other, share the word, share testimonies, and play games.

Cambodian Cuisine

2006-03-06T09:48:00.000+07:00

When you come to Cambodia there are many wonderful treats that will tickle your taste buds. Here are a few of the samplings to snack on: we have crickets, water beetles, spiders, even a “stink bug” (I don’t know the technical name for that one).

CBI Prayer meeting

2006-03-06T08:40:00.000+07:00

Lately we are seeing more and more people have a desire to pray. In this picture we were gathered at the bible school to pray for the new students that will be arriving in march. This is the first group prayer meeting that was done specifically for the bible school. We were privileged to take part. As the bible say in 2 Chron 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from heaven forgive their sins and heal their land.” People are humbling themselves praying, (that is the first part) soon we know that what comes after the word “THEN” will take place.
God moves through prayer.

Preaching at a Local Church

2006-03-05T21:28:00.000+07:00

Yoshi and I were invited to speak at this church, the couple that you see here are Chi Net and his wife Chenloat, who are the pastors. Pastor Net was one of the students in the Pentatuech class that we taught in January. They are such a wonderful couple, with a love for God and to serve Him. We really enjoyed our time there. We spoke on complete surrender to the Lord. We believe that God is going to move mightly in that church. Please pray with us for them and their church.

a baby with leukemia

2006-02-17T21:44:00.000+07:00

Please pray for the daughter of Yoshiko’s old Khmer teacher. When Yoshi was here in ’02, she learned Khmer with this lady and built a good relationship with her whole family. When the baby was born 3 years ago they named her Nihon, which means Japan, (because of Yoshi). She really is a cute baby but was diagnosed with leukemia 2 years ago. We have been praying for her and we believe God is touching her. Please agree with us in prayer for her complete healing and for the salvation of the entire family.

Is Piglet a god?

2006-02-17T21:35:00.000+07:00

While we were speaking on “love” in Takmauh, we saw a huge pig (the piglets here belong to that pig). We were told that last year she had several piglets and one of them made it on TV as well as the front-page news. When it was born it had a long snout that looked similar to an elephant’s. (one also looked like a rhino, and another a monkey – very strange). Well when everyone heard about it, people came from all over the country to see it. They were saying that the piglet was a god and they prayed to it and gave offerings of fruit and incense as well as money. (I was told that the owners made over $100.) they even dismissed school and made the students go see it.. (of course it died soon after it was born) Cambodia is predominantly Buddhist but it does have its roots in Hinduism as well. And the elephant is one animal that Hindus worship. After hearing this story I was reminded again of how much the world is in need of a Savior. Please pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into His harvest field.

God's love

2006-02-17T21:25:00.000+07:00

Today we went to a church in a town called Takmauh. One of our friends who is a missionary from the Philippines invited us to speak on “love.” It was supposed to be on Valentines Day but they scheduled it a few days later. We explained to them the difference between the world’s view of love and the love that God has. Most of them were non-Christian so it was a great opportunity to share with them how God showed his love for us by sending Christ to die in our place.

CBI Library

2006-02-06T13:26:00.000+07:00

Jan. 30
The library is being moved into a different room so that more room can be used for classes. Yoshiko is helping Irene Capapas number the books and put them in their right order.

CBI Graduation

2006-02-06T13:23:00.000+07:00

Jan. 14

Here is the graduation service of the second year Bible school students. Those who are seated in front are the directors of the bible school. Fred and Irene Capapas, (the couple to the right) are the head directors of the school. they are A/G missionaries from the Philippines. While Darin and Diana Clements (the couple seated to the left) are A/G missionaries from the States. We really enjoy working with them.

CBI Student Retreat

2006-02-06T13:20:00.000+07:00

Jan. 18

After the commissioning service of the first year students, they all went on a short retreat to the beach. For some it was their first time to ever see the ocean. Yoshi and I were asked to speak the 2 days that they were there. It was such a privilege for us to be the last ones to encourage them and challenge them before they went out to do their church plant. We encouraged them to put their complete trust and dependency on the Lord for their source of strength and power.

CBI Commissioning Service

2006-02-06T13:18:00.000+07:00

Jan. 13
Here is the commissioning service of the students that finished their first year at the bible school. Now they will go out to plant their first church. Once they have done that, then they will be allowed to come back to the bible school for their second year of training. Those that are laying hands on them are the pastors and missionaries who helped send them to the school.

Pentateuch Class 2

2006-02-06T13:15:00.000+07:00

Jan. 13
Well we finally finished our Pentateuch class. Praise God!!! Here I am with all the students. This was such a great group; all of them are pastors in different parts of Cambodia. We really enjoyed our time that we had with them. Please pray for them as they take what they have learned and spread it throughout Cambodia.

SunRise

2006-02-06T13:10:00.000+07:00

Jan. 3
Early one morning we were making our way to a city called Siem Reap, in the northern part of Cambodia, to visit some friends. We stopped along the way to take this picture of the sun rising over the rice fields.

Pentateuch Class

2006-02-06T13:05:00.000+07:00

Jan. 1
This is the first week of our Pentateuch class at the bible school. the man standing next to me is Pana. He was the one who translated all of our class notes for the students. It was great using him as an interpreter for the class itself because he already knew what the material was. Due to the fact that the school is growing and there is not enough class rooms, we had to move our class into the chapel. This is a good problem to have. Everyone is happy that the school is growing but at the same time there is need to expand. Please keep that in your prayers. For God to provide the funds to build extra rooms.

Gas Station

2005-12-30T21:04:00.000+07:00

Here is a gas station on the Mekong River. It’s just as good as any Exxon or Shell station, but they don’t sell Dr Pepper.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-30T20:58:00.000+07:00

I am posting this a little late, but this is Yoshi and I on a boat going up the Mekong River near the Laos border. It was right before Christmas and as you can see we were very quite festive at the time. Haha. It was also very cold and I didn’t bring a jacket, so I had to buy one in the local market. The only one that would me fit was this German military jacket. It only cost 3 dollars. We went there with one of our missionary friends who is wanting to work with the Loa people who live in Cambodia.

Christmas Service

2005-12-25T17:09:00.000+07:00

Yoshi and I were asked to tell the Christmas story to a Sunday school class on Christmas day. Before the service we were helping out with the worship. I am playing on a small conga drum that my uncle sent me from Japan.

Local Wild Life

2005-11-01T10:59:00.000+07:00

This guy is a foot-long lizard that lives right outside our door. Normally we see a lot of Gekkos around the house but this is our first time to see one this big.

Matt's Friends

2005-10-27T22:51:00.000+07:00

Here I am with the security gards in front of our apartment. These guys become good friends and help me with the language. I often go out and practice chatting with them in the evenings. They are patient with me and do not laugh at me when I mess up -ha ha.

Bible Study Group

2005-10-10T21:48:00.000+07:00

This is a bible study group that we join every other Saturday. We study the Word and pray together each night. As you can see a few members are missing. We take turns leading the group each time we meet. The night in this picture Yoshiko was leading.

AG Missionary Prayer Meeting

2005-10-07T13:10:00.000+07:00

We had a prayer meeting today. Once a month on Friday missionaries are gathering together for prayer for God to move in Cambodia. It was started when one missionary felt God speaking to her that we cannot depend on more programs or more projects, we must depend on the Holy Spirit to do His will and not ours. It was a blessing to see this take place and to be part of it.

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Mt. 18:19, 20)

Leadership Training

2005-10-06T11:03:00.000+07:00

There was a leadership training at the Bible school for 3 days. It was ficilitated by Filipino AoG missionaries and they invited the speakers from the Philippines. We attended the last service. Many responded to the call of baptism in the Holy Spirit. We got to take part in praying for them.