Faithful God

One of my favorite songs is "Goodness of  God".  The words of the chorus resonate with my heart and bring me to tears: 

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so, so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God.

In October, I celebrated a milestone birthday.  Looking back over 60 years of this amazing life God has blessed me with, I am overwhelmed with His great faithfulness. 

There have been challenges, heartache, disappointments and loss of loved ones. There have been victories, joys, precious relationships, and great adventures with God.  Each of you reading this is part of my great adventure.  However our lives have connected, whenever and wherever our paths crossed, thank you for being part of my life.

INDIA 2023

The journey continues as we prepare for our first overseas mission trip in three years - India 2023!  Gary and I will be travelling to India on January 23, 2023 for four months of ministry.  Airplane tickets have been purchased - which makes it official.

It's a blessing to stay in contact with our ministry partners and see the fruit of their labors for the Lord during our three years in the states.

God's Word is being preached, people are giving their hearts to Jesus and being baptized in water, children are being tutored in school work, and taught about Jesus; the love of Jesus is shown through food distributions, eye clinics, and in towns and villages. 

During this season of Thanksgiving and throughout the year, Gary and I want you to know how grateful we are for you. Your love, prayers, support, every encouraging word - are precious to us. 

May you experience the faithfulness of God in every area of your life. The Journey Continues ~ Pat

Here are just a few photos from our partners in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand,  Myanmar and  India. 

Are you shopping online this year? You can support Greater Works at no extra cost to you - by shopping at Smile.Amazon.com and choosing Greater Works Unlimited as your charity.  Amazon donates a portion of their profits!  

The easiest way to get started is: a) log into your Amazon account as usual. b) click this link and follow it through to support Greater Works Unlimited.  This setting will be part of your account until you change it.

Past the Halfway Mark

So far on our journey we have crossed the International Dateline; the Tropic of Cancer,  15 time zones, taken 18 flights on 9 different airlines,  2 bus rides,  countless Grab taxis, tuk-tuks, vans, motorcycles and walked more than our daily 10,000 steps in 5 different nations.

We are more than halfway through our four month trip. Whew!!!!

Enjoy this brief update of our time in Cambodia.

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Lunchtime at the Church Home.

Our week in Cambodia was rich and rewarding.  We spent time with two ministries we work with closely plus had a really fruitful time with Ted and Sou Olbrich and their ministry - "Foursquare  Children of Promise." They have an amazing ministry and a great group of people working with them. We visited two of their church homes and saw their rice fields.  They are a church planting movement that cares for widows, orphans and separated children in need.  This is a work we are thrilled to endorse wholeheartedly.

Plus we already talking with them about bringing short term missions teams to Cambodia in the near future.

We are now in North India with Mike and Megha Gutknecht and their family. India is really our second home and this year we'll be celebrating Christmas with our family here.

As 2019 draws to a close we look ahead to 2020 and find ourselves so very grateful for what God has allowed us to do - the amazing people and ministries He has connected us with around the world.  It is because of your love, prayers, and faithful support that we are able to 'go' when God says 'go.'

May your December be blessed with His presence.  The Journey Continues  ~ Pat

Compassionate Pastors and House Parents

Mike & Megha Gutknecht

New Smile of Hope Children's Center - Cambodia

Guest Blogger - John Yoder - reports directly from Cambodia.

John and his wife Sotey, along with their children Jayme and Anna, live in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, ministering to the poorest of the poor through Reaching Kids International - Cambodia.  Thanks to your prayers, support and gifts - Greater Works Unlimited is able to help change lives physically and spiritually.  Here's John's report:

GREAT TIME OF OUTREACH TODAY with friends and longtime supporters of Reaching Kids International - Cambodia: Gary & Pat Richards at the RKI-Cambodia sponsored New Smile of Hope Children's Center, in Takeo Province.

Generous packets of noodles and fish (canned sardines) were given to nearly 150 families from the village, and loaves of bread distributed to the kids and many of their parents who attended.

Gary and I were blessed to see how well-run this Children's Center is.  The Pastor and his family live on the property with the children and flocks of ducks, geese and chickens. After the outreach program the villagers returned to their homes and we enjoyed lunch with the children and workers at the center.  The children were served first - a simple meal of rice and duck stew from the flocks they raise.  Even though they were hungry, all the kids waited to give thanks for their meal before digging in.  Our lunch included a few more dishes, all deliciously prepared by the workers and older girls who are learning the useful skill of large scale food preparation.

Some of the girls took me on a tour to see their shared dorm rooms: typical girl's rooms with colorful sheets on the bunk beds, photos of models and drawings of flowers covering the walls; books and clothes piled up in their limited space.

As the children get older, the center needs more space and are praying for the ability to build a second level of rooms soon.

Join us in agreeing with their prayers and the heart of Father God to see each of these thirty-four children and young people provided for physically and spiritually so that they will fully walk into their God-given destiny and purpose.

The Journey Continues ~ Pat

Airport Send-off - until next time!

My Cambodian Birthday

The morning of my birthday finds me in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,  on a hotel balcony overlooking a market street.  The sun is up, but our little balcony is shaded by the surrounding buildings.  Which is great because it's already 79 degrees Fahrenheit (87% humidity)  with a forecast of 92 degrees and 90% humidity by noon.

The street is waking up with vendors at Phsar Kandal Market, early morning shoppers, tourists and residents of the apartments across the street.  The murmur of daily life surrounds me, and I realize that each person starting their day has a story.  Each one is a life that Jesus died for.  My heart is overwhelmed.  My human understanding cannot comprehend the depth of His love.

That I am here, doing what I love, amazes me.  Gratitude overwhelms my heart for this - the best birthday gift ever.

The journey continues ~ Pat