Gallant Gazette

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Location: Cambodia

Tim was born on December 25th, 1978. Tiffany was born on March 22nd, 1980. Tim and Tiffany were united in marriage on July 7th, 2001.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Groundbreaking Ceremony - September 13th, 2007

It had rained the night before, and we could not drive the vehicles directly to the new lot, so we walked, many of us carrying our shoes as we stepped around and through huge puddles in the road. This day was three years in the making, and we were not going to let a little water deter us. We held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Wesleyan Bible Institute, and the wait and the walk were worth the effort that they cost us as over forty pastors and leaders of the National Church attended this special ceremony to bless the commencement of construction. This truly was a memorable day for everyone who attended and for the many donors and prayer supporters from Kentwood Community Church and the Dakota District, our main supporters for the project, who have also been eagerly awaiting this day.



Our Asia Area Director, Dr. Romy Caringal, was the guest speaker. He spoke about the biblical nature of groundbreaking, i.e. when the ground shook as Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi. The ground was broken to release these men, to show the power of God, and that the jailor and his family would come to a saving faith. Our ground breaking is very similar in the fact that when this ground was broken, and the new Bible School is constructed, the pastors and teachers educated within its walls will go out and share the Gospel with the hurting people of Cambodia.



The families of the pastors also attended the event. Here you are seeing the daughters of Pastor Kimsua, a teacher at the Bible School, and Pastor Perin, who pastors a church in Kampong Cham. The moment was perfect, and we hope that you enjoy this picture as much as we do.



We ask that you pray with us and the national leaders for the completion of this project. Here you are seeing Pastor Nit Banyon of the Siem Riep church praying at the close of the ceremony. The funds promised for the school will not cover the projected building costs, so we are stepping out in faith to begin building at this time. However, as Pastor Jun mentioned during the ceremony, “with God, nothing is impossible.” God is our Jehovah-Jireh, and we truly believe that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.



We have waited and planned for this day for many years. We as the missionaries felt a certain sense of accomplishment during the ground breaking ceremony. The project has begun, and though we know that it will require a great amount of work and attention from us during the next years, we know that God’s provision will not only supply the funds necessary to complete the building, but He will also provide the energy, wisdom, and perseverance to see this project to completion.

Again, thank you for your interest in God’s ministry here in Cambodia. If you have any questions, you can post them at the end of this blog, or email us at tntgallant@hotmail.com.

God’s Blessings to you all,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Monday, September 17, 2007

2007 Single Pastors Retreat

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Many people are familiar with married couples retreats or even pastors and wives retreats. These events give us the time to really focus on what makes our marriages work and how we can be blessings to our spouses. However, here in Cambodia, we have many single men and women who are pastoring our churches. They deal with the same problems with community leaders, with the same persecution and with the same day to day struggles that the married pastors do, yet they do not have someone with whom to share this burden. This is why we felt that it was necessary to hold this single pastors retreat down in Kampong Saom; that these young pastors would be able to meet together, have fun, relax, and most importantly, that we could all reconnect and focus on what is really important.


One of the things that was very important was having fun. We did have times of meetings, teaching seminars, and discussions, but we also had a lot of fun. It would be so wasteful if we came all the way down to Kampong Saom and did not enjoy the blessing that God provided when He gave us things like the beach, the ocean, and the community of believers. We played football (soccer for all of you back home), Uno, games on the beach and other games such as the game of Bible charades that you are seeing in the above picture. We ate together, worshipped together, and generally enjoyed life together.


Every morning and evening, we would come together for times of worship, prayer and sharing. In this picture you are seeing Pastor Jun and Teacher Chaney singing together during one of these gatherings. When we were last in Kampong Saom with many of these pastors, it was just after we had arrived on the field. We did not know the language, we did not know the songs, and we did not know these pastors. However, after this year on the field, it was a privilege to deepen our relationship with these pastors who have become our friends and fellow workers, and it was a great thrill to be able to sing worship songs with them in Khmer that give praise to our God in heaven.


The theme of the retreat was Finding your Worth in Christ. Worth and honor here in Cambodia are two very important matters. How you are treated shows how other people consider you, what worth they have ascribed to you as a person. However, as Christians, we are not to get our worth from worldly wealth or people’s ideas of our significance. We are to find our worth in God who really could not care what type of car we drive or how important our job is. Tiffany and I taught the final seminar where we focused on the characters of the rich man from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus and the character of the Apostle Paul, giving illustrations of a worth that lasts, one that is found in God.


Sharing our hearts with these young pastors was an honor for us, and we thank all of you for supporting us in this ministry. Because of your sacrificial giving, your prayers, and your encouragement, we can be involved in events such as this single pastors retreat that expanded the Kingdom of God by enriching the hearts of the community of pastors and believers here in Cambodia. Everyone in attendance left with what I believe to be a greater supply of energy, a clearer sense of purpose, and a new vision of a worth found in Christ that cannot be shaken.

God’s blessings to you,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant



Friday, September 14, 2007

Visit to Okinawa

This simple picture might not seem very impressive to you, but it was a welcome sight for us when we went to Okinawa to visit Tiffany’s brother. We marveled at straight roads where the dividing lines actually meant something. We walked across green lawns and were enthralled how they felt on our feet. We visited places like Taco Bell and Long John Silvers and were amazed that they tasted just like we remembered. It was like being back at home in the United States, but best of all, we were able to spend time with Tiffany’s brother Joe as he was stationed there with the Marine Corps at Camp Foster.

Tim had not seen Joe since he left for the Marines in May of 2006, and Tiffany had not seen him since his graduation from boot camp after her father’s funeral. It was great to see him in uniform, Lance Corporal Joseph Neuenschwander, to meet the other men in his squad and see what life is like for the many men and women who sacrifice so much for the rest of us. It was even better to be able to spend the week with him, relaxing together and reconnecting, sharing our experiences over the past year of us being on the mission field and him in his Marine Corps training. Being reunited, after so many months and miles had separated us, was a great blessing to our hearts.

As of August 16th , Joe’s battalion has been called up for service in Iraq. Joe, and 8 other men in his squad, will be in the "Hot Spot", which means a terribly dangerous place, for the next three months. We praise God because we know Joe is a Christian, having a true relationship with Jesus Christ, and we pray for him as he serves in Iraq. He and the rest of the troops need our prayers while they serve to protect the freedom of the people of Iraq from terrorism and hatred.

We have witnessed first hand the power of prayer in our lives and therefore ask that you would join with us in prayer for Joe...
  1. Please pray for his safety and the safety of his entire squad as they serve in very dangerous areas.
  2. Pray for his spiritual walk during these difficult months, that he would sense the protection and provision coming from our Father in heaven, and that he would continue on his walk of faith with Jesus. Pray also for Joe's witness to the members of his squad, many of whom are not Christians.
  3. Pray for the end of the hatred and violence in Iraq, that peace and tranquility would indeed break out in this war-torn country, and that our troops would be able to come home.

Thank you for being there for us in so many ways, including celebrating with us as we were able to visit Joe before he left for Iraq and helping us lift him and his squad up in prayer.

God's blessings to you all,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant

Friday, September 07, 2007

June and July Update

When we remember special times in our lives, what is it that we truly recollect? Is it the face of that one child? Is it the sights and sounds that we remember? Is it the emotions that we felt that day such as pride or joy? The months of June and July held many such emotions, memories, and faces that bring us back to the times when God allowed us to be part of His grand “Rescue Mission” for all of humankind, and they certainly were glorious months.



We have updated our blog with pictures and stories from these two action packed months. When you view these pictures, you will hear about missions teams from the United States, weddings, and of graduations. We hope that you enjoy reading the short excerpts and seeing the pictures telling the stories of the ministry that you all support through your giving and your prayers. To see these pictures, click here or on the 2007 Gallant Photos Link on the right hand side of the page. Also, we have just published a new prayer letter that will be in the mail soon, but you can view it by clicking here or on the 2007 Gallant Fall Prayer Letter link on the margin.



We now have the Internet in our home, so we will be able update our blog with much more regularity. Next week we will be putting on photos of our adventure in Okinawa to visit Tiffany’s brother Joe who serves in the Marine Corps. After that, we will take you down to Kampong Saom for our first ever Single Pastors Retreat. Finally, we will be pleased to give the report of the ground breaking ceremony that will signify the beginning of the construction phase of our new building. This has been an event that has been three years in the making.


God's blessings to all of you,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant