Lopez News Updates | Action Cambodia

Lopez Updates Archive

You've navigated to the Lopez updates archive section of our website. Here you can view the most current along with every other past newsletter and email update written by BJ and Andrea Lopez. We hope that you are blessed by reading some of our newsletters and that through them, you will gain better insight into our ministry to the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Lopez Update on Baby Boaz

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Written by BJ and Andrea Lopez Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf as we have certainly needed it! God has been faithfully answering prayers and sustaining us, especially over the past six months. We briefly mentioned the baby, Boaz, that we have recently brought home to foster for the next six months but we would like to share a little more with you on how God brought this precious baby into our lives and how He has prompted us to respond.

This unborn baby was made known to us back in November 2010. A 24 year old unmarried, female factor worker had gotten pregnant by a married man, let’s call her Srey. When her family heard the news, they disowned her because of the great shame it would bring upon the family. She was told by her mother that when she got rid of the baby, she would be accepted back into the family. Early on in her pregnancy Srey went to a clinic hoping to get an abortion but by the providence of God this clinic, run by Christian workers, does not perform abortions. They talked to her about possible alternatives, one of them being adoption. As the pregnancy progressed, Srey began considering adoption and we were suggested as possible parents.

When the baby was born in December 2010, Srey felt she couldn’t give him up. She hoped that the father of the baby would come around and be a part of their lives, even if her family disowned her. She was a first time mom without any kind of support system. At birth the baby weighed 6 ½ pounds (25%).

By the end of January, Srey had already returned to the factory job (12 hour work days) in spite of other possibilities presented to her. The baby was left at home in a hammock with a neighbor in charge of checking in on him every few hours and giving him a bottle of sweetened condensed milk with water. The reality of the responsibility had set in and she thought of adoption again. She went to the police station ready to give him up. In fact, we were called that day to give him an official name for the proper paper work, Boaz Michael. At the police station she was informed that the father was required to sign as well. She assured those present that she would bring the father of the baby following day. However, the father would not consent to give up Boaz and told Srey she shouldn’t consent either. Srey changed her mind once again with renewed hope that the father of Boaz would be a part of their lives.

Over the next two months Boaz’s health declined and began losing weight. His weight dropped down below the 5% and began showing signs of delay in his development. Although the medical clinic and the NGO associated with it were involved with Srey and attempting to support her, Srey was confused, conflicted, and unable to make a firm decision to keep Boaz or to give him up. We were fervently praying about how we could help Srey (although we have never personally met her) and Boaz.

The first week in April Srey decided to go to her home province to see her family for Khmer New Year knowing she could not bring Boaz with her. In desperation she began asking strangers if they wanted her baby. The NGO involved has an orphanage but felt Boaz needed more care than their staff could offer. After prayerful consideration, we decided to offer six months of foster care in hopes of giving Boaz the love, care, and nutrition that he desperately needs for his growth and development as well as give Srey some time to consider her life, Boaz’s life, and hopefully make a decision that she will be able to commit to and live with.

Please pray with us as we strive to demonstrate the love, mercy, and compassion of Christ to this precious baby in front of Srey and our two girls at home, Sarah and Wejeka. This is a marvelous opportunity to model the love of Christ and to teach our girls to love the way that Christ has loved them. Pray for Sarah and Wejeka that they would be willing to love this baby for the glory of Christ, whether we get to keep him or not. Please pray for Boaz’ health, growth, and development. Pray for Srey, that she would know the saving grace of Christ and that she could make a ‘good’ decision and stick with it.

Thank you for partnering with us in this gospel ministry for the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Blessings,

BJ and Andrea

BJ and Andrea Lopez Update

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Written by BJ and Andrea Lopez Saturday, 23 April 2011 00:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Time has passed by so quickly, it’s already Easter and we just celebrated the start of a New Year in Cambodia (Cambodian New Year start in the middle of April). Andrea and I and our teammates, the Beck’s, have just completed our 8th year in Phnom Penh. Time sure does fly by. God is so faithful!

Regarding our family, we have been through some highs and lows these past few months. 7 years ago we set out to pursue the Lord in bringing in children in crisis. Before the Lord and before our children we have sought to demonstrate Christ in every possible way known to us. By His grace we have been obedient to His calling, not perfectly. Unfortunately obedience to Christ is no guarantee that things will go smoothly or as planned or hoped. Ponleu and Tola have chosen to go their own way. Obviously we are grieved and it has affected each of us. However, we continue to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding.

We have been experiencing many highs as well, one of them being, witnessing the Lord using this situation to draw Sarah unto Himself. She will be baptized on Easter Sunday. 5 months ago we were contacted by a crisis pregnancy center about a young unmarried woman wanting to give up her unborn child. When she gave birth in December she changed her mind and decided to keep him. In January, we were contacted again because the young lady had again changed her mind and wanted to give up the baby. At that time we were asked to name the baby for legal records. Boaz Michael is the name we gave him. 2 days later we were informed once again she changed her mind. As the weeks and months went by we continue to receive reports on Boaz about his failing health and inability to gain weight. We continued to pray and trust the Lord. On Monday April 11, we were asked to foster Boaz, now 4 months old, for the next 6 months in order to give him a stable home, environment and proper feeding and care. We are trusting the Lord as our hearts grow closer to him each day.

We are grateful for the living Word of God, which reveals to us the One True God, Creator of the universe and unveils His eternal plan to redeem humanity. We are so blessed to have the Word of God in our own language and to have Biblical resources that have been written down for the benefit for God’s people. As many of you know through God’s grace and strength we were able to translate Dr. John Piper’s book “Fifty Reason Why Christ Came to Die” into the Khmer language a couple of years ago. A couple of months ago our team was able to give a couple hundred copies to a Christian radio ministry. They have informed us that they started reading our book on radio since March till the day before Easter Sunday. We are so excited and encouraged for such a great opportunity for God’s word to be proclaimed boldly throughout the country of Cambodia in their own heart language. Pray that our great God and Savoir will move powerfully in the lives of the Cambodian people. Pray especially that His church will be strengthened and encouraged from the hearing of the reasons why Jesus Christ came to die. For the the death of Jesus is of foremost importance for the world. And the central issue of Jesus’ death is not the cause, but the meaning—God’s meaning.

Let us all move forward this season showing the world that God is more satisfying, more precious, more to be desired, more glorious than anything we could ever imagine.

To God be the glory,

Bj and Andrea Lopez

Hebrews 12:1-2

BJ's Back!

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Written by BJ and Andrea Lopez Sunday, 19 December 2010 00:00

Hello Family and Friends,

BJ has returned to Cambodia and we are rejoicing! We are so thankful that the Lord has seen us through and has brought BJ back in time to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

The doctors remain uncertain as to the exact parasite that BJ has and are therefore treating him with a broad spectrum parasite medication. He will have a follow up appointment after Christmas when his test results and foot will be re-evaluated. After 10 days in the hospital, 4 different kinds of IV antibiotics, 2 kinds of anti-inflammatories, several kinds of pain meds, and 1-2 blood draws per day, there is still no clear diagnosis nor is he recovered. In our flesh, anxiety and fear scream out, “This is unacceptable!”

Well, the Lord has been revealing Himself in our hearts. Do we believe the very hairs of our heads are numbered or not? Are we not more valuable than many sparrows (Matt 10:30-31)? Is this sickness outside the will of God or has it somehow escaped God? Do we believe He is in control of the unknown (to us but not to the Creator of the Universe) parasite that is causing pain and swelling in BJ’s lymphatic system (that He created)? Is not Jesus and His Spirit interceding on our behalf? And is He not causing this very situation to work together for good? It has been stretching for all of us but today we find ourselves at a place of peaceful surrender, trust, and acceptance to His will and His way. We do believe the Lord really Is who He says He IS! The past two weeks the Lord has been reminding us of His faithfulness, His Fatherly love for us, and His omnipotence over all things. This will be a Christmas that will be treasured for a long time to come because we have seen His grace and truth displayed and truly we have seen God’s glory!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your eyes;

Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your body

And refreshment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. We have felt them and we have been blessed!

Love and Blessings,

BJ and Andrea Lopez

He continues to lead

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Written by BJ and Andrea Lopez Wednesday, 10 November 2010 00:00

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Psalm 46:1

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for praying for us, our family, and Andrea’s medical follow up. After being providentially directed to another doctor for another exam and second opinion, we were informed that the mass that was found was a cyst, and not a tumor. Andrea was prescribed some medication to reduce the size of the cyst and will require another ultra sound in 4-6 weeks.
We are so thankful for the Lord’s direction and guidance as He navigated us through such uncertainty. We are in awe of His timing and His gentle but obvious presence that brought us peace beyond all understanding as we waded through all the details.
He continues to lead us, He is our refuge and our strength, He is our very present help in trouble, and we will not fear! Praise to the glory of His Grace!

Blessings,
BJ and Andrea Lopez

He leads

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Written by BJ and Andrea Lopez Friday, 05 November 2010 00:00

Hello and Greetings from Thailand,
Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Psalm 105:1
We are so amazed and moved by the love and mercy of Christ that we are compelled to share some things that the Lord has been doing and showing us because of His steadfast love for us and our family.
We were in the US for a period of 7 weeks for rest and refreshment. The Lord so graciously provided this for us through a dear brother and sister and their four kids who sacrificially gave their time and selves to stay and shepherd our kids in our absence. This was a HUGE task because of what our kids have experienced in their recent past. All of the kids were abandoned numerous times in their short lives. Our short tour in the US proved to be trying for all involved which came as no surprise to us. For our kids who know the saving grace of Christ, our time away was all in all a challenge but proved fruitful for their growth in faith.
For one precious child who remains unregenerate, our time away has hardened her heart. Although she was glad to receive us back, it has been a very rough and dark transition. Given the situation, it is not unexpected but continues to challenge us in every way and places us under the Lord’s wing for refuge.
We are currently in Thailand reuniting and bonding as a family; Andrea has some continuing education units to complete for her nursing license, and routine medical exams.
As we were in the US and experiencing His many blessings, primarily the fellowship of the saints, we couldn’t help but sense His presence as He led us through green pastures and by still waters. Truly, it was glorious! What a marvelous and faithful Savior!
We have sensed that same mercy and faithfulness from our Savior as He has led us down a very different road. This road has been very dark as we have attempted to show the same mercy, love, and forgiveness that Christ has shown us to one of the precious kids He has blessed us with. Like us, she continues to rebel and reject the gifts of His mercy and grace.
Today we sensed the Lord leading us out of the shadow of death as we went through routine medical exams. Last year, BJ was diagnosed with a serious liver condition and today he was given a clean bill of health (besides the water borne parasites in his intestines which are quite common here in Asia).
Through Andrea’s ultrasound examination, a pretty large ovarian cyst was detected. We were informed by a doctor that it was not a cyst but a tumor that appeared to be malignant and recommended surgical removal of the tumor and ovary as soon as possible. In the providential grace and mercy of God, we were quickly put in touch with an experienced gynecologist who reviewed Andrea’s reports, ultrasound pictures, and history and reassured us that the mass appears to be a cyst, not a malignant tumor, and will make a full examination tomorrow.
On this very dark and uncertain road, God has been showing us that as He governs this world, our lives, obstacles and bring us to worship the Son of God and grow forever in our capacity to see His immeasurable glories. God overcomes massive obstacles to bring about His merciful purposes …What a Savior we have in Jesus! Stand with us in worship of Jesus Christ who has and continues to go through great lengths to show us His immeasurable glories!
…….So that they might keep His statues And observe His laws, Praise the Lord! Psalm 105:45

Blessings,
BJ and Andrea

Lopez Updates Archive

Lopez Update on Baby Boaz

BJ and Andrea Lopez Update

BJ's Back!

He continues to lead

He leads

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