A January to Remember
An Update from the Howell Family - Cambodia Boarding Academy
Billy and Natalie Howell, with their younger daughter Alysa are missionaries in Cambodia, working with the Cambodia Boarding Academy project. Natalie Howell will be coming to the U.S. for our Winter FaithCamps to share more about their project. Visit FaithCamp.org for more info.
“Police just showed up, please,” Jon Wood, Jesus for Asia President, received this message from Natalie Howell on Sunday (Jan.29). The message was quickly shared with JFA staff and missionaries, and we all started to pray for God’s protection over the Howell family.
In the mission field, anything can happen. This past month proved that to the Howells, who faced several challenging situations even before the police came. Throughout each situation, God proved, as He promised, that He was with them every moment.
The Snakes - Three Weeks Before the Police Visit
Natalie Howell was ready to pack up and return to the U.S. for good. Two days before, one of the students was walking toward a stick, and suddenly the stick moved, and it was a cobra.
Now, she had just gone to the bathroom to get water, only to find a bright green pit viper right in front of the water spout. She screamed and called for her husband to kill it. “I had a complete meltdown,” she said. “I was bawling. You would have thought I had lost someone. I told them, ‘I’m going back to America. I can’t; I’m done.’”
She tried to gain the sympathy of her family members, but each one said in turn, “It’s going to be okay.”
Later, she received a message from one of her students telling her she was sick and the medicine she had been taking wasn’t helping. She and Billy went to help her, and the tears began to dry up.
The following day, Natalie reflected. “If this is my Job test, I’ve completely failed.”
“It’s like by reacting that way, I was saying the snake is bigger than God,” she said. “How often do we allow our fears or insecurities to become bigger than God, and how often do we let them come between us and God? It was mind-blowing how I was ready to give up everything because of a snake, and I had to apologize for having more faith in the negative power of the snake than faith in the Creator of the snake.”
The Fire
The week after the snake incident, Natalie was making coconut oil in the kitchen. Like many locals, the Howells and their students live in houses made of grass and bamboo, with separate kitchens and bathroom buildings.
Natalie needed to go to the house for something, so, like she always did, she walked toward the back door. Billy was there, by the door, filling the tire of Alysa’s bicycle, so Natalie decided to go around the front instead. When she got there she started to smell a weird smell, like something was burning.
She looked around and saw smoke coming from her room, and the wall was burning. When Billy had turned on the air compressor to fill the bicycle tire, the thin wires connecting it to the power source got too hot. An extension cord inside the house sparked and started the fire. She called out to Billy and Alysa, and they put the fire out by beating it with clothes. Some items on a nearby shelf got burned, but nothing compared with what could have happened.
“God totally protected us. If I hadn't walked to the front of the house when I did, we would have been having a different conversation. Fires spread easily here, and we literally live in a grass house. God is so amazing. For Him to have me get up at the time I did and go inside, for me, it shows the importance of listening to God.”
The Bees
Back in November, when a couple of young men from the U.S. were visiting the Howell’s project, a huge swarm of bees had been buzzing around the property and the Howells’ home. Some searching led to the discovery of a massive hive in the corner of Alysa’s closet. The young men and Billy promptly smoked the bees out and removed the hive.
In January, the Howells started to notice more bees around the property. One Sunday, Alysa was cleaning her room and found that the bees had come back and built their hive in the same spot. The Howells once again removed the hive and thanked God that throughout the entire experience, nobody had gotten stung. God protected everyone.
The Police Visit
When Natalie Howell learned that police had come to the property, she started to type out a message to Jon, but she ran out of time and decided to send the message later, not realizing that she had sent it partially written.
During their visit, Natalie found herself stressed but not afraid. The police first requested all of the Howell family’s documentation. They took photos of the Howells and the property. They asked questions about the project and how long the Howells planned to be there.
They also informed the Howells that they had to register foreign visitors, whenever they came, with the police within 20 (not 24) hours. If they didn’t, the police could confiscate the property.
Then the police started asking for money. They did not want to take no for an answer. They were finally satisfied when Natalie said she could bring them back something from her upcoming trip to America.
After an hour and a half, the police left, and Natalie looked at her phone and discovered she had sent Jon the message. Her notification center was filled with texts from other missionaries saying they were praying for them.
“It just felt comforting [to know people were praying for us],” Natalie said. “I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that that is why I was not afraid. Before we even saw the police. People were praying for us. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it because I don’t know, if you weren’t praying, how it would have ended up. It was an hour and a half. They probably would have tried to get us to give them money right then and there.”
Throughout the entire month, Billy shared, “God was showing us, You know what? I’ve got your back. 'I’ll take care of the snakes; I’ll take care of the fire.' He did all that before the police came. As humans, we want to worry about it, but God doesn’t want us to worry about it.”
As He said in His word: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” (Isaiah 43:2)
Please pray for God’s continued leading, guidance, and protection of the Howells and the Cambodia Boarding Academy project. Natalie and Alysa will be coming to the U.S. for FaithCamp, and Billy will keep the project running in Cambodia.
If God is leading you to support the Cambodia Boarding Academy project, please click the button below.
If you would like to help support the Howells’ expenses while serving in Cambodia, please click the button below.