Kenya

"Wrecked"
Our trip to Kenya was truly amazing. One of the words we heard repeated by Julie Mendonsa, the wife of the orphanage's director, was that they wanted their teams to go home "wrecked" - meaning, personally affected by the poverty and need that exists in their area, in hopes that individuals will share what they've seen with others back home and personally become involved. This is exactly how I've felt: wrecked. Sitting on the dirty floor of the preschool in Lunga Lunga slums, with a child on each side and one in my lap, hearing them cough (probably TB), and hearing them laugh, and knowing that although this is no school like what our kids experience, it's a HUGE step up for these children, who might actually eat a decent meal that day because they were at school. And their moms...she may have stayed out of prostitution that week because she was able to to do honorable work during the day since there was a school to keep her little ones. It was so neat. The Kenyan pastor that established the school lives in the slums voluntarily and is truly pouring his life out for these people who have never know life outside of this smelly, filthy slum. He prays that God will use him to reach this younger generation of people to give them a vision for joy and life and freedom outside of the slums, so they can break out of the cycle that their families have been stuck in for generations.

IDP Camp
Seeing the IDP camp (Internally Displaced Persons) was fascinating. This group of hundreds of people walked around 400km from their hometown after the last presidential election in Kenya. The former president was of their ethnic tribe, but when the new president, of another tribe, came to power, their neighbors (of their president's tribe), turned on them and began doing malicious things, even murdering them. It was terrifying for them. (For example, Dorene, one of the orphanage workers, saw her husband die because everyone refused to sell him his diabetes medicine.) They left their property and homes to flee. And they ended up near the orphanage, right across the AIDS highway within walking distance. They lived in tents for a while, but an organization helped build houses for them. Most of them grow vegetables like corn, beans, and tomatoes on their little plots of land beside their houses. They are also raising chickens in a community chicken coop that Joseph built, a godly man that lives and leads among them. He aims to help them improve their community, find resourceful ways to earn money and get on their feet again. And some dear Kenyans named Issac and Esther Munji are working hard to establish a church nearby, called Rift Valley Fellowship, to reach out to this community of people. Almost all of them have endured tragic loss, and the Munji's want to listen to their stories, grieve with them, and help them find hope in the gospel. There are a few, very joyful, Christians in the camp that testify that God had them live so that they could share His love with others. Dorene, mentioned above, is one of them, giving every bit of food she has away to anyone from the camp that comes to ask for it. Oh, the joy and generosity of these people, who have NOTHING, but everything, because of Jesus.

Naomi's Village
And the orphanage...what a precious place. Anna and I feel like a piece of our heart is still missing. We want to go back! Every single one of the children came from a tragic situation, so they have a lot to deal with. But they seem to understand and appreciate being at the orphanage. They get great meals, daily baths, and the staff...wow. I was so encouraged to hear from the staff how much they enjoy their job, and how they see it as a special ministry that God has given them. So they are there for Him. Everyone who works at the orphanage, from the maintenance workers to the man out working the garden (yes, they grow their own vegetables!) to the house moms, engages the children in play and affection every day. And they truly love the kids.

CTC
There were other places we went, too, like Comfort the Children. One of CTC's goals is to help mothers of children with disabilities have work (there are NO programs for abnormal kids there, so they would usually be at home tucked away in a dark corner). But at CTC, there are women who can work with the children on development while their mothers sew. One huge project they were working on was sewing grocery bags. Whole Foods Market in the US actually ordered thousands of them. It was so neat.

Anna
Anna absolutely loved the trip. She adjusted beautifully. When I couldn't find her at the orphanage, I would look for her shoes beside the playroom or baby room, because she was often in one of those rooms hanging out with the babies or playing with the kids. She seems to have been tremendously impacted by the trip. My desire was that she would not be proud about having gone to Africa, but be significantly and spiritually affected by what she experienced and the people she met. This is such an answered prayer!

Now what?
Our hearts went out to the children, who have to see teams and workers come and go all the time. We are praying for them. And the workers at Naomi's Village. And also the others we've met. Most of all, we want to be faithful to live completely for Him. God was working there in Kenya! He was all over the orphanage, rescuing, redeeming, showing that He is able to take the ugliest of scenes and orchestrate something beautiful. He is working in Lunga Lunga slums, and at CTC, and in the IDP Camp, showing His love, mercy, and hope to people that are suffering. And I know that He was working in our hearts, too.

I don't know what, if anything, we are called to do about it at this point, except pray that God would help us be faithful. But I do know that He is not just a God of white people. He is the God of all nations and peoples, the One drawing people of all ethnicities to Himself, the God that is redeeming a people for His Name. That's the great God we experienced in Kenya! We want to be a part of His work!

Mercy, again!

I almost blew it last week. We were standing in a long line for the ferris wheel at the Houston Rodeo. I told the kids they could go together to sit with Grandpa while I stood waiting, and Daniel said, "I want to keep you company." Ok, that's a nice gesture. I will let him.

So we stood there. I was sticky with goo from cotton candy and Dippin' Dots. I was a bit anxious (confessions) about how much (or lack thereof) money we had in our bank account after seeing the receipt from the ATM.

And Daniel was pulling on my shirt. With his sticky fingers. And I was annoyed. "Stop pulling on my shirt," I snapped.

And he kept trying to tell me something, only, he was whispering. At the Rodeo! I couldn't understand him. I told him several times, "You need to speak up." "You need to talk louder, I can't hear you." "Don't whisper; I can't hear you!" I was irritated.

Finally, I heard his sweet comment. "Mommy, when Jesus is in your heart, you always have company."

Ka-pow! The knife pierced through my hard heart and I was humbled. What if I had snapped and snatched away that priceless little thought from my sweet four-year-old? Oh, the mercy of God, that kept me at that moment from spoiling his God-ward thought. Oh, sweet Mercy, don't leave me in my sin. Grant that you would rest on me each moment, and save me from myself and my own wretchedness!

Precious Prayers

God has given me the opportunity to sponsor a couple of women through our church's Step study, which is a very intense 16-week study for people that want to get to the bottom of any kind of issue: abuse, divorce, addictions, hurts, depression, anger, discontentment, you name it. I met with one of my sponsee's today, and as we were finishing up, Daniel came in and wanted to talk (there's a big surprise). We were about to pray, and he piped up that he wanted to pray. So I granted his request, and he led out:

"Father God, thank you for taking away our dirty hearts and giving us clean hearts. And thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross. And thank you that He took the punishment that we deserved for our sin. Thank you for loving us."
I'm sure he's heard these prayers over and over in Little Village (and hopefully at home...by God's grace!). What a joy to hear these words come from his little heart! He has the most earnest praises.

The other night he had the job of doing the "praise" prayer. (We often assign one child to one type of prayer - praise, thanks, confession, and request). He prayed quite earnestly, and when he stopped, he would start again as he would think of attributes to praise God for. "God thank you that you are so good. And thank you that you are so loving. And I praise you that you are so powerful, you can do anything. And you know everything. And you are wise."

And You reveal Yourself to little children. And that's our hope and prayer. That You would take these four little souls and reveal Your goodness and beauty to them, and give them Life.

More Laughs with the Dan Man

Daniel saw a friend of mine today, and she asked him for a hug.
"No, I'm not going to hug you," he told her.
"Why not? You hugged me last time I saw you. You gave me a big hug. Why don't you give me a big hug today?"
"I'm not going to hug you today," (with a big smile, of course).
I took the little guy gently and turned him to look me in the face, and tried to gently coax him into giving her a hug.
"No, I'm not going to hug her."
"Why not, Daniel?" I asked.
"Because I'm doing a pattern," he says.
"A pattern?"
"Yes. I hugged her last time. I'm not going to hug her today. Then, next time I see her, I'll hug her again. Then the next time I won't. It's a pattern."

We got a good laugh out of that one. Then he asked her what that line was on her chest. Cleavage! Funny boy. He keeps us laughing, for sure!

Go to the Ant (with guns?)

We've been working on memorizing some passages of scripture as a family, and we recently began working on Proverbs 6:6-11. Kris was helping out at church one evening while I was doing "Bible time" with the kids, and we thought it would be fun to make up motions to surprise him the next night. We had a blast.
The next night, we gathered around for Bible time and excitement built as we anticipated performing our motions for Daddy. When the time came, the three boys left the room.
Kris was baffled as to why they suddenly left, and one of them said he needed to get a gun.
"How could they possibly need a gun for their Bible verse?"
I sank a bit lower in my chair, looking guilty. "Actually, they kind of do need a gun. We made up motions. You'll see."

So we did them.
"Go to the ant, O sluggard; (Crawl fingers of one hand along the other hard, like a tiny ant, walking)
consider her ways, and be wise. (Stroke your beard)
Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, (Salute)
she prepares her bread in summer (Knead bread)
and gathers her food in harvest. (Gather food off the ground)
How long will you lie there, O sluggard? (Tap your watch)
When will you arise from your sleep? (Pretend to sleep)
A little sleep, a little slumber, (Continue to sleep)
a little folding of the hands to rest, (Fold hands/twiddle thumbs)
and poverty will come upon you like a robber, (Cry out in surprise)
and want like an armed man." (Aim your weapon of choice - they boys' favorite part!)

What a fun verse this was to memorize!

Symbolic Stones

Our journey to Coram Deo Academy takes us through a neighborhood, and last October on the way home from school, Thomas called my attention to a particular yard.

"Mom! Look! That's really neat!!"

"What do you see, Thomas?"

"Mommy, that person who owns that house put up the Ten Commandments in their yard!"

Halloween.

Tombstones.

I'm glad that the things of God were on Thomas's mind, anyway! I think it's interesting that the Ten Commandments do loom large like tombstones in that they point out our complete inability to attain acceptance before God. No one in all the world, except Jesus Christ, has ever obeyed them perfectly. They are a bit symbolic of our doom, like tombstones, if we take Christ out of the picture.

Updates

These next few posts are several things I've been wanting to write down from the last few months...

Out of the mouths of babes...

The other day, Daniel repeatedly asked me if I would do something. I gave him an indefinite answer, not really wanted to commit myself. And he kept asking. And asking. So, I proceeded to give him a lesson on nagging, explaining that asking over and over wears people down, sometime makes them irritated, and then they really don't want to give you want you want. He was thoughtful for a moment, then he says, "God isn't like that."

Astonished, and wondering what his reasoning was, I asked him what he meant. He said something along the lines of, "If you ask and ask God, He listens and answers." I was shocked, and guilty, all at the same time. I am so thankful that the Lord helped him to understand his recent lesson about Hannah, who asked and asked for her precious son Samuel. God is so good to reveal His character and truth to the hearts of children!

Boats and Arrows

Thomas came home from Kindergarten last Wednesday with a mission: he had to build a boat. He first filled the sink and asked for the foil. He attached a sail with some tape. I handed him a plastic container when his foil idea foiled. I was busy about the house and heard some noises. I looked up about the time he asked me if I could position the box fan on the counter for him; he had retrieved it from the garage and placed it in front of the kitchen sink. Wind.

When I suggested he move his expedition to our master bath tub, he unplugged the fan and flew through the house. He spent literally hours last week designing and constructing sails and taping skewers for the masts. Then he would watch them sail in the bathtub in the wind. (Honey, sorry about the water bill...)

Then, Saturday, he asked if I had something sharp. Music to every mother's ears. Why? He wanted to make a bow and arrow, he said. I had the same wooden skewers that served as masts. Thomas like that idea! He found a stick outside, had Kris saw notches on each end, and strung a rubber band through the notches. He also requested that notches be cut on the ends of the skewer arrow to hold it on the bowstring. And lo and behold, it shoots! David and Daniel and our neighbor friend all have bows and arrows now, with the arrows color coated so they don't get them mixed up (all their idea). And they made a target out of a box. David can even make the skewers stick in the target. Fun fun!

Blogging

I haven't blogged in a year and three months. We moved. Life happened. I just didn't do it. I keep thinking about this little space, wondering if I would ever use it again. And it's the fun things the kids do that makes me wish I would take a minute to document it.

I also feel a little self absorbed when I blog. Like I'm showing the world what my family is up to in a self-promoting way. I really don't want to be like that. I don't usually feel like other people do that. Anyway, I felt like I needed a little post in between June 2010 and today. So this is it. (Wow...this blog is interesting. Yawn.)

It doesn't matter

The three of you who faithfully check my blog even though I rarely post already know that our house is for sale. This has been an unexpected journey through fear, uncertainly, and restlessness for me. I never imagined myself to be a fearful person, but God has used this process to root out some things in me that I would have been much more comfortable leaving buried (although we both know that God's goal is not to make us more comfortable but more holy, which eternally benefits us but it doesn't feel good right now!).

When our For Sale sign went up, so did my peace of mind...in smoke.

What if it doesn't sell and the market takes a dive and we can't sell for years?
What if it doesn't sell until school starts?
What if we can't move, and we are faced with living far away from our church? However can we really have the biblical community we long for for ourselves and our children if we live so far away?
What if we have to find a different church? We love the one we've found, and we really do feel like the Lord led us there.
What if we can't find a place to live that we can afford?
What if what if what if.

I realized a couple of weeks ago that I was NOT okay with our house not selling. This was a BIG RED FLAG. What if God's will is for us to stay put? Am I okay with that?

What about God's will, Julie? Don't you trust that God is in control? Yes.
Don't you know that God is in control of the real estate market? Yes.
Don't you know that God knows that we have four kids and that moving during school will be harder? Yes.
Don't you trust that God has given you these desires for biblical community, and that He cares more about the spiritual nurture of your family than you do? Yes.
Don't you trust that God will provide for your family's needs, no matter where you are? Yes.

Then why am I afraid? Because I know that God doesn't always do for us what seems best to us. Sometimes He plans things for us that are uncomfortable, and sometimes downright difficult. I don't want my life to be difficult. I want it to be easy.

But I must face this sin: Am I living for Him, or for me? Am I willing to serve and follow Him, as long as it is comfortable for me? Am I willing to follow Him into valleys, trusting that the strong hand leading me will never fail or leave me alone? My anxieties, I'm afraid, are revealing that I am way too committed to myself and not to Him.

I certainly don't have all the answers for dealing with this, but I did pick up a book I have enjoyed so far called Running Scared, fear, worry and the God of rest by biblical counselor Ed Welch. I am planning to work through this book and looking forward to being encouraged to pursue the Lord through these struggles.

I also keep reviewing a phrase that I read somewhere, maybe from Elisabeth Elliot. She talked about being "indifferent in the will of God." Basically, we should be so committed to Him, so sure of His love and care, and so desiring for our lives to bring Him glory, that we simply don't care what He does with us. We know He will walk with it through us. We know that following Him will bring immeasurably more joy than walking in our own way, and we just want to bring Him glory. It doesn't matter to us what He plans and ordains, because we know that "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

So, I am trying to keep my eyes on Him and not on our schedule of showings, and praying for my desire to glorify Him to increase, and my desire to serve my own desires, even if they seem like good ones, to diminish a bit. It struck me the other day that God can resurrect someone from the dead to buy our house. It's SO not an issue for Him. I know He's much more concerned about my heart being happy in Him, trusting Him, and not worrying about tomorrow.

Mercy

I have a homeless friend that I met through FBC Parker, and I have had the privilege of taking her around to try to get her state ID and to the Dollar Tree and various other things. When I first started doing this, I was eager to treat her to a meal, even if it was just McDonald's. I was excited about letting her order the most expensive meal on the menu, and wanted her to enjoy it. I was feeling merciful. I was so struck by the thought that the Lord's mercy toward me is similar, so I thought. I was totally undeserved, His enemy, not able to contribute anything to Him or give Him anything at all. I was dead and hopeless, and then He reached out in love toward me and saved me. We are ALL like this, my friend, myself, and every human except Christ Jesus who has ever lived.

As the weeks and months went by, I realized that my "mercy" was indeed not quite up to par with the mercy of the Almighty (imagine that?). I realized this a few weeks ago on another of our McDonald's visits. There we were, laptop on the table to help my friend submit some online job applications. I pre-packed PBJ for all of us and thought we could just buy something off of the dollar menu, one for each of us, so that would be $6 plus tax...seemed like a good way to be a good steward of my money. We had eaten out so much lately that I wanted to save a little! And I figured that of course the kids and my friend would all be okay with PBJ and we could look forward to a treat from the dollar menu. Well...

It didn't go so well. She HATES jelly, she informed me. And it is too difficult for her to chew peanut butter on bread. She was not interested in my thrifty idea. So, no problem (inward growl), I will buy her a meal and the rest of us will stick to the game plan. A cheeseburger isn't too pricey, right? Well, she wanted a salad meal...only the most expensive meal on the menu (it seemed to me). So I shuffled up to the counter to order, spending half of my money on my friend and the other half on the other 5 of us (grumble, grumble).

Thankfully, when I returned to the table with our food, I needed to take the kids to wash their hands, and the Lord graciously spoke to my heart as we were hand-washing.
The Holy Spirit brought to mind these phrases from Scripture: "His mercy endures forever" and "His mercies never come to an end."

These verses convicted me so much. My mercy had waned. It was almost non-existent, actually. But His doesn't wane. His mercy endures. Even in the face of our blatant sin - our mis-understanding of His greatness and power and goodness - He is still merciful. We take His gifts without giving Him the praise due Him, and He keeps giving to us anyway. We reject His ways and try to arrange our life how we'd rather have it, and He continues to pursue us, continues to help us see His faithfulness, continues to reassure us that He loves us. He is so merciful and He will continue in His mercy. His mercy won't end. His mercy won't wane for His children.

I returned to the table with a totally different attitude toward my friend and her desired salad meal. How much I needed to learn! I was ashamed of my previous attitude, and hopeful that it hadn't shown through my face and body language to my friend. Please don't read into this that my friend was ungrateful for what I had given her in the past. She always seems grateful and appreciative, which even more highlights the difference between my limited mercy and the enduring, unfailing mercy of God towards ungrateful me.

This was a powerful experience for me in understanding God's mercy. I pray that my sinful heart will grow in this as the Lord continues to show this undeserving sinner His great mercy.

Ash and Jenn

A wonderful blessing of our trip to Asia was the time I was able to be around two mothers: Ash and Jenn. As God made us to live in a community and not in isolation, I really felt the benefit of living alongside these ladies while on our trip. There is no influence like the one that is constantly there, visible day in day out, in the midst of all the inconveniences in life. I believe that we can hardly spur one another on toward love and good deeds if we only see one another a couple of hours a week for a church service. So I was very encouraged and blessed by the constant good examples these two were for me, and I pray that their graces have rubbed off on me a little. (Lord, PLEASE work in me the way You have in them!)

These two young women will definitely be first to say that they are sinners like everyone else, and if I saw something good in them, it is because of God's work in their hearts and lives and not because of their own efforts and goodness. And I definitely want to reiterate those truths...this is the Lord's doing.

With that said, I want to recall a few things that I noticed about them that were so helpful for me. First, the way they spoke to their children was perpetually calm and kind. They were sweet. They were enthusiastic. I clearly remember one afternoon feeling the dull, sleepy tug on my energy and hearing Ash's joyful voice greeting her preschooler who just walked in the room with a smile and energetic hello and hug. How could he not know his mother's love and care for him!?!

When you are with a family with young children for more than a few hours, you inevitably witness the children doing something that is...disobedient. And watching these parents respond was helpful because they were so matter-of-fact. Hearing Jenn (and Bill, too!) speak to Katherine in those moments was priceless, because they were so calm. Even while she was crying in protest and refusing to obey (even if just for a moment - she's a sweet and obedient little girl most of the time!), they would not show any signs of frustration or irritation with her.

The day we left Cambodia, Kris and I were scurrying around to finish packing and Jenn (remember that she had a 6 week old baby!) was preparing lunch for all 9 of us not counting Isaac (after church, and the electricity had been off all morning, so the easy crock pot method was out and it was Plan B). We were a little pressed for time because we needed to eat and then head to Phnom Penh. The kids were playing around the house (think lots of laughing, stomping, noise!), and she was trying to cook and keep them out of the kitchen, but Daniel and Katherine seemed to toddle in there time and again. Not only that, but Daniel would help himself to water and spill it. But she never raised her voice. She was never impatient. She kindly and calmly corralled them out time and again. I was so encouraged. I was encouraged because it revealed to me that God is able to give us this kind of patience. I know Jenn is human, but seeing her ability to deal with this (I am sure I would have been rude or flustered!) helped me realize that it is POSSIBLE! Nothing is impossible with God!

Watching these moms kindly and calmly train their children was so helpful. I realized that I often stress out that my kids "aren't there yet" in a certain area. I desperately need to relax and be more laid back about the discrepancy between my standard and and their performance. I remember Mrs. Judy (my former pastor's wife, in heaven a year now) saying that kids shouldn't be expected to be little soldiers, performing according to commands given with flawless precision. Instead, we should see our job as parents as directing them down a path, pointing them in the right way and constantly helping them along. I think Ash and Jenn do such a great job of this. And I haven't even mentioned how precious their little ones are and what a delight they are to be around.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Ash and Jenn, for giving our family the opportunity to live with you guys for a short time! You are treasured friends!

Thank you so much, Father, for taking care of me and giving me this gift of two blessed mothers to help me learn and grow as a mother myself. You have shown me Your goodness not only by giving me this experience, but also by reminding me that it was You all along that strengthened and taught these women. And you are with me too, and will never leave me nor forsake me.

Beautiful Snow

We awoke yesterday morning to a inch or two of snow adding its sparkling enchantment to our little world. It was a lost cause trying to tiptoe around, hoping to finish my coffee and Bible reading before the kids woke up. As soon as Anna shifted in her bed and glanced through her blinds, she boisterously tramped into her brother's room excitedly announcing the great news...it SNOWED! And it kept snowing all day long. Not just a sprinkling of flakes, but it snowed clumps; big clumps of snow fell all day. It was so fun. The kids couldn't wait to get outside to romp in it, and they attempted the construction of several snowmen before the sun went down.
Today, the snow remained, and even this evening our yard and roof are covered.


The view from the front door


The view from the back door - check out the deck railing!


Our neighbors made this amazing snowman.




The boys threw more than their share of snow balls at each other


Another snowman


Watchout Daddy!

Remember...

These are a few of the things we want to remember happening on our trip or after it.

"Katherine, what did you dream about last night?"
"Blankie." (She always says this!)

The week after our trip, at Hobby Lobby, upon sighting the tulle: "Mom! Look! They have mosquito nets here!"

Blaring loudspeakers with eerie songs and chants in the dark of the night

6 HUGE spiders

Thomas stepped on a nail we had to pull out of his foot. His foot recovered well and he was brave. Yea for Tetanus shots!

The first wedding we attended, post-trip, Daniel says, "Are we gonna have rice?"
"No, just cake at this wedding."

You must say "coke - aaaah, cole - aaaah" (short a for aaaah) to get a Coke. Coca-cola just won't work.

Riding the bicycles through the busy traffic of TJ behind Ashley

Thomas' HUGE bites(?) on his neck. Blood red and lasting for days, his skin peeled off and they were still visible a month later. (What was that, anyway?)

"I NEED seaweed!" (Katherine asking in her two-year-old way for one of her favorite snacks)

The humongous biting millipede (If you are bitten, "You gonna cry all day and all night!")

Hanging laundry in the sun, and then 10 minutes later, ants ants ants! - How did they get there?

The dog that went crazy when he saw the big teeth I carried to teach with.

The jaw bone that lay on the grass one morning on our way to the church

Chickens roaming in the yard

The scene at DFW while we were in the immigration line: the flight attendants walked up after they finished cleaning out the plane, and I saw that Thomas' yellow Duckie was with them. At sight of it, I jumped the lines and walked the 15 yards to them to retrieve the cherished lovie. But Thomas didn't know he had left Duckie behind. When he took in the scene and figured out what happened, it was more than he could handle, and he burst into loud tears. He was comforted when finally in possession of Duckie again. That was way too close!

Home Sweet Home

The day we left Prek Ambel, we woke up to the loudspeaker blaring traditional Khmer music. As soon as a person dies, Buddhist families hire a loudspeaker and musicians and monks to begin a scheduled broadcasting of music, chants, and speeches in honor of the deceased. There is a certain schedule they follow, and they do this for about 7 days, and then again on the 10th day, and then again on the 100th day. If you are unfortunate enough to live next door or close by, and the person dies at 1:20am, you will be rather tired in the morning. This happened to us on our trip!
The morning we left Prek Ambel, the person must have passed away around 5:20am, which wasn't too bad of a time. And then, because the electricity went out at 7:00am, the back-up battery didn't last too long and they weren't able to continue with their noise pollution. Around 7:30, the water also went off. This was humorous to us, as it gave us a realistic last impression of how life can be in Prek Ambel.

Since this was a Sunday, Chheng had to preach without the sound system since there was no power. The fans also, of course, were useless, so we were extra sticky for the worship service. It was all a blessing, truly.

The Hales took us to Phnom Pehn, where we enjoyed dinner together and stayed in a hotel there. The next morning they took us to the airport for our flight, and we were off. Anna was the last to catch the stomach virus we passed around the last week or two, so she was sick on the plane. We found that Asian flight attendant service is excellent, and that God gives so much grace to us to take care of those "worse case scenarios" without it being a big deal. We worry about the "what ifs," but if they actually happen, God helps us! They aren't as bad as we imagined!

We arrived safely back home on Tuesday morning and my parents picked us up at DFW. We are so very thankful to the Lord for granting us so many travel mercies, and helping us even in ways we may never know. We had a great return trip!

We are so grateful to everyone who prayed for us! Thank you for all your words of encouragement.

As we climb into our soft beds without lizards roaming the roof, and as I load my washer and dryer and within a couple of hours have a complete load clean, as we turn up the heat in our temperature-controlled house, and as we drive by McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A, and order pizza, we remember our dear friends the Hales, who so generously lent us their home this past month. They returned from dropping us off at the airport to the same scene: no A/C, hanging clothes to dry on the fence, no pizza delivery, no fast food of any sort within an hour from their home, sometimes no electricity and water for a time, blaring loudspeakers in the middle of the night - they live there for the sake of the gospel of Christ. They are seeking the things above, where Christ is, and they so clearly are reminded every day that their home is not in this world.

What a blessing it has been to be reminded of that. As we savor the conveniences of this great country where we live, we want so much to remember those who labor for the glory of Christ in hard-to-live-places. He does not forget the things they have given up for His sake. We want to be willing to sacrifice for His sake too.

Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." Mark 10:29-31

Sihanoukville

From Sre Treng, we travelled onward to the beach at Sihanoukville, which is right on the Gulf of Thailand. We arrived late in the afternoon and the kids couldn't wait to dig in the sand. So we headed out, clothes and all. The beach has trees all along it, and not too far out you can see green mountains with steep slopes rising up on small islands.






Bill is saying, "Do you feel the sand between your toes? Do feel how it moves when the waves come? That's why the Bible says we shouldn't build our house upon the sand..."


My diggers






The next day we played all morning in the sand


Anna worked hard on her castle and moat.




We buried Katherine and Thomas!

Sre Treng

We rose at 4:30am on the 6th and jumped in the car to head to Sre Treng. We arrived just before 9am and many of the church members had gathered for a service. They planned this just for our visit, and the pastor, Ngan, asked Bill to preach. Bill preached for the first time in Khmer, and it was a nice service. Since the rice harvest is over in this rural farming community, the people have much more free time, so it was not difficult for them to find time for a church service on Wednesday morning. Afterward they served us a delicious lunch with chicken, noodles, rice, and a couple of soups on the floor of the church. The men visited for a while, and the kids explored the grounds. We all had a good time, and we were very glad to climb back into the car and run the A/C full blast when it was over. Hot and happy, we headed to the beach next.

Here are the pics from our visit to Sre Treng:


A group that Ngan heard about and contacted built this beautiful new church building in Sre Treng. This ministry evidently provides funds for constructing church buildings for churches that provide a reasonable estimate of the cost and agree to finish the job. This building stands just beside the old church building. (Katherine and Daniel are running in the foreground).


Looking away from the church and the long driveway, this coconut tree bridge marks the entrance to the driveway. The Hale's car is parked at the house across the street, and we walked across.


Bill and some church members waiting outside.


This is the old church building. The service took place upstairs, and then underneath was the meal and fellowship spot.


The front yard of the church, facing away from the front door.


This toddler napped on the floor at the back during the service.


Our delicious floor meal


The kids enjoyed running up and down the driveway in front (you see the church in the background).


A house beside the church driveway


On the other side of the driveway is a field


Some of the children of the church

Planting Trees and Feeding Ducks

Last Sunday afternoon, Kris and Bill enjoyed planting some fruit trees on the side of the yard, and the boys were quite eager to help.





I took the kids on the other side of the Hale's gate to the duck pond. The kids attempted to throw the bread to them and we all enjoyed the sunset.

Happy Birthday, Kris!

January 1st may be New Year's Day, but in our family, it's also Daddy's birthday. We were determined to do something special for Kris, and we definitely wanted to make him a cake, even if it is a little more difficult than normal. So, I tried...


It was moist.
It was chocolatey.
The upside down bowl had a water moat all around to keep the ants off. It worked well! (At least, you couldn't see any ants...)
There was enough cake for everyone.
Kris liked it.
The cake did not fall off the plate.
We all enjoyed it!


We bought one of the amazing, singing, flower candles/torches in China to use on Kris' cake. We finally learned how to turn off the song by cutting the wire so it wasn't singing "Happy Birthday" all night long.



Hopefully I can add the fun video of the candle soon.