Happy Thanksgiving

Our family is headed to Arlington to celebrate with Janet's sister, June. What sweet sisters they are, and June was so gracious to invite our family and the Pates, too. We are so glad to be staying close to home this year.
Mom and Dad came this last couple of days, and Dad worked and worked and worked, helping us do anything he could find to help with, including dishes and laundry. What a huge help!
We aren't quite completely packed, but we have certainly made a dent, so hopefully we'll be able to relax and enjoy the next few days with our family. Today is Thanksgiving, tomorrow we're planning to celebrate David's birthday, which is next week, and Saturday is our Christmas celebration with both sides of our family here at the house. They have been such a blessing and encouragement to us. God is so good, and knew just what kind of a family we needed to sharpen us and encourage us, too.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Flattered by a Two-Year-Old

Monday, I set Daniel up in his room to have "room time" for much longer than normal so I could try to make a dent in some packing. After quite a while, he was ready to be free, and definitely wanting my attention. That's when I heard his sweet voice call from the bedroom, "Mommy, you're brewful (beautiful)." I will say, that's a terrific way to get a spontaneous hug from Mommy!

Crazy?

When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Proverbs 10:19

I have been reminded of this verse more than once the last couple of weeks. I've opened my mouth, said something, only to regret it later. It happened again this morning during our worship service at church.

Pastor Hal called our family to the front to tell our congregation a little bit about our trip, and then to pray for us. Just before praying, he made a very-well-intended comment about me being very brave to take my children to Cambodia, to which I quickly remarked "or crazy." He repeated it and snickered, and then we went on. But it has hovered all day.

Why did I say that? If I really thought it was crazy, Kris and I wouldn't be going in the first place. But I do realize that the world would probably say it's crazy from a "safety" and "risk-taking" standpoint. I mean, why would you take a risk like that if you don't absolutely have to?

So behind my comment was an acknowlegement that, yes, I know that many people probably think we are a little crazy for planning this trip. But the flip side, and the side that I hold onto, is that God is the one protecting us each and every day. I know He will protect my children as He wills, and I would much rather lay them in His merciful hands than live with a pretense of their safety over here without much thought to the way He cares for them each day.

So, while, yes, I know that in a worldly sense we may seem crazy, when we remember God's rule and power and His desires for His children, we have much courage to face the conditions in Cambodia with our little ones.

But (or AND), I still am greatly encouraged when people tell me that they have been and will be praying for us. To all of you who have said that, may God bless you and grant your requests. You are truly a HUGE part of any fruit that could come from our efforts on this trip. Thank you!

Yum! Yum!

***WARNING: This blog post could cause you to get the creeps.***

A while back, I thought I would do a little research into what kinds of food dishes to expect in Cambodia. Kris and other friends have told me plenty about it, but I thought the good ole web would help me too. Well, let's just say that I think I made a mistake.


These are fried spiders! Thankfully, Kris says he has never been served spiders. Whew!




This is an item that our new friends Nick and Letty told us about, called "balut" or just "duck egg." Evidently, each egg has a "number," depending on how developed the chick inside is. If it is almost ready to hatch, with feathers and everything, it gets a 10. If it's barely anything but yolk and white, it may be a 0 or 1. What number are you? Take your number, crack it open, and enjoy!

Wow. I think I may try to stay away from this, too. I am totally trusting that if we are served something very, um, unusual, that God will give us grace in that moment to deal with it!

Getting Ready

We are enjoying the preparations for our trip! Last week I had a delightful visit with Mrs. Richard, Jennifer Hale's mother, when I took a car seat to her for delivery to the Hales. She leaves tomorrow (DV) for her trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to accompany the Hales as they await baby Isaac's birth. She was so encouraging about our trip, sure that we would be a blessing to the Hales and to the discipleship students in spite of how many little (and big) bodies we'll fill their house with.
Last Sunday we had the privilege of sharing some more about the ministry in Cambodia with Providence Church, and they were so warm and welcoming. Next week we plan to give a brief account of our trip plans to FBC Parker.
We have 4 suitcases packed at this point, with 2 or 3 more to go. The kids seem to be excited, but I think that Anna especially grasps the concept that we are going to be away for a long time and that we will be in a place we are not familiar with at all. I'm praying that God will help my children to adjust quickly to such different scenery, smells, and tastes; that He will help them to view these differences as part of the variety He has created in this world, and help them to appreciate and love the work that the Church of Mercy is attempting to do. I hope that they will enjoy the "taste" of mission work that they will get while we are gone, and that they will be amazed and excited about the work God is doing all over the world.

Lost Journal

Have you ever lost something really important to you? And you were afraid of someone finding it? I lost my journal about four weeks ago, and I am bummed. It had a detailed prayer request list in it that I daily worked through and amended as needed. And lots of personal notes and confessions and thoughts, written out but certainly not meant to be seen by any eyes but my own (and my Lord's!). I also had a list of medication that my sister-in-law recommended that we take to Asia, so I took it with me to CVS one day. That was definitely where I went wrong. *Sigh* It should never have left my Bible's side. Oh well!

Trip to Cambodia

We are planning a trip to Cambodia over the holidays. This is something we have longed to do for a while, but we were not thinking we would attempt it until our children were a bit older. But, after prayer and discussion with our friends the Hales, we searched for frequent flier tickets for the six of us. Much to our surprise and excitement, we found them. It was a shock, really, since Kris and some other friends have used frequent flier tickets before but have been unable to get them all the way to Phnom Penh; they have gone to Bangkok and then purchased the last leg into Phnom Penh. But we found 6 tickets all the way there, including a stop on the way in a country to the north. The planned departure date is December 1st, and return date is January 12th. We are more than excited.

We hope to help Bill and Jenn by subbing for them (ESL and computer) until they are ready to resume their classes after having baby Isaac. He is due in late November. We will arrive a little late to help while he is being born, but Chheng's son, Soda, and his wife Allyson are planning to be there over Thanksgiving and leaving the same day we arrive, December 10th, so they can certainly help fill in.

We also so want to be an encouragement to the church there. What a profound joy it is to see and know people who are worshipers of the One true God who live across the world and speak different tongues. He is not the God of just the westerners, or Americans, or English speakers, or industrialized nations. His rule spans cultures and ethic groups and languages and times. He is the same God yesterday, today and forever. And how glad I am that He is everywhere, and that we are no more "safe" within the four walls of our suburban home that we will be walking the dusty roads in a rural Cambodian village. If God is for us, who can be against us?

However, I admit that anxieties do creep in, and we would love to have your prayers! If you want to pray for us, please let us know if you have the opportunity. It encourages us more than you know. Thank you!

The Illiad and the....what?

Tonight I was quizzing Anna on her Veritas Press History Cards for 2nd grade. She is studying Ancient Greece, and we were discussing Homer when I asked her to name his most popular works.

"The Illiad and the Honda," she said confidently. The what? Then I realized that we owned a Honda Odyssey. She just got a little confused and I got not a little amused!

Toddler Moments

As we were driving home yesterday and I listened to Daniel singing a song, it reminded me of all those precious YouTube videos of tiny tots belting out tunes. But the precious thing about these months with Daniel is that almost every waking minute is full of those moments, that if captured adequately, we would surely win thousands of YouTube hits. Even in the stressful moments, he says the cutest things in the sweetest ways. I'm so thankful that God packs so much sweetness into such little bodies. Even in the frustrating moments, there is usually something to smile about!

A Worthy Pursuit

I so enjoy reading Darcie Newton's blog, and her current post is an excerpt from an Elisabeth Elliot newsletter. I am encouraged by Elisabeth's transparency in order to focus on godly friendship. One of the many reasons why it's so important to be knit into a Body of Believers!