7 baht cone…. yippee February 7, 2010

To those of you who routinely check our blog for updates, we are sorry for the considerably large gap between each post.  There is simply not enough hours in the day, alongside of this, we have come to realize that neither one of us fit the mold for the “ideal blogger”.  But, as we sit in the Sout Korean airport, awaiting our flight to the states, we are going to attempt to adequately summarize these last ten days.

Last Tuesday, we were given the opportunity to visit a school in Phnom Penh.  The average school in Cambodia costs about $5 dollars per student.  In America, this would be quite the deal, but considering that the average Cambodian family makes only about $1 dollar a day, education can easily take the back-burner for some families.  The school we were able to check out was unique in the fact that it sponsors over 100 students who live in a slum, which is normally referred to as “the dump”.  The school is a catch- up school, which allows students to accomlish two years of school work in one year’s time.  By the time they are caught up to their respective age, the school sends them to public school and pays for their education there.  After each day, the director of the school walks all of the kids back to their homes.  We were able to meet some of these students and their families.  We could not have felt more loved and welcomed by these people.  It was a really wonderful experience for the two of us.

Wednesday we headed off to Bangkok to meet up with Frank and check out the work he is doing there.  We were able to ride in a taxi from the Bangkok airport, where we drove over 50 miles per hour and stayed in our respective lanes, which was a refreshing relief.  Bangkok is a lot like any major city in America.  The streets are lined with familar names such as McDonalds, Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Starbucks.  Don’t worry, if you ever pass a starbucks in Bangkok, just keep heading in the same direction and you will most likely hit another one in about one block.  Our first dinner with Frank was held at no other than the delicious McDonalds and it was here that we found the most amazing of treats.  Do any of you remember the good old days when you could get a McDonald’s vanilla cone for the beautiful price of 30 cents?  Well the two of us have been missing those days for quite some time, as the vanilla cone has edged its way up to the horrific price of 90 cents per cone.  We couldn’t believe our eyes when the McDonald’s in Bangkok was selling vanilla cones for 7 baht.  In America, this would come out to about 22 cents… the two of us ate our share of vanilla cones, to say the least.

Our  first full day in Bangkok was spent at The Well, which is the ministry that Frank works for.  The Well provides an alternative lifestyle for men and women who choose to leave the sex trafficking industry.  Alongside of counseling services, The Well teaches the Bible, English, as well as a variety of skills that can be used to make an income.  In the morning, we were able to teach English, which the two of us absolutely loved.  We also were able to meet some of the staff at The Well who were all wonderful people.  In the afternoon, we met a very talented young woman, who left the sex trafficking industry, came to The Well, and is now painting beautiful pieces of art.  It was incredibly encouraging to hear her talk about her paintings.  She came to know the Lord at The Well and now tries to see the world through the heart of the Lord.  We both bought a painting, so if you have a desire to come check them out- just let us know!

On Thursday night, we watched Avatar in 3-D at the IMAX theatre.  If you have not done this, take a break from this blog and go and see Avatar in 3-D.  Both us and Frank had seen Avatar in a normal theatre, but 3- D was a completely different experience.  It was pretty epic.

On Friday night we participated in bar ministry with Frank.  Bangkok is one of the leading cities in the entire world for sex tourism.  This becomes extremely obvious as you walk down the streets of Bangkok and see Western men with Thai women.  The first bar area we went to is one of the leading bar areas in Bangkok.  It is difficult to summarize how it felt to be in a place like this.  It was an area that was dark and our hearts were uncomfortably heavy and uneasy.  Most of the bars in the areas we were in work something like this: men come into the bar and get their fair share of pole dancing and cuddling with the girls. If a man should choose a particular girl, he must first pay the bar a fee to take the girl for the evening and if he wants more out of the girl than a date, he must then work out a price for sex with the chosen bar girl.  Though writing it is difficult, seeing and experiencing this atmosphere is simply something that cannot be adequately portrayed through words.  Our first few minutes there, we just tried to take it all in and allow our hearts to focus in on the Lord.  After meeting some of the girls that Frank has befriended we left around 11 and headed to another bar area.  The Spirit undoubtedly guided us because we ended up at a bar with a table full of girls, who were incredibly honest and open with us.  Like many of the responses we received from the girls in Cambodia, the women at this bar were young and by no means had the desire to be working in this environment.  Just like Cambodia, many of these women are held responsible for supporting their families and even if other financial opportunities exist, they are no competition to the amount of money that can be made through being a bar girl.  In Thai, Frank was able to tell the girls that they are worth abundantly more than any dollar amount.  We formed a really sweet friendship with those women and were able to come back and spend time with them our last night.

We attempted to do some “touristy” things on Saturday and failed miserably at this.  We went to the Royal Palace, which consists of beautifully designed golden Buddhist temples. These temples held our attention for approximately ten minutes until the idea of a 7 baht cone seemed more appealing…..

Our last night we were able to head back to the same bar we had met the girls the previous night.  They were so sweet and welcomed us with big hugs.  Their shifts are normally between 7pm and 4am, which is by no means conducive to our love of sleep.  Our good-byes with them were emotional because we most likely will never see them again, but Frank will hopefully keep up a relationship with them and continue to visit them.  Pray for these women.  Pray that the Spirit would give them courage to leave the bar industry and find refuge at a place like The Well.  Pray that they would come to know Jesus and that through that experience, that they would be restored to the fullness that they were created to be filled by. Saying goodbye to Frank, was equally as emotional for the two of us.  Frank is a man that is straight up selling himself out for Jesus and is not looking back.  He is bold and completely humble.  He is making such an impact in Bangkok and is fighting for people there.  Pray for Frank and his ministries that he is involved in.  Pray that the Lord would continue to be faithful in the way he leads Frank to people.  Something that became very clear to us is that Bangkok is in desperate need for the Church.  There are people there, but not enough.  Pray that Bangkok would be transformed by the love of the Lord.

We flew back to Phnom Penh for two last days before heading back to the States.  When Tuesday morning came, we headed to the bakery to say goodbye to the girls.  When we got there. they all gave us gifts.  We were blown away by the generosity of these women.  They don’t have a whole lot, but yet, they still desired to give us gifts.  If you know the two of us well, you know we are both awful at goodbyes.  We had to do it fairly quick before the tears came.  Pray for these women.  Pray that they would continue to grow in their understanding and intimacy with their Father.  Pray that their bakery would become a light in a dark city.  Pray that business would be good for these women.  As the day progressed, only more goodbyes has to happen.  We said goodbye to Michael, Ruthie, and Frank.  Man, do we have a deep love for these three people.  Our souls were both encouraged and refreshed purely by being around them for four weeks.  They all display an eager willingness to completely give their lives as an offering to the Lord, and the Lord is blessing that like crazy.  Pray for these three people.  Pray that the Lord would continue to bless them and encourage their efforts.  Pray that they would continue to find rest in Him.  Because of all the donations that our community gave, we were able to considerable donations to the bakery and full time missionaries in Cambodia. WHOOP.  This is amazing, thank you to everyone who has financially blessed the two of us.  If you would like to give money to any of the people or ministries we have talked about in our blog, please let one of us know and we will hook you up with some addresses and such!

The transition back has been good for the two of us, but we were both incredibly impacted by this trip.  The Lord has taught us a lot about who He is and about His heart.  At World Mandate this past weekend, the speaker on Friday said that “to know the heart of God, you must visit the pain of this world”.  We both felt the presence of the Lord in Cambodia and Thailand and we are sure that is because our Lord is in the places of pain.  He is the best comforter and His desire is to heal and restore.  We are both confident that the Spirit is moving powerfully in SE Asia. Despite the darkness, there is an incredible sense of hope in Cambodia.  The Lord is fighting for Cambodia and Thailand and He is fighting for His children in those nations.  He knows those people by name and they are His and He will not relent in His pursuit.  It is easy to find rest and comfort in this promise.  Please pray for our transition back to routine in America. Thank you to everyone who has followed this blog and our experiences so faithfully.  We love you guys so much and love that we get to share this journey with you.  Let us know if you have any questions for the two of us.

Wait, do you mean badminton? January 17, 2010

Well it has been another beautiful, life-giving week in Cambodia.  Our eyes have seen things that are ugly and devastating, yet our hearts have felt an abundance of gratitude for our Lord.  He is the King of Cambodia, and He reigns in this place.  We have seen it.

We were blessed with the opportunity to go to Svay Pak on Monday.  Ali and Ruthie have been working in Svay Pak at kilometer 11, which throughout the whole word has been noted to be the worst in regards to the trafficking of children.  In 2006, a brothel was raided in Svay Pak by IJM.  Many of you may have probably seen the Dateline episode that featured this brothel.  The Chief of Police was the owner of the brothel, which only goes to show the corruption and the difficulty many organizations face when raiding brothels.  Unlike many attempts, this raid was successful, and many girls were rescued.  Unfortunately, no one was prosecuted.  The most shocking finding was the 5 year old little girl found in the brothel.  For two years, the old building stood uninhabited.  Many Cambodians are superstitious and no one would purchase the building because they believed it would bring bad luck.  The director of an organization called Agape had a vision for the brothel and bought the building from the Chief of Police.  Agape restored the building and then teamed up with Hard Places, which is the organization Ali and Ruthie work for. Together they started Kids Club.

We had the opportunity to meet with the pastor who runs Kids Club and all of the ministries in Svay Pak.  This man was full of wisdom, and had such great faith in the Lord.  He was inspiring to just be around, and getting to spend a day with him was a blessing.  He told us that they started the Kids Club so that all of the neighborhood kids would have a safe place to be during the day.  In addition, it provides the kids with basic education and adults that they can trust.  But most importantly, the children are told about Jesus and are loved by people who know the Lord.  We loved watching the children sing and worship Jesus in what is a former brothel.  Talk about the Lord’s redemption- take that Satan!

Something that the Pastor is passionate about is working with the families in the community as well.  After the main brothel was raided in 2006, many children are now being sold by their parents in their own homes.  The Pastor is doing an amazing job loving on the people in the neighborhood and we are confident that the Spirit is working powerfully through him.  In addition, the Pastor is also reaching out to drug lords and brothel owners through a gym that he has opened and owns.  It is opened every morning and afternoon and he starts every work-out session with a devotion.  He told us that these men are both curious and receptive to the message of Jesus.  In addition to this, he also disciples 12 teenagers, who lead Kids Club.    The Pastor gave us a tour of the neighborhood and we were able to visit the building that will be the new school/church/ home of the Pastor’s family/ Kids Club location.  They are hoping that the building will be finished in the fall and they will support 100 students. The Lord has basically equipped him to do everything and anything you can think of, and He has faithfully provided the Pastor and his family the funds.  He shared with us how much the building cost and  then quickly followed with ” but, that is nothing for Jesus”.  The way in which he said that line, was refreshing to say the least.  He demonstrated a spirit that was completely relying and trusting in a loving Father who desires to provide for His children.  Before we left, the Pastor took us to the back of the restored brothel, where they have kept two rooms in the same condition of when they found it.  We were able to step inside those rooms and for a brief moment we tried to put ourselves in the reality these children lived in when they were held captive in the brothel.  It was emotional; on one side, we were angry and saddened that children lived in these awful conditions, but on the other side we were in awe that we serve a God of freedom, a God who literally frees the captive.  We serve a God who breaks the chains we are entrapped by.  We serve a God who also restores and heals the scars that were left from those chains.  Our God is a beautiful and powerful warrior, who relentlessly fights for His children.  We are grateful and humbled that this is who our God is.

Later that night, we went to the bars with Michael, Nee Mul (our Cambodian friend), and Bethany.  We went to an area by the river where all the Westerners stay.  This is where many girls are bought every night for sex.  We went to the bar, the Night Owl, and we sat down with some of the girls who work there.  Through translation, we had conversations about them and their lives.  We can tell you that despite what many believe, no girl enjoys selling herself.  These girls reiterated to us what we had heard before, which is that this is their only way to make enough money to support their families.  We have learned that sometimes in life people must make choices that are contradictory to their own will and to who the Lord has created them to be.  Even if a girl is choosing to sell herself, deep down she doesn’t enjoy her work.  It grieves her because the Lord did not create anyone to be an object of another’s sexual gratification.

When we were in the Night Owl, a western man walked in with two women, who he apparently had bought for the night.  Sitting by these girls, our hearts ached for them.  We were disgusted by this man’s pursuit of pleasure, but at the same time, our hearts ached for him.  He, like every other man who is deep in this addiction, need Jesus.  Like the women we have been talking about, these men were not created to exploit and force power over another.  Because of this, we know they are broken and in desperate need of our merciful God.

Throughout this past week, we worked with the girls in the bakery.  We are having a blast with them and everyday we are blown away by how talented they are!  Their cakes have been looking amazing.  Most Cambodians do not like sweets very much, so we have quickly become their taste- testers.  In this past week alone, we have probably gained ten pounds due to our inability to say no to anything sweet put before us.  The girls invited us to play “tennis” with them on Thursday.  We got on a motto, which is always an experience, and met them where they told us to.  They told us that they play on tennis courts, but when we got to a neighborhood, without a tennis court in sight, we were very confused.  The girls met us, and then led us to meet  all of their families.  This was such a sweet surprise for us.  We could not have felt more loved and welcomed by the girls families.  We were planning on taking the girls out for dinner on Saturday night and when we walked into Mey’s house, she said, “In my culture, you ask Grandma for permission to take me out”.  We were instantly intimidated and felt like teenage boys about to ask Dad permission to take out his daughter.  Thankfully, she said “it’s ok”, and then followed with how “cute and lovely” our voices were, “like a baby”.  After meeting the families, the girls asked us to come play tennis.  We stepped outside on the “tennis court” and the girls brought out their badminton racquets.  Apparently, in Cambodia, badminton is the new tennis.

On Saturday, we were able to take all of the girls out for dinner.  After eating some pizza, which is compatible for both the Cambodian and American person, the girls took us to a local mall.  We got to experience an Asian photo booth, where we indulged ourselves in cheezy Asian pictures.  They came over to Bethany and Ruthie’s apartment where we tried to teach them Mexican Dominoes.  It was definitely sweet to be able to treat them to a night out.  We will be able to spend a few more days with the girls in the bakery, which will be sweet but difficult to say goodbye at the same time.

This next week, we will be traveling to Bangkok to spend some time with Frank.  Frank also works with Hard Places, but is the only one who lives in Thailand.  We are excited to experience Thailand! Woo!

Again, thanks for the prayers.  We love you guys!

Tastes like…Baby Duck Egg January 10, 2010

Right after we successfully wrote our last blog post, we were walking through the market in Siem Reap. The night before, we had bought some Cambodian pants from a precious girl named Terri. We passed by her stand and she greeted us with big hugs. We talked to her for a few minutes and then said our goodbyes. We walked for about another two minutes when we both felt like we needed to turn around. We headed back to Terri’s stand and she looked confused. We asked her for her e-mail and explained to her that the reason we had come back was because of Jesus. Like almost every other Cambodian, Terri had never heard about Jesus, but was excited that we wanted to keep in touch with her. We are very excited about Terri and the opportunity the Lord has given us to stay in touch with her. She possesses the joy of the Lord and is a woman of sincerity. We are confident that she is someone the Lord has big plans for her. Continue to pray for Terri and our e-mail conversations with her.

We headed back to Phnom Penh on Tuesday morning. We paid 50 cents less for the bus ride back and should have realized the caliber of the bus would be significantly cheaper than the 5 dollar bus we had taken to Siem Reap.  What should have taken 5 hours to get back to Phnom Penh took around 7 hours due to the insane amount of stops we had to make.  We stopped to pick up just about every random Cambodian hitch-hiker on the side of the road.  We also made stops at Cambodian “convenient-stores.”  Here we learned about all of Cambodians’ favorite snacks which include: seasoned grasshoppers, fried rats, just rats, rats in dough, and more bread filled with mystery meat.   Don’t worry though: we were assured that it was okay to eat the rats because we were told, “They’re only field rats.”  We avoided the rats by eating Sour Cream & Onion Pringles.  Judging by the eyes staring at us, we could have not looked more Western.

We arrived to our apartment, where we met our fifth roommate.  Neet Mul is a 16 month old boy, who has been rescued from the province.  Being under-nourished, he only weighed about 8 or 9 pounds.  The Cambodian social worker that Bethany works with had received a phone call from the pastor of the province and went and rescued Neet Mul from circumstances that are difficult to wrap our heads around.  Neet Mul was often tied by his ankles to his house while his mother would go and take care of other responsibilities.  Since Bethany and Ruthie are both working women, we were given the opportunity to babysit Neet Mul on Wednesday.  He was a joy, but he is also old enough to realize that he is in a strange environment away from his community.  We learned a lot about motherhood on Wednesday and we also learned that neither of us are ready to be mothers quite yet.  Being a mom is quite the workout, and we were pretty tired by the time Wednesday night came around.  Thursday morning, Neet Mul was taken to a temporary home until a permanent home is provided for him.  We really enjoyed being able to experience and be a part of the process of fostering children.  Please be praying for Neet Mul.  Pray that the Lord would continue to nourish his body and that He would increase Neet Mul’s strength.  Pray that the Lord would provide a family for Neet Mul.  Pray that he would be placed into a family that would love him well.

Thursday morning we had the privilege to visit the big Cambodian Market (it has another name- we just can’t even attempt to spell it).  This was like no market that we had seen before.  It was mind-boggling.  The place was HUGE.  You can literally buy anything you could ever need or want at this place.  Just picture a Wal-Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, H-E-B, Dillard’s, Victoria’s Secret, Taco Bell, Burger King, Super Cuts, Toys-R-Us, Best Buy, and some fresh produce.  Combine all of that with the deathly smell of raw beef, fish, pork, and other mystery meats with no air circulation in a super-cramped environment and you have the Cambodian Market.  We don’t know which was worse: watching them cut up huge pieces of meat on the floor and then sell them, or watching them eat their food from the same floor  We also learned if we really wanted to we could buy the orange Buddhist robes at the market, and if we ever get low on cash we can just buy stashes of fake money at the market.  Once you leave the market there is no denying where you were that day, as the smell saturates your clothes.  You reek of the lovely smell that is the Cambodian Market.  All that to say- it was a unforgettable experience.

After the Cambodian market, we felt like we could tackle anything. In the afternoon, we headed to the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields.  No amount of mental preparation can adequately prepare you for what you experience at these two places.  We arrived at the genocide museum first.  This facility used to be a school, but when Pol Pot’s regime took over Phnom Penh, it was turned into a prison.  Thousands of educated men and women and their families were sent to this facility.  The goal of Pol Pot’s regime was to establish a society of equality.  Therefore any individual who was seen as educated was murdered.  Any individual who was wealthy or held a prominent position in the previous Government was murdered.  They only wanted to keep citizens of Cambodia who would not be a threat, which pretty much left the low-class and farming community.  Victims sent to this prison were tied to the ceilings of their tiny cells so that they could not sit down.  They were often tortured with the hopes that they would give valuable information to Pol Pot’s corrupt Government.  The museum consists of five different sections and you are able to see pretty much everything.  The first two buildings, each with three floors, was used for torture rooms.  In these rooms, some of the torture equipment was left in the rooms alongside of a “bed”.  In the third section we were able to see their cells where they were tied to the ceilings.  The museum also has pictures of all of the innocent victims who were sent to the prison, including young children all the way up to the elderly.  The most difficult part of the entire museum were the detailed pictures the museum has documented.  It was incredibly difficult to look at pictures of people being tortured and murdered.  To say the least, it was an emotional experience.  To get all the intensity done in one day, we headed to the killing fields next.  A little fun fact: the Travel Channel was at the Killing Fields and we were caught on camera, so keep an eye out for us on the Travel Channel, woo.  Again, the killing fields were a lot to take in.  We had a guide who gave us really good information and perspective.  Thousands of people were brought to this Killing Field to be murdered.  When they arrived, most were killed instantly, but as the numbers increased, people were kept in dark cellars until they were ready to kill them.  The Pol Pot regime dug many deep holes where they would throw the dead bodies into.  It was not until the 1980′s that the bodies were taken out of these holes.  We learned that over 2 million Cambodians were killed by the Khmer Rouge, it has been noted to be worst than Hitler’s mass genocide of the Jews.  Something that has been difficult for us, is the mass genocide that Cambodia experienced is something the majority of the world is ignorant of.  The Killing Fields had a mini museum which gave a lot of great information.  One of Pol Pot’s head officers was a man named Duch.  He was one of the directors of the killing fields and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Cambodians, including many children.  About twenty years ago, Duch became a Christian and he is the only head officer who is apologetic and takes full responsibility for what he has done.  He is currently in prison and is still waiting for his trial.  This has been a sweet reminder that Jesus came not for the righteous, but for the sinner.  We are grateful that we serve a God of power.  We are grateful that we serve a God who has provided a sacrifice so that all of our sins are washed away by His blood.  We serve a God of redemption, what a sweet reminder of this.  Although, the Genocide Museum and Killing Fields were difficult, it without a doubt gave us better perspective on why Cambodia is in the current state it is in.

Friday morning we went to our friend Michael’s bakery shop.  He has hired four girls who have been rescued from the sex-trafficking industry to work for him.  They all have baking experience that they learned at an aftercare facility.  All four of the girls are also new believers.  It was incredible to get to see girls who have been rescued from horrible circumstances and have come to know Jesus.  We have enjoyed getting to know these girls.  They are so sweet, full of life, and they radiate Christ’s joy.  Upon meeting them, you would have no idea of the horrible things they have experienced.  When you look at them, they exude the restoring power of the Lord.  They really are a testimony  to the power that Christ has to radically change one’s life.  Michael asked us to lead their morning devotional before work, and then after that it was off to the kitchen.  We had a lot of fun trying to “help” them.  Really we just watched and provided comic relief when we tried to do something.  The highlight of the day had to be all of the dancing.  As soon as Michael left the shop, they became completely different girls.  They were just like our friends that we would hang out with.  They busted out the music, and immediately a dance party was started.  We enjoyed dancing to everything from Beyonce to 1990s rap music.  Which is funny because they have no idea all the horrible words in the rap lyrics but they dance nonetheless.  We for sure learned a lot about what the Lord’s redemption and we got to spend the day dancing in the joy of the Lord.

We had a girls night with Bethany on Friday night.  We had dinner, went to a free wine tasting event, and then saw a double feature at “Flicks”, which is the closest thing to a movie theatre Cambodia provides.  Note to the wise: do not go and see the movie ” The Lovely Bones”, probably the creepiest movie we have ever seen.

Saturday morning began with another trip to Michael’s bakery.  Alli, who is the creator and director of a ministry called Hard Places, asked us to do a “hygiene lesson” for the girls.  We know what you are all thinking: Kristen and Kellie educating on hygiene, that’s ironic!  But, nonetheless, it was a blast.  Alli had us use baby powder to symbolize germs that can be easily spread.  By the time our skit was done, we were both covered with baby powder.  We got a group picture with the girls and once Alli and Michael left, an intense baby powder war occurred.  We were all covered with baby powder about ten minutes later.  It was refreshing to be able to just play and laugh with the girls.  The Spirit is undoubtedly bonding us, and it is already difficult to think about saying goodbye to these precious girls in a couple of weeks.  These next ten days, we will be spending every morning with Michael’s girls and we could not be more exited and fully expectant that the Lord is only going to continue to bless our time together.  Please pray for these four girls. Pray that the Spirit would continue to fill them up with His joy and that He would instill a spirit of boldness so that their bakery can be a light in a dark city.  Michael’s hope is that when the business becomes self-sustaining that he can have the girls run the bakery by themselves.  Pray that the Lord would provide many customers!!

Michael invited us to a cell group outside of Phnom Penh that is in a small town.  The town is full of garment factories.  So most of the town’s population is women because it is mostly only women who are working in the factories.  They move here from the province to make money to send home to their families.  In Cambodia, it is the woman who is expected to provide for her family.  The men here just really do not take any responsibility for their families so it falls on the woman.  These women all work insane amounts of hours in horrible working conditions for about 50 dollars a month.  We went to one girl’s home that she shares with her sister.  The rooms are so small and the conditions are awful.  We could not have felt more welcomed by a small group of believers.  We were the only Westerners in this area and Michael told us, westerners are never present.  After meeting and talking with a variety of men and women we were able to experience home church.  We were instantly put on the spot and asked to do a traditional Khmi dance in the middle of a circle with about thirty Cambodians laughing and clapping at our attempt.  Worship and prayer followed and it was insanely refreshing and good for us to experience Cambodians who are filled with the Spirit and who are passionately following after Jesus.  The man who leads the home church had an amazing teaching, all of which Michael translated for us.  It was so great to see Cambodian men who are leading and loving well, since we haven’t seen much of that at all.  Something that we both admire greatly in these people is the boldness that they possess.  In Cambodia to accept Jesus is rare.  To be Cambodian means to be Buddhist and many of these Cambodians in this house church were the only one in their families who follow Jesus.  This takes a lot of bravery.  Pray for this community.  Pray that the Lord would provide richly for these people.  Pray that their joy would spread throughout the entire community and that hundreds would come to know the Lord.

After home church, we were invited into the home of one of the women there.   We had heard that baby duck egg was a common food enjoyed by many in Cambodia, but by no means were we intrigued to try it.  When we sat down in this woman’s home, five baby duck eggs were placed in front of us.  So, yes, we have eaten baby duck egg.  The first bite is not too bad, it pretty much tastes like a hard-boiled egg.  The second bite gets progressively worst, and by the third and fourth bite, you are eating baby duck eyes.  It is one of those things, we are glad we can say we’ve tried, but something we will not be eating again… unless invited to another home where we are offered it again. Pray that this does not happen, and that if it does, pray for our digestive tracts.  The worst part of the baby duck egg though has to be the belching that follows it.  All night we kept experiencing the baby duck egg aftermath- the nasty taste it leaves lingering in your body only to be burped out later and tasted over and over and over again.

On the way back to the house, it was around 9pm and Michael drove us around the common areas that women prostitute themselves and where the brothels are located.  It is so overwhelming to see the large amount of women that are standing outside waiting for someone to come pick them up.  Most of these women come from the provinces too, and are just living in the city trying to provide for their families.  We also learned that a lot of it has to do with children.  Because Michael, who has spent a lot of time talking with these women, has learned that none of them want to be doing this but there comes a point when they are so hungry and their children are hungry that they prostitute themselves.  It is a way to survive.  Their children have to have food, and because they aren’t educated it is almost impossible to find a job.  We stopped at a bar and went in to have a drink.  We went ahead and asked two of the “bar women” to sit with us.  ”Bar Women” are women who basically are paid to flirt and entertain men at the tables and in personal karaoke rooms (Asians are oddly obsessed with karaoke- it is EVERYWHERE).  As Michael puts it, these women are just allowed to get “huggy- huggy” with the men.  These two women could not have looked more surprised that two American women and 1 American man just wanted to talk.  They told us that we were the first Western women who had come in the bar, we are pretty proud of that title.  They were very honest with us in the fact that they dislike their work, but that they have no other opportunities and have the responsibility for providing for their families.  Our conversations with them were good and they invited us to come back and do karaoke with them, I think we are going to take them up on their offer! Also, next week, Michael is going to take us bar- hopping with him, which we are excited about.  Pray that we would be an encouragement to these women.

Thanks for all of the encouragement and the prayers.  The Lord is being really good to us here, and we are learning a lot about who He is.  We love you.

Missionaries, mosquitos, and motos… January 4, 2010

We have been in Cambodia now for about five days. It’s been a whirlwind, to say the least. The trip here was a good 24 hours long; however, we befriended a large group of South Korean teenage girls. Turns out, they were also on a mission trip to Cambodia as well. They gave us our first lesson on Asian culture. We have mastered the peace sign “cute pose”, the “flower pose” and the “beautiful face” pose. All of which will be documented at a later time. We also met a woman in the airport who is a missionary in a province in Cambodia. Her name was Era and we learned what church planting in provinces in Cambodia looks like through her. Throughout the entire trip to Cambodia, we were blown away by the detail of the Lord’s protection of us. A good five minutes before we left for DFW airport, we were checking Kristen’s e-mail, while simultaneously the Lord made the decision to pop up skype. Seconds after the fact, Bethany was calling, we answered, and turns out you have to have a couple of passport photos of yourself in order to enter the country. We did not have these, nor were we planning on getting them. Therefore, because of the Lord, our entrance into the country was seamless. The Lord kept us safe and healthy on a 15 hour flight to South Korea, and sat us next to a man who straight up asked us about the Bible. It was awesome, we ended up talking about the return of Jesus with him. These last five days, the Lord has kept us digestively secure, despite some strange food. Supposedly, when Korean Air gives you a warm roll, don’t you worry, it is also filled with mystery meat. We discovered this as we devoured our first bite. There have been countless moments in the last five days, like when we almost lost our entire food supply, that the Lord has given us abundant gifts in the midst of our mishaps.

We arrived in Phnom Penh late Wednesday night, and Bethany picked us up at the airport with her two friends, Michael and Frank.  When we got to her apartment, which is no easy task to reach (the steps up to the door are prone to breaking one’s neck due to their steepness), we stayed up and talked with Bethany and her roommate, Ruthie.  Bethany and Ruthie are both full-time missionaries in Cambodia.  Bethany does social work for an organization called Children in Families, and Ruthie is the director of a Cambodian school and is also involved in church planting.  We have had so much fun living with these girls, and the Lord is sharing a lot of wisdom to us through them.  They are both passionate about change and are fully investing themselves in the lives of Cambodians.  They have taught us what it looks like to raise up Cambodians who desire change for their own people and what it looks like to equip them to do so.  We both really feel that one of the reasons that the Lord has brought us here is to encourage and support both of these girls in their ministries.  Our room in the house is wonderful- it’s every young Cambodian girl’s dream.  It is fully decked out in Hello Kitty gear- meow.  It is a cool 90 degrees, which has proven to not be suitable for two women who tend to sweat…. profusely.  Alongside of the heat, we have many friends living in our room, including, but not limited to, some ants and some ferocious mosquitos.  We thoroughly enjoy killing these blood- sucking insects with our mosquito zappers.  These things are brilliant and kill mosquitos instanlty. We are trying to figure out a way to smuggle them back into Texas. We have been blessed with our own bathroom, and the best part is the butt-sprayer that comes with the toilet!  We are still afraid of the consequences of putting it into action.  Apparently, Cambodians don’t think that toilet paper is suffcient because these things are everywhere.  We’re sure we will come to love them, too.

Because of the holidays, Bethany and all of her missionary friends were going to the beach. We tagged along with Bethany, Frank, and Michael to Sihanouk Ville. It was an entertaining to say the least.  It was our first experience with Cambodian driving. The norm in most countries, is to have traffic going both directions, but apparently not in Cambodia.  Instead, there is one open lane and you just drive in your direction until someone comes uncomfortably close, in which you then swerve to the right.  It’s the classic game of chicken, every high schooler’s dream.  Cambodians are a big fan of the car horn, and honks it everytime they want someone to know they are headed their way.  It’s more of  a warning cry as we have seen innocent motos run over for not moving in time.  We spend a lot of time praying in the car.  The overnight trip to the beach was full of really rich conversation with Michael and Frank.  They are two men who are selling out completely for Jesus.  They walk in His power and are allowing their lives to be completely led by the Spirit. Frank grew up in downtown Philly and may be the funniest person either of us have ever met.  Literally, the funniest. He lives in Bankgok, where he works with women and men involved in the sex trade.  Michael speaks five languages, has lived all around the world, and is currently running a cake decorating business to employ women who have been rescued from the sex trade. Oh and he is also only 21 years old. It has been really good for both of our hearts to be around these people.  It is refreshing to be amongst young people who are totally going for it.  Often, we make excuses that we are too young, or not educated enough, or we have to stick to a certain way of doing things.  But these guys are breaking all of that.  These are the kinds of people that the Lord loves to have fighting for Him, and it has already been a blessing to know them.  Through conversations with Bethany, Michael, and Frank we have learned a tremendous amount about how the sex trade works in both Cambodia and Thailand.  We entered into the New Year with thousands of Cambodians holding cameras in one hand and five-foot long Roman Candles in the other (it was quite the experience) on the beach. 

Everyone really encouraged us to visit Siem Reap before their work started up again after the New Year.  Siem Reap is the home to many temples of the ancient Angkor people.  It is the national pride of Cambodia.  To us, all the temples are the same, so in what usually takes people one week we did in 5 hours.  We really enjoyed it though, and it was beautiful.  Through having conversations with people even in this town we are realizing how little these people know about Jesus.  Most people respond with, “Who is that?” when we ask them about Jesus.  It is forcing us to be more comfortable with explaining the gospel to people who have never heard any truth.  All over Cambodia are Buddhist temples with little Buddhas, big Buddhas, baby Buddhas, and a whole lot of incense and flashy lights (for special effect).  We are making jokes, but in all seriousness this country is very lost.  We have realized what a blessing it is to be raised in a country where Christianity is so prevalent. 

Something that has been made clear is the link between poverty and the sex trafficking industry.  Ever since the Khmer Rouge, the country has been fighting to get back on its feet again.  Often times, when a family can not afford food for the week, a sacrifice needs to be made.  Sadly, this sacrifice can come down to the selling of one’s own child.

Tomorrow we will be heading back to Phnom Penh.  We will begin working with the women in Michael’s business, helping them bake and decorate.  All of the women are very new believers, so we are excited about learning from them and their experiences.  We will also be meeting with many people who have been a part of starting ministries in Cambodia, so again, we are excited to gain a better perspective of what that looks like.  We will also be making a trip or two out to the slums to visit women and children with Bethany.  Hopefully, we will get to ” bar hop” with Michael and meet some of the women he has become friends with.  Also, we will be able to go to bible studies and home church with Cambodians and other believers to experience what the Church looks like within Phnom Penh.  We are hopeful and confident in the Truth that the Spirit is very much alive in this country. We are excited to be experiencing the Lord’s power and heart for these people. We will try our best to keep you posted as often as we can.  Thank you for your prayers.  We love you.

Take Hold of That Which Is Truly Life December 29, 2009

Hey guys,

We have created this blog so that our community can travel on this journey with the two of us. As many of you probably already know, we will be leaving on December 29th for Cambodia. We will be there for about four weeks and will be returning back to the states on January 26th. We could not be more humbled by the way the Lord has faithfully brought us to this trip. It has been his power alone that has made this trip possible. He has continued to affirm and bless our action to follow His call throughout this past fall. He has richly provided not only the opportunity to go, but He has also provided us with the means to get there financially. He has undoubtedly been preparing our hearts for this journey and we could not be more confident and hopeful that His spirit is doing and will continue to do powerful things in the nation of Cambodia. We are humbled that we will be able to witness this. Throughout our four week trip, we will both be logging on regularly and writing updates so that you can be a part of our experience. We hope that as the Spirit works and moves within our own hearts throughout this trip, that He also would do so in the hearts of our community back home. We hope that through reading stories that we share and praying for individuals and families, that the Lord would continue to break your heart for the nation of Cambodia and for the individuals who are being effected by the sex trafficking industry.

As many of you guys also know, we will be able to experience multiple ministries and organizations who work with victims of the sex trade. Though we have a vague idea of what we will be doing there, we also have a great deal of freedom to go and serve where we feel led to. Pray for discernment; that our minds, hearts, ears, and eyes would be open to the Spirit’s guidance. Pray for boldness; that we would not walk in fear, but that we would walk in the power of the God that we serve. Pray for a restoration and healing; that we would be able to proclaim the truth that our God is a God who desires to heal his children. Pray that we would bring a message of hope to brokenness, wherever we may see it. Pray for all barriers that Satan may be planning to be destroyed; pray for a friend to come alongside of us who can speak the language of Cambodia and English. Pray for joy; that the Lord would constantly be filling us with a sense of joy that would overflow to those we come in contact with. Pray that we would be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters who are working in Cambodia long term. Pray for powerful miracles to occur. Pray for light to shine over the nation of Cambodia. Pray for safety; that we would find rest and peace in the beautiful Truth that we are under the protection of a powerful and purposeful Father.

We love you guys dearly. Thanks for being a part of this with us