One Last Update

One last hello from Cambodia! It has been a wonderful trip!

While we are here, it is pretty busy. I feel like I barely have time to think and process. Today I actually had some time alone. I was outside walking around, it was actually cool and the wind was blowing--- it was beautiful outside. I was just thinking how privileged we are that at this point in our lives, we get to come here and be the ones to serve. I know that sounds strange coming from me.... most of you know that these trips are hard for me--- they scare me, I am worried the whole time I am here, and it is out of my comfort zone. This year was different though. I really prayed for months before that I would not be afraid, that I would feel a sense of calmness and not fear. Amazingly enough, I did. I had very few moments where I felt nervous or afraid. The funny thing is, this trip is not about me. I often make it about me with all my crazy fear, but it isn't. It is about loving a wonderful God and loving others. It is about letting God be in control of my life. It is so hard to do, and I am usually pretty bad at it! Anyway, I honestly felt privileged to be here and I wanted to share that with you. We really want to thank you for your prayers and your support. It has meant more that you know!

Playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" with Lee

Didi with Matt Kuffel

This girl sews pillows for a place called, "Tiny Kompot Pillows" She is so sweet!

Fun at the orphanage. Lani brought big jump ropes for the kids!

This was the neatest park I have ever been to! This is just 1/10 of the park. It was amazing! You can see the Palace behind the slide.

Dinner with Tan, our tuk tuk driver and his family. His daughter ate the entire 3 scoops for dessert!

I actually teared up when saying good-bye to our dear friends. Tan was such a wonderful part of our time here. We will really miss him!

Here area few pictures of our vacation at the beach. We had a great time! We swam at the pool and hung out at the beach. We of course had foot massages and good food. After, we went to Kompot for a night and saw the Kuffels (missionaries here). We hung out at the orphanage, did crafts and medical exams. I didn't have a change to upload those photos. We are now back in Phnom Penh for a few nights. We have had a great trip and would love for you to pray for us for a few more days. We don't have an update on the little girl who needs surgery. We will let you know when we do.

After a long morning at the Russian market!

Tan is so helpful with the kids!

The night market.... People eating on the mats. There are lots of little vendors you can buy food from.

There is a "talent show" type of thing at the night market. It is fun to watch the Cambodians perform. Justin Davis, this one is for you! I tried to get some thumb action, but was unable to!

Reststop on the way to the beach. It cost 12.5 cents to use the squatty potty!

A wat/statue/god to pray to for safe travels.

Didi on the squatty potty! It is harder than it looks!

BBQ at the beach.

The kids love watching movies in the room when we have down time.

Pool at our hotel. It was an interesting hotel. There were a group of young men staying that had prostitutes coming in and out. It was sad to see.

Trent loves sitting by Scott!

At the beach, ladies come around with fruit, shrimp or massage/pedicure supplies to offer you.


Walking on the beach... the kids were of course soak after!

The BBQ is really good by the beach. Didi ate an entire plate of ribs on her own!

Local barber shop

Andrea and I took a tuk tuk tour of the beach area. It was beautiful. There were monkeys, pretty beaches, lakes and so much green. We loved it!

You can barely see it, the there are three people on the moto with the girl in the purple. One of them is holding an IV bag in the air. They must have just left clinic or the hospital.

The Past Few Days...

Hi Everyone!

Thank you so much for the encouraging emails and prayers. We are doing great! The kids and I just enjoyed a spaghetti dinner cooked in our hotel room. Fortunately, the outlet works by the sink in the little "kitchen" area and I don't have to cook in the bathroom this year :)

On Saturday we leave with the Swards to go on a little VACAY! We are going down to a beach somewhere in Cambodia for about 5 nights. We haven't vacationed here so we are excited! Then we will go to Kompot to work at an orphanage and hang out with the Kuffels. We will spend our last two nights in Phnom Penh and come home on Monday, the 31st.

Here are some pictures from the past few days! Please excuse any spelling errors or mistakes!

AHHHHH! It is Rattanak!!! For those of you who don't "know" him, he is a baby that we brought over to have heart surgery a few years ago. His story is amazing and we really believe the Lord connected us with him! He is doing so well! He is even walking! I about died when I saw him walk. It is the cutest thing ever. He is so happy and healthy! It was a blessing to see him and his family!

A day at my favorite village! We have been there about 5 or 6 times the past few years. We love it. The people and the scenery are both beautiful!

"Battle wounds!"---- Trent gets the worst bug bites! His arm and leg are so swollen with a bug bite of some sort. This was from yesterday, today they look a lot better! We will be thrilled if this is the worst of our ailments while we are here!!! Please pray it is :)

My disgusting swollen feet! I have had cankles the entire time I have been here! They don't hurt. It is just ugly! I think it is from the long flight. The scratch is from when I fell into a thorny plant when I was helping Didi pee. I am very graceful as most of you know. I got 5 large thorns stuck in the back of my leg as well. It wasn't too bad and thankfully it wasn't poisonous or anything!

Beautiful!

This is one of my favorite stories of this year! This is a picture of a church that was recently built. In the photo below, you will see a woman name Sinath. She is one of the main health promoters and she is doing amazing work. We have been able to provide employment to her (with the help of some generous friends/family). Well, this year, instead of keeping the money she made for herself, she gave 3/4s of it to build this church. Another person from Long Beach Friends donated some money and they were able to have it built. She chooses to live in a home that is over that Black River... a home that floods with Black River sewage during the rainy season. Instead of buying herself a new home, which quite honestly, I would have done, she gave the money to this village to build a church. Can you even believe it??? I love her generosity!!!!

Tan and Taliah LOVE each other! He always pretends like he is going to take her at the end of the day! It is super cute. She asks for him when he is not around. At the village, they spent most of the day together!

I love getting to wash the kids hair!

So does Didi! She is such a good helper!

We washed the kids' feet and clipped their nails.

One of the crafts we did.

Didi and Tan, our tuk tuk driver coloring! Adults often like to do the crafts.

This little girl needs heart surgery. Pat and a few others are taking her to the hospital Friday morning. Please pray we can get surgery scheduled for her if it is indeed needed. There is a chance it will be free, and there is a chance it will cost close to $10,000. We will keep you all posted!

From what I was told, you can tell that she has the heart issue she has by her nails..... Pat really needs to do some updating. I am so not medical!!!