Cambodia this week

My Lovely and wonderful "Ladies of Light" Cell group. Every other Tuesday we meet to pray and learn from the Bible. This past week was one of our best yet. I am still in awe of the way the Lord moves when His people pray. Today even now pray for these girls. Both their families and themselves. Most of these young ladies are the ONLY Christian in their family's.

Muslims are everywhere. Mosques are in all most every village. I just don't know what to say about this it is disturbing. The number #1 weapon of the Enemy: Confusion, Deception, Divide and conquer. Ok,Ok he has lots of trick. And I HATE him

Grave plots for the cremated bodies of the ancestors. Their spirits? Either in Heaven or in Hell.

Something of Beauty. I know the Lord has not forgotten to show His glory. He Loves Cambodia, I am glad we were sent here so that Cambodian's can also know that he loves them and how they can glorify God

Hair today, Gone tomorrow?

My recent struggle is hair loss. I am vain, I want to look good, I need to loose baby weight, but now I may be bald before that ever happens! I am humbling myself as an act of faith. I posting my hair loss because I know that the Lord Loves to be glorified in my life. 

I am praying (as vain as it is) that my hair will stop falling. Its some kind of cruel trick that my hair is falling on my head but still growing like a weed on my legs. .  I hardly know any woman in Cambodia who has not struggled with hair loss or miscarriage. These issues are epidemic here. I am likely loosing hair due to the fact that I have a 4.5 month old baby. Many woman loose hair here, and I know that a big part of it is lack of nutrition, but also I believe it is an attack on those who serve the Lord here. The Bible says that Hair is the glory of the woman. Having it all fall out is scary. These pictures may not clearly show it but I am loosing at an alarming rate. Will you take a moment to pray for those of us who work in Asia, for our nutrition, health and even my hair., thank you so much.

Paradise!

Wanna banana? Go pick it yourself from our own yard!

There must be at least 20 kinds of fruits and edible plants in our yard. Each bearing fruit. We have enjoyed tropical fruits such as, papaya, coconut, mango, jack fruit, passion fruit, banana, and many more that I dont know the english name for. Chris Loves the green mango and I love it ripe, our only conflict is weather or not we will let it ripen on the tree or eat it green. Okra grows like a weed we need to pick it every day just to keep up! We are so, so blessed. I feel a bit guilty even just to tell you about it. Like some how missionaries should be starving and poor, but i feel so richly blessed by the Lord that it would be shamefull Not to tell you about it. It brings great honor to the Lord to show his abundance on His children. He is glorified when His riches are displayed. I stand Humbled and in awe! God is SOO GOOD!

Our grass is comming right along, Soon we will have the ability to share it with many children and it will serve as a small bit of green in a dirty big city.

Jack fruit is unique you must try it for yourself

The girls who talk about America and cold weather all the time made a sand snow man. They are asking every day to go to the USA. I praise the Lord that the grandparents will come next month. We all would like to see family more than anything.

Snake

Reprimanded by all the staff at the church for not saving this snake, we are told this kind is the most expensive and delicious to eat. Would it have eaten us? well I am thinking no, but we didn't want to take any chances. I HATE snakes! Since the garden of Eden I am sure many people hate them. But with a yard comes new fun adventures. More rats, (they chewed in threw my screen window and ate 2 eggs) and more lizards, bugs, mosquito's and Snakes! Oh, I guess you may wonder how the rats got my eggs? Well in Cambodia all eggs from chickens are brown, and they are never found in the refrigerator. Eggs don't actually need refrigeration until they have been washed.

I still would not trade my yard but... snakes. really? Do I have to have snakes? Well I would gladly take a snake (as long as no one gets bit) If it means I get to wake up at this house every day for the next 2 years.

Prayer request! This seems to be dengue season. Mosquito are biting like crazy and many people are getting sick. I have a friend and 4 of her 6 children are in the hospital right now with dengue. Will you please pray for our protection. Also if any of you have connections with Avon, they sell a oil that keeps the bugs off and is safe for kids. Its "skin so soft" We are running out of that product and could use more, if possible.

In the Green

How  do I capture the Craziness of our life? Grass! 
An incredible blessing from generous givers! Thank you all. The day after we sent notice that we would like grass, we were provided with the full amount! I was so overwhelmed with gratitude! Of course there are other things on our wish list. A dining room table (we are currently eating on the floor), an air con unit for at least one room, a new bed for the girls. a water heater for early morning or night showers, chairs, and other things. But for me grass was at the top of the list. Above dining room table apparently :)

We will be renting the house for 2 years I didnt want to miss a day with out grass for the kids to play in. It has been years since we had a yard. I am so amazed and greatful. Truly the Lord is so good!

Notice with me for a second how much larger Chris is than his sod buddy Sina. If that sight is not enough to make you laugh, let me tell you the story of how it came to be that Chris was in charge of the grass project.

For Christmas I wanted one thing, grass. Chris came threw and made it happen, but in typical Cambodia style it was not easy, or what we expected.

We found several company's who would be able to put in grass. The Lowest of the bids was 500 dollars. That was a full 2 hundred dollars over the amount we estimated. It is after all a rental house, I could not justify more money. After discussing and looking at pictures on an Iphone of grass, we thought it was clear. We wanted short wonderful American style grass! Something the kids could lay on. The "japan grass" and the "Malaysia grass" were offered as the best they could do. So we chose the cheaper option of the Malaysian. The ground needed to be leveled and dirt brought in. It was supposed to get there at 9am. 

They called at 10 to say that the dirt was in a far away village and would have to be brought on Sunday, we could not be home that day so Chris agreed to Monday, taking a half day off work.
The men came to play at 9 the next morning. I say play because they did no actual work.  They stared in my windows in the morning as we ate breakfast, they played with dirt clods, they danced and fixed their hair.
I didnt want my girls near them so we left, Chris stayed home to make sure they would not steal. At 2 pm I returned home to find them RIDING MY DOG! I was so angry! "Chris" I yelled "they are going to break her hip! " Chris who was tolerant until this point went out and told them they were wasting our time! They then began to work. So much for Chris going into the office, they finally finished at 6pm, it was Not a very big job. At 8am the next day they were back, but with the wrong grass!!

It looked like a mess of weeds, long and branchy. Not at all like the short, full, golf grass I had pictured. We told them to take it back it just wasn't right. They dumped it in front of our house and left. The day was getting hot so Chris hurried to the shop and tried to get them to be reasonable, we still had a picture and this was not the grass. In the end he decided to give us a 120 discount and we would need to install it our self. Chris called a guy from the dorm and together they laid sod all day. Chris got a terrible sun burn. But the worst of it was that it was dry and brown. God then sent another dorm boy who happen to be a farmer to come help. He came for dinner but when he saw our lawn he rolled up his pants and got to work . That boy was able to help "set " the grass and save the lawn. I am so grateful. We are still nursing it back to health but already I am so blessed each time I see it. Yes its not the short kind, but it is grass!! and in a few weeks my kids can play on it.

Staff Christmas party 11

I think I have been dubbed "game lady" because I am now regularly being asked to be in charge of games during events. For this I am very glad, I love to run games! Above I am explaining the rules before we get started. Prizes included tooth paste, laundry soap, and shampoo. Games included pictonary, Wink murder (Mafia), and a self invented game called "bong tom" or "big guy".

IN the Bong TOm game the teams line up and rush to a pile of Chris's clothing. They must put on the clothing and run to a designated spot, and back again. The next person must then do the same, and so goes the relay. Being Chris is Not easy!! He has 4 kids you know, so the most important rule is that you must do all tasks holding a baby and Never drop the baby. Pastor Sopea was crying he laughed so hard. It was a huge hit. It goes to show if you cant laugh at yourself... by all means laugh at someone else.  And NO they will never play with my clothing. I am not as eager to laugh at how huge I am in comparison to them . 

Dont drop the baby! ha ha ha. It was just so funny, I think none of them really realised how much BIGGER chris is! No one could even hold up the pants. Old and young alike had a grand time.

This party celibrated the staff of our church, we played games, they each got their Christmas bonus, we ate together, and of course heard a great message from the Bible.