Ephesians 4:1-6

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

I read this passage this morning and God used it to weave a blanket of peace over my heart. This scripture reminds me of how our team interacted with one another, and how the amazing children showed us love. We were shown patience; we were patient. We were shown humility, and we were humble. We were shown love, we gave love, and we were loved. We served each other; we placed others before ourselves. We lifted each other up, and we in turn were lifted up. We traveled to the other side of the planet, and experienced God's love. One God and Father of all. Thank you Abba for loving us and loving our brothers and sisters in Cambodia.

Love and Other Drugs

We only arrived in Siem Reap last night and already the withdrawal symptoms have begun. We had a team meeting this morning to talk about transitioning back into the life we left behind in the U.S. and the one we’ll be heading back to shortly. It’s never easy to say goodbye to this amazing group of kids.

On the plane ride over last week, our 747 was equipped with an in-flight entertainment system that offered video games to play and movies to watch on a small screen built into the seat in front of you. After four hours of Tetris, I had had enough and flipped through the list of available movies, eventually settling on “Love and Other Drugs.” You’ve probably seen it – or at least heard of it; it’s about a pharmaceutical sales rep played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who falls for a sick Parkinson’s patient, Anne Hathaway. Anyway, at the very tail-end of the movie, Jake Gullyenhall’s character narrates, “…you meet thousands of people and none of them touch you...and then you meet one person and your life is changed…forever.”

As I thought about that line over the past week, I realized how perfectly it also describes what happens when so many of us come to these orphanages to serve these children. We’ve all met hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children over the course of our lives; but how is it that they’ve never changed us the way Takna has…or Vandom has…or Sreyly…or Sy….or Chhaiya & Pisey…or Kea & Vanna. What is it about these kids? …about this place? …that has such a tremendous and everlasting impact on everyone who experiences it? All of us have wondered that privately; some of us have even discussed it amongst ourselves. How is it that we can meet children everyday day back in the U.S. and never feel such love, Christ’s love, the way we feel it around these children? And why is it so difficult to explain, like Jake Gullyenhall’s character trying to explain romantic love?

I wonder if it’s because of Srey Nath, who weaves a beautiful lei out of flowers to give as a welcome to someone she doesn’t even know yet. Or because of Sivouch, who despite having only known Kasey for a day and a half, held her hand all afternoon and poured such tremendous love and affection into her while she was ill? Or maybe because of Breuch, who gave me a birthday card and a beautifully decorated jar full of very tiny origami figures as a gift for my birthday…which was four months ago – she remembered it from last year! Maybe it's because of Nat, all 89 pounds of her, who grabbed J.B.’s backpack – J.B., the former NFL lineman’s backpack – away from him and carried it to the classroom for him? Or it might be because of little Kea, who despite being physically and mentally handicapped himself, wipes our sweaty foreheads with a cool, damp cloth as we’re working? Or maybe because of Vanna, who massages our aching shoulders when we’re on breaks? Perhaps it’s because of comments like Pisey’s, who when we jokingly teased about winning a million dollars said, “I would rather have God.” And he meant it.

It’s funny, we joke that whenever someone signs up for one of these trips, unbeknownst to them, they’ve actually made a lifetime commitment. They say that of all the mission trips globalX offers worldwide each year, the ones to Cambodia have the highest number of repeat applicants. Why is that? Why are we all so changed? Why do we all keep returning? What makes these kids so addictive? For whatever reason, these kids touch us, they impact us, they change us…forever.

But you know, as I thought about it this week, I realized that maybe the explanation isn’t so complicated after all. Maybe it’s very simple. Maybe the reason we feel the way we do around them, maybe the reason they are constantly on our minds and in our thoughts all year, maybe the reason everyone keeps returning is because these children are themselves under the influence of the most powerful drug there ever was – the love of Jesus Christ!

"I will pray for you"

Last night was our last night with these unbelievable children! We all gathered at the orphanage and had a chance to hang out and play with all the kids! We played games and exchanged some letters! At the end of the night we all formed a circle and shared how important, and thankful we were for each other! We told the kids how they had changed our lives and how much we love each and everyone of them! They are our family now, and we are so thankful that God has his hand on every single kid at the orphanage! Even though goodbye is never easy we all tried to find peace in the fact that these kids are all in an amazing place where they receive love from God and each other everyday!

Today we are heading to Bantheay to hang out with the the kids at that orphanage for a little bit then we will get back on our bus and spend the rest of our time in siem reap reflecting on our unimaginable time with 38 wonderful kids!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support... We saw our amazing God in these kids everyday this week!

Bamboo Train

Reason #817 as to why Cambodia is unique is their Bamboo Trains. Bamboo Trains are roughly 4’x8’ platforms of weaved bamboo, sitting atop two railroad axles with an old, old, old, old Briggs & Straton gasoline motor attached to the rear axle by a pair of rubber fan belts - imagine a Go-Kart on rails. They started out as public transportation, after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, to carry rural villagers into the city. Apparently, the Cambodians eventually saw the financial potential in them because now they are a popular tourist attraction. Western tourist pay to take leisurely rides out to admire the beautiful Cambodia countryside.

Thanks to your very generous financial support, our team was able to wire enough money over ahead of us that most of our work was well underway when we arrived. Conversely, we were able to accomplish our construction goals and still take a half a day off. We spent that half day taking the kids on their very first Bamboo Train ride. I’m not sure who had more fun, them or us. Ratha, the orphanage director, came up with a great idea: we would ride the trains out to a small village west of Battambang to a Buddhist Pagoda high up on a mountainside and have a picnic.

We picked the kids up from the orphanage just before 9:00 a.m. reservations. The train ride out was a blast; we split our party into groups and rode out on five separate trains. The kids laughed the whole time. After about an hour’s ride out, we stopped at a small village and piled into a truck for the one kilometer ride up the mountainside. I think we broke the Guinness Record for the number of people in the bed of a truck. The scene was comical…until we went around a corner and Ratha’s head went through the umbrella of a local woman’s umbrella stand. From then on, we felt it was safer to walk!

I’d say we had to climb about mooray pram steps (500) to reach the top of the hill, but once we were up there the view was worth it. We ate lunch beside a Buddhist temple overlooking all of northwestern Cambodia. Even though the sky was clear where we were, when Ratha called the orphanage his wife said it was raining over there. After lunch, the kids started playing along the trails that networked through the woods and forest on the mountain.

The ride back was a bit tougher. By this time, the bright sunlight, heat and humidity has us all drained and we were anxious to get back to the bus. A few of the kids even fell asleep on the ride back. Thankfully, God intervened in the form of a rain cloud, yet again, and a quick shower brought much needed relief. We also stopped at a (rail)roadside concession stand for a few refreshments. By the time we dropped the kids off back at the orphanage, it was 2:00 p.m. Already a long day, but so worth it to see these kids having so much fun.

Love

Who do you turn to when you need a hand? When was the last time you humbled yourself and served someone else? Jesus left His throne, lived a life on this earth, took our sins to the cross and paid the debt in the only way it could be paid - with his life. He died for you. In this he showed you agape love. These children showed me agape love. These children showed me Christ, and I will be eternally grateful to them and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Jesus Loves You

It has been an amazing week. Come, follow me", says Jesus. He is the Giver of life, the bread of life. These wonderful children, with very little personal possessions, understand the core meaning of this. They have full and complete faith in their Savior. They tell me daily, "Jesus Loves You" & "God Bless You". These are not simple phrases learned in Sunday school. These boys & girls understand that God IS their provider; that Jesus IS their daily bread. They open their hearts and bare their souls to us. They humble themselves and serve us when we came to serve them. These gems in Cambodia, they have my heart. God bless each and everyone of them.

We had another incredible day today at the orphanage! Our team is all healthy, and the work we are getting done is so rewarding. It was quite a bit hotter today than yesterday, but we got so much accomplished.

As you can see in the attached picture, we erected the water tower yesterday. There were a couple of very scary moments while in the process of standing it up. Thanks to John's quick reflexes and super-human strength, we got it in place and stabilized. Today we lifted the tank up. This will provide gravity-fed filtered water to the kitchen area and dorms...something we probably rarely consider not having in our own homes.

Today we also continued brick work on the cook house, and we paved a walkway from the dining hall to the water well. We had so much fun working with the kids, seeing the joy on their faces, and hearing their laughter while Billy sang Christmas Carols (seriously).

Tonight we are taking the kids to their favorite place...a local BBQ restaurant. They have been 4 or 5 times in the last 4 years...the only time any of the kids has ever eaten at a restaurant. It is a an experience of a lifetime to enjoy a dinner with 38 great kids who are SO appreciative of this opportunity to eat out!

Team Battambang

Just wanted to share a picture of our team for every one that has been diligently praying for us. We have been blessed each day with good health and are overjoyed with the love we receive from these children.

L Back - Billy, Michael, Scott, Tad, John; Middle - Stuart, Tom; Front Row - Kasey, Stacey, Sherry, Kathryn, Peter

Can't get much better than this!

Today was another amazing day at the Battambang orphanage! We got most of the bricks for the cook house laid out (thanks to all the men on our team!) but most importantly we had a lot of free time to hang out with 38 unbelievable kids!! Everyday I get to know the kids more and more, and everyday I am blown away by the love and compassion they have for life and others around them! We are having so much fun working with God this week and I know relationships will only continue to grow! Tomorrow we plan to put up a water tower, but plans can change a lot over night, so we will keep you updated on our progress!

Love On

God is showing us many things here in Cambodia. One of those things is love, and He is showing me a new aspect of it. He is reminding me that there is no depth to His love. Through the wonderful children at Battambang New Life Orphanage, Jesus, is teaching us to love "ON" each other. Paul writes us and tells us that love is many things. Jesus commands us to love one another "...By this everyone will know that you are my disciples...". The children love on each of us. The swarm the bus as soon as it arrives. They bring us water to drink, they douse our bandanas in water and cool us down. The boys and girls give us massages and they make sure we take breaks. At the end of the day, the children carry our bags to the bus and swarm it telling us "Goodbye", "God Bless You", & "See You Tomorrow".

Do you love "on" those around you? Humble yourself, place others before you, and love "on" someone else. Your life will be changed forever.

See You Tomorrow!

See you tomorrow - three of the most beautiful words in the world when you're in Battambang, Cambodia with 38 children at New Life orphanage.

We're about to embark on Day 2 in our wonderful adventure at the New Life orphanage where everyday is like Christmas. Our current task is laying bricks for the cook house and John told us yesterday that when all is said and done, we will have more than 4,000 bricks that we will have laid. I wouldn't fathom such a task in the States but with the overwhelming support and help from the children coupled with their love, the labor intensive work seems trivial.

I can think of no greater gift that to be in these children's presence each day this week. A casual phrase of "see you tomorrow" means the world to each member of our team while we are given the blessing of being here.

"Cambodia Rule No.1"

Day 4: Cambodia rule number 1 so dedicatedly communicated by our leader is DRINK WATER. It's hot. Hotter than Florida in August, without the luxury of a pool or beach to cool off in. Drinking lots of water is vital as we are sweating and working hard out in the sun. Stuart constantly looks like he has sprung a leak somewhere from the top of his head :)
Rule number 1 is followed obediently by all of us not only because we need it, but because no one would want to get dehydrated or sick and miss one second of the time we have with these kids. We've used words like "amazing" and "incredible" to describe the kids at Battambang New Life Church, but from experiencing it now for myself, there simply aren't words to communicate the joy, love, and caring that the kids share with each other and with us, and we gladly give in return. Selfishness and materialism do not exist in this place of the world best described by Tom as "a little slice of heaven." We are getting ready to head back over there shortly to begin our day, I can't wait to see what God shows us today in these beautiful children!

Before our first day of construction

Its early here...about 5am, and I suspect most of the team are up and getting ready to start our first day of construction. We never know what to expect when we get over here, and try our best not to set too many expectations about what we can and will accomplish. A couple of things we DO know we will find is plenty of work and a bunch of amazing kids.

We got a preview of the work to be done yesterday as we hung out at the orphanage...the water tower was not installed as we had expected, so we will likely spend some time today getting that up and all in place. We will get started on the cook house, and we need to cut down a tree or two. Most importantly, though, we are all so excited about working along side the kids again...laughing, singing, and sweating!

Got to get ready to head out...we are starting early to beat the heat.

We arrived in Battambang late last night and enjoyed each others company at what we like to call the "gecko lounge" (seating on top of our hotel) We woke up and headed to New Life Church where we saw the kids for the first time this week! Some of us reunited with old friends and some of us were meeting the kids for the first time, but all in all it was an amazing feeling to see the smiles on their faces! After lunch we met the kids back at the orphanage, and we all enjoyed some free time playing volleyball, doing crafts, dancing, and getting to know each other! I can really see God at work in each of these kids....the're all so smart and humble! I look foward to creating great relationships with these amazing kids this week!

Arrival in Phnom Penh

We arrived in Phnom Penh last night around 10:30 local time where we were greeted by Pastor Vek, Samoeun, a handful of the boys from the Phnom Penh orphanage. What a joy to see all of them again!  Waking up this morning we are greeted with the morning sounds a city coming to life.  Another day of travel awaits us as we will be heading up to Battambang after several stops here in Phnom Penh.  Two stops this morning will be at the Killing Fields Memorial and the Phnom Penh orphanage to see the kids.  After lunch we will travel north to Battambang....hopefully arriving early evening.  It is a beautiful morning here in Cambodia!  

Picture of Tonle Sap river and the Mekong river confluence from outside the hotel.

An Easter Miracle

Scott brought up this e-mail I sent out to last years team and I thought it would make a timely addition to this years blog. I hope you enjoy the story and that it inspires everyone headed to Cambodia this year, and also the family and friends that support us, to always be receptive to the miracles God touches our lives with.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I thought, since this is Easter Week, that I would contribute a little real life story from a few years back. It happened one Easter morning when my kids were young and Easter to them was still about bunnies, colored eggs and candy. It was a small thing we witnessed as we got ready to head to church. I've mentioned this in passing to friends, on occasion, who have been duly impressed and quickly offered up the obligatory response of, "Wow, that's amazing." And it was, especially since it happened on the morning that we celebrate the world's ultimate miracle, The Resurrection.

My oldest was about 5 and his brother was around 3. Easter was a big deal to Beth and I and in the weeks leading up to it we had lots of Easter Egg hunts out in the front yard. It was a game the kids loved and so did we. They would wait inside while one of us hid the plastic eggs and then we'd open the front door and off they would go, baskets in hand, straight to the places they last found an egg. It was funny to watch them race past other eggs scattered on the ground beneath their feet as they bee lined it to that special spot they had always found an egg before. I suppose a life message could be drawn from this also but I'll leave that to ya'll to figure out.

In addition to the egg hunts leading up to Easter, Beth would also make an Easter Egg Tree. I would go and hack a small leafless branch off a tree and spray paint it white. Beth would then stick it in a little Easter clay pot she had, put that green plastic grass stuff around it and hang small Easter eggs from all its little branches. She would set it on the buffet in the dining room and then spread more of that green grass around the pot. She'd nestle a couple of ceramic bunny rabbits into the grass and then sprinkle it all with some jelly beans for the rabbits to forage on. All in all it was a very pretty little pagan alter.

On that Easter morning when we came down the stairs into the dining room we found that the Easter Tree was in full bloom. Unknowingly, I had clipped a branch from a dogwood to serve as the Easter Tree. That branch, for all intents and purposes, should have been dead. I had cut it from its source of life, coated it in a hard acrylic paint, stuck it in a dry pot for a week and hung dead weight from its branches. Yet on Easter morning, of all mornings, it refused to give up the purpose for its existence and it pushed out its tender petals through an unnatural shell that constricted it.....and it bloomed.

Was it a miracle, serendipity, a process of biology or just happenstance? You could make a case for any of these as the reason the branch bloomed on that Easter morning. At the time when it happened I was in the, "Wow, that's amazing." camp. But looking back on it now, through the lens of what I have seen and experienced in my life and in Cambodia, my opinion has changed. I have seen miracles in Cambodia. They were real and they were tangible. And now that I know what a miracle feels like I can look back over my life and realize that I walked right past a lot of miracles. Miracles that touched me or those I love. Miracles that changed a heart or charted a different path. Miracles that became obvious in hindsight or miracles so small I didn't even recognize them when I saw them. Like a small little Easter branch that bloomed.

Christ's resurrection could have been God's miracle to end all miracles. After all how do you top Jesus overcoming death, not for his own sake, but for ours. It was the miracle of salvation and redemption. It was such an enormous miracle that it couldn't possibly be ignored, dismissed or misunderstood. But it was and it wasn't. All at the same time. God understands that more people can grasp the finality of the Crucifixion than the hope of the Resurrection. It is for that reason that he still showers this world with miracles both large and small. It is this constant presence of miracles that gives faith the framework to build upon. It is said that all things are possible through faith in Jesus Christ and I believe that God rewards and nurtures that faith with miracles.

I don't know what miracle we will be blessed with in Cambodia this year. We may know it immediately when it happens to our group. It may be with a kid in an orphanage that takes comfort in our love for him. It may be when we get home and God uses the sharing of the experience to touch someone we know. He may use our trip to spread miracles to people and places beyond our comprehension. But every miracle, no matter how small, has the chance to open a heart to faith, then to understanding and then to acceptance of the miracle Christians have been celebrating for 2000 years. That, in itself, is the miracle.

Happy Easter,
Billy Dale

Human Trafficking...

Can you imagine what it would be like to be sold as a child, by your own parent into prostitution? I cannot imagine it. I have read stories of individuals that lived through this ordeal, and my heart breaks wide open for them. Read this story of “Not for Sale”, and see if your emotions flare up.

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/about/slavery/real-stories-from-asia/

Did you want to scream at the injustice of it? Did you want to reach into the story and do anything that you could to change it?

Recently, Tad, a fellow team member of mine, shared information about Human Trafficking in Cambodia with me. Cambodia is at the epicenter of this epidemic as a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking.

Although it is difficult, if not impossible, for some of us to come to grip with this reality of evil, it is a very real issue. Children live a life of captivity. They live a daily routine of beatings, starvation and then ultimately forced into prostitution. Women are also trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in factories or as domestic servants. Men are not immune, as they are trafficked for forced labor.1

In some cases, children are sold with the reasoning “that a life of emotional and mental pain is better than starvation and homelessness.2” In other cases, a single child is sacrificed for the betterment of the rest of the family; a way to secure funds to feed the family left behind.

There is an estimation of 1.2 million children are trafficked each year (world wide), 1/3 of sexually abused children in Cambodia are boys, and human trafficking is the second most profitable crime in the world.2

According to ECPAT International, "Cambodia is a country where social inequality, poor access to land, limited resources for families to meet the needs of their children, low-quality education, deficient social services and weakened institutions-problems exacerbated by 20 years of war – have contributed to the high vulnerability of Cambodian children to commercial sexual exploitation."3

This is not just a Cambodian issue, nor is it an issue that just affects “other” countries. We are not immune here in America. The United States was ranked for the first time in 2010, ... documenting human trafficking and modern slavery, by the Department of State. The report found that in America men, women, and children were subject to trafficking for “forced labor, debt bondage, and forced prostitution."4

We serve an awesome and powerful God. We serve Him with the knowledge that He is the Alpha and the Omega. He has a plan, and it includes you and I. Although sin brings death and decay to this world, our God is more powerful. Pray for these children that are victims of trafficking, pray for those that help them, be BOLD and Shine the Light!

Isaiah 53:4-5 (NIV)

Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

Links to sources & additional information:

1http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/cambodia

2http://assets3.forthesilent.org/

3http://www.ecpatcambodia.org/

4http://www.humantrafficking.org/

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/about/slavery/real-stories-from-asia/

http://www.chabdai.org/home.html

What I See...

I am sitting on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and I see God’s majesty as I look out upon the ocean. This massive body of water, of life; a world in of itself. He holds all of it back with a simple shoreline - an AMAZING display of His power!

I look out as far as I can see. I see beautiful birds that soar above the water. I see a marvelous painting in the sky of clouds and sun. What a beautiful piece or art. I see a wide open sandbox, waiting for the imagination of a child. I see the delight in a child’s face with the accomplishment of kite flying. I also strain to see past the sand, past the waves, past the birds, past the horizon. I strain to see a country that I have not seen; a country that lays past the horizon.

While I am not able to see the destination that my Lord has planned for me. I can see Him all around me. He is in all things; He is my Creator. I place my trust in Him, and I submit to His authority. I eagerly look forward to the day that I get to embrace the children that I have heard so much about in Battambang, Cambodia. Although I cannot yet see them, I know that our Lord and Savior sees them. His love places a yearning upon my heart for them as He prepares me to meet them.

“When I think of all of this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower [me] with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in [my] heart as [I] trust in Him. [My] roots will grow down into God’s love and keep [me] strong. And may [I] experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then [I] will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19, NLT)

Let’s work from God and find out what new things we get to see!

The Adventure Awaits...

The 2011 Cambodia construction team will be embarking on a journey to Battambang Cambodia this May.  We will endeavor to complete multiple construction projects at an orphanage filled with 38 amazing children....The Adventure Awaits.....

Adventure is often defined as an exciting or unusual experience...or may be defined as a bold, often risky undertaking, where the final outcome remains unknown.  Traveling to the other side of the planet, in and of itself,  is an adventure. The same could be said of working on multiple construction projects in the extremely hot, humid, tropical environment of Cambodia.  For the team members, leaving family and loved ones... leaving the comfort of our homes and everyday existence could also be defined by the word adventure.  The word 'adventure' fits and defines a journey to Cambodia in many facets......

But....'Real' adventure will be defined in the journey of our hearts.  Experiencing love and acceptance pouring out of the children is beyond exciting....it is intoxicating, it is extravagant! Witnessing joy, that can only radiate from God, reflected in amazing clarity, through the eyes of a child....to say the least, is unusual. Embarking on a journey into our heart is bold, it is risky, and the outcome is unknown. When you experience extravagant, intoxicating love..... When you witness pure joy emanating from the heart of an orphan that surpasses all depths of your understanding, .....When your hand is held by a child .... and that simple embrace from a tiny hand crushes the very fabric and understanding of your own soul....That is where the adventure begins....that is where adventure is experienced....that is where life change happens.... that is where you begin to experience true purpose.          The Adventure Awaits.....

It is hard to be satisfied with existence, once you've tasted  PURPOSE