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.