Trip to Angkor Wat

Deaf ladies being trained at the Siem Reap Vocational Center.  They did understand some of my sign language!

Mmmm.  A yummy lime shake

One thing we discovered about Angkor Wat buildings: Same, Same, but different (inside joke).

Jonathan and Nancilynn's first trip to Angkor Wat

Our Guide showing us Khmer Apsara Dancing :-o

Touching noses(this picture was HARD to get)

Some of the hawkers that followed us.

 

We had a memorable trip to Angkor Wat this year.  I went with Jonathan and Nancilynn and my friend Jolene Salyers from our home church.  We traveled with a group from Mukwanago Baptist Church who were visiting our co-workers, the Ron Fruin family.  It was memorable in more ways than one!  My kids had never been to Angkor Wat which is one of the more historical places in Cambodia.  It was quite insightful as we learned the history.  We walked our legs off.  I thought Phnom Penh was bad with hawkers.  Siem Reap was an experience!  One girl told me she wanted to marry my son.  I told her he was a little young.  Then I found out she was talking about the teen guys in the group!  I learned what the tourist slogan "Cambodia, Kingdom of Wonder" really meant.  We "wondered" about a lot of things.  We still do ;-).

But the best part was the fact that Jonathan actually witnessed to the tour guide.  Jonathan has really been fascinated by dinosaurs (as a lot of boys his age are) and that has given Tom and I opportunities to teach more about creation questions that he has.  We went to the Smithsonian last year and saw all the fossils in their collection and their take on evolution.  But, when the tour guide was talking to him about the Tonle Sap lake and its evolutionary origins, Jonathan boldly but politely told him that wasn't true and began to explain to him who the true God is.  Jonathan planted a seed and then the next day, we all took turns watering.  He didn't get saved, but we trust that the Lord will continue to work in his heart.

On the way back, we were stuck on the road for 10 hours on a broken down bus, no water, no food, no shade, 8 young people, 1 senior citizen, 1 friend who struggles in the heat, 4 children, a Cambodian couple from the Fruin's church, me and Tina Fruin and NO HUSBANDS. I was single until I was 34 and it never ceases to amaze me how hard it is for me to be decisive now.  Tina and I prayed a lot!

This is how we spent our time while we waited for the driver to fix the bus.

Yeah!  We finally got some food! - 10:00 at night!

 

The Water Buffalo weren't willing to share. Besides, we never really got THAT desperate.

It was a LONG day.

Jonathon and Jonathan talking to some local kids.  The kid in the middle is wearing Jonathon's watch.

We give thanks to the Lord for His wisdom, His grace, and some divine appointments. He sent the brother of the driver our way (who happened to be a mechanic) and Tera borrowed his moto to find water (no food, though). None of the kids fussed at all.  The Lord sent the clouds and a little rain to cool us off.  The Lord sent a newly married couple our way and they towed us - little did we know that they view that a good deed done after a wedding by the newly married couple as good luck.  We found that out afterward.  The Lord allowed us to witness to the family and friends who were there.  They had a generator which they normally do not have so we had light to see by (it was dark by then and still no food).  And, we had an invitation to go back and present the gospel more thoroughly.  Finally, the tour company sent a bus to rescue us and we got some bread for the continuing trip home.  We could see God's hand in it all.  He is so good!

Burdens

Last year, Tom and I made a commitment to read the Bible together and pray daily. We realized that this commitment would be challenged by spiritual powers and by our own flesh! It has taken great grace to rise at 5:30 and often it ends up being later and rushed. Sometimes it's interrupted by children or phone calls - yes, can you imagine phone calls at 6:00 am??? Cambodians are up early! We have tried to keep it sacred. It is becoming more and more sacred as we see the fruit from this time in our lives and in our children's lives and in the lives of our church folks.

I often find myself burdened under cares - as all of us can be at one time or another. I know I'm supposed to cast my burdens on the Lord. But, in the busy-ness of the day, I often forget. I find myself taking on all those cares and my spirit is affected. I get concerned about my children - that I'm missing things, or I'm not being a good mother, or I'm not doing enough as a missionary wife or I'm falling short in this area or that. I won't expose ALL my concerns!

Oh, I know I'm not supposed to worry about those things. I could quote several verses about worry being sin. The temptation to worry is so great. Our human nature is consumed with figuring out the unknown or predicting and protecting ourselves from problems BEFORE they happen.

But today - as happens every day now, I got a nugget. I love nuggets from the Word. It really is like a treasure - like when you get a beautiful piece of jewelry and you hold it up to the light and watch it glimmer and shine and you admire it's beauty - but the nuggets from the Word are even better than that. I'm still turning my nugget around and around. In fact, the psalm that I read was chocked full today, but this one was like the Hope Diamond for me.

Psalm 68:19 was the nugget. I've read it in the KJV and it's always a comfort (blessed be the Lord God who daily loadeth us with benefits), but when my husband read it in the Khmer Bible, it was phrased a little different. It read"blessed be the Lord God who daily bears our burden..." and I was just struck. Why am I bearing burdens, when He bears them already? It was like He said - "I've got that one covered, you go on and do something else." Or, "why are we both carrying this burden?" I've been redundant and I hadn't seen it. I always seem to be ok with the bigger picture, but the little things I figured belonged to me. "Now," He told me, "can you see I've got the little ones covered, too? Yes, Lord, I do. I'm free to do Your will.

The trusting heart to Jesus clings nor any ill forbodes
but at the cross of Calvary clings, praise God for lifted loads

Singing I go along life's road
Praising the Lord, Praising the Lord,
Singing I go along life's road
For Jesus has lifted my load

The pictures show only some of what we've been doing this past few months. The pictures from Kampot are of a piece of property we were given by a church member in Phnom Penh to start a church and also to use the property to raise cattle to help the ministry be independent from the support of missionaries. The men working on putting up the fence around the property began the work of evangelism about 3 months ago. There has never been a gospel witness in that area and there are no Buddhist temples. Vibol, Tia, and Pheip have been teaching the folks in the village who are interested in learning about Christ. There has been a great interest there.

The Svay Roloum Church finished the walls and doors and windows in the church and are now working on getting the inside painted. We just baptized 4 people and welcomed them into membership last Sunday.

Please continue to pray for the many different ministries in which we are involved. Phnom Penh is growing as we have begun an intensive evangelism and discipleship program in two areas of Phnom Penh. Many people are showing a genuine interest in the gospel and are meeting during the week on their own for prayer time and fellowship and encouraging each other in the Lord. We are thrilled for this obvious work of the Lord. Two weeks ago, these folks brought a total of 67 vistors all of whom were presented the gospel.

We are excited about what the Lord is doing!