Welcome

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my blog. It's my opportunity to share some things that won't go in our quarterly newsletter. My hope is that you'll be encouraged in your journey of faith by seeing what God is doing in our lives and those around us. I also hope that through this blog you'll be burdened to pray for souls to be reached with the Gospel in Cambodia.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

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!