Bong

It's official. I am LIA staff. Cool beans, huh? I think so. The pay's nothing to bank on, but the benefits are priceless. The only title I hold here is Bong, which means elder sibling (Yeah, the language is that thorough. Moreso than ancient Greek even!) As Bong I have authority over & responsibility for my younger sibs, but I also get to enjoy the commaraderie of being "one of the kids." In other words, I get to boss them around & hear their secrets. Hahahaha!

I love every one of my little brothers & sisters very deeply. God has given us genuine intimacy with & sincere affection for one another. I do some stuff for them, sure, but they're for me as well. Really. Just tonight, a few of the children gave Jame & me a big bag of fruit simply to love on us. Waaaay more fruit than we can eat, to be sure. We each took a little & Jame will give the rest to the poor children in his neighborhood. A bag of fruit (I don't know what it's called, but it's delicious) may not sound like much to people who give each other new clothes, video games & cars, but here giving food in any amount is a HUGE gift. Not to mention the fact that fruit is a treat, not part of the ordinary diet. So, to receive a big, honkin' bag of it.... Wow!

Another evening a few of my brothers could see that I was upset about something despite my best efforts to conceal my emotions. I've learned that when you know someone's heart, you have only to see their cheek to know how they are feeling. My brothers know my heart, for sure. They rallied round me like you would not believe. Merely recalling their concern & compassion overwhelms my soul.

Even the littles show their love for me in the sweetest, albeit strangest, ways. Here grooming one another is a great sign of affection. So, when the littles show me their toenails need clipping or their ears need cleaning, I know I am well loved. When they nit pick me (literal nit picking) & scrape the dusty crud out of the inner corners of my eyes, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they absolutely adore me.

I have no doubt that my brothers & sisters would do anything & give everything for me. And, I for them — same, same, no different.

Mostly what I do for the children is pay attention as a real bong should. Easily, 2/3 of Cambodian communication is done thru facial expression & body language. I suppose that's a fact on an international level, but here the unspoken communication is far more complex & far more important than I've ever heard of happening anywhere else. For example, it makes a big difference which direction your eyes move while you're speaking. I'm not just talking about up or down, I'm talking about diagonally up to the right, quickly to the left, a glance at the ground. Eye movement is just one way of communicating. Eyebrows is a whole 'nother thing. As are the mouth, the hands, the feet, shoulders, etc. (If you're thinking about coming over, no worries, it's understood that foreigners are poor communicators & Cambo's don't hold much against you. Hahaha!)

I am finding the children & I speak less but communicate more. Ain't that something? For example, this evening I asked Srey Pick why the older girls didn't attend a youth meeting they were very excited about this morning. She slumped just a bit with hands folded in her lap, glanced slightly downward to the right, then downward center. I asked again, "Srey Pick (saying a person's name in conversation is also a big deal & sometimes the only thing that needs to be said), why you not go to youth? Srey Pick, why?" She looked me in the eye for a few seconds, then glanced straight left, then downward to the right again as she leaned back in her seat. I had my answer; a full explanation including how she was feeling about it. I can't tell you the reason because part of the message was a request for confidentiality. Hahahaha!

I do other stuff for the children too, but none of it would mean nearly as much as it does to them without the "real-bong" factor. It's really the lifetime committment between us that makes the other stuff deeply meaningful. Like the recent boys' underwear purchases I made. Lots of people have bought my sibs unders & my sibs have been thankful, but there's something different about their bong taking them to market. Others have given unders because orphans need underwear. I bought unders because my brothers need underwear.....Calvin Kleine knock-off underwear that hangs out of the top of their low riders all cool like.

Photo: Big, hairy grapes

8/29/10
Praise God for...
~His astounding mercy
~His constant provision for every single need
~laughter. It does a body, soul & spirit good.
~the FABULOUS service work my brothers & sisters are joyfully doing
~His grace that turns intended harm into actual good
~young lives transformed by the loving Spirit of Jesus
~the realization of LIA's 2-year prayer request for a kindie (preschool) program here at the team house

Petition God for...
~the precious & treasured souls of the guys who snatched my bag
~redemption of the cleverness of the people who stole my ID. Their intelligence & ingenuity can bring God a good deal of glory once they know Jesus.
~ridiculously obvious direction in the decisions I need to make
~increase in trustworthy & sincere LIA staff

Personal Notes:
~Turner Family, God's peace & joy to you! You & yours are on my mind & in my heart. I also want you to be assured that your investments here are paying off in HUGE & ETERNAL dividends. Thank you soooooo much for your support. You are literally changing Cambodia. I can see it happening! Glory to God!
~Peg Miller, my big honkin' response to your concerns was lost in the email hijacking. Here's the short version: OK, I'll pray with you about it with an open mind. Thank you for being real. Thank you for caring for my family. I love you too.
~Isaac Roe, it's an honor to be your mom. I love you, Son.

WARNING: Becky's email account was hacked!

Several people have gotten emails saying Becky is in Cypress, her wallet was stolen, and she needs $1500 to get home. IT IS NOT TRUE. We believe someone hacked her account or something. Her Yahoo email account has been shut down by Yahoo for at least 24 hours, but she was able to text David today to tell him about it and to let him know none of it was true. So DO NOT RESPOND to that. If she sets up a new address or if I get an update that all is well, I will post it here.

If you feel led to give money to put towards bringing her home, of course that would be wonderful, but get that to David and do not go through her email address! :-)

Thanks!
Kelly

Bright Little Brother

Being the youngest child in my family, I always wanted a little brother or sister. I am thrilled to have dozens now! And, bonus! I don't even have to share my toys with them! Hahahahaha! The "little" brother I admire most is Bright. He's more than a foot taller than me, as you can see, & tickled to be called "Little Brother." Let me tell you about him. (read: I'm about to brag on my sib.)

Bright is a 19 year-old university student who dreams of being a Cambodian ambassador. His aspiration stems from a deep desire to help his people. I am so very pleased that Bright is looking toward the big picture concerning his country & is willing to shoot high to improve the country's well-being & standing in the world.

Bright bikes to the university where he is studying english. He pedals one hour (each way) for 30 minutes of instruction rain or shine. Here "rain or shine" is more accurately descibed as incredible downpour or bone-melting heat. When I commented on the distance, Bright replied with a smile, "Maybe God is testing me & I want to pass the test." Despite the long ride six days a week, Bright is very grateful for the opportunity to attend school. He knows he is privileged to have this opportunity, especially because it is a good english course.

After class Bright returns to the girls' house with a few of the younger boys to teach english to the middle children (we call them littles, middles & olders). The children have great respect for Bright & appreciate & enjoy learning from him. He also leads evening worship at the boys' house & teaches them from God's Bible. In addition, Bright is of great help at both houses where "a man's work" needs to be done. This includes, but is not limited to, "mowing the grass," which is actually squatting to pull up grass from the relatively spacious yard to keep the mosquito population to a minimum.

Bright has agreed to tutor me in Khmer (k'my), the language of Cambodia, for the month of August in exchange for a english thesaurus. I will also continue helping him with english pronunciation, vocabularly expansion & idioms. He's quite eager to learn all he can of the english language & is tickled pink over my help. I give him my copy of The Cambodia Daily every afternoon to practice reading & pronunciation skills; he reads select articles to me & I explain & correct as we go. I also answer questions he has about english he's heard around town, on the radio, etc.

Bright is a natural leader at the boys' house being the elder brother, but he has been shy to give the boys much direction & correction when needed. Affection, comfort & encouragement, he has down pat tho'. Jame & I have encouraged him to accept the role God's given him there at the house especially because the male staff members have recently left LIA's Cambodia ministry. Bright is "the man of the house" now, so it is important for him to move confidently in his position. Please pray with us for Bright. He is a very gentle, gracious & grateful spirit with an underlying strength that will aid & protect his younger siblings as he takes hold of the responsibility God's given him.

I love the photo of my little brother & myself here, but I wish I had one of us embracing. Out of respect for elders or those in greater authority, one makes his head lower than the shoulders of the "bigger" & it's comical to see Bright stoop halfway over to put his head under my chin as we hug. He's even taller than it appears in this photo because I'm standing on a bit of rise beside him. Bright is so humble & so sweet, he never avoids a hello, or good-bye, or thank-you, or I-love-you hug with me in spite of the awkward discomfort it involves for him. (I didn't think to pack my Stilleto's this trip. Hahahahaha!)

If you'd like to send a note of encouragement to Bright regarding his pursuit of education, his desire to be an ambassador for his people, or his new role as "team captain" at the boys' house, please email it to me at beckyroehere@yahoo.com Your loving words will lift these children to heights they'd never reach on their own, so please prayerfully consider the idea & take action as the Lord leads.

7/30/10
Praise God for...
~the relationships He's developing for me & children
~warmish water for the afternoon shower
~clothes for the boys who needed them
~the Sunday morning treat of REAL coffee!! (Double Jesus cheer with a jump!)

Petition God for...
~the salvation of lost souls
~God's "cords of kindness" to draw the guys who snatched the bag
~opportunity & means to resolve the visa issues (corruption funds are very high here)
~a simple & successful surgery for Dave (10 August)

A big honkin' thank-you to:
~Mike & Shirley for faithful prayer support.
~my Zeph Sisters' upcoming flip flop contribution. You love well!
~Nancy Rodenbeck for writing to Doc. You blessed his socks off, sister!
~Kelly Stanley for being magical here on the blog

Personal Notes:
~LIA-Cambo Kindie has opened! Yippee! Look for more info in an upcoming entry.
~Sherry Warner, yes, I've lost some weight, but don't worry, it's worth it to "eat doughnuts all my life."
~Glen Taylor, I'm thinking of you, brother.
~Grace & Mercy, miss you so, so, SO much, but... "I just cain't turn back nooooow!"
~Isaac Roe, I love you more than you know.

Another Cambodian (they're all over the place here....BAW-Hahahahahaha!)

I'd like to introduce you to another Love in Action (LIA) child, Kim Loun (Kim Loon), whom we've nicknamed Doc. About 10 years ago, when Doc was about 4 or 5 years old, he was discovered sleeping on the streets alone. He was taken to Sisters of Mercy Orphanage, but refused admittance because he was too old. I know it seems cruel to refuse any child for any reason, but you must understand there are soooo many abandoned & orphaned children here that unless agencies set some sort of restrictions they'll be quickly overwhelmed. ('Course Ruth, being the exception to nearly everything Cambodian, has too much faith in God to set such restrictions.) Ruth took him in as one of the first LIA children in the Cambo ministry.

The only thing Doc knows about his first family is that his mom couldn't take care of him when he was little, after he was abandoned his mom married for a second time producing a sister (who lives with an uncle) & that his mom is no longer alive. What he's told me about his current family is that "I SO much love Mommy Ruth & the kids. I'm so happy to God for bringing me to LIA. We eat & go to school & play & have many happy times together." I think Doc is the most grateful child I've met in Cambo.

Doc very much enjoys his role as a youth leader in his congregation. He teaches Sunday school for 7-10 year-olds after attending his own Sunday school class. He's also a skilled drummer for his congregation's youth band & is a popular fill-in in for other musical praise teams. In addition to church activities, he's an enthusiastic participant in a guys' Bible study group. When I asked him what his favorite Bible verse is he said, "Oooooh, I like best the verses in Matthew & John. And I like all the verses in Proverbs because they make me know which way to go in life." Hahahahaha! So many favorite verses is certainly evidence of Doc's love of God's Bible, eh? He's also a big fan of dancing before the Lord & regularly attends dance parties hosted by a youth minister's family. They close the curtains, crank up the music & go at it until they're thoroughly exhausted, which for healthy young people is hours on end.

Doc, as we say in Cambo, "has very good english," & translates for english-speaking teams & guests....& me. He went with the group I came with in May to a medical clinic in the village (the boonies) where he translated for Dr. Mark Truax & now wants to go on every village clinic as translator, "to help the poor people know how to get healthy."

God has clearly designed Doc to be a medical missionary in the province (the countryside) of Cambodia & Doc knows it. He told me, "It is not my choice, but God's choice, so I must do. And I want to do! I can be very happy to help the poor people. They soooo need help because they are so poor. I cannot not help them." His desire is to finish high school in a school where he can have english classes taught by someone whose first language is english (so he can "learn the proper accent to pronounce all the words correctly."). English is very important to Doc because he knows much of Cambodia is dependent upon the help given by foreign NGO's & mission teams, & he wants to help them help the poor. Mark Truax can certainly attest to the value of such help in helping the poor! After highschool, Doc hopes to attend university in America. He thinks American med school must be best because that's where Dr. Mark attended school & "he is very great doctor who knows how to help the poor people." Not to mention the fact that Doc's counting on the great Dr. Mark to help him study & learn well while in med school. (big cheesy grin to Mark)

Doc has great ambition, plenty of determination & incredible enthusiasm to fulfill his earthly duty to Christ as a medical missionary to the province. The only thing he lacks is school funds & encouragement from others. Please pray with Doc asking God to make the way for him to attend a highschool with a barang (westerner) english teacher (those schools are quite expensive at upwards of $50 per month) & a way to an American medical school. If you would like to write a note of encouragement to our brother Doc, please email me at beckyroehere@yahoo.com You probably have no idea what incredible impact a few encouraging words can do for this precious brother in Christ, so please really, prayerfully consider this.

7/27/10
Praise God for...
~teams of people who come in to minister Jesus.
~difficulties that cause us to come down lower in the world so we can come up higher in Christ.
~the incredible power of the human touch. It reaches beyond skin to spirit.
~those precious few who can say, "Follow me as I follow Christ."

Petition God for...
~the salvation of lost souls. It's our great duty & privilege!
~the redemption of those guys who snagged my bag. What a powerful testimony they'll be for Christ!
~a complete stop to child rape.

A big honkin' thank-you to:
~Mike & Shirley for earnest & diligent prayer help.
~Tracey Golder for being always encouraging.
~Jame Khunrich-Roe for keeping Mom fed until money comes in.
~Rich Young for living Hebrews 10:24. Bless you, brother.
~Harvest Fellowship for a generous donation to cover what was stolen.
~Grace & Mercy for a financial donation to the ministry here.

Personal Notes:
~Linda Graham, "give it you" has energized me when I needed a boost. Hallelujah!
~Mark Truax, Debi has an email for you....I hope.
~Isaac Roe, I love you more than I knew a human could.
~God willing & Jesus tarries, the nursery will be open this week! The ground-level apartment of Ruth's place will eventually be a babies' home where infants & toddlers can receive the stimulation & nurture they need. To begin with tho', I'll be bringing the 1-6 year-olds over two or three times a week for a type of pre-school. I'm looking forward to reliving the fun days of blocks & books & cuddles & a thousand new discoveries.

Srey Moot

I think I'm turning Cambo already. I only speak in complete sentences to my husband Dave & here on the blog. The rest of the time, I speak easy for you to know good (typed in the Cambo accent LOL). Ruth took me out for a western supper & it tasted funny to me. I turned the fan off because I got chilly. And, the real clincher: I saw a couple barang (white people) in our neighborhood & got suspicious. BAH-Hahahahahaha!

Srey Moot (western pronunciation: Sree Moot, proper pronunciation: sree mt)

I have been given an orphan of my own! Well, sorta'. Ruth has given me charge of one of the older girls, 14 year-old Srey Moot. She's my new roommate & we're rarely apart. When I do have to leave her at the house or at school she cries a little & begs, "Quick, quick," meaning she wants me back very quickly.

Srey Moot is from the province (the countryside), so she's a bit different from her housemates who were born in the city. She's not into clothes & make-up & magazines like the other "big" girls. Srey Moot prefers books & games & working along aside me or the new housekeeper. She's a very reserved girl....at first. Once she's warmed up she's a real hoot. She loves to laugh & joke around.

When Srey Moot's mom died some years ago, her dad put her & her little brother out because she's a girl & they were too small to work in the fields. She has other family, but they, too, are unwilling to take care of them. So, they're LIA children. It's the best thing for Srey Moot really. In the province, opportunities are very limited. There girls can either escape to the city (which is never as wonderful in actuality as it is in theory), become farmers' wives if they work hard enough, or become "for rent" girls (a form of forced prostitution in which the girl gets raped & the parents get paid). Yeah, LIA is the best thing for her really.

Ruth let her come stay with me because Srey Moot is a great help & will fare better away from the other girls her age who pick on her for her simple country tastes & ways. It was God's good timing too! Just a couple days after Srey Moot moved in with me, a man came by the girls' house asking for her. The lady of the house told him she lives at Ruth's now. Later that night he phoned Ruth saying he wanted to pick Srey Moot up for a visit & that he is her big brother. Uh...Srey Moot doesn't have a big brother. Then the guy says he's her father, then said he wasz calling for the father. Please, pray for this perv.

We're not afraid of the guy, whoever he is, but we're taking some precautions. Jame & I take her to & pick her up from school every day & have instructed the administrators that only I bring her & only I pick her up. We also keep her with us as we run errands & make visits & such. She's never beyond my arm's length. Actually, she's very rarely out from under my arm because she's so affectionate toward me. LOL Whatever we're doing, she's doing, if at all possible. When we do have to leave her at the house, someone else is always here with her & the gate is locked.
Srey Moot knows very little english & I know even less Cambodian, but we're helping one another learn. I can count all the way up to nine now! We've worked out a pretty good system of communication which includes gestures, facial expressions & acting things out. It's really quite fun...& funny. I think we're both progressing in our own made up language than in each other's languages. LOL Some things just don't need words tho'. We developed a closeness during my first two visits & that's increased tremendously since living together. Many times we can just look at each other & know what's being "said." Love knows no language barriers, praise the Lord of Love!

7/18/10
Praise God for...
• my Zephaniah Sisters who came thru with the needed funds for a new passport/visa!
• being glorious in the storm, I mean literally, a monsoon rain. Awesome!
• love beyond words that breaks the bounds of language barriers.
• small town bankers who know you well enough to get around the rules.

Petition God for...
• the salvation of lost souls. Nothing makes Him happier.
those precious souls who swiped the bag. God loves them & so do I.
• postal mercies. Dave has to mail me a new ATM card.
His wisdom in loving each child well.
• *especially* for Dave's family as his dad is now receiving hospice care.
• Jame to understand that it's OK for visiting teams to treat me like a servant because that's what I am.

A big honkin' thank-you to:
• Mike & Shirley for keeping me at the top of the prayer list!!
• The Zeph Sisters for bailing me out.
• The Turner Family for faithful financial support.
• Ruth Golder for the loan of a digital camera.

Personal Notes:
• May Group, came thiiiiis close to smoochin' a monk today.
• Kate, how far are you in your Bible reading plan?
• Isaac Roe, I love you to the moon & back 62,000 times.

Our Favorite Cambodian - Part Two

First a brief bit about the bag snatching, in case you haven't heard. Jame & I were on our way back to Ruth's from a lovely Sunday "time off" around the city when two young men on a moto sped by the tuk-tuk grabbing my bag as they passed us thru a red light. Jame started to follow, but saw a knife in the passenger's hand & a gun in the driver's belt. Thank God, I mean literally right this instant thank God, that for the first time I did not heed the "expert's" travel advice to carry my bag diagonally across my body because the knife was for a "cut & run" maneuever which involves the crook grabbing the bag & simultaneously slashing the strap....& the bag owner's back. We're both fine & are on day two of muddling thru the ridiculous amount of paper work & the waiting in line to wait in another line to get an appointment to wait in another line in order to get a new passport & visa (which involves a trip to Thailand, Laos, or Vietnam. Go fig.). The costs are astronomical, but we're trusting God to replenish the cash supply I was carrying & to provide the money it will cost to replace my identification, as well as working out some way for me to get monthly monies from the U.S. now that my ATM card is gone. We've also determined to pray for the salvation of those precious souls who nabbed the bag until we know they are called by His name. I'll be thrilled to see them in glory & we'll have a good laugh about how God used bad for good.

Now we return to your regularly scheduled blog entry.

"Great account of Jame," you say, "but how in the world did you get adopted by him?" I'm very happy to tell you. I was truly at least as stunned as you probably are. I've been involved in a host of strange stuff, but being adopted by a 38 year old stranger in a foreign country certainly makes the top 5 on the list.

Ruth called Jame to be the team driver for the group I came with in May. I first met him when some of the group wanted me to accompany them on a trip to one of the markets for a little souvenir shopping. Upon arrival at the market I told Jame that I would wait with him in the tuk-tuk while the others shopped. He drove around the corner where we sat at a small cafe table drinking bottles of water in front of a fan. The conversation began in the usual Cambo way, "What is your name?" "Where are you from?" "How long you stay in Cambodia?" After I answered the greeting questions, Jame looked at me for a few moments, then boldly announced with a bigger than life smile "You are my mom. You are my real mom."

The astonished expression on my face must have clued him that I needed more explanation before I could participate in his joy. He explained, "Since I am 3 years old, I pray for a real mom who will love me. Today da Fadda said, 'Today look & you will see your real mom.' So, I see you. I see dat when we come to market you not look, 'I wan' dis, I wan' dat, I buy all tings.' I see you are looking at da people. An' you don' look at dem bad. You really see dem. An' I see you tears. I see da tears in you heart. I close my eyes behind my sunglasses so no one sees & I pray in my heart so no one hears, 'Fadda! Really!? Dis is my mom!?' & da Fadda says, 'Yeeeesssss.' So, you are my real mom."

My first reaction was plain ol' amazement. I was just got that a stranger would so suddenly & so assuredly make such a whacky announcement. My second reaction was suspicion. Yes, he was right about what I was looking at from behind my sunglasses, but soooooo many people in this country are looking for a foreigner to lay out wads of cash for the sake of pity, I could not reasonably trust his claim as godly discernment. (I have since discovered that Jame has one of the keenest gifts of discernment I have ever even heard of.) I asked him a few questions trying to get a handle on his angle, then told him I would have to pray about it. My lack of belief did not diminish his enthusiasm at all....not even a little bit. He simply said, "Gooood. Da Fadda will tell you," then went on & on about how happy he was to have me for his mom & how much he would do for me to prove he is a good son & how I'm the best mom in the world for him. If nothing else, the guy's got tenacity, to be sure.

Upon returning to Ruth's after the shopping spree, Jame touched my arm & asked what time I get up in the morning & what I would like to do the following day. I laughed telling him that I rise about 4:30am & I like to drink coffee first thing. I thought sure that would put him off. I was wrong. He told me that the earliest we could get coffee is about 7:00am & he would be waiting for me. Sure enough, 6:45am I opened the driveway's gate to find him standing beside his tuk-tuk with that same bigger than life smile, "Good morning, Mom! Coffee?"

True to my word, I prayed about Jame & his kooky claim for three days & nights. From day one I sensed God's approval, but it just seemed so crazy I could scarcely consider the idea, let alone surrender to it. On the third night God's grace (God doing for me what I cannot do) blew me away. In prayer, I was overwhelmed with a real motherly love for Jame. Now, if you're a parent, you know what I'm talking about. A parent's love is not merely a thought or an emotion, rather it is actually a state of being. It's inexpressible love that permeates one's whole heart-intellect, emotion, will & very character. It's not something you do, it's something you are.
I thought surely the heat, or the food, or the noise, or something had gotten to me & was making me loopy. I went to Ruth & laid out the story & what I was experiencing knowing she would lovingly knock some sense into me. In her usual gentle way, she looked at me with glistening eyes & spoke softly in her sweet Ozzie accent, "Aaaaw, Bec. God does stuff like that. Isn't He good?" Now, Ruth is so close to God, I wouldn't doubt that she knows His shoe size & favorite song. I trust her completely, so her response was just enough confirmation for me to totally give in to the astonishing thing God was working in me. I couldn't love Jame more if my name were on his birth certificate.

6:45am next morning I opened the gate with my own bigger than life smile & said, "Good morning, Son! How are you?" Actually, I said, "Good morning, Son! How are yiff," because I was taken into an off-the-ground bear hug as soon as "Son" passed my lips.

Because of the way Jame has been treated by other "moms" he's had (his "first mom" & the "house moms" at the orphanage), he's been terribly worried that I will stop loving him & abandon our relationship. He's confessed to me innumerable times that sometimes he's afraid to go to sleep because if it's his last day to have me as a mom, he wants the day to last as long as possible. He's never had real love thru another human being. Never. Every single person he has ever loved has suddenly died or otherwise forsaken him. Dave & I have prayed & prayed for a way to convince him of our unconditional, unending love for him. He doesn't "get" family love because he's never had it. Praise the Lord for responding to our pleas! Depending on the Spirit for words, I wrote a short love note to Jame the other night, which he proudly calls a contract, &, glory to God, it has convinced him that I understand what kind of mom he prayed for & that I truly am that kind of mom-a real mom who really loves him. And, no, I'm not telling you what the note says. Hahahahaha! I will tell you that we call it the "What is true contract" & I included Philippians 4:8 telling him that when the bad thoughts come he can re-read the contract to know what is true. Not only does he read it at night, he keeps it in his wallet where he can touch it frequently thru'out the day....with that bigger than life smile I so dearly love.

7/12/10
Praise God for...
• keeping Jame & I safe during & after the bag snatching.
• replacing the losses incurred at the snatch. I know He is.
• His love to us & thru us. He's more incredible than we know!
• laughter. Without it, we'd go crazy sometimes.

Petition God for...
• merciful, generous blessing upon the robbers.
• the salvation of lost souls!
• the growth of the little house church next door.

A big honkin' thank-you to:
• Mr. Wonderful (aka Dave). You're my hero, Babe.
• Mike & Shirley for keeping me at the top of the prayer list!!
• Tracey Golder for golden apples in silver settings.

Personal Notes:
• Lucy Carr, I'm crying out for you & yours, sister.
• Bishop Poppy Robert Bob Sir (I'll eventually figure out what to call you), your heart's on my heart.
• Grapevine, got a new dance step. Wooohooo!
• Isaac Roe, I'm sooo glad to be your mom. It's an honor.

July 11 - Our Favorite Cambodian - Part One

I would like to introduce you to someone who is easily & by far our (Dave & myself) favorite Cambodian. His nickname is Jame (pronounced "Jam" with a Cambo accent). We were unofficially adopted by him while I was here with the group in May. The adoption is unofficial because it's virtually impossible to legally adopt a Cambodian & absolutely impossible to legally adopt a 38 year old man. Nevertheless, Jame is our real son. I could not love him more if I had nursed him myself.

God has given Jame a wonderful vision to open an orphanage for the poorest street children. With this vision constantly at the front of his mind, Jame prays & works hard toward realizing a loving home where abandoned children may know God, be well loved, obtain an education, eat every day, & have a safe place to sleep. The plan he has prayerfully made to raise funds for this endeavor is smartly simple. He is putting himself thru computer school so he can eventually have a (relatively speaking) well-paying job in the near future. In the meantime, he has obligated himself to a rent-to-own agreement for the purchase of the tuk-tuk he drives for a living. Once he graduates & pays off the tuk-tuk, he can work at the well-paying job & rent the tuk-tuk to another driver. Necessary staff for the orphanage can be made up of homeless adults. In return for their work they will be fed, have a safe place to sleep indoors & receive a small salary. Not only will this take a few beggars off the streets, but it will give them a valuable occupation.
Jame was an orphan most of his life, so he knows exactly what the children he dreams of helping think & feel & desire....& fear constantly even into their adult years (if they make it to adulthood). I believe his soul will be healed of the terrible orphan-wound as he helps the souls of other orphans heal by God's tender & relentless love.

During his first formative years, the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of Cambodia & Vietnam was at a peak, the U.S. & Vietnam were violently warring inside Cambodian borders, & the Khmer Rouge was at the height of its viciously diabolical government takeover. Jame was 3 years old when his "first mom" abandoned the family to seek safety in Vietnam. When Jame reached 11 years old, he lost the rest of his family, his "first dad" & sister, to death because, as he puts it, "I could not protect my house." He was forcefully taken to an orphanage (read: labor camp for children) where he scraped by until his early teens. From then on, he has been on his own & by himself.

Miraculously, & I do mean miraculously, Jame has remained trustingly tenderhearted toward God & generously compassionate toward others. Jame is a member of a real church congregation here (meaning it's not a government run "church") & "tithes" 50% of his income there to help the needy. He spends most of what's left of his meager means on helping others as well. He understands that "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a command to be taken literally, not a suggestion to be considered lightly & refuses to live at a higher standard than others....although he easily could. He's spent the last couple of months sleeping on a cot in his boss's driveway to save money rather than spend it on renting a room of his own. (Thank God I was able to convince him that he must have a real bed indoors. I'm not sure if it was my presentation of the idea of being healthy to help others, my teasing, "How can I visit you on a cot!?" or just the fact that Cambodia culture demands sons obey their moms even after they're grown men. Frankly, I don't care, I just want him indoors.)

In addition to gifts of money, Jame lovingly ministers to his fellow citizens thru practical action. For examples: When Jame sees an old person sitting on the sidewalk begging, he stops to massage them while he prays for them. He told me, ""Mom, dey have work hard & dey bodies are old now. Dey are hurt now & cannot move good, so I rub dem & dey can feel bettuh & move bettuh." Jame has set routes for trash picker children (trash pickers are people who push carts around the city rummaging thru garbage to find food, recyclables & anything they might use or sell) so that he can check on them periodically thru'out the day making sure they are safe & fed. He's also talked with parents who have kicked their young children out of the house (a common threat for anyone over 4 years old) trying to restore the family. He believes the parents must know God so they can love their children & have them home to go to school, so he speaks the Good News to them & prays for them. Praise the Lord, he has had some success in this evangelistic effort!

His method of helping people is simple. He explained it to me saying, "Mom, when I see someone who needs, I close my eyes behind my sunglasses so no one sees & pray in my heart so no one hears, 'Fadda, pleeeeease, can I help?" An idea comes to him, be it giving the cash in his pocket, getting someone indoors, finding someone a job, buying a meal, giving a ride, or some other practical charity. Then he happily does exactly that idea.

In addition to his charity work & tuk-tuk business, Jame has just been hired at a modest salary as my ministry partner (Shhhhh, he doesn't know I've rearranged my budget to pay him. He'd never allow Mom to do such a thing.). His official duties include taking me to & from the children's homes twice a day, obtaining necessary supplies & doing handyman work for the children's homes & team house where Ruth & I live, & providing transportation for visiting teams & for the children as needed (eg. tomorrow we're taking 8 of the boys for haircuts).
We (Dave & I) are now accepting financial contributions to be saved toward Jame's children's home (I've determined, according to God's will, to call it a home instead of an orphanage because it is a more accurate description of the loving ministry that will take place there.) & contributions made toward buying the tuk-tuk. If you would like to participate in either project, please email me at beckyroehere@yahoo.com.

7/11/10
Praise God for...
• being Emanuel, God with us. I am in sweet fellowship with Him constantly.
• good health, food, clothing & safe shelter. These are God's gifts, not human rights.
• my beloved Cambodian son Jame (pronounced "Jam" with a Cambo accent).
• ties of fellowship that stretch halfway round the globe without losing strength.

Petition God for...
• the salvation of lost souls. God wants them more than anything else.
• clear direction in how best to love the LIA children.
• comfort for my husband Dave.
• support for the opening of a new children's home.

A big honkin' thank-you to:
• Mike & Shirley for keeping me at the top of the prayer list!!
• Jim Hatfield for his timely encouragement. You're tops, Jim-bro'!
• Mark & Jane Truax for sending along toys for the children.
• Nancy Rodenbeck for praying me a personal breeze. You're cool & now so am I.
• Rich Young for keeping far-away missionaries near to mind. You rock.

Personal Notes:
• Robert Wooden, I'm praying for you, brother.
• Grace & Mercy, please assign someone to email me all One Call's. [Note to Becky: I'll try to remember to do it and I'll ask Peggy, too. ~Kelly]
• Mark & Jane, once the fight was over, everyone had a great time with the toys. And, I was adamant about leaving them at the house.
• Mark, if you know what the purple skin thing is, please advise. I have one now too.
• Isaac Roe, I love you more than everything.