We've Got Class

We've been able to restart preschool courses again! The littles L-O-V-E coming to the team house, the place I live, to play & learn. Here they learn some english & typical preschool stuff like letters, numbers, colors, etc. They are also given opportunity to develop social skills such as cooperation, taking turns, sharing & classroom etiquette to prepare them for public school. Pictured here are the littles who attend preschool, my special assistant (more on her in another entry) & Wee, a housemom.

If not for Love In Action-Cambodia these children would most likely spend their days in rice paddies as forced labor, begging & stealing on the streets of Phnom Penh either for themselves or an adult, or locked up in the rooms of kiddie-brothels. They are with us because their parents could not feed them but refused to sell them, because they were orphaned, or because they were abandoned.

It's quite common to see little ones sleeping in alleys, eating from trash bags & begging tourists. They often fall prey to adults in human trafficking & sex slavery & to perverted tourists. The going rate to purchase children is USD $20-100. To "rent" a child 3-8 years old generally costs $8 per day, $5 per day if you have your own room.

Even those living with their families are in danger of kidnapping & rape. There's not much to deter those perverts either. The penalty for raping a child is generally USD $100-200 "restitution" paid to the child's parents. Rapists who cannot afford the fine simply murder their victims after raping them so no charges can be brought against them. In many of the villages outside city limits parents prostitute their children to other villagers. One father bragged that his 12 year-old daughter could make upwards of $10 per week for the family.

Many parents put their children to work as early as 4 or 5 years old. Some sell books, postcards, site seeing maps, braided or beaded bracelets, or pirate DVDs in the tourist-y section of Phnom Penh. Some are trash pickers. Some beg or steal, or beg to create an opportunity to steal. I've met more than one child under 10 years old who are regularly abused (cigarette burns, black eyes, broken bones, etc.) by parents for not bringing in sufficient profit. I've also met a few children who've been kicked out of their homes because they cannot make satisfactory profit for their parents.

In our western world the option for preschool is a given even for the poorest of children, but we have to remember that "our world" is not the world.

2/14/11

Thanks to a couple of generous donors I was able to bring some nice embroidery floss for the older girls to make some bracelets. I will be mailing or bringing the bracelets to the States to sell & the money will be donated to missionaries in Kyrgyzstan. How cool is that?

It's important that the children realize their world is not the world. Know what I mean? It's easy to get wrapped in the details of daily living & lose sight of the fact that there are people living & dying elsewhere. It's easy to get caught in personal needs & desires & neglect the needs of others. It's easy to get trapped in a me-centered lifestyle & totally miss out on a full life, real life.

Yes, they're poor orphans who have a hard way to go, but, hey, we all have challenges to overcome. Too much focus on self produces blindness. Like Kieth Green used to sing, "It's so hard to see when my eyes are on me." Yeah? We can only keep a proper perspective of our own lives as we keep the lives of others in view as well.

I am tickled pink to report that the girls are very interested in what's going on in Kyrgyzstan & what my friends, Jed & Renee Gourley, are doing there. They are thrilled to know that they are participating in the work. I, too, am thrilled.

Special Notes

2/14/11

PRAYER REQUESTS
~Please keep praying for those dear-to-Jesus souls who snatched my stuff last time I was here. You are most likely the only person praying for them today!

~The border battle is increasing in violence. Please pray for true peace to come to that area & for the mediation meetings with the UN.

~I need a boost as I am more homesick (especially for husband Dave) than I've ever been & it's a drain on my enthusiasm for the work.

About LIA - Cambodia

Discipleship has always been God's plan for spreading knowledge of Himself thru'out the world. Exodus 18 outlines the plan beautifully. Moses' father-in-law Jethro points out that God's intention is not a one-man gig, that as pastor of Israel Moses is wearing out himself & the people by trying to handle the whole group on his own. He advises Moses to make more of his time available to pray for the people by training & supervising some reliable folks to train & supervise other folks to train & supervise folks. He advised Mo to teach them God's way of thinking & to show them how to live & carry out their work accordingly.

Later, in keeping with God's plan, Jesus did the same thing. He trained His disciples as Moses trained the elders of Israel (that is, trained trainers). Later still, that's what Jesus' diciples-turned-apostles did. They served as supervisors who devoted themselves to prayer & Bible study after they appointed some trained folks to the work. Paul an after-the-fact apostle of Jesus Christ did the same. Much of the New Testament is made up of his supervisory letters in which he says stuff like, "Remember when I taught you..." & "Remember when I was with you I showed you..."

We're doing the same here. Love In Action Training Centre is all about discipleship. Orphaned & at-risk children are housed, fed, educated, churched & discipled. [Yes, there's a HUGE difference between being churched & being discipled. Duh. One results in people warming pews for conscience's sake & the other results people setting the world ablaze for Christ.] The goal is to raise a generation of trained trainers to saturate their country with the knowledge of God. I serve LIA's residents, my sibs, as a trainer, a discipler. I invest myself in teaching them God's way of thinking & in showing them how that way plays out in everyday living by giving them as many opportunities as possible to practice what I preach. I encourage them as Paul encouraged Timothy: "Follow me as I follow Christ."

While I've been away from my sibs, I've sent epistles (read: supervisory emails) to encourage the older sibs to live up to what they already know & to keep passing on their knowledge in practical ways to our younger sibs. And, I've spent much more time in prayer for them too.

Some of the sibs are already beginning to train others thru participation in leading Sunday school classes, youth services & charity projects. It is in this way above all other ways that the Kingdom of Cambodia (& the rest of the world) will be changed for the better.

2/7/11

IMPORTANT NOTICE!
A few people have asked about mail. The postal system of Cambodia is quite different from the U.S. system, so my husband Dave is handling all mailing responsibilities. If you'd like something sent, please contact him as he will be mailing soon.

THANK GOD FOR:
The incredible sacrifice God made to have relationship with us
The great honor of being welcomed into His life, His purpose & His plans
His great power to perfectly protect & preserve His people for His purpose
His provision for every little (& big) thing He plans & the astounding ways He provides
The encouragement & advice offered thru Serving As Senders by Neal Pirolo

I ALSO THANK GOD FOR YOU:
Stanley family for the financial contribution
Kate Fields & Jane Truax for the Cambodia display
Mr. D. Tails for enthusiastic & diligent work on the prayer video
Layton & Sharon Sparks for faithful prayer help & the financial contribution
Grapevine dancers for the farewell party & financial contribution
Robyn Henderson for the Romans prayer & financial contribution
Rodenbeck family for the embroidery floss
Linda Graham for faithful prayer help, encouraging words from the Word & the financial contribution
Lori Prosser for the Thessalonians prayer
Storers, Straders, Marilyn Lashley, Kevin Prosser & Graysons for financial contributions
Drew Kos for encouraging words & for getting me to the airport across iced roads
All those praying for me & the work here in Cambodia
David Roe, my favorite & most dearly loved person "in the hulkin' tire world," for loving God more than he loves me or himself

Ready as I can be

I've just about tied up all the loose ends here. Just have to do my part in helping to prepare a project here, see the doctor (he wants to put disease in my perfectly healthy body, aka booster shots), put my clothes in the box I plan to take, show up for a prayer meeting, which should be easy because it's here at the house, & find a ride to the aiprort.

I've spent time with everyone who's had time to spend with me. I've made arrangements for my responsibilities here to be taken care of. I've gathered up all that goes with me. I've shored up some important ties with friends so we'll be able to stay connected while we're apart. I've confirmed my travel plans with everyone who needs confirmation. And, I have & continue to pray my heart out.

Funny thing is as much as I & others have done to prepare for this trip, I know that I cannot be totally ready. Who but God can know what will happen in Cambodia, or on the way to Cambodia, or here before I even head for Cambodia? Looking over past trips I realize a lot happened that I did not expect (not the least of which was my husband's heart failure!) & a few things I thought would happen never came to be. It is humanly impossible to be fully prepared for the future. My only hope is to trust Jesus. Whatever comes, He is prepared & has made provision for me.

I like knowing that I've done all I can do, that I am actively participating in God's plan. I also like knowing that all I can do is not all that needs doing, that God is actively participating too. It is this relationship that makes everything worth doing.

1/20/11
I THANK GOD FOR YOU:
Isaac Roe for moving in with Dad while I'm away!
Kelly O. Stanley for making & managing the blog!
Di Hester for those beautiful, brown babydolls & kindy supplies!
Rhonda Rogers for the financial donation!
The Sillerys for the embroidery floss!
The Hepburns for the friendship bracelet instruction book!
Deanna Young for offering herself as a liaison!
Toni McKinney for keeping me on track & in touch with our Bible memorization group!
Linda for donating hair do-da's for the house moms!
The Turner Family for faithful prayer & financial support!
Mike & Shirley Largent for unwavering enthusiasm & diligent prayer support!

Small parts of a big plan

Family, friends & acquaintances frequently ask, "How can you do it?" Perhaps you're wondering too. Perhaps especially now, realizing this is not a one-time, thrill-seeking trip, but an all-out, whatever-it-costs lifestyle for us. The answer comes in three parts. First of all, I have very little responsibility in this. Secondly, the weight of my limited responsibility is carried by Jesus. Thirdly, I can't not do it.

It just looks like I'm doing a lot because I'm the one who gets to type blog entries. Yeah, seriously. The truth is I'm a very small part of a whole body of people in on this gig. I'm in partnership with lovely, loving people who make it possible for me to attempt my small part by doing their small parts. Some help prayerfully plan & prepare for the stays in Cambo. Some pray earnestly & diligently for me, my family, my Cambo siblings, the folks I work with in Cambo & the country as a whole. Some lend moral support, give encouragement & offer great advice via phone calls, email & periodic goodie boxes. Some stay in touch with my loved ones here (I do mean physically in touch; they actually come to the house) so they'll remember that they're loved & that their sacrifices are recognized. Some communicate with others to promote the work we're doing. Some invest money in materials & projects we have going in Cambo as well as my travel & keep thru collecting donations by a variety of means as well as contributing from their own resources. One turns my emails to her into a real blog. Some minister to me upon re-entry too. If I'm the face, they're the backbone in this body, to be sure.

My responsibility is to minister the generous grace & loving goodness of Jesus Christ to Cambodians. It's not my generosity, not my grace, not my love, not my goodness, but aaaaall His. I'm just a conduit between Jesus & people. He carries the lion's share of the ministry. All I have to do is remain devoted to & dependent upon Him; He does the rest. He's cool like that. And yeah, it is just that simple. Bearing in mind that simple is not synonomous with easy & the effects of being a conduit can really zap ya' sometimes. Hahahahahahaha!

The bottom line is I can't not do this. This is what Jesus wants me to do, I know that I know that I know. The real question for me is not how can I do this, but how can I say no to God? How can I deny Him anything? He is God. And, He's been sooooooooooo good to me. And, I am so crazy in love with Him. How can I not?

I think the most interesting thing about this question I'm so frequently asked is the question behind the question. I'm completely convinced that what those people are really asking is: Could I do it? Aaaaaand, the real question is not even could you, but only would you. Would you do your small part in partnership with a group of folks like yourself who're doing their small parts? If you're willing, God is able – guaranteed. It's written in blood.

12/30/10
HALLELUJAH!
~Dave is making a strong & speedy recovery!
~We have compassionate, enthusiastic, faithful supporters! (I am eternally grateful for the privilege of being your partner, you lil' dolly-dolls!)
~People are obeying God when He says, "Go hand Becky money." That's crazy-cool, eh?
~God's brought us to some EXCELLENT training materials to help us as He expands this branch of ministry. (All for You, God!)
~God does the sweetest little things to remind us of His affectionate attention toward us, doesn't He?
~I've experienced a very fruitful time of "review-recover-respond" in dealing with re-entry depression! That one gets a halle-tootin'-lujah!!

HELP!
~Yup, those treasured souls who snagged my bag & hi-jacked my ID. Keep on. For Jesus' sake, keep on.
~Ask the Lord of the harvest to call on more workers.
~Remember those "in the field" as post-holiday time can be an especially difficult time to be in there.
~Pray that I may be completely receptive as the Lord prepares me to return to Cambo-land.
~Please, join us in praying for the expansion I think God has planned for our hometown's involvement in foreign & domestic missions.

PERSONAL NOTES
Hey Peter, hope you're still reading & still arguing with yourself about what you read here. Most of all, I hope you're finding the Answer to your arguments. If you had a two-way line of communication here, we could "talk" about it all.

Incoming

I thought I'd escaped the re-entry depression that's typical for incoming missionaries. I thought my atypical return was a sidestep around it. Nope. There I was in a christian bookstore the week before CHRISTmas & blam-o! I was overwhelmed by the contrast between the life I know in the United States of America & the life I know in the Kingdom of Cambodia. It was bound to come, I suppose. That's why we call it "typical," eh? I'm thankful to God for the delay tho'.
Now that my husband Dave is out of the hospital & well on his way to full recovery I am better able to cope with the depression & to give time to finding useful meaning & hopeful motivation in it. So, I pray & I ponder & I pout a little.

It is not at all unusual for incoming missionaries to wrestle with feelings of guilt & frustration over the abundance we have at our disposal at home, the abundance we take for granted, the abundance we demand, the abundance we waste. We measure our leisure spending such as eating out, going bowling or renting a movie in terms of needs that could be met in poverty-stricken areas we've visited. When I bought a package of socks for myself, I didn't reckon the price as $6, but as 12 kilos of rice. It's also not unusual, especially for short-term missionaries like myself, to make vows we will not keep after returning from an impoverished area. For instance, every missionary I've had contact with here in the States (maybe a dozen) has mentioned feeling guilty for having so much food available & many have vowed to never waste food again....but we do.

With these & similar thoughts bombarding our souls, it can be a challenge to socialize in the usual manner. It is difficult to muster genuine sympathy for a friend who gripes about having to go to three stores to find the game her child wants for CHRISTmas while remembering the infant who perished because his mama was too malnourished to produce enough milk to sustain him. It is hard to hear a friend explain that he simply cannot afford to donate to charities while he's paying $6 for a cup of coffee & a doughnut. Harder still, to fully enjoy the $6 cup of coffee & doughnut purchased by & for the missionary. (Combined, that's enough to feed 25 villagers, by the way.) And, on a personal note, I've had a change of heart about immigrants & aliens learning to speak english if they intend to live here in the U.S. Yeah, they should AND we should make it as easy as possible. Having lived in a foreign country, I promise you that every foreigner here wishes s/he could speak english at least as much as you wish they could.

These thoughts & comparisons & evaluations have to be prayerfully pondered & biblically balanced. It's very important to make an immediate move on the conclusions we come to too. The longer we put off action, the easier it becomes to put off action. Whether we try to gain from it or not, the depression fades & the frustration is forgotten. Before long, we're griping about minor inconveniences endured for trivial things & wasting resources (aka gifts from God) even as we commisserate about not having enough. The whole experience beomes little more than interesting stories to tell at parties.

So, I pray & I ponder & I pout a little. And I plan what to pack for the next trip. I have a plane ticket to Phnom Penh for 2 February.

12/22/10
Praise God for...
~partners who support this little branch by making themselves God's supply lines in prayer, encouragement, advice & finance.
~freedom to travel easily into & out of the United States.
~protecting us from the enemy.
~those little comforts we most often take for granted (eg. hot tap water, garbage pick-up, that magical box on the wall that allows me to make the whole house as warm or as cool as I please).
~the refreshment of soul I've received while here in the States.

Petition God for...
~the salvation of those guys who nabbed my bag & swiped my ID. Christ died for them. Surely they are worth our diligent prayer.
~His wisdom as we make travel plans for myself, for Dave & for others who will go to Cambodia in 2011.
~workers who will go & workers who will support those who go.
~opportunities to speak publicly for the sake of local & foreign missions.

A great big thank you to:
~Those who prayed, sent cards & notes, visited, & fed us body & soul while Dave was hospitalized!
~Whomever deposited $100 in the Cambo account. May the blessing return to you multiplied!
~Diana Hester who went on a quest for brown babydolls & purchased every one she found! (A search in Cambodia produced only frustration.)
~The Turner Family for unfailing loyalty to God.

Re-entry reflections

Well, this has been a strange re-entry. I've been spared most of the usual re-entry culture shock by going straight from airport to hospital & staying there virtually the entire two months I've been here. There have been enough "shocks" to make me think tho'. Some shocks are minor & really quite pleasing while others are overwhelming & troubling.

It was a little shocking & a lot pleasing to land in the States. Those of us blessed with the passport of power (U.S. citizen passport) are given first-class treatment even if we arrive on a coach ticket. It was also a bit of a shock & a real tickle to realize I could understand every word every person spoke to me & could read every sign I passed. And, I cannot tell you how surprised & pleased I was to find bathroom tissue in every stall & towels or blow dryers at every sink. Our son's girlfriend laughingly reminded me that every stool comes stocked with tissue when she noticed me stuffing the napkins from our fast-food bags into my purse. A habit she recognized from her visit to Cambodia, for we all saved such "emergency paper" knowing we'd be glad of it next time we stepped up to a squatty potty.

I was overwhelmed at the obnoxiously ridiculous amount of advertising ev-e-ry-where & the ridiculously obnoxious content of advertising.ev-e-ry-where. If I were a newcomer to America I'd swear the country's slogan must be, "But wait! There's more!" More indeed! I was flabbergasted at the extra-large portions served at restaurants & aghast at the amount thrown away without a second thought. Not to mention the overwhelm I've experienced while looking at menus. Good gravy, there are dozens of options for every appetizer, snack, meal & dessert a person may order.
Just as I've become accustomed to hoarding paper napkins & limited food choices, I've become accustomed to people turning away from those in need. I've been overwhelmed with gratitude & happiness at how quickly the Church rallies to take care of one of her own here. We have been surrounded by people caring for our every need & convenience. The power of active compassion influences even those who do not directly benefit from it. Simply witnessing people care for others has an impact. Whether people are inspired or just puzzled by acts of mercy & generosity, they are thinking about it. They can't help but wonder why people behave so. We can put a name, the Name, on their wondering. We can tell them the why is actually a Who & His name is Jesus. What opportunity! What a great time to introduce people to Jesus & say, "But wait! There's more!"

12/13/10
Praise God for...
~those sweet souls who pray for others diligently!
~putting the ability to heal within the human body.
~modern medical technology & those who are brave enough to use it.
~modern communications technology that keeps us connected when we can't be face to face.
~always providing everything we need.
~His inexplicable peace!

Petition God for...
~the redemption of those dear souls who nabbed my bag & hijacked my ID.
~the revelation of Himself to others thru Dave's ordeal & recovery.
~"field hands," for the harvest is ripe.

About Dave:
Dave had two heart valves replaced successfully & is recovering. We very much appreciate the loving support we've received over the last month. We are thrilled with the opportunities the Body's taken to show Jesus to those who are serving in the hospitals we've been in. We are looking forward to enjoying Cambodia together as soon as possible.