Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The Cake - Part 3 - We are on our way!


Well, we made it through airport security in Phnom Penh. Of course, I had to stop and open the box. When I did, all of security stopped and all the security people had to come over and check out the cake. One guy broke out into a chorus of Happy, Happy Birthday!


Then it was onto the plane. The handmade case was the perfect size for the overhead and was made just right to protect the cake.

We had a great flight, but had to stop in Ho Chi Minh City to pick up more passengers. This cake will have been in four countries: Cambodia, Vietnam, Qatar and England. It's a well travelled case.  While we were boarding more passengers in Vietnam we celebrated New Year's. The happy couple had a glass of Champaigne to celebrate.

Celebrating the New Year with a glass of bubbly!
Then it was on to Doha. We've arrived with no incident!!! The stewardesses have been great. Of course they are curious about this guy carrying a styrofoam case with FRAGILE on it. But I think they could tell from my demeanor and good looks that I'm a caring guy so they weren't worried, just curious. So when they finally asked what was in it and I told them a wedding cake they all gave out an "Aaahhhhh!" in unison.


Now the airport in Doha has been a different story. You wouldn't believe the looks you get when you walk around with a big container like this. People look at you nervously or with a strange look. I know they are wondering, "Is that a bomb, or maybe human organs, or is this some guy with a weird diet and has to carry all his food with him." Not sure what they are thinking, but getting a little self-conscious with hundreds of people looking at me as I walk by.

Well, the plane to England is boarding, so I'll update when we make it to England. So far, so good! I hope Robin Hood and Little John are waiting there to take me on to Sherwood Forest!

The Cake – Part 2 Picking up the Cake – the Journey begins

Now most people after reading yesterday’s blog will have two big questions:

1. Why? Why in the world buy a wedding cake in Cambodia when you could have one made in England?
2. How are you going to get a wedding cake from Cambodia to England?

These are two great questions! I’ll do my best to answer both.

Why? Why in the world buy a wedding cake in Cambodia when you could have one made in England?

First of all here is the cake! I picked it up this afternoon and will take it with me on the 10:40pm flight tonight from Phnom Penh to a short layover in Doha, Qatar. Aren't the red-headed groom and brunette bride cute? Nobody told me this was going to have an icing topper! My chances of this thing arriving in England like it is supposed to just took a serious nosedive. I hope the bride doesn't melt!

The cake is obviously beautiful! Bloom is known all over Cambodia for it’s designer cakes, even preparing cakes for royalty. And, I happen to know from experience that Bloom cakes are by far the best tasting cakes in all of Cambodia.  Now you may still be asking the question “While Bloom may have the best cakes in all of Cambodia, doesn’t England have places that make cakes of similar quality?”
Inside the shop

What makes Bloom cakes special is not simply the cakes, but who makes the cakes and why Bloom makes cakes in the first place. You see I mentioned the couple getting married has spent their lives serving others in marginalized, exploited and vulnerable communities. They have worked to help people find restoration, both physically and spiritually. To help people walk in their rightful dignity and value.  This is the very mission of Bloom Training CentresBloomAsia Training Centres assist and empower vulnerable young women through vocational training and employment.
Outside of Bloom - The coconut salesman
wanted to be in the photo.

This is why the cake is making the long journey. The couple want even the choice of their wedding cake to be one symbolizing the values they live their lives by. When I see this level of conviction commitment to values I’m inspired.
The next time you or I buy something lets ask ourselves: “Why am I buying it here?” “Are the people I’m buying from ethical and are they helping or hurting others in their business practices?”

Stay tuned to see the cake in England! Now, how am I getting it there, you ask?

How am I going to get a wedding cake from Cambodia to England?

The family of the groom specially designed this cake carrier. Large enough for the cake, but just right to be a “carry-on” on the plane. The owner of  Bloom assured us she has carried cakes to other countries via airlines before. ( I told you these cakes are good!).

I’ll take the cake in this “cake carrier” to the airport tonight and once I clear customs I’ll seal it up for the journey. For the 20+ hours I’m in transit through Doha, Qatar to London and then onto Nottingham the cake will be within arms length.

Now I’m really nervous! The cake is in it’s special carrier, but it’s the guy carrying the carrier, I’m worried about! I'm actually having a hard time putting the lid on with those two little faces staring up at me.

The cake starts the first leg of the
journey in a Tuk-Tuk.
I’ll post again tonight after I’ve cleared security. Now how do I explain in Khmer why I’m carrying a cake on a plane? Hope the airport security guards aren’t hungry tonight!


Monday, December 30, 2013

Journey with a Cake - Part 1 What have I gotten myself into?


As a pastor and friend over the years I have been asked to do lots of things, weddings, funerals, baby dedications and all the other “normal” pastoral opportunities. But this request was definitely a new one to add to the books.

When two dear friends asked if I would perform their wedding ceremony I was extremely honored. I quickly agreed and began hearing the details of the wedding. Then…………the bride ducked her head, batted her eyes and added in her sweetest voice. “We have one more little request.”

“We’d like to ask you to transport our wedding cake to the wedding.”  Now most people when they read this will say, “No big deal, it’s just taking a wedding cake from one place in town to another”. The problem with this is: No. 1, the only vehicle I own is a motorcycle. No 2. The wedding cake is being made in Cambodia and No 3. The wedding is in England!!!

As the story has unfolded I thought it would be a story I couldn’t just keep to myself, so I hope you enjoy me sharing my journey in the next couple of blogs. I guess you can tell, with great fear and trembling,  I said yes. In some ways I’m writing this blog so I don’t feel so alone as I nervously carry this cake through airports, x-rays, customs and airplanes on a 2 ½ day journey with the cake. Considering I can’t carry a piece of paper from the printer to my desk without wrinkling it or spilling something on it I’m terrified about carrying this cake.
Journey with a cake - Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Doha, Qatar to London, England to Nottingham
Where It All Started


One year ago I was eating dinner with a group of Australians and some colleagues from two different organizations I work with. Two of my colleagues, and friends, were sitting across the table from me. These two were always very professional, so when I happened to look down at the floor during dinner what I saw shocked me. It was at that moment I realized these two were now dating. I later learned that evening the two had started dating just a few days earlier, just after Christmas.  

These two are amazing young people. They both live and work to help others, especially in seeing marginalized or exploited communities find life and restoration. Now a year later they are getting married.

The Wedding and The Cake

So I’ve already said I have to carry this cake to England, but not just anywhere in England. I’m carrying it to Nottingham, just on the edge of Sherwood Forest. If you think this starting to sound like something from a storybook, wait til you read the continuation of the story. And the Cake itself has an amazing story. Wait til you hear why it’s being made in Cambodia and why all this work! Check back tomorrow when I go to pick up the cake and start the journey. 

And oh yeah, you may just want to follow along to see if I can actually make it there with the cake in one piece ( or something close to that)!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Christmas Pigs, a House and a Moto

Teaching our boys the meaning of Christmas and to be givers has been a priority for Tricia and I as parents. We’ve also wanted to teach our boys to be wise in their giving and look for ways to invest in people that have a long-term effect.

One of the great tools we used was a Christmas gift catalog serving people in need, like the one Samaritan's Purse sends out every year before Christmas. The idea of the catalog is that you can purchase a gift for someone in need. But these aren’t ordinary gifts, they are gifts that are really an investment in people’s future.

Of course our boys, being animal lovers, would always choose to give the gift of chickens or pigs to a family in a developing country. We would always decide what gift to give as a family and talk about how the chickens or pigs weren’t a one-time gift, but a gift that would continue to give if the person who received it learned how to turn it into a small business.

We’ve done things like this before, but we were never able to see firsthand what the real outcome was in people’s lives. This week I had the opportunity to visit a family in Kampong Chhnang province in Cambodia who received one of these gifts in 2012.  I was completely shocked by what I saw.

This family was a recipient of a pig project through the Seeds of Hope project with Samaritan's Purse. Working with Samaritan's Purse I’ve learned families receive much more than can be explained in the Christmas catalog. They receive training in animal husbandry, assistance with constructing a proper pig pen and even training on marketing their pigs once the pigs are ready to sell, increasing the price they receive.

Mrs. Khiem Moeun's family of eight were living in this one room thatch home!
 Mrs. Khiem Moeun and her family were living with a number of challenges. She had eight family members living in a one room thatch and bamboo home. Her three teenage children not only had to live in this cramped one room house with five other family members, but also had a difficult time with obtaining an education and staying healthy.

Mrs. Moeun and her family received help with starting a vegetable garden, raising chickens and raising pigs.  Mrs. Moeun soon became very successful at raising and marketing her pigs. She was an entrepreneur who simply needed a little help getting started. Soon after starting to raise pigs she began to realize she was a natural.

Mrs. Moeun currently has 4 pigs ready to sell and 4 new piglets
Mrs. Moeun started out raising four pigs. She then sold those four, saved the profits and raised four more. Four pigs turned to eight and eight pigs turned to sixteen. Soon she had sold sixteen pigs and decided it was time to recognize a dream she had for her family. The original small investment in four little piglets had quickly turned into enough savings to build a new home for her and her family. They went from a small thatched home to a large wooden home that is big enough for the whole family and is much more secure.

The family in front of their beautiful new home purchased
with the proceeds from their new pig farm.

She didn’t stop there however. She continued to increase the number of pigs she was raising and saved the profits to purchase a motorbike for the family. Now her teenagers can travel to school. With the combined income and fresh food from her chickens, vegetables and pigs, the family’s life has been completely changed. What was once a desperate situation is now a healthy, happy home where everyone has big dreams for the future!

A beautiful home!
While I was in the village her teenage children helped lead the young people in a song and dance performance at a small village church. As we talked with members of the village the village chief told us this family was not the only success story. He said that as a result of the Seeds of Hope project in his village many families have now seen increased Income, domestic violence cases have dropped significantly and mothers and fathers have stopped having to migrate to other provinces or countries to work for income. This has led to healthier stable families throughout the village.


We’ve shared this story with our boys and thought those of you who do something similar might find it helpful to share with your family as well!



Monday, October 14, 2013

Snake Inside The Boat, Snakes Outside The Boat. Where Do You Go?




Last week there was flooding in Cambodia and we had to use 4 wheel drive trucks to reach many of the schools and communities we were working with. But it just kept raining.

When it floods in Cambodia, people aren’t the only ones displaced from their homes. Tricia learned last year that snakes are also displaced. Her medical outreach team came across two cobras in a chicken coup that were looking for higher ground!

This week the flooding was so bad the roads to the communities where I was travelling were completely submerged in water for miles. When we got ready to travel to one community the local staff I work with told me we would have to travel by boat for at least 8 miles to reach it.

When he said “boat” he was being generous. The boat he was referring to was more like a wooden plank with a lawn mower engine attached and an egg beater for a propeller.



We headed out in our “boat” and before we got very far the young lady sitting behind me started screaming in Khmer. I didn’t understand the word she was using but looked down to see a “snake” writhing around in the boat just 8 inches beneath the bamboo seating we were sitting on. We all lifted our feet up on the edge of the boat and started looking for a shallow place to step out of the boat. The next problem was that when we got to a shallow area we looked over the side of the boat to see a snake we knew was poisonous swimming towards us looking for something to climb up on.

Snake crawling under shoes in the bottom of the boat.

We were stuck in the boat and turned out into a rice field away from the snake. I couldn’t get out of the boat, but was stuck in the boat with a snake. Where was I going to go? As I spoke to the boat driver he didn’t seem to be concerned and told me to relax and said “no problem”.



I can’t say I was able to relax, but as we glided across the top of the water through what used to be an irrigation canal in a rice field, I began to think about a meeting I had been in two weeks earlier with two young ladies from Iran. These two young ladies stood up in front of some of the leaders of the largest missions agencies in the world and told the story of being imprisoned for their faith. They told of the horror they went through in the prison and their decision to face death instead of denying Christ. At the end of their talk they implored the leaders to continue sending missionaries and biblical resources into the hardest to reach and most dangerous places in the world.

As I thought of these two young ladies I began to realize my current situation paled in comparison. I started asking myself how many times I had played it safe instead of pressing on and sharing the love of Christ in questionable situations.

Life as a Christian is often similar to the situation I was facing on the boat. There was a snake in my boat and snakes swimming around outside my boat. There seemed to be danger all around so the easy solution would be to turn back and quit to avoid danger. But what did we do, we just kept going.

This is the heart Jesus has put in passionate believers. Keep Going! No matter what the circumstances we know His heart beats and yearns for those who do not know Him.  All we have to do is Go!

The bible clearly tells us we will face obstacles and suffer.

Philippians 1:29-30 “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”

But it also tells us He has given us authority and anointing when we face such challenges, even snakes.

Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

We kept going that day and were able to spend time and share with teachers and students in the village. I wondered that day how many people around the world are waiting for someone to push through challenges and danger, so they can hear and know the Love Jesus gives in abundance.

When we arrived at our location I asked the boat driver why he didn’t get rid of the snake. He told me he was keeping the snake for Lunch! That was an added plus to me on this trip to know that snake got cooked and eaten. 

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Discover your Purpose, Travel the World, Change a Life....



When Wayne and I decided to move to Cambodia, we took time to seek God about what specific areas he wanted us to focus on while serving here.  The needs of the people here seems to overwhelm me, and I’m moved compassion everyday.  It would be very easy to become splintered in ministry here because of the flood of spiritual, emotional, and physical needs that come before us on a daily basis. However, Wayne and I have both made a commitment to be intentional and faithful to the three main areas that we get excited about, are moved by, and feel called to: Justice, church planting, and leadership development.
Applying for Visa's to the US

Cultural Dinner at our House: intro to meals without rice!
Raven’s Hope International is one of those ministries that I get excited about. RHI is a Christ-centered resource center that offers spiritual growth, leadership development, and missionary opportunities to young ladies 18-30 from around the world. Starting this past June and for the following three months, I began mentoring  seven amazingly, strong young Cambodian women.  For three months, we met regularly at my home for intense training in preparation for their 6 month internship at Raven’s Hope International in Kansas City.  Sokleak, Leakena, Dara, Tevory, Chantrea, Phissara, and Sorany had overcome amazing obstacles to arrive at this once in a life time opportunity, and I am so proud be a part of the process in this journey of their lives.

Group Photo taken one week before departing for US (Phnom Penh)
God moved many mountains for this process to occur, and it was a sweet victory when they departed for the US on the 1st of September.  Many of them had sacrificed more than what I could comprehend to obtain this internship. These young ladies taught me much through this time about courage, strength, and faith. They will return in March, following the internship.  I am excited to be able again to mentor them through another three months of debriefing, re-integration, and discipleship as they return back into communities in Phnom Penh. They will take what they learned, put it into action, and impact their nation for Christ! WOW! I get to be a part of that!

Tricia


 

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Long-Term Investments: What you can do in the short-term to have a long-term impact!




If you are looking for a blog on retirement savings or mutual funds, this might not be what you were looking for, but please keep reading!

Short-term missions team from Abilene

For years Tricia and I led short-term missions teams from Texas, but now we are on the receiving end of those teams and are involved in long-term missions. Over the years I have heard a number of debates about the effectiveness of short-term teams in the work of long-term mission fields. This blog isn’t meant to be a part of that debate, but it is meant to point out how a recent short-term team prayerfully and intentionally made investments on the field with long-term returns in mind.

Assisting the Youth with a landscaping project at village church




The past 2 weeks we were excited to have a short-term missions team made up of people from 3 churches in the Abilene, Texas area, including our sending church Beltway Park. For several months the team and team leaders emailed and skyped back and forth with Tricia and I. While we scheduled some of the typical outreaches short-term teams commonly engage in, this team really took time to research about Cambodia, ask lots of questions and most importantly strategize with us about how they could have a meaningful impact. They didn’t develop their own schedule trying to provide an exciting “experience” for the team, but asked how each person’s individual skills and abilities could serve the local churches and ministries of Cambodia. They were also interested in projects the team could invest in that would have a meaningful, long-term impact.
 I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the team’s thought processes. They didn’t make suggestions about some of the typical giveaways and handouts that can often create dependencies or reinforce the feelings of low self-esteem in vulnerable communities. Instead they looked for opportunities to empower people, to partner with people who desired to work and gain self-respect and dignity. They
were also really practical in providing solutions to local problems, using local resources.
Portable Sugar Cane Food Cart


Here are just a few of the many projects they were involved with:

1)     Assisting a vulnerable single mother with her dream of purchasing a portable food cart, so she could increas her income potential and provide stability for herself and her child.                                                    
72 ceramic water filter 



2)Assisting a village with their initiative of purchasing 10 sewing machines, so a sewing cooperative could be set up. This cooperative will allow 13 8th graders continue their studies in the 9th grade and beyond(the drop-out rate for that age group in this village was about 70% previously) and help stabilize vulnerable families in the village.
    
3) Provide 72 families with water filters. Water filters aren’t something most people think about, but in a third world country where people die every day from water-born illnesses, water filters and teaching on hygiene can have a significant community impact.


Helping a family to construct a latrine
 

4)     Had a flower planting/landscaping time with the youth of a village church. This was something the village church was already working on.  The team just followed their lead and helped further their vision.

5)   Worked side by side together with a family to build a latrine in their new home. This family had recently been forcibly evicted from their former home.

It was refreshing to see the team use their personal skills and abilities to serve vulnerable communities.  They were able to share the Gospel, strengthen and encourage believers and leaders, all through practical, common-sense projects.
Amazing 10 days with short-term team making a long-term impact!

  

Saturday, June 22, 2013

It's Been A Tough Week



When we started this week I knew it was going to be a bit of a depressing week, but it got worse as the week went along. We have known for a while that 6 families, we had grown close to, would be moving on to the next place God is calling them in their journey. We were excited for each of them as they were embarking on new adventures, but sad we would no longer be part of their daily lives. It has affected the whole family as one is Reece’s best friend Gabe, another is a family in our apartment building whose kids are playmates with Kyler and Reece, and others we work with at New Life and are in our weekly life group. The fact they were all leaving within one week of each other made it a pretty significant change for us.

As the week went on I was reading a prayer letter from a friend and took note of this paragraph:
“There is a scale we sometimes used in Psychology called the Holmes Rahe Life Stress Inventory. It asks you to note any major life events that you have experienced in the last year, and accords them a score based on how stressful they are. When you have a score of 300+ points in one year, you are likely to get ill and require hospital admission, as a result of the stress. However, research has shown that missionaries and other cross cultural workers can reach 800-900 in the first year and average out at about 600 points annually after that. Life on the mission field is stressful!”
After reading the paragraph I went online and took this stress inventory. It asked me to mark major life events I’ve experienced recently and then gave me a score of the level of stress I should be experiencing. Let’s just say I should be providing a Cambodian doctor with a steady stream of income!

The day after I took the stress inventory, I went to work and found out some horrific news. A young South Korean missionary family who had spent the last two years in Phnom Penh in language school had launched out the day before, moving to Siem Reap to begin their missionary work. On the drive to their new city and ministry their car was hit by a bus. The mother, father and two of the children were killed. Two more children were seriously injured including the 7 year old, Esther, who had not only lost her mother, father and siblings, but lost her arm and has brain injuries. Esther is in Reece’s class at Hope and is a friend. As I digested the news, I was of course heartbroken for the family, but also wondering how I would go home and break the news to my family. How do I tell Reece about his friend? How do I keep the whole family from being fearful about life in Cambodia? It isn’t hard to imagine this could just as easily be our family.

This week, along with two years of other experiences, has caused me to deeply consider the question, “Is it healthy for my family to be here?”  When we embarked on this adventure I would often use the saying I had heard so many others use, “The safest place for a person to be is in the center of God’s will.” I’ve truly believed the reason I’m not in a hospital somewhere is because of the “peace of God that passes all understanding” guarding my (and my family’s) heart and mind from the stresses of life in Cambodia that could easily disable us. But knowing this Korean family has shaken me a bit this week.

It was then that I read a chapter in The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus. Erwin had researched the often-quoted saying about safety in God’s will. Interestingly, the original source of that quote was Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie had made this statement referring to her time as a prisoner, with her sister, in a Nazi prison camp. In that place of “safety” her and her sister shared Christ, but her sister soon died as a result of the horrible conditions. I wonder if people who so easily use this saying really know it’s original context. I didn’t.

Christ’s call to us is “take up your cross and follow Him”. Where He leads us may not be safe, but one thing I am assured of this week is that He is here with us. In Western theology we have too easily allowed the idea that accepting Christ means we will live a life of ease creep into our hearts and minds. We forget to read the full chapter on heroes of the faith in Hebrew’s 11, enjoying the first half of the chapter, but ignoring the part saying most of them never lived to see the fruit of their faith.

I’m not in a morbid state of mind, nor am I thinking of living a foolish life with my family. I am simply recognizing Christ’s call to each of us is to take up our cross and follow. I’m reminding myself this week that it is the Grace of God that makes us distinct from the rest of the world. It is the Grace of God that enables us to encounter stressful life experiences, and yet live a life of health. Graham Cooke once said there are no good days or bad days, simply days of Grace.  Pray for our family as we learn to live in this realm of Grace. This has been a Grace-filled week!

Wayne



Tuesday, June 4, 2013

A Restored Life

I can barely contain my excitement for one of the young women in our program at Mother's Heart crisis pregnancy center.  She just recently received notice that she will able to attend a local university. I am so proud of her courage, inner strength, and persistence in fulfilling her dream to pursue a university degree!

When I first met Sokleak in February of 2012, it was actually my first day at Mother's Heart. I accompanied one of our social workers, Thary,  to Calmette Hospital to meet Sokleak for the first time.  We arrived at the hospital, and located her in a small, cramped post delivery room.  She was smiling with enthusiasm as she was holding her beautiful newborn little girl.  Sokleak had no family or friends with her. We were here today to process her hospital discharge and assist her with transportation back to her home.
(Most pre and post partum rooms in hospitals are overcrowded resulting in some women having to labor on cots in the hallways)
As the months passed, I slowly learned of Sokleak's past.  She had grown up as a little girl in a small village with her mom and dad. It was during that time, that a man traveled through their village looking for work. He obtained a small temporary job in their community.  It was shortly after that when both the man and Sokleak disappeared.  The man kidnapped Sokleak and illegally took her to Thailand were he trafficked her in the sex industry as just a small child. This man became her new family. Later, when Sokleak was older, she returned to Cambodia. She eventually escaped him and reintegrated back into Cambodia as best as possible, but still alone.

Sokleak, being estranged from her family and unable to locate them, found herself single and pregnant.  Having heard of Mother's Heart, she located our offices in desperation for help. Mother's Heart immediately enrolled her our program and provided her with pre-natal care, shelter, and food.

(Cambodian University in Phnom Penh)
Sokleak was a bright young woman. Her English speaking skills were strong. She loved her little girl and chose to give her an English name, Sarah.  Sokleak's dream was to attend a university.  However, universities in Cambodia are private and no government loans are available for students. And so, her dream would have to be set aside. 

After Sara was 3 months old, Mother's Heart provided Sokleak with vocational training in hospitality and cooking. The next big hurdle was about to begin. Job placement for Sokleak had come to a halt.  She needed a birth certificate to prove her date of birth and Cambodian citizenship.  This information could only be found in her parent's "family book" which is a hard copy and kept only by each individual family unit. 

Mother's Heart enlisted a legal organization called SISHA to help locate her family.  After months of searching, her family was located. However, her mother had died and her father had remarried and started a new family.  The new family was refusing to allow Sokleak access to the family book for fears of having to share their family's inheritance with her.  It was a long legal battle, but with the help of SISHA, we eventually acquired a birth certificate for Sokleak.

Sokleak soon after began her new job as a hospitality worker. However, her dream of attending a university still grew in her heart.  Mother's Heart began praying for a financial miracle that would allow Sokleak to attend a university. Several months later, and almost a year and half after I first met her, Sokleak's dream came true.  She found and applied to a local non-governmental organization that agreed to sponsor her to attend a university!

www.mothersheart-cambodia.org
I am so proud of all the staff at Mother's Heart and all the local organizations here in Phnom Penh who helped Sokleak. I continue to pray for God's blessings in her life and in Sarah's life as they continue this amazing journey as a family!
                           Tricia
(For client confidentiality and safety, real names and personal photos were not used)



SISHA is a non-profit organization that strives for justice for victims of human trafficking

Friday, April 26, 2013

Family fun in ministry! Sharing gifts from New Zealand.

Making sure every child has a box
Before we moved to Cambodia, Wayne and I visited the country about 7 times  over a period of about 8 years.  I would travel to Cambodia for medical outreaches while Wayne would travel for evangelism and community development outreaches.  During those trips we always traveled seperately while one of stayed back in the US with the boys. 

Micah cutting tape off the boxes




Kyler ran back and forth for more boxes to hand out







It was during that season of my life that I often dreamed about what it would be like for our family to minister in Cambodia together....as a family.....joining together to accomplish a vision.  This dream became a reality for me when our family moved to Cambodia in 2011. Sometimes I have to "pinch" myself when an experience and opportunity like what I am sharing about in this blog actually happens.


The children lined up anxiously awaiting  their box
This past week our family traveled to Kraing Thnong Village with a team from Samaritan's Purse Australia to distribute Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to the children in this area. When we arrived, the children had gathered and were patiently waiting inside New Life Fellowship Kraing Thnong church. I was so elated to be able to experience this as family!

We had the privilege of serving beside Pastor Pros and his church staff in handing out  shoeboxes to over 300 children.  The shoeboxes were shipped from New Zealand  with items inside such as dolls, hats, clothes, shoes, soaps, toys, and school supplies. It was so much fun to see the faces of these children as they opened their boxes. Laughter, screams, and smiles filled the building. For many of them, it will be the only gift they will receive for the year.


Reece showing a boy how 
to operate a new toy
Playing with the children after they open their boxes!












What made the day so special was seeing Micah, Reece, and Kyler helping with enthusiasm, curiosity, and compassion.  This was a great opportunity for our family to minister together and for the boys to engage in tangible acts of love and giving!