Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World

This week marks the one year anniversary of our family moving to Cambodia. I vividly recall many unanswered questions  as we boarded the plane for Cambodia. The issue of taking Micah, Reece, and Kyler to Cambodia and raising them overseas was a difficult choice for Wayne and I. Our families asked us, “Will they be safe? How will they be educated? Will they have proper medical care?” Some say that one of the most challenging tasks for many missionaries is that of raising their children on the mission field. While Wayne and I both asked ourselves these same questions when we decided to make this move, the one answer we did have was this:  God called us as a missionary family to serve in Cambodia. He has a plan for our family to live and minister as successfully in Cambodia as we could in the U.S.

Micah handing out snacks at "Joy Club"

This last Thursday Wayne had an opportunity to take Micah out to the slums with the “Joy Club” at our church to minister to over 200 kids through Bible stories, hygiene lessons, and handing out snacks. When we asked Micah what he thought about it all he said:


“I feel sad for them. I feel blessed.  I feel like I should do something for them. Like more than just 10 cents or 20 cents. More like $25,000 so I can build a house for them.”

Micah, Reece, and Kyler are confronted daily with special opportunities and unique challenges. Wayne and I continually take steps to help them understand the world through their eyes.  While it’s true the USA is considered the land of opportunity, we believe that Micah, Reece, and Kyler are experiencing 'other' opportunities while living in Cambodia. They are seeing things and experiencing things differently than those living in the United States - but equally as beneficial. They are learning to relate on a new level to others who are not like them and learning to appreciate those differences. They are learning how to step out of their comfort zones. They are experiencing different cultures first hand - rather than just reading about them in geography books. They are learning to be resourceful, flexible, and adaptable.

Watching Bible Lesson

In preparation for our move to Cambodia a year ago, I read a specific children’s book to help me understand what the boys would go through and the challenges they would face. This book describes the experience of a little girl  moving to Taiwan with her parents to become a “missionary family”.  I recently recalled an excerpt from the book as I was reflecting over what the boys have experienced over this past year. 


 “Sure, my peanut butter (American) friends would never be the same as my Chinese friends. But  I had a wide variety of peanut butter friends, and I was beginning to realize that my Chinese            friends weren’t all alike either.  Friends came in all kinds of flavors.  And all of them were good.” ( Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World by Deb Brammer)

Thank you God for the amazing journey you have brought us through this last year. Thank you for our family and our friends both abroad and here in Cambodia. 

-Tricia

Miracle at 33 Weeks!

When we first met one of our new clients, our concerns for her health and the health of her unborn baby were at the forefront of the management of her case. For the safety and confidentiality of our clients we do not use real names and so for this story I will use the name Sopia. When clients first enter our program at Mother’s Heart, we accompany them to RACHA (health clinic) for general prenatal checks. It was this checkup that confirmed what we suspected from our preliminary screen. Sopia’s blood pressure was high. She was suffering from a condition called “preeclampsia” which basically means “before seizures” . Our staff began praying immediately for Sopia and her unborn baby.

Pre-eclampsia is a diagnosis given to women who suffer from high blood pressure and swelling under the skin during pregnancy which untreated can ultimately result in dangerously high blood pressure, seizures, and death. It occurs all over the world regardless of age, culture, or ethnic background. Access to an obstetrician is a luxury for most. According to the World Health Organization an estimated 12% of maternal deaths in Cambodia are as a result of this condition. It is estimated that 1 woman out of every 1,666 women will die in Cambodia from complications of pre-eclampsia, however in  comparison to the US the maternal mortality is 1.5 in every 100,000.

 Our Nurse Midwife, Sreytouch, continued to monitor Sopia closely over the following weeks. When Sophy was only 33 weeks pregnant, she developed complications from the preeclampsia and her baby was delivered by emergency C-Section weighing only 2.5lbs! Sopia’s baby boy was admitted immediately to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit here in Phnom Penh. He was placed on a ventilator, feeding tube, and I.V. Our staff continued to pray for a miracle that his lungs would be healthy and mature enough to sustain his breathing. God’s grace and answered prayers quickly followed. Sopia was discharged from the hospital a week later. Her baby boy continued to gain weight daily and after a few short weeks became independent from all the tubes and IV’s. He is thriving wonderfully and was discharged from the hospital just 4 weeks later. Thank you to everyone who prayed for Sopia and her son.

Please pray that pregnant mothers throughout Cambodia will have access to prenatal, labor, delivery, and post-partum care necessary to keep them safe and give birth to a healthy child.

-Tricia