Making Friends Helps Us Feel More At Home.

You know that day when people around you realize you are going to be here for awhile? In many ways that day for us was today. We went to the Russian Market for some groceries, and when I was buying some nuts, spices and dried fruit from a lady she told me she new she'd be seeing me again soon. I told her yes! She is so sweet to the girls, they just love her. At the market we got to hang out with some teammates, and then they came over and hung out for awhile. Amirah loved playing with Miss Vicky, and Miss Anna.

Miss Vicky reading to and playing with Amirah. 

The best part of today though was after the girls woke up from nap. We headed downstairs armed with a ball. This ball was what we were planning to use to lure the neighborhood kids to come play with us, and it worked! They played and played! It was so fun, Amirah was glowing from time with new friends, and all the adults were eager to meet us and our kids. It kind of seemed like word got out that we were hanging out and playing and families just kept coming over to play! So fun! We are really going to enjoy getting to know them this year! I am so excited to learn more Khmer soon, so I can more effectively begin to speak with our fun, kind neighbors.

Playing with the neighborhood kids! Soccer was pretty much the game. :) 

 Then we ended our fun filled evening with pizza! This place, Brooklyn Pizza is one of the best. Durango friends think Homesclice. :)

Layla chowing down.

Amirah being goofy, and fun!

Layla and Daddy eagerly awaiting the pizzas arrival. 

In other news, I was able to start language school this week! I am in the same course as Chris but it is in the afternoons and part-time. So I am making new friends and building more skills for speaking more effectively in Khmer! Yesterday was kind of a hard day, two tuk tuk rides without Chris and I got both of the drivers lost. Then jumping into language class, which wasn't expected, and the girls were nit-picky with each other. 

Not everyday is a great fun day like today was, but we are definitely having more of those these first two weeks than hard days. Each day we are exhausted, and ready for bed early, but we are enjoying it here. Thank you for praying for us! I am confident that our fairly easy adjustment so far, our comfort, and the abounding grace we are feeling is coming straight from peoples' willingness to pray for us. To pray for the little the little things. I am relearning the power of prayer in a whole new way. 

God has been challenging me in this way a lot the last 2-3 weeks. It is so easy for me to ask others to pray for me or for my family before I even pray for what's on my heart. It is so easy for me pray for others before I stop to present my requests to God. He has been challenging me with trusting Him more, trusting Him enough to boldly present my requests to Him, and confidently know that He hears, He cares, and He will answer. I am so humbled by the fact that so many friends are continually praying for us, and that God cares enough about us to meet us here, in our new home. Be encourage, He cares about you, He hears you, He hears your heart, and He will answer. Have the faith to approach Him. He will meet you where you are. 

*One funny thing today a Cambodian person asked Amirah where she was from today, she told them Cambodia. They laughed, and asked her if she liked it here, she said yes, they told her she was from here then. :)*

Settling in...

Well we have been here 10 days, I think in the next day or two will officially mark the longest I have ever been in Cambodia. Some things are feeling more and more like home. Like finding dishes! And the fact that just like wherever I call home, I have laundry to do and dishes to wash, baths (or showers here) to give, and kids to love on, play with, and teach. We are slowly making friends with our favorite tuk tuk driver and even got to have a short beliefs conversation with him yesterday. He is becoming our best "language helper" and is very kind.

The dishes we found after hunting and hunting

On Friday night we hosted our first gathering of friends in our new home, the whole team made it! Yay!! We are learning how to keep cool, without our A/C running all the time, and feel pretty proud of ourselves when we make it all day before we turn it on for the girls to nap or to go to bed. Coming from 3 degrees F when we left Colorado that feels like a great adjustment! In fact yesterday as we headed to church it was only 85, and on the tuk tuk I almost felt like I could use a jacket. ;) I am finding that I have to clean so much more which has made me so appreciative of the cleaning help that is included in the rent we pay. With the girls we have ants etc. running around and cleaning is even more on going than it was in the US. As a bonus, the cleaning are so fun to learn and practice Khmer with!

Playing with our teammates at the pool! 

The girls enjoying the open door, and the cool breeze.

Some things are the exact same as in the US like when the girls don't think they need a nap, or decide they need to throw a fit. We are back in our home-school preschool curriculum and they are eating it up. Even little Layla is loving doing school.


Amirah doing school, and trapping ants at the same time! Layla being oh so cute in her pigtails!

One of the harder things here so far is that Layla loves milk, but every kind we have tried so far seems to make her vomit. We thought the UHT milk was our winning one, but seems even that on an empty stomach makes her sick. We have one more kind to try from a local dairy here, maybe it will be ok.

One of our favorite things here remains the tuk tuks, and the girls love going to the markets... that could because they get free snacks and candy from vendors because they are so cute.

Life is developing into a new normal for us, and I am surprised at how normal it all already feels. Even doing laundry and dishes I am finding that having to hang our clothes up to dry makes putting them away easier, so less clean laundry needing to be put away piles up on our bed. Win! Also seeing all the clean dishes in the dish rack makes me remember they need put away, instead of them hidden in a dishwasher, so they get put away more frequently! Win!

^^ Our new dryer! It works pretty quickly and Amirah loves to put clothes out and take them with me. Also when there isn't any haze, you can see mountains in this same direction! Well at least big hills. Made it feel even a little more like home. :)

Layla "helping" sweep. 

The sunset the other night! Isn't it beautiful! 

Market Day

So we don't live too far from what is called "The Russian Market". Last weekend we went through it. It was a little overwhelming for only our 2 or 3 day in a big city. People all over, and the aisles are tight, and stuff is everywhere. With the four of us passing through it felt like it would be impossible to shop in there with two little kids. We walked out of there, and I told Chris that it was a little overwhelming and I'd need a map.

Since that day I have ventured out alone, and explored our neighborhood without kids in tow. This helped immensely with my comfort level with where we live, and how to cross the streets. (Which for me at least is basically ignore everything we were taught in American about crossing the street, and just going for it, while watching like a hawk who is and isn't paying attention. And look confident while doing it.) Then a day or two later I ventured out with the girls for our first outing just us ladies. We walked to Joma Cafe. It was great! Girls did well, and we made it!

So today after we finished home school, and cleaning we headed out to the market. I thought if I just went for it and we saw what was there I'd feel less intimidated. You know that whole courage is doing what your afraid of, thing... so in we went! It was great! The girls loved it, and even got free candy from one shopkeeper. :) They were a hit, as they are everywhere we go. And they were dressed in matching shirts which just added to the cuteness. I had 3 things I wanted to look at and possible buy if it was what I liked and could get a good price. We walked out with only one... but still felt like a success! I had started building my mental map of that market and it wasn't as crowded as it was on that Sunday morning when we had wandered through as a family so it was way more navigable as a group of 3.

Then we headed to another cafe Jars of Clay, and enjoyed lunch. After the girls opted to walk back and were ready for nap. So we did that. One of the most fun things of this little outing was that we saw three tuk tuk drivers that we now know, and they were excited to say hi, and see if we remembered them. We are slowing making friends, or acquaintances at least! It made me realize how quickly we are forming a few relationships. We also saw some girls about my girls' ages playing in the street, we went over to say hi, but they got shy and ran inside. Standing out like we do has it's advantages, people see the weird white family that is walking everywhere, with the two blonde girls, and remember us from day to day. Amirah was also walking down the street with me saying Hi and Hello in Khmer to whomever we passed. (So cute) Pray that we will continue to build relationships, and actually become friends with our neighbors, security, house helpers, and tuk tuk drivers. We want to be friends, and have relationships with them, not just see them and wave.

How is Layla getting so big? 

We also have found that our apartment building is full of people from all over the world. That is so cool! I can't help but wonder what God will be up to this year in our neighborhood, and our building.

Amirah and those silly faces!!

After nap we headed out to the Central Market. It's a little bigger, and had more things. We wandered that market as a family and found a few things we needed, and then found dinner and headed home.

Tonight before bed I asked Amirah what her favorite part of today was, and she said shopping. She is adjusting so well to this big city, and new way of life. Tuk tuks are still her favorite and now she is learning to enjoy hunting for the things we need in the markets.

During nap I took time to look through my bible study notes from the last few weeks, and I loved seeing how God has been building my confidence in Him. As I see and understand Him more and more as my and our protector, our good God, who is just, and trustworthy. Our God whom hears us and listens. Our God who rescues and guides. Our God whom I want to know, and make known. The Giver of Life and the only one who can truly keep my family and I safe, and who holds us in the palm of His hand as we seek, and serve Him. Being right where He has called us to be, doing what He has called us to do. Learning what it means to dwell in this new land He has placed us in.

In other news, Chris is thriving at language learning! He is doing so well, and it is so fun to hear and see him excelling already. I am so excited to start my classes in a little less than a week and half. 

Fun part about exploring a new home is trying out the coffee shops. :)

Middle of day 4 of life in Cambodia

We are in the middle of our fourth day here in Cambodia and it already feels like we have been here longer than 4 days, in a great way! We are settling, getting used to getting around our part of this big city, and the girls are loving tuk tuk rides, and walking places.

So far we have found some good coffee (Joma Cafe), and some not so good. As well as a nearby pharmacy with a super nice lady who is willing to fumble through my lack of Khmer to help me. We have found a kind tuk tuk driver, and Chris is becoming a pro at shopping in the Russian Market. The house helpers provided by our apartment are so sweet, and kind. I am hopeful they will be a big help with my Khmer. We have had some great food, and some ok food, and are slowly finding what we need to set up house. Everyone is so kind, and helpful!

 We have been amazed at the difference it makes knowing we are here for the long haul and not here for a short term trip. This has added confidence, and willingness to make mistakes. It has also pushed us to venture a little more, and explore.

We are already enjoying some of the fun of moving to a new country. Layla has had tummy issues for a little over 24 hours, but she is doing better now. I bet her immune system will adjust the fastest! She still touches and puts many things in her mouth soo.... new germs get in. The rest of us are ok, but we are braced prepped and ready for whatever gets thrown our way. :)

Amirah is loving our new way of doing laundry, which is basically the same, but hanging them out to dry. She thinks it is so fun to help mom with laundry... and they dry super fast! Like 10-30 mins... that's faster than our dryer in the states ever was!

God is so faithful, and in my times in His word this last week, even prior to leaving He keeps reminding me of His good character and His protecting nature. He is our protector, and is here close to us, and guiding our steps.

It is so good to know we are exactly where He wants us to be. :)

So far we are enjoying it here. We know we are still honeymooning... but things are moving rather smoothly. Please continue to pray for us and our language learning! That will help so much with building relationships!

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We are at our new home!

Well we made it! Our flight arrive in Phnom Pehn around midnight last night, and got home around 2 am.

Thank you to everyone who prayed us through our flights and trip!! We could definitely feel and see the results of your prayers. We knew God was moving, protecting and help us all the way here. We were given so much grace with timing, bags, and the girls being easy going and laid back.

Our day started Thursday morning at 3 am, in a Colorado snow storm. My dad fearlessly drove us to the airport. Our flight was on time, and thanks to my parents we were able to check in, and get through security with about 10 mins to spare before boarding. Then we landed in San Fransico, and a friend and member of our ministry team met us and helped collect all our baggage and recheck it for the next flight. With out him I don't know how we would of ever made it through San Francisco! Praise God for each of you who are willing and able to help us along the way! We had some hiccups with our bags that could have resulted in paying major bag fees, but then God changed minds and we were able to check some bags for free which lightened our load and solved the problem we had with our bags for the airline. Praise God!

We go through security and kept getting pushed through the priority lane, which was awesome. We got to that gate about 20-30 mins before we started boarding, and were able to get some food! We quickly boarded the plane, and even though we took off with an hour delay, we landed in Seoul 10 mins early! There we moved through security again, and got to our gate just after boarding had began. We boarded and landed in Cambodia just a little behind schedule.

Eating pizza and watching movies! 

We then easily moved through the airport, got visas and collected all our luggage (yes it all made it!!) We had a little issue with the ride we had arranged not showing up, but were able to use taxis and got to our apartment safely and smoothly! We settled in, and got ready for bed, and slept pretty good!

This morning Chris ventured out for breakfast, and returned with iced coffee and mango smoothies. The best! We got some video calls in with family, and shared our apartment and traveling story. A nice relaxing morning for a Saturday.

Layla was up early, while Amirah slept in. Getting into our bins that were zip tied shut was hard without any sharp objects. :) 

Yummy breakfast of rice and pork, with mango smoothies! 

We are mostly unpacked, and this afternoon we are headed out to do shopping for the essentials we weren't able to bring. We are already seeing how God has paved a way for us, and how important our language learning will be. Chris starts on Monday!

View from our apartment! Pray for the people of Cambodia! 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying for us!!! We truly felt it while traveling and continue to feel your prayers as we settle in. We are sad to be so far from so many people that we love, but we are happy to have finally hit this milestone of being here and are excited to see all that God does in us, and in those around us. 

Keep us in our prayers as we learn to navigate this new place we now call home.

This time change and jet lag is hard! Layla thought she was done napping and then immediately passed out. :) 

1 week and 1 day to go...

So here we are! One week and a day to go! We depart Denver around 7am on Thursday January 5th. We are deep in the thick of packing and cleaning, and deciding what to take and what not to take. As well as trying to say goodbyes well, and continue to work on our partner development (support raising). We are excited, ready, scared, and a little anxious.

We are continuing to learn so much about this new life we are embarking on. Two of which I would love to share here.

The first one is the blessing of having a support team. Not only is it how we make our living as missionaries from financial support from those who believe in what we are doing, bringing Jesus in the way of design to Cambodia. I am also learning that it is so much more than that! It's having people who are willing to pray. People who are willing to encourage. People willing to meet a need when we have a need, and maybe most importantly it's people that are willing to remind us that they are thinking of us, and even more importantly praying for us. What a huge blessing!!

The second one came from scripture I was reading yesterday. Here's what stood out to me:

Psalms 1:1-3
"How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners, or join the group of mockers. Instead, his delight is in the LORD's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. His like a tree planted besides streams of water that bears fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."

- The last part of this verse we hear all the time as pastors pray it over their congregation, and we have had many people speak/pray it over us this last year. The thing that stood out to me was that the verse 3 that we hear all the time comes after the description of a man who sticks close to the Lord and finds his delight in Him, the fruit of that is being like the tree we hear about so often.

Psalms 2:11
"Serve the LORD in reverential awe and rejoice with trembling."

- I find it so easy to get comfortable with God, to get comfortable and forget how awesome He is, and how big He is. Great reminder for me!

Psalm 3: 3-5
"But you are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. I cry aloud to the LORD, and He answers me from His holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me."

- Our God protects, hears and cares. He is sufficient and worth any sacrifice, because He give life.

Psalm 4: 7-8
"You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound. I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety."

- He fills me with joy, and He gives us His safety wherever we go.

My prayer is that you are encouraged by this as much as I was last night. Be encouraged as we enter this new year, that God is for you. He is big, He is might, He hears you, and He cares. He fills you with joy and He is sufficient. So whatever you have ahead of you in 2017 remember these promises, remember He is worth it, and He is with you.

I know I will be clinging to these sweet verses as we prepare for and eventually step on to that air plane on January 5th.

December 2nd, 2016 34 days to go...

Well here we are! December second. We are all tired from traveling, and schedules being off, and some days are just off right now, and that is OK.

We are in the beginnings of organizing, and packing, and preparing for the final move on January 5th, and a little relieved we aren't going anywhere until then. We have been apartment hunting, and emailing. We have been researching more, and learning.

We are trying to feel all the feels of moving, and all the beauties of Christmas. We have our stockings hung, ornaments on the tree, our nativity out, I am addressing Christmas cards and have begun Christmas shopping, and soon cookie baking. We love this time of year, and don't want to miss it in our rush to get ready to move to the other side of the globe. We are also ready. Ready to move, ready to be done waiting and transitioning.

This time of year is wonderful end to this year of preparing, transitioning, learning, and dreaming. It is wonderful because of the reminder of Jesus. I love that we get to celebrate His birth, and His coming to rescue us, right before we leave. Jesus is why we are doing what we are doing. He is why we are going to Cambodia, to share Him with others who have never heard of Him.

The last few years around Christmas time God has been pointing out a different aspect of the coming of Jesus that I haven't thought too much about this year. The last several years it has had to do Mary, having a child and being a mom. The trust Mary and Joseph had to have to trust God to the point of having Jesus. The way they had to trust and love each other.

This year God has already began to highlight something different I have never had highlighted before the anticipation. The anticipation of Jesus. Our greatest gift of all. Between Amirah asking me everyday if tomorrow is Christmas, and our own anticipation of our big move, I find myself really relating to what the wise men must have felt. Knowing the king they had been waiting for was coming. The way Mary must have felt being at the end of her pregnancy knowing Jesus, God's son was coming. The way many scholars of the day must of felt knowing God had been silent for so long, and wondering if the Messiah would ever come.

This year I feel the anticipation. I feel the need to soak it in, to soak in the excitement of Jesus coming! I have been noticing how we prepare for Christmas, this whole advent season of preparing to celebrate Jesus is a lot of work, and a lot of planning. Much like the ones who knew the times when Jesus came may have felt waiting for their Messiah, their King of Kings. It has already added this whole new thing to Christmas for me. An anticipation that I haven't had in a long time. Anticipating celebrating Jesus' birth. My savior and my king. The greatest miracle of all time coming to pass.

Jesus is our all, He is our everything, He is worth laying it all down for. It is such a comfort to know that Jesus came for us, to rescue us, and restore our relationship with God. What a miracle that God would love us this much, and that He had two people, Mary and Joseph that trusted Him so well to allow Him to fulfill His plans through them.

I pray that you will feel the anticipation of celebrating Jesus' birth season.