Cambodia blog one September 18th-29th

The Arrival and Transition

Well here we are. Finally at our God-given destination , Battambang Cambodia.

First we just want to mention that we so appreciate all who are taking part in this journey with us. We are eternally grateful for all the prayers, finances, time and effort spent in sending us, partnering with and just lending a listening ear as it has definitely not been an easy road to come here. On every level mentally, spiritually and physically we have been tried in our faith. Even after many prophetic confirmations from the Lord we still have had our share of dissenting voices to fight through.

Upon our arrival into Cambodia and landing on the soil we instantly felt relief to have made it through a whole almost 25 hours of flying, layovers and wrestling with the inability to sleep with an 18 month old toddler. Stepping off the plane we were greeted by an enveloping humidity, heat and sunshine that is directly opposite to the weather we usually get in our hometown in Auburn WA.

After the visa issuance, baggage claim and greetings with Wilma and Jerry we embarked on an approx. 3 to 4 hour drive to our home here. The second we were on the road we got a sense we were not in Kansas anymore haha. The road was filled with spontaneous driving (the kind that makes an 18 month old vomit….yup,) many creative ways of pulling loads and the scariest sightings of parents with small infants and toddlers on mopeds without helmets. As we drove I couldn’t help but be reminded of my time spent in Mozambique, South Africa several years prior. The infrastructure and homes built on the sides of the street with little shops with various snacks, drinks and fruit for sale. The palm trees, banana trees and lush vegetation that were a welcoming sight. The most confronting being of course the poverty so visible and an in your face kind of way. The poverty in a third world country is something that can not be avoided or ignored like in most western countries. In fact as we drove up to our home we found ourselves neighbors with many who live in shack looking types of homes with not much covering them but a tin roof which makes for quite a ruckus when the heavy monsoon rains fall, and then becomes an oven when the sun bares down without relenting.

The first several days were a blur as we dealt with the jet lag, the new smells, heat, and learning the ins and outs of the city. The times of rest that we did experience were truly when we would just surrender all the transitional emotions to Jesus in prayer and worship.

The scariest for me and most challenging was dealing with Eli getting sick within a few days of us being here. If some of you don’t know, he got sick with fever, diarrhea, and blood in his stool. Thankfully we had access to an amazing surgeon doctor named Doctor Simon (please pray for this man as he deals with mine injured patients and has a heart of gold). Dr Simon advised for rest, possible antibiotics and rehydration as much as possible. Even after antibiotics Eli was still feverish but after posting about him being sick on our church group page and asking for prayer regarding his illness, we felt a shift in him almost instantly and the next morning he woke up with the fever completely gone. Praise the Lord!! And thank you all for your prayers!  After breathing a sigh of relief and just thanking the Lord I was aware of how much we had gone through in a matter of just a week and how much our bodies had truly been put through in such a short time so we decided to spend as much time in prayer and worship as possible to make sure our hearts and minds were refreshed with truth and peace.

In the next couple weeks we are pray for Jesus to show us what He has in store for us. In the meantime we feel that He wants to awaken our hearts to a deeper and more resolute understanding of his faithfulness and love than ever before. We feel that God desires our hearts be simply pliable and accessible for His love to soften it even more to be a beacon of light to the brokenness surrounding us. We realize its not out of our own accord, desires or even willingness that can accomplish anything for God but its by His Spirit alone that we can make an eternal impact to this region whether it’s in the releasing of our worship in our home alone which changes and shifts the atmosphere in this region or whether its leading someone to The Lord… It’s all by HIS SPIRIT. So we just surrender daily to His Spirit and allow His Holy Spirit to simply move us where He wants us to move so as to release Heaven. It’s that simple.

Please pray for revival, signs, wonders and miracles, salvations, and deliverance to break out in epic proportions in Cambodia, and for protection and courage for us to do ALL God has called us to do.

Acts 4:30-31

“Stretch out Your hand to heal and to perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed , the place was shaken, and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak messages from God boldly.

Another update coming soon…. God bless!