Cambodia Take Three: First Thoughts

The easiest way for me to explain what is happening on Tim's trip is by sharing bits from his journal. I have been deeply touched by this third trip finding myself emotional and wrecked by seeing and hearing testimonies from those affected by the ministries in Cambodia. Please continue to keep both Brian and Tim in your prayers as the heat is really affecting them and for their travels back to the capitol city to be safe. Thank you!

{ Wednesday }
Starting my morning off at the Dara hotel. It's always interesting starting these trips because it reminds me of how much time I don't spend doing these types of things. And I realize how much I actually need them. Even reading about the prodigal son this morning and I'm reminded about how much money and time I spend on activities that produce nothing for the kingdom, much like how the prodigal son wasted his resources when he left the home. I’m really looking forward to getting my head back into the bigger game here. In the company, we focus on the bigger purpose all the time, but it is so much more tangible and real when you are on the ground seeing face to face!

Brian and I went to AIM in the morning (Agape International Ministries). Below are links to documentaries that have been done on the exact street we were on, and about AIM.


They take children who have been sold into the sex trade by their parents, and rescue them. They also take in kids who have been abandoned and abused, and rehab them as they would be the next round of kids to possibly move into the sex trade industry because there is no other option for them. It’s an amazing program. What is staggering to me is how the families sell their kids off. How it works is the family has debt and the parents decide that the quickest way to pay the debt is to assign one kid to full time work in the sex industry which can make the most money around, and the kid then makes the money and the money goes to the family to pay down the debt. Or they sell the kid completely to a pimp and the pimp then takes on the debt and works the kid for it. As a parent, how can you do that? It broke my heart as I saw 10 year old girls there, and visualized my daughter in this situation. I stood in an actual pink room, which is where they locked the girls so they could bring men to them, and my heart just broke. How one could even conceive doing this as a parent just blows my mind. 

They focus on prevention, rescue, restoration, and reintegration. And they are focusing in this community only right now. If the model works they will attempt to franchise it so to speak in other areas. But they are not going too big, too soon. Smart move. They also have SWOT teams in the city literally doing surveillance on potential offenders. They said within minutes of Brian and I walking into the streets of this small town, we were immediately profiled by both the bad guys and the good guys, both who were going to watch our moves to see if we were interested in purchasing. Kind of crazy, and scary to be honest. 

The people leading the charge here are friends of Brian’s from Jefferson City, Missouri, Pete and Debbie Livingston. They came to Cambodia for a month sabbatical and saw what AIM was doing, went home and literally sold everything they had and moved here to work full time for AIM. Talk about sacrifice! Would I ever be willing to do that if called? Would I ever give up my comforts for something like this? Would my wife sit in a room with me like yesterday with a cockroach running on the floor? :) We need a reality check in our lives! And this is why it’s so important for me to come and see these things and be reminded of the realities in the world that we don’t see in Lynden. It helps me lead better as a father, husband, and in our business. 


 { An actual pink room where girls were locked up. }

 { Kids at AIM making shirts and clothing. }

{ Tongue anyone? }

{ Thursday }
Today, after a workout with Brian and a relaxed breakfast, we went and rented our motorcycles. While it’s always fun to rent and ride bikes, there is a few moments when you are driving out of the rental place that you wonder to yourself, “what the heck am I doing.” That goes away quite fast as you hit the road and have no choice but to be insanely focused on all that is going on around you. Add to this that it’s 95 degrees outside with 60% + humidity, and you are in jeans, in hot traffic, etc. It was fun to ride but absolutely brutal in many cases. 

The poverty I saw today was heartbreaking. I asked at one point why they stay there. If my family lived in that scenario, I would just pack up and leave. I would go find something else and risk death to attempt to improve the living conditions for my family. Yet they sit there and do nothing about it. This led to a large cultural discussion. Brian argued that it’s all relative and it really is, but as a parent, I wouldn’t let my kids live that way. Yet, each one of them has a smile on their face, the kids are enjoying their day, almost like they don’t know the difference. When you do know the difference, like we do, you just want to change it and fix it for them, but I’m realizing that isn’t necessarily the right way here. Most of them don’t really want it, which is the odd part. So you work with the ones who do, and focus on bringing Christ to everyone, knowing that the rest just doesn’t matter as much. 

 { Easiest way to travel to and from. }


 { We spent $65 on little toy animals, bouncy balls, cars and games for the kids Tim would come in contact with...pure joy. }






A common thing I keep thinking about as we’re driving through the fields in the dust, looking at people living on nothing and in garbage huts, is that Christ is all that matters. None of this matters. As I was riding yesterday through a field, the song on my bluetooth headset in my helmet was “In Christ Alone”. Words like “firm through the fiercest drought and storm, my comforter, my all in all, no fear in death, Jesus commands my destiny, in Christ alone, in Christ alone, in Christ alone, IN CHRIST ALONE!”. It just grabbed me, after seeing the slums and then hearing that. All else doesn’t really matter, and if they choose to live this way, fine. Fixing it for them doesn’t necessarily help things, but we still need to help them find the true source of peace and comfort in life as they won’t have it in the physical sense, and that’s in Christ alone. 

We drove to Prey Romeas Village, which is where Sophea was from. It was awesome. We were there a year and a half ago, praying over a piece of land that Sophea had a vision for. Standing there a year and a half later, we are in a complex that has a church building, a school, a library, etc. They have 190 students currently. The pastor there was a guy we trained in Shape a year and a half ago when we were here with Kim, his name is Sothearit. The LGN supports him and is helping him build the school and how it operates. Awesome to see! Sophea raised, and build the entire complex for $55k. Unreal!


 { Roasted frog? }

{ Friday }
Am excited for Saturday… A few days ago we were at the church and they were playing music and their sound system sounded awful. I have noticed this every time I’m here, and come to find out they think they have a bad system and wanted to get a new one. I asked if I could do some work on it and within 5 minutes had it sounding a million times better and they were pumped. I asked if I could come Sunday and run sound for them and get it fixed. They were ecstatic. So Saturday I’m going to run a sound check with their music team and help them get their system fixed. Going to be a blast!!! 

Can’t get my mind of AIM… 


This Mommy's Hairy Nightmare

This morning as I was helping Charlie with his school work, Addi and Myriam were working in the other room quietly. Too quietly...
"Addi, you like my hair?"
"MOM, MYRIAM CUT HER HAIR!!!"

This is the moment where my hairstylist-mommy-intuitions made all my neck hairs stand on end and the water works to turn on before I even saw the horror waiting for me. I have only ever cut Myriam's hair once before cutting one and a half inches along with bang trims. People have always remarked about her thick, naturally wavy J-Lo hair. With two kids before who only had fuzz at age 3, having a child with gorgeous hair that adults dream about has been perfect for her hairstylist mommy.  
So, when I saw the nightmare under the table, you can only imagine my shock and horror as Myriam now had ten inches missing from one side of her head. 
I've been weepy anyway reading about Tim's trip which gave way to real tears this morning. I knew immediately that unless I allowed a sad, pathetic looking layered mullet on our three year old darling, the only other way to fix the current problem was to cut it off.  
GASP.  
Say it isn't so?
Thankfully, Mandi was able to get Myriam in after lunch to fix her lop sided issue. 
You may ask, "Well, why couldn't you cut her hair?"
First, I didn't want to be held responsible for having to cut her hair more. 
I just could muster the effort to do that!
Secondly, I fired Myriam as my client after the first real haircut I gave her. 
(Too many wiggles. Worst child client I've ever had in my chair before.)
And thirdly, Mandi gets Myriam so why not make this her problem so this mama could process the loss of locks?!!
Myriam fully understands what she did. She's quite matter-of-fact about it which bothers me as she no longer has much hair left to cut if she were to ever attempt this again. It will take myself awhile to adjust to this new look as it will many others too. Daddy was surprised, shocked and not very happy as he saw the new do over a FaceTime chat this afternoon. 
But, with what Tim is witnessing in the slums of Cambodia and the fact that no one was hurt during this tragic accident, we still have our health and no band-aids were needed. It is just hair and I know it will grow back...just not for awhile.
My wise, motherly friend tried to help me see this as a teachable moment for the girls. She said that beauty is not found in our hair and looks, but rather in our hearts. I completely agree with her. My problem was not that I don't see beauty past the hair, but that IT WAS A LOT OF HAIR! 

 { I cried. }

 If it has to come off then we might as well donate it! Myriam will be donating her three remaining braids to Locks Of Love and sending them off tomorrow...so shiny...


 { Myriam never sees a situation as too serious. }

Did I mention her hair is now too short for piggy's? Maybe I should debrief with someone better equipped for situations like this...I'm still adjusting! 





Praying My Honey Over the Pacific


Please pray with us as Daddy and our friend, Brian Davidson, flew 
over the ocean blue to Phnom Penh yesterday morning. ( Currently still in the air! ) Pray for God's protective hand to be hovering over them keeping them strong and healthy
( Brian's three, adult girls are home with fevers currently ), ready to fight the devil's arrows as they seek God's guidance on this trip. Pray for the crazy motorcycles to stay upright as they travel to smaller villages and other LGN ( Life Giving Network ) churches. Pray for the gentlemen attending the business chats to gain wisdom for their companies so they can in return become better providers for their own families. 
It's supposed to be around 99 degrees and 82% humidity so prayers for the guys not to melt are welcomed as well! There are some sensitive places both men will be visiting
http://www.agapewebsite.org ), but also some fun as the kids picked out some small toys for Daddy to hand out to other boys and girls. 
The kids and I will hold the fort down with school routines, state testing, a few Mommy projects and remembering Uncle Larry this Friday as he suddenly passed away. As long as the coffee pot functions at a 3 cup-a-day routine and the kids keep the sibling barking to a minimum, then I "think" we'll be okay. 
Thank you for praying in advance for the Kingdom building efforts as we cover the guys in prayer! 

At the Bottom of a Mountain

Over the past month, I've managed to climb to some new heights in south Bellingham. Starting with the Fragrance Lake 10k then quickly followed by the backside trails in the same area. 
The last was on Stewart Mountain with soggy, wet, foggy views. 
I'm reminded of a song Selah sings that the kids love...

I've been climbing my whole life
And I am only at the bottom of the mountain
At the bottom of the mountain

Rising up from my feet in the daylight
Rising up into the clouds and out of my sight
Is the height of that mountain

Oh my hands cannot reach it
And my mind can't comprehend it
But my soul is gonna get there one day

Lord these shoes are gonna need some help
So make it to the top of the mountain
To the top of your mountain

Many feet have gone before us
With a habit of faith and courage
They'll meet us at the road's end

Well my hands cannot reach it
And my mind can't comprehend it
But my soul is gonna get there one day

Yes, yes, I think I will
Oh yes, I know we will
Yes, yes, I know we will
Oh yeah, I know we

All along this road
When it feels so far to the top
You say, "Just hold onto the mountain"

Though my hands cannot reach it
And my mind can't comprehend it
But my soul is gonna get there one day

 { Lost Lake's Angels }

 { Christie making sure we turned the "right" direction }

 { Bellingham Bay above Larabee State Park }

{ Breath-taking views from 3300 feet - Mt. Baker and Twin Sisters were stunning! }

{ Two hours of trail running and we still smile...twisted. }

{ Stewart Mountain 1/2...3 paid; 2 running rogue! }


 { Our views were no more than 25 yards in front of us...if that! }

Christie was on her own to run the Stewart Mountain Trail 1/2 and somehow, managed to persuade Melissa and myself into running rogue alongside her...all 5 miles up and 5 miles down with a warm up of 3 on flat trails. We were soaked before the start and by the top of the hill had frozen hands, wind-chapped lips and clothes weighing an extra 10 pounds from the rain/hail gracing us with it's sideways presence. 
John 15:13 comes to mind...
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
I lost Christie during the last mile as I was slipping and sliding through the mud and mini rivers from all the rain on the trails. Being I was running rogue, I took more caution around corners rather than face-planting for a free mud facial. Charlie horses and frozen, fat lips are what I get for my friendship dedication. Next time...wait...nope, someone else's turn!

{ Good times; and wet times! }



Hard Times Brings Bright Promises


Everyone has a hard day here or there. 
Today for me was not one of them, but for our Charlie it was a long day. First was a visit to the dentist where one cavity turned into three. Then the time came this evening for Sandy to move to a different home. Sandy (the resident bunny) has been with us for a few years and has now been relocated to a local farm with other furry friends. Addison shed no tears or second thoughts about this decision. Charlie...well...the first time we talked about it he cried. The second I stopped talking about it because he was so upset and yesterday, when I posted Sandy to craigslist, he sobbed huge crocodile tears onto his school work. Poor child struggled with this change, but he took it like a pro when the gentleman from church came to rescue our bunny. (Take good care of the bunny Doug & Shirley!) 
Change is hard. Sometimes unexpected and potentially could be messy. Charlie experienced a few challenges today and I'm proud of how he overcame the pain and the heartache as best he could for a little boy his age. Now to attempt a new one...eye drops. Here we go to the next hurdle. 

Often times, hard days are met with adult decisions, bigger pain and life changing twists. This afternoon I drove my Grandma home after she had a port surgically placed to decrease the pokes during the chemotherapy treatments. Grandma has done quite well with the curve ball she had thrown at her. Later in the afternoon, as I was praying over a woman on the phone, I begged God to extend a spirit of calm and peace as she faces terrifying moments.
From diagnoses to paper cuts...the hurdle is just taller for some.
But, what a relief we have in our salvation knowing that our Crown of Life will be waiting for us on the other side. We battle differently, we fight in opposite ways; our eternity and reward is the same.
Life is easier with Truth in my life!
I'm so thankful for James 1:12!







A Week's Worth Of Fun...

A quick glance as we skipped school, enjoyed the warm California sun and surrounded ourselves with family. 

{ Thankfully the flight over went without fit or frail. All of Myriam's friends survived as Addison colored and entertained next to me while the boys watched a movie. }

 { After a classic breakfast at Busy Bee's Diner we walked down Ventura Pier and played a bit on the beach. Myriam had seen two gals swimming and immediately called out through the rail, "Mommy, look it's mermaids!!!" There was a fabulous play set on the beach where the kids played and wished Lynden could duplicate the scenery! }


 { After a stretch on the beach, we traveled through the twisty mountain roads to Taft, CA to visit Myriam's birth Great Grandma Betty and Great Aunt Jan. This was our second trip through the Grapevine to visit with them and a great visit it was. We drove through down pours, sunny skies, hail, snow capped hills and were witness to many vibrant rainbows...all in a drives worth of time! After Betty and Jan blessed the kids with sweet treats and gifts we went to get some pizza lunch. 
Always a pleasure visiting and cherishing Myriam's heritage. }



{ Finally, we arrived at the house where we unpacked for the week. The kids and Daddy were quick to get in the pool for a night-cap swim. They loved having the pool right out the door! Charlie improved on his swimming skills and Myriam overcame her fear of slides by finally going down the slide by the end of the week! }

{ Day 2 we went to The Aquarium of the Pacific where Charlie pet some sharks, we saw a saw head shark and walked through tunnel tanks of tropical fish. A fantastic aquarium! A short drive down the road to Long Beach and the kids let loose running through the waves and playing in the sand. Charlie had no problem with the cool water temps! }


 { Day 3 Tim and I split the party up as he and the older kids went to Universal Studios and I introduced Myriam to Disneyland. What a great day we had focusing on each kid and having the individual time. Charlie realized that movies really aren't real, Myriam was enamored with real, live princesses and Addison enjoyed seeing all the movie sets. Surprisingly, Myriam walked all but an hour the entire day as she didn't mind wearing her monkey harness as I thoroughly enjoyed watching other parents chase their kids throughout the park. I would say the Tiki Tiki Room, Pirates ride and anything spinning were her favorites. }

 { They do love each other! }

{ Day 4 we stuffed ourselves full at the over-priced Goofy's Kitchen where multiple characters graced our table, danced through the kitchen and gave many photo opportunities for the kids. 

{ Tim took the older kids on the bigger, more exciting rides while Myriam and I continued to meet more princesses and play on the younger aged rides. We met up to ride the Pirates which seemed to be a favorite for us all.  }


 
{ End of the bus on the Screaming' ride! Charlie LOVED the thrill! }

{ This enormous turkey leg fed our family of five for an afternoon snack. }

( Day 5 legs were a little more tired than before, but Myriam managed to tackle her first car ride and the girls saw a few more pretty ladies. We attempted a family picture as we were leaving but as you can see, not all things are as easy as they seem! A forced smile as the little one yanked my earring out and a quick exit back to the house to tuck our tired kids in bed. A great few days with Mickey and Minnie! }


{ Day 6 was a day to rest and relax as the temperature was in the high eighties and the pool just too inviting. Later after the rest of the family headed home, Tim and I took the kids back to Downtown Disney where we did a little shopping and celebrated Charlie's birthday once more at the Rainforest Cafe. }

{ Day 7 and it's time to go home. Tim dropped me off to run a quick 5k race as they cleaned the rental car and gassed up for our drive to the airport. Unfortunately, Myriam did not do as well flying home. The girl couldn't sit still and we all were tired from the time change and being up early for a 7am start time. We managed after a stop at Starbucks before heading home where all three kids zonked for the two peaceful hours to my mom's where she had a homemade dinner waiting for us.  The laundry started after suitcases were unpacked and showers were a must for us all. Addison said the next morning, "It was SOOOO good to sleep in my own bed!" }

Thank you to Grandpa John and Grandma Judy for blessing us with a few days away at the happiest place on earth! 
Our little family made many memories and are grateful for the gift.