Our Twenty Fifteen Recap

What was the best part of this past year?
Charlie - Family (being Auntie's cheerleader)
Addison - This Christmas. (no reason; just loves this time of year)
Myriam - Playing with toys (Pet Shops, Olaf)
Tim - Cambodia with his bride & getting to know our pastor on a personal level; watching the depth of community & family grow in our church.
Stephanie - Physical & spiritual stretching through injuries, trips & situations that brought both tears and laughter. Completing the online college course was pretty cool too.

January

After ten years of driving the Tahoe, we upgraded to a 2007 Suburban. I'm pretty fond of the heated seats.
Completed our training for our foster license. 
Game night with the ladies at NCCTK.
Shaved my grandma's hair off due to chemotherapy.

February

Myriam had her EEG to rule out any seizure disorders.
Tim and I celebrated one year from our renewal and baptism celebrations.
Ran my first trail race.

March

Tim traveled to Cambodia with Brian Davidson.
We took a family trip to Disneyland with Grandpa John & Grandma Judy.
Shaved my other grandma's hair off due to chemotherapy.

April

Easter celebrations.
Spring Break entertainment of friend play dates, Tulip fields & organization.
Became a certified foster family.

May

My dad blew himself up on the boat.
Tim and I took an anniversary trip to senior town up north.
We had our first and only s'mores of the season.
Daddy dates running errands with Grandpa Doug in the plane & having treats with Addi.

June

I ran the Deception Pass Half Marathon.
Kids had the end of the year art show at the library.
Hiked Galbraith Mountain with Uncle Jason, Auntie Traci & the cousins.

July

Make Jesus Famous YWAM launch.
Tim sang with Realtime for the ten year reunion of winning gold.
Multiple Birch Bay sand dates. 

August

Tristan came to stay with us for a few days of respite care.
Pool party at Auntie Traci's.
Cooling off in the creek with neighbor friends. 
Family trip to Hefley Lake.

September

I ran a 10k & walked 5 miles with my mom in the North County Road Run.

All Day Campus Classes begun for Addison and Charlie. 

I started my first online college course at CCEF.

The highlight of the year was the trip to Cambodia with My Love. 

October

Ran the Milkshake Run up and over Stewart Mountain.
A family trip to Great Wolf Lodge with Papa and Nana.

We took our last trip to Stoney Ridge Farms gathering pumpkins and fall treats.

Tore my calf muscle resulting in an eight week recovery process.

November

Jacob Dean, Myriam's biological brother, was born. 

Myriam started Preschool.
I took the girls to Frozen on Ice. 

Tim and I enjoyed an overnight at Snug Harbor Marina Resort with some Element Friends.
We celebrated Papa retiring after 40 years on the job.

December

Finally was given clearance to slowly start running again.

Addison had a girls sleepover with friends from school while Charlie had a sleepover with Auntie Traci.
Impromptu New Year's Eve party with the Ellis and VanderPol families. 

Well, that's a wrap. Goodbye 2015. 

Nice to meet you 2016. 

His Daughter's Heart

{ If this touches anyone great. This post is me processing so it's written for me more than any guilt trip, feelings of sadness or depression that it may cause. You can also read more about this in a previous post here. }

Torture.

Torment.

Slavery.

A broken culture.

A daughter in need of rescue.

I knew what we were going to tour and the things we'd see, but nothing, absolutely nothing, quite prepares your heart for when you stand in the place such putrid acts were once performed in Svay Pak, Cambodia.

Nothing can guard your heart knowing a little girl; a mother's daughter, died on the wood slated bed in front of you from the slavery she was a prisoner to; tired, weak, hungry and alone.

Across the street another ex-brothel stands with the owners now selling food goods as their previous operation was shut down. 

A community known to once be the most notorious epicenter of child-sex trafficking now slowly being redeemed and reclaimed by grace. God's mercy's are being made known through people like Chad, who willingly gave us a tour of AIM. 

Our tour began in the first building where a church sits on the second story and a medical clinic operates below with volunteers giving out medicine and advice. The room through the gated doorway was packed with young and old seeking medical attention. The street outside strewn with trash, much like everywhere else in Cambodia. Dogs roam and try to smell your feet as well as chickens that will soon be dinner for some. Moto's line the street as the quickest means to travel, kids joyfully playing badminton in the dirt, some with shoes most without, and families of old sitting waiting for someone to buy a used bottle of gasoline, soda or fresh picked fruit to supply funds to feed their families. From a distance I hear an unpleasant cry.

The adjacent building is one that provides hope to kids where needs are not being met at home. It is the AIM Foster Home; a once operated brothel. Three little ones sat on the floor playing with the Foster Mom as she tried to calm one and the others beaming with smiles as we entered. The power had gone out earlier in the day so just the front room was lit as daylight filled the tile floor. Chad then walked us into the sleeping quarters where all the beds have been occupied with foster kids. There is no government paperwork that begins the moment the kids are dropped off. There is no government assistance or tracking for these kids. All the bunk beds were neatly made with bright colored sheets and linens. A painting of Jesus was largely displayed on the one cinder block wall. Look closely and you can see where walls once stood creating multiple private rooms where girls were sold to men; locals and foreigners. 

It is a known location. 

A single room has been left in remembrance to a chosen daughter who was left hungry, tired and her child-like, worn out body laid exhausted from the daily needs of sex-driven men. I did my best to hold myself together, but honestly, I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry out to God asking why. 

The back door had been cemented shut so there was no option of escaping for these girls trapped in hell. 

Upstairs is known as the Pink Room. This is where the virgins would be held and sold off at a high price. It was then I choked back more tears as all that went through my mind were our two precious, innocent daughters at home, who trust completely in us protecting them from all harm. Here the sparkle of a child is stolen as the parents, the ones held responsible for their child's life, are the one's placing them directly in harms way only to pay off a debt or make a little money. My heart shattered.

Down the street is where we met Matt who is in charge of the sewing factory. Again, with no power it was a quiet room with stilled sewing machines waiting to make their daily production goals and wages. There is beauty in what AIM has done taking over buildings and creating jobs for the locals. The women who work here are mostly not survivors to sex trafficking, but have connections to siblings or families that have been sold to pimps. Matt has provided security within these jobs and also a platform to share Christ to those that enter. A devotion time has been set aside and mentoring is provided. Matt's wife Sarah, operates the Foster Home. 

Across the street is my favorite as a gym has been set up to engage the young men in a tangible way to create relationships within the community. Tires, boxing gloves and traditional fighting is being taught here, but more than that, Christ is being shown to men who otherwise would never have had the chance of knowing a forgiving God.

Around the corner sits another ex-brothel turned place of employment. This building has all rescued women sitting behind the sewing machines. When we walked through, the day was done and all the girls were upstairs in their English class as the organization provides multiple ways to keep the girls involved and not forced to go back to being sold. The primary goal is to protect the girls, integrate them back into the community and teach them how to properly care for their bodies. 

I'm not sure I could have seen more. My eyes were stinging from the pain and anguish behind such amazing improvements to a war-torn community such as this one. There is good that is flourishing from such evil. The devil is struggling to take foot, but there is still immense work to be done.

Our tour was done, we said our goodbye's to Chad and we took our seats in the Tuk Tuk provided to get us back to our hotel. I had no words to share with Tim. I didn't know how to process what I heard and saw. I felt confused as to how any help would make a little difference. These volunteers packed up and have been living in these conditions for two to four years most with scars from locals stealing and accidents on the pot-holed dirt roads. A sacrifice I'm not sure I'd be able to fulfill if asked to go.

That night we met with the ground organizers, Pete and Debbie Livingston. What a joy to end a dark afternoon with the news they brought to the table that evening. 

21 girls, ages 6-17, rescued just that morning; the potential of a higher number in the end being close to 100.

God is still good...

But...

I struggle knowing we serve a righteous and just God when many are still slaves to such horrific acts against them. I struggle knowing that on our way back we passed many KTV's (karaoke bars known to sell girls) and locals just pass by like it's another Starbucks on the street corner. I struggle to understand a culture that accepts these practices and doesn't want better for their people. I struggle to understand a male having no guilt in forcing himself upon a child. 

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners."  Isaiah 61:1

I may not be able to do anything making a significant difference in the war over sex trafficking. I may not be able to pack up and move to hard areas such as all those working at AIM. I may not ever understand a culture that allows such torture to be done to their precious little ones. 

I can pray. I can proclaim the truth through word and prayer that God will have His justice when the time is right. I can pray that more of these unprecedented raids will expose the faults of those benefiting from the actions of greedy men. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

And what gives my heart a little ease, a peace knowing those on ground here in Cambodia, are sharing what many have never known...

"And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."

Mark 10:14-16

I will come home changed. I will come home with a different view and knowledge of something I never fully understood or maybe wanted to understand. A new need to protect what is commanded to be innocent until marriage will be guarded with my entire life.  I will pray that someday, these little girls, not much older than our youngest, will someday know what it is to be loved, known and worth the protection of their Heavenly Father. To be loved without fear.

{ Chad Smith, our tour guide, in front of the medical clinic. }

{ The tan building, second on the left, ex-brothel now place of employment, provides funds for the ministry by creating screen prints and T-shirts to be sold internationally. Yes, that's sweat. It was very hot. }

Launching YWAM Into Action

There are few words to describe what happened 

Saturday night in the streets of Lynden. 

From local turmoil of crime and death, to the protests and violence across our nation; we need Jesus more than ever to be vividly present, extremely bold and our faith more steadfast.

This is what was witnessed as many launched YWAM Lynden into mission. 

When you looked across the street, you saw people of young and old, Reformed to Non-Denomination and those of no faith drawn into worship as the contagious joy was spread sidewalk to sidewalk. There were 2000 fed as the Make Jesus Famous worship team led the crowd, singing praises, followed by the founders of YWAM speaking truth about the progress in the mission field. 

There are countless stories of how this came to be, but also how the devil tried with all his might to shut this down. This was a divine event that had God's powerful Hand covering every detail as things fell perfectly into place. 

Tim and I caught ourselves many times wiping tears from our eyes being witness to the power of the Holy Spirit moving through Front Street. Emotions from seeing people allowing God to break the barriers between church names as we worshipped One King. It was incredibly moving to be there at this event and more blessed that we were asked to have 

our hands be apart of helping make it happen. 

Our home was used as a "home" to two girls all week adding three more over the weekend. Heidi J. originated from Finland which made it a must to have pulla, a Finnish coffee time treat, an absolute introducing her to our family which has it's own Finnish connections. Terhi thoroughly enjoyed entertaining Heidi with Finnish chocolates and sharing conversations in her native tongue. 

What a treat that was!

Myriam also enjoyed the early mornings with Jordan who stayed with a family around the corner. He would show up to have a cup of tea while the house would slowly wake up. Myriam was fascinated by his beard. Thankfully, Jordan was a patient guest making best friends with our youngest. Together they would eat breakfast, color, play games, decorate his beard and chat up the morning hours. 

Friday night our Salem friends made their way here as we kicked the kids out of their beds to make room for the guests. With the help from our neighbors at the Lynden Dutch Bakery, we were able to supply everyone with full tummies before heading downtown to hand out fliers, pick up garbage and assist in the mini golf that many took advantage of during the hot afternoons at the Raspberry Festival. 

Many hands made the day go by without glitches as they set up the stage, plugged power in and got the night going. 

Tim and I had the opportunity to privately meet and pray with Loren and Darlene Cunningham as we prepared for the evening. We should have prayed for sunscreen to magically appear on 

Tim's dome which has a nice glow about itself now!

I was personally touched by the entire day. It was contagious with the happenings at 7th and Front Street. No one person made this happen. No one person had this idea. This truly was a vision seen and heard by many who continued to pray until action was sought. If you go back many years, you can see God strategically putting this giant puzzle together and I myself, can't wait to see the bigger picture in years to come. Tim and I have gained new friends in this journey, found more motivation and passion for ministries and have had intimate moments of serving God together. We have no connection to YWAM personally besides Tim's sisters participating in a DTS in Maui and Australia, but we are thrilled to support and stand behind this new base right here in our very own berry-enthusiastic, dairy-loving Dutch hometown: 

YWAM Lynden...Welcome. 

{ Loren and Darlene Cunningham, founders of YWAM }

 { My date for the day. }

{ Moving the stage coach with NCCTK's worship warrior: Joel. }

 { Heidi J. was a HUGE help to Jeremy & Jen. We loved having her around! }

{ Thank you Lynden Door & Elements for providing food for the crowds. }

 
 { Giving a blessing and commissioning the YWAM Lynden base leaders:
Jeremy & Jen Dorrough }

{ Pastor Ryan Bajema sharing his YWAM experience. }

{ One God; One Voice. Freedom of worship in the streets. }

 { Hannah M. became family for the week with her
fiance', Jordan, a visitor by day. }

 { Our Salem, OR friends who joined us for the weekend:
Benjamin K. and Bennett & Tiffany C. }

{ Check out the video; start getting involved by sending a prayer of God's favor over this community and mission. }

It's TIME to Worship!

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.

Praise the Lord with harp; make music to Him on the ten stringed lyre.

Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

For the work of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all he does.

Psalm 33:1-4

The Make Jesus Famous event is in full swing as the community joins in launching YWAM Lynden into action. The mini golf is ready for many to strike a hole in one, short films edited for everyone to see the vision, stage organized and songs rehearsed to lead hundreds into worship tomorrow night. There is an amazing team of over 100 volunteers with willing hands to clean, pick up trash, spread the word throughout the Raspberry Festival and share the joy in serving. 

We've had the pleasure of hosting a few YWAM staff this past week allowing Myriam to make some new best friends. Double Ditch Street is about to turn into base camp as many neighbors have also opened their doors for out-of-owners to find a place to rest over the weekend. Thank you to all who have prepared their homes for people to stay over!

There will be a massive grill ready to feed thousands along with free coffee, blue berries and other drinks. It's the perfect combination for a free date night; free food, free activities (miniature golf) and awesome worship! 

You really don't want to miss this!

 { Errands have all been ran, the fridges all stocked and volunteers informed. }

See you tomorrow at 4pm!

Make Jesus Famous

Mark your calendars for July 18th...we are Making Jesus Famous under the Windmill as we launch YWAM Lynden into action!!!

Not only will there be free food for those in attendance, but amazing worship from multiple local churches joining forces to lift His name up high on Front Street!!!

The real bonus is the blessing of listening to YWAM founders 

Loren & Darlene Cunningham 

share what's going on with YWAM, where, who and why so many youth are fired up for God!!!

Bring a lawn chair if you wish or jump to your feet as we want to force the shut down of Front Street due to people of Whatcom County worshipping and celebrating what God is doing locally and globally!!!

For more information or if you'd like to volunteer for this event, check out the website or you can find YWAM Lynden on Facebook as well!!!

http://www.ywamlynden.com/

Cambodia Take Three: Final Days

North County Christ the King has founded and supported the Life Giving Network over the course of several years. Tim's company supports the LGN monthly so part of this trip for Tim was following upon those funds, and continuing to help support the LGN pastors on the ground.

 Theses are a few successes in Cambodia alone through the ministry of the LGN from a note that Tim sent to his staff:

"Last week I got a note from the head of the LGN stating the following.... One of our pastors who reaches out to Muslims lead 32 Muslims to Christ in one day and five different villages. Another of our pastors there now has 30 churches with 3000 people in it. Pastor Koy had 85 baptisms the week I was there. Sophea just emailed me and told me something like 23 youth gave their life to Christ just the other night at his church. One of the other pastors was part of a 10 province crusade he lead and we had 1400 people receive Christ of which 145 were baptized. We (Sophea, Kim and the church) also were able to adopt 50 children with special needs in Cambodia and I just interviewed and am preparing to adopt 50 orphans in India through our pastors in the LGN there."

Tim's final days and thoughts in Cambodia....

 { Boys and their bikes. }

{ Brian and Sophia casually enjoying an afternoon nap. }

As the trip ends, there were a couple stand out successes and areas 
for continued work.

1. 1)  We will be establishing the micro loan business now in Cambodia, which we should have off the ground in a couple months. This will produce great returns for the investors, and will also produce extensive revenue and profits that can be left in country to support a few key organizations. We were able to get a plan developed for this, and now have people on the ground who are going to run it and manage it for us. Very exciting!
   
   
2. 2)  Big success - got to see the Tortilla making company that we have been coaching for a year and a half now. They doubled in size last year, doubled their profits as well - in a growth year. We helped him position his infrastructure as well for better profitability in the next year, and he’s on track for that too. So cool to see it in action. He has become the “wealthy business man” of the church there (that’s how they see him), and is now able to start giving back financially to the church and it’s paying huge dividends. He is also coaching other local businesses now and paying it forward. So great to see!
   
   
   
   
3. 3)  Spent half a day with a start-up medical clinic and helped develop their budget, market plan, and have given them the tools now to effectively start their new company. They were two people who came to the business course we taught, and wanted to get together to discuss further their plans and concerns. Very sharp kids! We fully expect next time we’re back (September) to see this medical clinic open and operational. 

4) Taught a business course to over 100 students on business development and marketing structures. Great time of dialogue and questions from them, and reviewing business plans that many of them have and are about to implement.

5) On my first trip here we visited a village where there was no school, so kids were going entirely without education, and there was no local church and literally zero infrastructure in the town. We stood outside the town on a piece of property that the local pastor had a vision for and prayed over it. We just went back yesterday (one year later) and saw a completed church, school, and entire complex developed and fully functioning. I got to stand outside the class and see kids playing games, learning, and being taught essential life skills that most here do not have. They built the entire complex for $55,000, and they have 200 students daily. Through the LGN and its support, this has all happened fast! Profits from the micro loan business, funds from the home building in Whatcom county, and other investments have helped make this a reality.

6) Have committed to build a new school in the slums for Koy and his church. Will start putting a plan together on this to see it happen in the next year. Will put a team together from the community here and will go handle it with the Cambodians. Any one interested??? :)

7) AIM.... Here is what we are working on with them.... 

We got together several times with an International organization called Agape International Missions (AIM). They focus on the Cambodia sex trade industry. In a nutshell, here is what happens over there... literally! Families have debt that has accumulated over the years and an easy way out is to sell off one of your children. The boys have less value than the girls, because the girls can be sold into sex trade and produce way more money. So the parents will sell off their young girls (average age of sold girl is 8 years old, as young as 5 at times). A local hospital first confirms that the girls are actually virgins, and they are given a “certificate of virginity” which allows them to charge top dollar for the girl. These girls are then locked in a room (called Pink Rooms), and they are kept in there and sold to pedophiles who will pay high dollar for a young virgin. After the virginity is taken away, they leave the girls in these rooms and sell them multiple times a day to men who come from all around the world for this specific reason, as well as local men who just want a quick fix. These young girls will stay in this environment until they are 12 years old or so, or when the debt is paid back. But at that point the families have become used to the additional income that was going to the debt, so they leave the girls in that environment and start collecting some income from them. If the girls can escape, which is rare, they usually go right back and become prostitutes because they only know that industry and can make ok money. This is the reality of what is going on over there!
AIM has swot teams on the ground in the cities that target pedophiles and follow them around, they identify where the girls are being sold and locked up, and then go in and save them. These

girls are then taken to a location that is not named, and cleaned up, raised, educated, and provided a normal living environment with counseling and support. To fund these homes, they started making T shirts and selling them. Now they have a small factory that makes and prints T shirts and ships them around the world. The funds go to the girls directly and to the organization as well. 


{ All of these brown roofs are brothels where young girls are
locked up being sold daily. }

This is a door that locks from below so they can secure the girls in a section of the house overnight to keep them from getting out.

  

We were not allowed to take many pictures, as they don’t want to reveal the locations of their safe houses. We had to go through back ground checks before we could come and see the operation as well. They take this part very seriously!
We toured the homes, the schools, the housing, etc. All if it was so well done. After learning about the background, and watching video’s of what is going on, and then seeing a school room full of young girls, who are having fun, laughing, learning, etc, it’s inspiring to say the least! We then went and toured the shirt making factory.

This is where we started to talk business with them. They have $3 mil budget every year, as they have a lot of donors around the world. A few years ago CNN did a big blitz on this organization and made a movie documentary, “Every Day in Cambodia” with Mira Sorvino (actress), which brought a lot of light to the situation in Cambodia. Next there was another documentary done called “The Pink Room”, which won awards and again, created awareness. So AIM has great funding, but is struggling in many aspects to go from begging for funds, to creating a structure that produces regular revenue and repeat donations.
We spent a better part of a day with the business development folks on the ground and were able to come up with some changes to their approach. They are hesitant and worry that the head of the organization wouldn’t go for them. We had nothing to lose so we just reached out to him directly and he is extremely interested in help. So we will be meeting with him next month in California and will be explaining our thoughts, and the concerns we had from a marketing perspective, and business management perspective. As an organization, they are now realizing that there are some things that are broken and need repair. It will be super rewarding to help them restructure their approach. With the donor base they have, we should be able to make a dynamic impact by helping them be more effective on the front end development of funds, and the execution of processes in the field.

So in the end, it was a great trip! From helping coach businesses, teaching the business course, seeing the purchase of the property, starting new businesses, etc, it was all around a success, and a busy trip. 

Thank you to everyone who had covered Brian and Tim in prayer as they traveled to and from. The kids survived, I didn't eat them in frustration of being a single parent and we all were happily waiting for Daddy last night when he came home. The sweaty laundry has been cleaned and plans for the next trip have begun. As Charlie says every night, 

"Mom, don't forget to pray for the kids in Cambodia!"

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.

www.agapewebsite.org

www.thecnnfreedomproject.blogs

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… 

A 15 Hour Time Change: Trip Two to Cambodia (this is a long post)

This past summer, Tim and a few others from church, went to Cambodia with many different directions and goals. It was eye opening to say the least, as Tim saw many areas of growth needed for people to maintain the essentials of life as we had everything at our fingertips back home. After much debriefing with Kim and follow-up conversations with Pastor Sophea, Tim felt called to go back to again tackle the business needs of the church in Cambodia. 

This second trip, he challenged a co-worker to come beside him in the journey 15 hours ahead of us and see first hand how God can use them for His children in Cambodia. Josh and Tim flew on points which meant a bit longer in air travel without a direct flight so the first day and a bit was all in the air or spent in airports. Don't feel too bad for them…they still managed to fly business class with flat, bed-like seats and plenty of nice food. God once again, provided safety over the 10 day trip and gave Tim more clarity as to how he can help our brothers and sisters across the ocean. God has blessed Tim with the gift of business and he has thoroughly enjoyed blessing others with some of the knowledge he's been given over the years. 

Last trip, Tim met a mango farmer who had land but no trees. Through fundraising, Addison (more mommy) was able to raise enough money to purchase 200 mango trees for that family but, unfortunately, they lost 1/2 of them due to lack of water. Before Tim left, he was able to purchase another 100 to make up for the loss and was able to give some advice to help keep all the trees green and alive. Addi enjoyed hearing about how she helped someone and seeing pictures, was able to make a connection to those across the world. We used Tim's trip as a social studies lesson as well, studying the land, history, and kids in the area. Brings perspective to a rather spoiled little girl who sometimes wants everything but, has all she needs. The kids were especially weepy this time Daddy was gone but telling them he was sharing Jesus with other people did ease the tension in the evenings. I'm praying we never get too comfortable or "spoiled" that we forget what others don't have and never give thanks for what we do have. 

Here are a few tidbits from Tim's journal and some pictures from the 10 day trip…

Day 2 excerpt....

Brian and I spent the morning discussing strategy for this trip, who is targeting what, and why. Both of us again, don’t know exactly what we are going to do, if anything, but know we need to be here and can help in many ways. 

Brian, Kim, Kate, Anne, and Josh all left and went to see an organization called Reaching Cambodia which takes kids in. 

I stayed back and met with Vibol, the financial manager for the church and compound. When I left last time, he and I had just started diving into financial planning for the church itself, and we were finding that they were missing tons of opportunities to generate income with their facility. So we started right where we left off. It became evident immediately that he had no idea what he was doing. He had 10 spreadsheets that don’t match, tallying into one big one, which is basically a ledger. He expressed how Sophea (head pastor) is having a hard time taking risks and moving forward with expansions and plans. He spent quite a bit of time talking about it. But once I saw what Sophea was being presented, I immediately knew what the issue is. Type A, visionary leaders take risks, expand companies and organizations, and lead intentionally - but only when they have confidence in the plan there are moving forward with. Sophea has no plan, and he’s relying on a  financial guy with the experience of a high school graduate here. So when Sophea asks for a financial breakdown to make decisions from, he freaks out (my assumption), and slows things down. 

I spent 4 hours with Vibol, looking at their financial picture, and assembling a projection for the next 2 years, based on historical information, market research, and opinions about what we felt the property could do if they had the proper tools and took the steps. I a new spreadsheet that was comprehensive with who they were going to target, how they were going to do it, and what kind of revenues that would generate. When we built the spreadsheet in the way I like to see things (from a Type A / visionary perspective) immediately Vibol said “ah… I now see.” He could see how he was presenting things to his leader, and how it would only confuse him. It was a great breakthrough moment for him. 

All in all, we took the property and increased it’s revenue by 40% in 1.5 years, with only a 10% increase in overhead. The freedom that comes for their church when they have that additional income is huge! I am going to spend the next few days finishing the package, and then we are going to roll it out to Sophea. I’m praying it’s received well. 

I later met with a businessman who owns a tortilla making company. We sat down, me, him (Sothy), his wife Chanthy, and Sophea. He gave me his package of tortillas, which I immediately knew were a high grade product. They are fresh, packaged nicely, and weighed about 2x what ours do. He explained how he got into the business, and that he wants to expand but doesn’t know what to do or where to go. We quickly identified that he is the ONLY tortilla making company in the country, that his only competition is from the states and Australia, and he is selling his product for 1/2 of what his competition is. I of course stopped the conversation and asked him to repeat what he had just said. Seriously! They started their business and with fear of failing, the underpriced their product and now are stuck. So I put a plan together with them for increasing their margin by 40% on each package. We are going to lose a few customers, but in the end he’ll still be making more money, working less, and will be poised for profitable growth.

We also identified that he has a desire to change lives of some locals. So I explained how people want to be a part of something but most never take the time, or think they have the time. So he needs to be transparent with his customers, and let them know that he’s taking 3 kids off the streets a year, and teaching them trade. He needs to market it, put it on his packaging, etc and then report yearly to his customers about what they were part of this last year. He was pumped about that idea and immediately got how the transparency would help create more value in his brand and would ultimately result in higher sales. 

By the time we were done, he was so jacked up! It was awesome. He also wants to start a Mexican restaurant here, so I told him when the time comes, I’ll get some restaurant folks to come over and help him take the first few steps. He could not believe that we’d do that. 

{ Pastor Sophea & Tim meeting with the owners of the tortilla company }

Dinner then was with the entire group, and pastors from the Life Giving Network. This was really cool to be a part of. Dan finished his 3 years of training these pastors. They have had to send him monthly reporting every month for 3 years, trained them on site 4 times a year, and has poured time and energy into them teaching them purpose driven church model, systematic theology, etc. These guys were incredible. It’s such a testimony in how they have set up their model for reproduction of pastors. I want to stay behind them on this front as it’s huge. 

It was so cool to hear Dan talk about each guy and what they have accomplished through the process. Not only are all of them pastoring churches, they have led thousands to Christ, baptized thousands, one is translating the ESV bible into the Khmer language, one is running a televangelist radio show, they are all moving into the surrounding villages for mission work, one is pastoring a 300 person church and growing rapidly, teaching English to students, etc. It was absolutely amazing. And on top of it, in everything that was discussed at dinner, all the successes, etc. Everything was done to glorify God, and they gave credit over and over to the fact that it was cause of Christ and his movement on their lives. It was so great. 

{ Dan speaking at the graduation ceremony and dinner for the pastors who went through the PEACE plan and training. }

Day 3 excerpt....

After that we had the driver deliver us to the motorcycle shop to get our bikes. I was nervous as all get out! I have never ridden a dirt bike style bike, and am used to my bike which is big, but solid. These are worn down, rattly, and old. But they assured us they drive well. They took our passports and will hold them until we return the bikes. I really wish I would have brought my helmet. I did however bring Matt’s pair of sunglasses for riders which have pads that keep the air out of the eyes, and these were a life saver. 

We got on the road and went for it. I don't think my sphincter muscle has been that tight in years. I was dripping with sweat, anxiety, nerves, excitement, etc. It was absolutely terrifying and invigorating at the same time. What a rush! We were ducking and diving cars, driving in oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road, merging the wrong way, etc. Everything they do here, we were doing. It was so much fun. You realize once you are out there that they have a mutual respect for each other on the roads and people just watch for each other. It’s amazing. 

{ The beginning of the adventure bike rentals.  Brian and Josh were thankful for Tim's bright shirt as they were a few in the chaos of many on the streets navigating through cars, scooters, and other bikers. }

{ This face tells me to worry. Thankful he at least has a helmet on as law states that just drivers are required to wear them and all other passengers- sometimes up to 5 on one scooter - are not. }

Tonight Brian and I spoke at a class for students. There was about 150 of them there and we spoke about business development, how we got to where we are, and what it takes to maintain a business. It was really interesting. It was also fun. Brian and I just feed so well off each other and pitch crap to each other that it’s hard to not enjoy it. We just have a blast together. Listening to the questions though, from the kids, it’s clear they all want to be business people but have no concept of what that means. They associate it with being rich, having an office, and wearing a suit. One guy was going to school to be a contractor who builds high rises, roads, bridges, and homes (kind of a wide stretch) and he was wondering how to go get all the business to come to him after he had his degree. He has no concept of starting at the bottom, learning the trades, developing a reputation, how to market himself, etc. I think it just hit me today how much the Pol Pot Regime totally wiped out everything about these people. I asked our driver today what it was like here before it all happened. He told me that Shanghai and other cities, were modeling their towns after Phnom Penh. It used to be the jewel of the south ease Asia area. Now it’s a pit. So sad. 

After that we went to Sophea and Jenny’s house for dinner. WOW…. We would struggle to live in that environment. They have a girl there who just moved here from a church in northern Canada. She felt led to come and serve the pastor and his family here so she moved here at 17 years old, last month. She will be here for 2 more months and then will go home. What a great experience for a kid of that age. Would love to see our kids do this or YWAM. 

Day 4…..

Today we started with breakfast as normal. I ended up getting up early and reading Isaiah. How cool that prophets were given visions and words from the Lord that foresaw the coming of our Savior. Good way to start the day.

Next we got on our bikes and rode out to Koy’s place in the country. Koy is with Teen Challenge and he manages 2 complexes. One is in the city and it houses all the women, who they help out of addictions and take off the street and then give them a home, help cure them, teach them about the Lord, teach them how to work, etc. The other one is in the country and it’s for the guys. This complex is quite something. They have agriculture and gardens for the food, pigs which they grow and sell for money, a scooter repair shop which they use to teach the kids how to work and skills, and then a dorm and a small school for them. 

Last time I was there I felt called to send people to help Koy. I feel the same after our meeting today. Koy is still struggling with 50% piglet loss of life, and when pigs are your main source of income, that hurts hugely. They are barely making it, and getting zero support from the main Teen Challenge organizations corporate headquarters. 

{ Pictures from the slum area near the capitol. Puts EVERYTHING into perspective.  No toilets or running water. What you see is what they have...}

{ Koy, the leader of Teen Challenge, with some of the kids in the slum areas. }

Day 5…..

It seems for me on trips like this, there is always a day that changes things. Today I think was that day. We had a quick breakfast and then went off to church. At the breakfast though, Brian and I were chatting and I told him that this trip feels different. I have begun to feel indifferent about it a bit. The first trip was scouting, figuring things out. This trip was supposed to be a deeper push, learn more, help more, and figure out what we want to do. After a couple days we both felt that we have to be here for longer periods of time to make a dent. Much like Greg when he goes to Haiti. He goes for a few weeks. We both feel we need a few weeks here, planned properly, with a team, and then we can do some specific damage that will help the church and believers locally. But this morning we both agreed that it felt like we were at the point where we now know, we just need to dive in or move on. We left the discussion un-ended….

Pastor Kim was preaching at Sophea’s church. We had already met with Kim and he had instructed us to sit separately and engage with people instead of hanging together. I think he also did this so he could focus points towards us. 

Worship was crazy there. People in other countries, that aren’t washed out with appearance issues and success, just have no issue being who they are in worship. This crowd was jumping, cheering, clapping, shouting, etc. I captured some great video. It was totally fun. We spent some time in prayer with individuals, holding hands and praying over each other. 

Then Kim got up to preach. The church was about 75% full, probably 300 there, and they are a younger crowd, mostly in their 20’s and 30’s I would guess. Kim’s message was about the vision he had earlier this week over this church, and over the LGN and what it’s going to be in the future. His vision had to do with this young church being a nation changing church, a church that would plant 10 churches in 10 years, expand way beyond it’s roots, save children from poverty, equip leaders, etc. He shared how he saw a big fire, and people were throwing themselves into the fire and being consumed by it. The fire kept getting bigger and bigger, and eventually, people started leaving the fire with small fires of their own, and spreading out. Wherever those people went, people in the surrounding areas started jumping into their fires as well. Pretty soon, the country was a blaze. The fire obviously was the church. With all his passion, he lit that church up today. 

In his message he talked about how we limit God, we make Him small, but God is “able to accomplish infinitely more than we are able to ask or even comprehend”. This resonated with me as I see this in my life. God has done more with us than I ever would have imagined. I was fresh off an email from a gal to my wife who said that my wife, on that specific night talking to the group of women in Bellingham, was “a miracle” to their marriage, and helped save it. God has used us, and still is. I have also been hearing while I’m here that I need to come and help them get the church infrastructure off the ground, as they will not be able to see it until it’s done. I have now built the bulk of their business plan and am almost ready to roll out to the church. I don’t know how that works with my family, and with what we have going on already and what we feel called to do. 

Kim mentioned in his sermon that he believes this church is going to be a church that impacts marriages locally as well. It was at that moment that God spoke clearly to me and said that I will come down here, build the infrastructure with the church, take a team or two to make it happen. I will lead the trade partnerships for the pigs and agriculture that I have been feeling led to do, and focus also on the church. I will come alongside the businesses that I have been mentoring, work with them on a daily basis for a while, and help them really take things to the next level. My wife will spearhead a marriage conference while she is here. The local churches, which are all connected, will market it, play the video’s at church service, advertise it well to the local community and surrounding villages, and we will then have a weekend dedicated to marriages in the church locally. We will speak, share our testimonies, and have a marriage conference here, where I highly doubt there has been one as they don’t have the resources. 

As I sat there, writing this down and reviewing what I felt the Lord had said, I was asking God if this was Him speaking, if this was real, or just a thought in my mind. While I was thinking / praying this, I was distracted from the message briefly. But right then, after I asked God if this was real, Kim spoke clearly and it was like the room went silent and it was just him and I. He looked right at me and said “God is choosing people from all over the world to come here, to build this church up, to help it expand and become a national influence with the Word of God. There is a reason YOU keep coming back here. It’s because the Holy Spirit is at work, the harvest is ripe, and YOU are supposed to help. Right here, right now.” 

I broke, and couldn’t hold back the tears. After the discussion at breakfast, the feeling that I’m getting some clarity and direction, it was like the Lord just opened my eyes and said “here’s the plan.”. 

{ The three guys out for a dinner at Malis. }

Day 6…..

Day 6 was a bit of a blur. We left early on our bikes and rode through the country! It was a blast. Stopping at shacks for lunch and a beer, driving through caves, on dirt, gravel, driving on the shoulder, weaving in and out of traffic, cows, bikes, scooters, cars, buses, etc. It was a rip! 

Sadly one of the guys had a crash and we ended up in a hospital. Eye opening to say the least. It did not mess with me though, he made a dumb move, and didn’t have a backup plan. The driving we were doing wasn’t necessarily safe in US standards, but there it was, and everyone else is trained for it as well. 

We ended up staying in a villa on the river down by the coast. Very cool setting! 

{ The hotel beach where Tim stayed on the coast. Below is the map showing the distance from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville where he spent one night. }

{ Rather than have a driver, the guys decided to rent adventure bikes to get around. }

{ The view from the top of the mountain overlooking the coast. }

{ Vibol took a wide corner and lost control resulting in a dislocated shoulder and some cuts. }

{ ER looks a little different than ours here in the states. So does the price tag. Over night stay,  two ambulance rides, drugs, and care…drum roll…$300!!! }

{ Love these kids. So excited to sell flashlights to the guys as the entered the cave. }

{ Someone needs a shower. }

Day 7….

Got up early, and back on the road for our trip home. It was a great ride, great roads this time, and we hauled. What a blast!

I went to the place where Kim / Anne were doing their training with the church team. I sat in the back and listened and really picked up quite a bit and felt even more of a clearer direction for me. 

{ Big FAT no thanks on this one. Way to go Brian and Josh for trying crunchy tarantula legs }

Day 8….

Off to the airport! 

The kids and I were able to drive south to pick up Tim from the airport and bring tired Daddy home. Tim REALLY struggled with jet leg this time as he for days later, would be snoring at 7pm on the couch. I'm happy to report he's back on our time and ready to go again!