Hi Everyone .

The Internet has been cut off again so updates will still be sparse. I do want to let you know that we all need prayer over here, there has been alot of spiritual warfare lately. Pray for wisdom, guidance, patience and endurance. I hope to update you all soon with some more fun stories of life here. Thanks :]

Sorry For The Confusion

I am sorry that I have not explained who Andrew is. Andrew is a 17 year old who was serving here in Cambodia with his parents and younger siblings. They are friends and teammates of the Naritas. One morning his parents couldn't wake him up, after being taken to the hospital in Bangkok he was diagnosed with diabetes. He was in a coma for about a month and passed away on Sept 14th. I am sure you can imagine the heart break this family has gone through. They have found comfort in the fact that they will one day see Andrew again in heaven, and even though we do not understand why these things happen that God is still in control. Right now the family is in the states with the rest of their family and plan to come back some time next month to continue with what the Lord has called them to do here in Cambodia. Please be praying for them, they will still be needing that a lot in the months to come. So that is why the Naritas left their 2 boys (Ben and Jon) with me, and flew to Bangkok to minister to the family during this extremely difficult time. I hope this has explained things a little more if you still have questions let me know.

Some Pictures of the Flooding

The tree marks where the road washed away

The Overflowing River
Main road into town
While staying with Ben and Jon I learned the finer points of playing Bionicles
Games at VBS


Signs That You Have Adjusted To Your Environment

1. You laugh when you go to a restaurant and they have the same silverware that comes free in the toilet paper.
2. The thought of wading through knee deep water to get into town when you can not see what you are stepping into or on, doesn’t bother you at all.
3. You see a picture of the ocean and think "OH YEAH there is water that is blue/green and pretty" (here water is all a brown/red clay color)
4. When you go out to eat you look for a table that is by a fan but not a light cuz bugs are drawn to the light.
5. When you look in your water cup and find a dead mosquito and think "mooha-ha-ha one down millions to go."
6. Look in your tea cup and find entertainment watching a water bug get high on the caffeine. This was a very funny thing to watch, the longer it swam around, the more jittery it got and the faster it swam(we sat right under a light. Ooops).
7. When you walk by the river and see 3 boys skinny dipping in broad day light your first thought is "I wonder where are the other 6 today?"


I am going to try and tell you all that has happened this past week, it has been very busy and eventful.
First off, VBS was much better. This week we played with a rainbow parachute tossing balls into the air and the kids had a blast. Katja (Ka-tee-ya) and Erik drove the boys and I to church, we were going to go out to eat afterwards but someone got a little sick on the way so they took us home. The boys were very disappointed when we got into the house. Ben felt it was his job to explain to me what is supposed to happen after church ” Hey Alyssa if my parents were here we would probably go out to eat now”. So then I explained that I couldn’t drive them especially in the dark and the rain. We decided to order delivery pizza, a simple task one might think. Let me just say it was the most fun I have ever had ordering over the phone. The guy who took our order and I repeated ourselves about 15 times each so the other could understand. As if that wasn’t bad enough then I had to give him directions to the house and here there really aren’t road names and the ones that do have names are not the ones with houses on them. So I tell them that it is by the Borann Guest house and he knew how get there. Then I gave him directions from the guest house. It's real simple, come out of parking lot and turn left, go straight till you see the big PINK house with all the lights on and the gate open. Then about a half hour later I get a call saying he can't find the house so could I please come pick it up from the guest house. I did my best to explain that I had no way of getting there and I wasn’t about to walk there in the dark and that is the whole reason I ordered delivery. I give him the directions again. After 20 mins of standing on the porch I got a call from someone else saying the driver sees no one standing on the porch so then I gave him the directions and he called the driver and told him. About another 20 mins and he did find it. My guess is that he wasn’t really at the guest house cuz it is only a 5 min walk from the house and there are't any roads to turn the wrong way on. I laughed so hard after every phone call and was getting ready to let the boys know we were going to have quesadillas for dinner, when he finally showed up. The pizza was very good and had little hot dogs rolled into the crust.

Monday
After I got the boys off to school, two of Lara’s friends came to get me and we went to breakfast. We walked to a very small hotel that has a pretty nice restaurant. We had Pho (FA) soup. It is a kinda beef broth with noodles, onions and small pieces of beef and then you add lime, basil leafs(at least that is what I told myself the plant that they were feeding us was), bean sprouts and some yummy super spicy red sauce. It was very good and I was able to work on my mad chopstick skills (the noodles were very hard to eat with two little sticks). After that Katja came and got me and we went out to a little village about a half hour out of town on a moto bike. This I must say was very fun. We even came to a stick bridge where I got off and walked across, praying it would hold the weight of the bike. I told her which sticks were wobbly. The road was wet and bumpy the whole way there because of all the rain the day before. On the way back she taught me how to drive which I found to be very fun. Katja is very brave. After we almost fell from sliding in the mud she said “Let me start it and then you try again OK” so she did and hopped back on the back. The reason we went was to visit a member of one of the home churches that they (Erik and Katja) oversee. The lady we went to see is around 6 months pregnant and had a doctor tell her that the baby’s head was not growing and had no brain. Katja is a Doctor and came to look at the sonogram pictures and had sent her to get more taken. This Mother is now going down south to get a better sonogram done in Phnom Penh. Please be praying that the doc would stop pressuring her to abort the baby and that if the baby really has no brain that the family would find comfort in their faith. Also if the baby is not growing then they will induce labor so pray that would be as painless as possible if that is how it goes. This is the family’s first child and they are very scared. She would be due around Nov or early Dec. The mother also said she doesn’t sleep well because the baby moves so much at night, which is a very good sign but we still need to get a better picture of what is going on.

Tuesday
I started Laundry and that was a lot of fun cuz it was still raining a lot. The washer is on the roof under a metal cover and when the washer is on you can't touch the sides cuz you get shocked. Well I started the clothes about 8 and went up around 9 and the they had not drained and rinsed. I think it is cuz the power had gone out for a minute, so I got to push buttons and try and figure out which one made it drain(the buttons are in Chinese). I was successful and got it all drained and then I set to hanging it on the line to dry. It took like a day and a half to dry because it rained so much. I helped Katja cut up veggies for lunch and visited till the boys came home for lunch. Then the boys and I went to our house for lunch and after I got them off to afternoon session of school, Lara’s friend Neang came and she took me out for a 2 hour moto driving lesson. It was a lot of fun. We went out to the lake and saw some floating villages.

Wednesday
was a very cool morning. Neang and Elly(I have no clue what kind of churchy type of things these ladies have been exposed to) took me to breakfast again and they had a lot of questions about what kinda of church I go to. I gladly answered all their questions and by the end I had shared what I went through before I knew Christ, and what ended up bringing me to the realization of how deeply God loves us and wants a daily, personal relationship with us. Elly was very interested and at the end said she liked the idea of the kind of church that I go to. Neang was a little uncomfortable but still had questions she wanted answers to. The fact that she liked what I was saying bothered her. Please be praying for them and pray that I would give a true picture of what it is like to live a life surrendered to the Lord, just resting in His loving arms.
That night Jon had Taikwando. Near the end of class it started to rain really hard so the kids played in the rain and the mud and had a grand time. After waiting 45 mins for the rain to stop or at least slow we gave up and started to run home. It is only a 3 min walk but in that time we were all completely soaked, which worked cuz then it rinsed some of the mud out of the boys hair. It was lots of fun!!!!!

Thursday
I did some more laundry had coffee with Katja. It was very nice to get to know her a little more, and then we went to the YWAM base here because someone was sick. Katja tells sick people which clinic in town they should go to for their medical problems. Then we went out to another church plant that they oversee and I got to see the church and meet some of the ladies that attend there. The kids played and then we went to go get David and Lara at the airport around 7:30. The boys were very happy to see their parents but said that it was fast and seemed like just a day or two(so I guess I passed the fun test).

Friday
We just kinda hung out and did more laundry and went to Breakfast with the girls again. We went down to the Old Market and picked up some things that Neang was having sewn which ended up being a sheer shawl thing that Neang had seen in a magazine from Paris. There was one for me and one for Elly. I had picked out the fabric for mine cuz Neang said it was for someone else my age and wanted my opinion on what to get. Everyone spoils me here!!!
Saturday was the Skype party and I loved seeing everyone and yes I did go through knee deep water to get to the Internet cafe and it was worth every minute.

Thank you for all your prayers this past week. I had fun taking care of the Narita boys(Ben and Jon) while their parents were gone.
I am back at the Truex’s house. Please be praying for wisdom on my part.
Also Grace, Patience and Guidance.
I love it when I get your emails, keep them coming. I reply when I have access to the internet. I can't post pics right now cuz they wont load put I will try another day.

Going to a Skype Party

Alyssa wanted me (her Mom) to update her Blog. How can I do that? I don't really know everything she would want you all to know! I can tell you her adventure continues. She is back at the Truex house now and will continue to serve them after a week taking care of the Narita boys while their parents were out of the country for an emergency. It is the rainy season and she is experiencing the effects of that. The power at the Truex house was out on Saturday morning so she was determined to get to an Internet connection so she could use her web cam. My side of the family had planned to gather at our house to celebrate Seth's birthday and we were going to try to get everyone to talk to Alyssa while they were here.
I wasn't at the computer when she told the story of how she got to the Internet cafe so I'll try to give you some idea. She can give us the facts later. There is a river through town which separated the area where she lives with the Truex's and where the Internet cafe is. Due to the rains, the river had risen and had overflowed. She waded through some areas where the streets were flooded. Some places the water was up to her knees. She felt like she accomplished something when she made it to the Internet cafe. Everyone thought she was crazy for even attempting to go so she could talk with us.
We turned on the computer about 7:30 pm before everyone arrived (almost everyone was late!) and there she was online waiting for us. That would be 9:30 in the morning Cambodia time. Little by little the rest of the family arrived and went to the computer to talk and see Alyssa on the Web cam. Grandma was amazed at the technology and could hardly understand how we could talk to Alyssa on the other side of the World. I don't get the technological aspects either but I know it works and I am thankful to be able to see my daughter and communicate on a regular basis with her. There is something about being able to see her that let's my mommy heart know how she is doing.
Mike got our globe down and showed Andy(10) and Alicia(9)-(her cousin's oldest two kids) where Cambodia was and how Alyssa had to fly across the Ocean to get there. Emilio(3) and Evan(6)-(cousins #3 and #4 children) arrived a bit later. It took Emilio a while to get the whole Alyssa on the computer thing but he would run around the room, poke his little face in the picture and then run away again. He liked seeing himself on the Computer as the Web cam showed us our picture too. Evan had his Uncle Tim(another cousin) type chat for him when the web cam connection got fuzzy and wasn't working too well. The only local people missing were Juan(cousin Beth's husband) and Bella(cousin's #5 child). Alyssa was disappointed to not see Bella but she was home in bed, resting up for a Saturday full of sibling soccer games and her own Birthday party celebrating turning 2 years old in the evening. The Rodriguez kids(her cousins family)you would know as Alyssa's babies.
We all gathered around the computer and made Alyssa sing Happy Birthday with us. At first, she was resistant because she was in the Internet cafe with people there. She was in a more private area of the cafe so after much haranguing and pleading I think she agreed to go along with us quietly. I couldn't see the computer but I bet she was probably faking the singing. We had Seth blow out the Birthday pie candles in front of the web cam and all. The focus of the party seemed to be on Alyssa not the Birthday boy but he is the kind of guy that doesn't like to be the center of attention so it worked out for both if them I suppose.

I think the opportunity to see and talk to most of the family was a great encouragement for Alyssa. She called this a Skype party. Skype is the program we use to chat.
She loves hearing from you all at home. It keeps her going when things get tough. She wants to be in both places at the same time. She wants to experience everything here at home and yet she knows she is called by the Lord to be in Cambodia at this time. I guess that's a hard place to be. She just doesn't like missing out on the fun we have here without her. She asks you all to pray for Wisdom for her as she needs to know what the Lord would have her to do and how to handle things that come up along her adventure there. She will try to post some pictures of the flooding soon, at least that what she says......
I thank you all for keeping in touch and praying for her. We are blessed to know you and have you in our lives.
Tammy for Alyssa

Sad News

It has been a busy couple of days and I just wanted to give you all a quick update. Andrew passed away Sunday night. I would like to ask that you would continue praying for his family during this time. They are doing ok considering the situation they are walking through. Pray for dealing with the insurance company, getting everything arranged so they can go back to the states for awhile. And comfort for all the hearts involved.
The kids and I are doing well so far. We talked about how even though it is sad that Andrew died, that we have Hope in Christ that we will see Andrew again in heaven (they know that you go to heaven if you believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins).
We have had fun learning new things like how much fun rain and mud can be, ordering delivery pizza, communicating with the house helper through lots of pointing, nodding and shaking our heads and in the end we are both laughing. I am slowly learning how to say a couple of words like thank you, hello and a few things like that.
Thank you all for the prayers!!!!

Jon Narita
Wednesday
We got done with school early today, so I walked to the Narita’s house. It only took like 45-50 minutes, it was raining so it was almost cold/cool. It is so funny that when it rains you still sweat in a t-shirt. People of course were staring as I walked down the street. It may have been my black and white polka-dot umbrella or the fact that I was not in the touristy part of town. In the center of town they don’t stare much but when you go down a street with houses they think you are lost or crazy or both. There is a good number of roads that are paved, but where the houses are, they are all still dirt. When it rains, the top of the road gets this layer of clay/dirt and it is pretty slippery so you have to watch your step very closely. I have not fallen (YET!) but it makes for more interesting bike rides. ANYWAY, The Narita’s and I just hung out. Lara and I made chocolate chip cookies (they were AMAZING) while the boys played outside in the dirt and with the frogs. Lets just say Warm Chocolate chip cookies are supposed to be soft in the middle. In town they have not figured that out yet, or what real chocolate chips taste like. We had lots of fun and were asked about every 5 minutes to “come look what the frog just did” and “could we please bring the frog in the house ."

Thursday

The Internet is not working at the house and so that is why there has not been too many updates. I just found out today that I won't have Internet at the house for the rest of the month. So I have a great excuse to get out of the house now. I was finally able to do a bit of exploring on my way to the Internet cafe. After I got home we had a game night, we played Settlers Of Catan for about 3 hours and drank homemade hot chocolate.

Saturday

I spent the night at the Narita's. We were going to hang out for the weekend which ended up being perfect timing. David, Lara and Kai are on their way to Bangkok. They are going there to be with a fellow missionary family who's son is in the hospital(Andrew Prak). Please be praying for all of us, it looks as if the son is not going to pull through. He has been in a coma for about a month and they had started to see some progress and then things started to change quickly today. I am here staying with the boys so they don't miss school and everything. I am having a crash course on the language because the lady who comes to help out with the house speaks no English. So please be praying for that. I have notes and lists of words so we can try and communicate. She is the one who does all the shopping at the market(thankfully, cuz I would have to try and barter in another language). The boys are doing really great for now, but pray that they would adjust easily and slip into a normal routine. Thank you for all your prayers

Monday and Tuesday

VBS was interesting… The ladies who taught did a good job and the kids had fun. It was just a bit on the iffy side as far as being organized like I had a 30 second warning before I had to have the games ready cuz they didn’t know what went next. It was a very good lesson in being flexible and gracious. About 15 people were giving different instructions, and so game time was short and sweet, no longer than ten minutes (to my relief). We had “Mexican food”. I love the way they told the kids what they were eating. They said that IT was a floury kinda flatbread stuck together with cheese (Quesadilla) and toasted bread with cinnamon and sugar on it. I am not sure but maybe they were trying to make a Churro kind of thing. I was also unaware that all the little kids in Mexico like to sing La Cucaracha. Good times, Good times.

Monday was pretty normal. We did school and went to Lucky (grocery store) where I broke down and bought some American chocolate. After that we went and climbed the Elephant trail again, but this time we went up the normal people way so we didn’t have to play elephant dodge.
Tuesday we had some school teachers over for dinner. 3 are American and 3 are Canadian, they just got here 2 weeks ago. They are here for 2 years teaching in English, so that the kids that graduate from this school could continue on to an American or European college. The plan is for them to come back to Cambodia so their communities can benefit from their education. They want the kids to choose whatever career they want and have the a chance to make their dreams come true. They said that one of the kids was very excited when he found out that with lots and lots of hard work he could be an Astronaut if he wanted to be. All of the teachers are in their mid 20s early 30s and as far as I could tell none of them know the Lord.
So please be praying that we would shine Jesus to them, that they would know that God wants a personal, daily relationship with them, that God loves them and wants good things for their lives.
Also that you are saved by Gods grace ALONE. There is no way we could ever work our way to heaven. That you simply accept God’s free gift of salvation and let him lead your life.


I love our one true God!!! He is so faithful in everything!!!
I love that He loves me, and thinks that I am precious even though He sees how completely wicked my heart can be. I love that when I feel lonely and that no one understands, He is always by my side. I love that when life gets really hard and it hurts so bad that I have no strength to move on, He carries me through it all. I love that He is a very patient teacher, and that when I keep messing up in my words, actions and attitude He is always there forgiving me and showing me the right way to do it. The thing I love the Most about my best friend Jesus is that He loves me like I have done nothing wrong, because in His eyes I am white as snow.

Is. 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Eph 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9
not of works, lest anyone should boast.

We have finished our third week of school and the kids grades are doing very well . The kids are getting used to the routine and also the little changes that came along with me. Yesterday we had a fun day at the internet café, after that we walked over to the Huynh’s (whinn’s) house, our friends from the states. We had family game night. They have one boy Bo’s age and three younger girls. We played college monopoly for a little bit. Then the girls and I went down stairs and sang worship music and then we played dress-up complete with makeup. You have never seen anything sweeter than these little girls and how excited they were to sing their favorite worship songs and show me new ones. After that they were glued to my side, which I of course loved. So now I am like a big sister to 3 girls from age 5 to 9 and then of course Marianne and Betsy.
Saturday we had a baby shower for Kai, It was alot of fun. There were about ten ladies. We just played with Kai and talked, it was very fun and relaxing. No weird games that you feel forced to play or anything like that, just fun . I also was able to talk to one of the ladies from church and we are going plan a baking/movie day. I am so excited, she really seems to have a real passion for the Lord , I can't wait to hang out with her. Here are some pictures of Kai during her party.

Saturday night we went to the 3 markets just so I could see the town a little more. We went to the tourist market which has crazy expensive stuff. The semi tourist market, the booths on the edges are pricy and just stuff but the further you go in the more Khmai(Cambodian) it gets. You can tell by the smell cuz they way they have food out on the tables like raw meat and lots of pureed stuff that should be cold. This is also the market that you get soap, makeup lots and lots of things. The rows you walk down in a single file line and then you get squashed into the merchandise to let others pass you. The Night market is very upscale, outdoor with lots of shade and no food. It is kinda funny cuz no matter what market you go to you can get the same thing at every stall. But at each market there is one or two things that the other markets don’t have. It is kinda like on the way to Common Grounds(my favorite coffee shop)you go down one street and it is lined with fruit stalls. Every one has the same fruit setup the same way. I would think that it would be better to be spread out a little more through out town, but I guess it kinda works for them.
The fruit here is really different than what we have at home. I can't even say their names but the kids call the prickly red ones Hairy Eyeballs, the little brown grape looking things are Regular Eyeballs and then of course Bananas. I will not try to explain what they taste like but they are ok, weird texture though. The Bananas are really good. We can also can get coconut, pineapple, watermelon, apples, dragon fruit and red dragon fruit and pummelo and then stuff I don’t recognize.

I will tell you all about VBS tomorrow.

Hello Everyone!

Sorry I haven’t been on, the internet is not always working but I think we have the problems fixed now. So VBS well Marianne and I walked into the meeting and as soon as we were in the door they ask if I would be in charge of games. I had just meet them real fast the Sunday before so I was a little shocked. So now I am planning games and thankfully I have Marianne as my helper. We will have about 18 kids ages 2-12 so it will be interesting for sure. We will be doing this on Sunday nights for the next 5 weeks I will need lots of prayer during all of this. The theme is Jesus makes a world of difference every week the kids will be “traveling” to a different country this week is Mexico so we are teaching the kids to say Jesus loves you in Spanish
Jesus (hay-SOOHS) me (may) ama (AH-mah) you can too!!
They will be learning about loyalty this Sunday. So we are going to play follow the leader and Stick with it which is a kinda like a hide and seek game except everyone is looking for one person and when they find the one person they stick with them till everyone is sticking together instead of tag them. I very thankful for the book that has all these lovely ideas, if not I would have been lost.
I am really tired so I must get some sleep but I will try to give you another update tomorrow. :)