Prayer

Hi,
I need some prayer right now. I have hit a rough spot and I am at the end of my strength which is a good place to be cuz then we have no choice but to lean on the Lord's strength. I really need prayer for:
Wisdom how to deal with different situations, that I would have a good attitude.
That my words would be God honoring and gentle.
That I would die to self and keep God the focus of my thoughts and actions.
God is faithful!!
Psa 96:2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Psa 96:3 Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.


Thank you so much for your faithfulness to pray for me, I really appreciate it and of course need it.

This is the only one that loaded. This is Hanna, Katja's daughter
Ok. plan B the pics won't load. I will try tomorrow

Hey
I guess I will start off with last Wednesday night, 2 couples came over for dinner. They are both older couples and have basically lived on the mission field for most of their lives. Between both couples if you look at everywhere they have lived, you would probably only have like 10-15 countries that they HAVEN’T lived in. Hearing about the different places they had lived was in itself amazing. Then hearing their stories about living on the mission field, and dealing with stuff like being in a car accident, having at the very least a broken leg, and being transported in the back of a truck for like 6 hours to get to proper medical care without anything for pain was interesting. I had a great time just sitting there listening to all there “back in my day” stories. One of the couples were American and the other Scottish, so there were FUN accents also. Then to top off the night David(Scottish) recited poetry!! I loved it, all we needed was a fire in a fireplace (and cold weather). Ok so I was going to find them online but I can’t find them (the poems), I don’t know what to type to narrow down the google results. Anyway one was about Moses’ grave and the other is The Cobbler both are Christian poems and are really cool but I don’t know who wrote either of them. So if anyone has info on this let me know.

Then on Friday we went swimming and were shocked to see all these white people in the same place. We are talking like 20-25 all different shades of wanna-be-tan. So it was very interesting and we were shocked further because everyone had a bathing suit and so there was lots of blinding skin. Here people for the most part are very modest for cultural reasons. Like, it is not ok for unmarried women to show their shoulders and skirts have to go to the ankles. This does not include everyone because our western ways have somewhat become accepted in some circles just not by the whole community.

Saturday
We had a party for one of the girls next door at our house, she was turning 18. It was very interesting. We had interesting food and dancing mixed with LOUD karaoke. It was quite the experience. I have a couple of videos to show you. The one that you can't really see much is the dancing but you can get a basic feel for it. All you do is walk back and forth while swirling your hands around.

This week it has rained a lot and we have used the tile porch as a slip-n-slide. It was SUPER FUN! I have a video and a picture of Marianne who almost had too much momentum and started to slide right into the house, I did this also. It is a fine art to find out much you have to run and jump. You need enough to get some speed going but slow down enough so you can stop yourself before you start hitting the door. FUN FUN FUN!!

Last night we went to the night market and got fish massages!! Yes I was fish food. First they wash off your feet and then you put your feet in this tub full of little fish, and then the little fish come and suck the dead skin off your feet. It is the weirdest feeling in the world!!! I only did this because I have been accused of hating any and all animals. This not true just because I don’t feel the NEED to touch animals when I come across them doesn’t mean that I HATE (I will admit I HATE CATS)animals. So then everyone decided that I must be afraid of animals and even little fish. So I felt the need to prove that I don’t really care, I just am not compelled to pet dirty animals every time I have the chance, it is an occasional thing. I am not afraid of fish!!(that would be silly). ANYWAY we had a great time and it was a very interesting experience. Here are some pics and videos

FINALLY I CAN LOAD SOME PICTURES YIPPEE!!!
A Couple of lake houses, which are part of a floating village
Really young kids get around in and play in their families boats Marianne's peek-a-boo picture
This is the gorgeous stormy Cambodian scenery
The view from the back of the Barge, those are tree tops
The view from the front of the Barge
I know, I know a picture of feet how random, but I think the rain drops look really cool
We got to fish off the sides of the Barge. Squatting is what people do here, if you're fishing or sewing or eating or just waiting. They are very flexible, I can't do it right but I guess they have a lifetime to practice.
This is the boat we have to get out to the Barge, on the lake. It's name is THE FISH
This is the Barge
The Big Crocs FINALLY!!
I think these things are creepy!
A little update on my geckos, there is a whole family of like 5 here are 2

But Amazing, still creepy though
This is the 600 pounder, talk about huge-mungous
It looks to me like there isn't enough room for the driver?? HMMMM
The Pigs are drunk!! I am serious! They feed them rice wine so that they don't move.
These little piggys are going to the market

OK so I don't know how to turn the sound off on my camera and so I will try to explain what you hear during the movie. First it is of one of our fellow missionaries, and he was telling us a story about a show that he saw in Thailand where a girl put her head in the Crocs open mouth and posed for pictures. The rest is just chatting that you can't really hear and then at the end I was going to have a picture of Marianne, Bo and Betsy but as you can tell Betsy did a disappearing act. It ends with a picture of Marianne and Bo with me laughing in the background cuz the thought popped into my head as I was wondering where Betsy had gone. Betsy is so the type that would jump down in the pit with the Crocs and perform the story mentioned above. So then I was laughing so hard I had to turn off the camera and look for Betsy. Sorry it so jumpy, I was a little more concerned with where I was putting my foot than what was happening with the video.

Saturday
I had some real cultural experiences. To start off the day I got a hair cut which I kinda felt forced into by the fact that here your hair is always crazy cuz you are always sweaty and dusty, and it tangles very easily. I had just got my hair cut in June. Normally I could have waited till Dec but it did work out that way. You can try and imagine my fear in letting someone I don’t know cut my hair, in a foreign country that doesn’t regulate things such as who is allowed to wield scissors. I have a very choppy hair cut that is popular with the Koreans, not bad just a little different. You have to really look at my hair to tell the difference. After that Lara picked me up(on the moto J) and then we went to the house and all(Naritas and I) piled into the car and off we went to a birthday party. The birthday party was for a very cute little 1yr old girl who of course, was very shy with all the people around. They had a church service and then they dedicated the birthday girl to the Lord. They had three pillars of balloons around the cake table and on the table was this big tiger balloon/thing and then the had the cake cutting ceremony where every one gathers around the table and claps and sings happy birthday while they cut the cake. Then everyone brings their gift to the cake table, and dinner is served. I guess it is the thing to make curry for gatherings, and what we had is kinda like curry but I forgot what it was called. It had meat, carrots, potatoes and leafy something. It was good! There were some other missionaries there and we were all joking around that the meat was dog meat, so we talked to one of the ladies who came along to give us more bread and joked with her a little. When she said "oh I like dog meat its good" and then she told us how she had hit a dog while driving and wondered if they should bring it but she said no they didn’t do that. I guess that is another sign that you have adjusted, when you joke about something like that and it is super funny but could also be true. The conversation then turned to whether we would get sick from eating this and then they told me that every time you go to a wedding here you always get sick. We all know how challenging it is to make food in mass amounts and then you add the conditions that people have to cook in and no fridge access and it can be stomach risky.

Monday
After school Neang, Sarah, Lara and I went to coffee at Caltex(gas station). They have a coffee plus store inside and it is yummy. While we were there, Katja came in and joined us. She was meeting her husband there so when Erik got there he joined us also. It is the hang out place kinda like in Modesto you can go to O’Brian’s Starbucks or Costco and see like ten people you know. Well here we see each other at Caltex(for COFFEE) or Common Grounds(for COFFEE) or the Lucky grocery store(coffee also available if you really need it). We are also known for having each other over to whoever’s house for Coffee. I have come to the conclusion that Coffee brings people together from all around the world and bonds them in a special way. Like at our little Coffee gathering we had, several different countries and states were represented. There was Neang who is from Cambodia, Katja who is from Germany, Erik who is from Holland, Lara from Hawaii, Sarah from Delaware and me from California. OK so maybe we are just fueling each other's addictions, but you have to admit that going out to Coffee with friends is great. I have learned the importance of this since I am living in a house of non-coffee drinkers. When I came I brought the first/only coffee maker(Thanks Paul) into the house. ANYWAY
We had a great time, after picking up Neang’s kids from school. We(Sarah, Neang and I) went to Elly’s house for Karaoke. This was interesting. We sang Bye Bye Love, Under The Boardwalk, Hard Day’s Night, Wait a Minute Mr. Postman, Downtown and Can’t Buy Me Love. I was introduced to Love Potion no9 which in my opinion is a lame and terrible song, and also some very interesting Cambodian songs.

Tuesday
We had a great day in school and Spanish was my favorite thing today, also history is fun cuz we are read aloud to and so the youngest and I color princess color pages. After that we went out to Happy Ranch and the girls had their first horseback riding lesson. I had a great time chillaxin in a big wood chair with my ipod and watching the horses, and I must admit I STARED at the grass. We are talking like a yard FULL of grass so nice and green, you just don’t see that here. Then tonight as I write this the Truexs are playing Apples to Apples card game, It is super funny cuz they play that when you put a card down you can explain why your card should win. This is funny like when Scott (the Dad) tries to explain why bubbles are nice. His reason is because when a baby is around 6-8 months and you blow bubbles for them it makes them happy and make cute noises and that is NICE. Nice was the Adjective and you have nouns and noun phrases in your hand that you choose from that go along or explain the Adjective( you can look it up online if you have never heard of it and this is confusing).

Prayer
A couple of people are a little sick this week so pray for healing or endurance.
For Sarah, Elly and Neang that they would come to know the Lord.
That I would be Christ like in my actions and words.
That I would not fight against the refining process that the Lord is allowing me to go through.
For the people of this country who are struggling to survive on the very little if any money that they make.
For the Christians who are/feel forced to marry a non-Christian spouse, and the young people who come to know the Lord and are afraid to tell their parents for fear of rejection.
Thanks :) P.S more pictures to come soon!

Hi everyone!!!
Sorry it has taken so long for an update. SSSSSooooooooooooooo where should I start. Last Saturday we had a Crocodile Feed, we had grilled Croc and Croc Curry. They were both pretty good, but the Curry was my favorite.
Sunday we went out to a floating village and they had a dedication of the Barge(a floating basketball court) they will be using it as part of the ministry to the people nearby. It was kinda funny cuz the kids said that after they are on the barge and have played for awhile their backs and legs start to hurt cuz they are so use to having to crouch down and squat in their boats and don’t get to stretch often. It was funny, they were talking about how big our calves are and how the guy who is working with us is also getting big legs cuz he is on land often.

Monday
I had the day off and went to the Naritas and we went swimming which is always fun, The boys had a blast and Baby Kai loves the water. One of the funny things that happened was that Ben decided that it would be cool if he used the strings from his swim shorts to tie himself to the ladder in the pool as we were getting ready to leave, he was able to get it untied and figured he needed a bigger challenge. So this time the knot was so good that Lara had to work on it for a couple of minutes, this is one of those situations that you are dying laughing but you don’t want to encourage them so you are tying not to smile or laugh out loud. Then that just makes you laugh harder and it is this sputtering laugh that you cant cover up, Aww good times good times.

Tuesday
We took another day off , for Pechunben ( I don’t think I spelled that right) it is kind of like the Cambodian Halloween. The people believe that they have to make food sacrifices at seven different temples in their areas so that their dead ancestor don’t starve. This is a time of year when everyone goes back to their families village/town. That is how I understand it, so it is a national holiday and we got it off so that we could hang out with friends.
We went out to the Baray (man made lake), it is where all the wealthy Cambodians go. I don’t think I have told you all about Jon, he is a guy from Michigan who is here for a year, he is a civil engineer and hopes to do more with his degree but is ok with teaching English in a Christian school for now. We met at church, he is one of the few people who is near my age, and lots of fun. Sarah is a girl who got here about 3 weeks ago and is teaching English through a NGO called JWOC for the next 8 months. She is just out of high school, we met through Neang, who’s husband is friends with Sarah’s grandfather. She is not a Christian but has said that she is interested, she was so excited when she found out that I was a Christian and has a lot of questions she went to a youth group in the states but wants to wrap her mind around some stuff before she actually makes a commitment to Christ. So we all went out to the Baray along with the Family I am living with. It was SO MUCH FUN we got in the water about 10:00 and swam out to where it was cold and deep and floated around all hanging on a tube and talking and learning that people from Michigan are called Michiganders and other odd facts about Michigan. One of the kids is doing a report and story board on Michigan so it was very helpful info. All us kids played and talked out there and when we finally came in it was 1:00 so we had to go cuz we only rented the shade shack for half a day. We came home and ate good homemade tacos and then us kids washed the dishes and made brownies and all took turns eating the leftover batter and talking about how we all say things like Collage, Nascar and many others, it was hours of entertainment as we started to feel our sunburns a little. We even watched a little bit of a comedy act (Brian Regan) that I have on my computer. After all of that, my stomach was sore from all the laughing the whole next day.

Wednesday
We started to get back into the routine of school. That afternoon I went to coffee with Sarah, we rode bikes and this time I was the tour guide. Bike riding has been very nice since I found a bike that is tall enough for me and pumped up tires. Coffee was fun and we are getting to know each other better and what a better way than over a lovely cup of Coffee.

Thursday
After school Ellen and Marianne took me to get a manicure as girl bonding time. It was fun and the place we went to was very very clean. After that Scott Ellen and another couple went out to dinner and I kept all 9 kids it was a lot of fun and felt so much more normal for me.

Friday
We got school done early and went swimming after that Sarah and I went out to dinner at Burger with no Boarders it was amazing!!!!!!!!!1 like better than a lot of burgers in the states but so worth it and now we are watching a movie and chillaxin on the couch which I must say is very nice.

I am sure that you can see the people who I would ask prayer for and pray that the Lord would just give me wisdom and the right words to say and that what I do would point people toward the Lord. Thank you for all the prayers keep them going it is such a blessing.

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. :)