Thanksgiving

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is here.  I know that is somewhat of a proverbial statement, but this time I really mean it and not just because "it seems like we just celebrated the 4th of July yesterday".  It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving at all to me.  Why?  Here is a list of what comes to my mind when I think of Thanksgiving:

• Cold (or cooler) weather.  Sure in Colorado it could be 65deg and sunny, but most of the time it is colder.  Last year we had snow on the ground.
• Football!  Both playing it with my brother against Alex and my nephews and watching it (Detroit and Dallas vs. whoever their opponents are).
• The smell of Turkey roasting.
• The warmth of the house in contrast to the cold of the outside.
• Family all around.
• Christmas season in the air all around.
• Stores decorated for the holidays...luring willing consumers through their doors.
• Christmas lights going up.

Those are just to name a few.  My how things change.  This year is so different. I will go through the list and compare/contrast this year's Thanksgiving:

• Okay, it is "cooler" than the hot season.  Low 90's on Thanksgiving doesn't seem cool to me though.  I long for a blast of cold air in my face.  Hold on a second...let me run and stick my head in the freezer.
• Football.  Wait, no...I mean American football.  We have plenty of what the rest of the world calls football over here.  I want the real sport.  We don't get it though.  No cable TV for us.  You can get it here, including American football but we haven't as of yet.  Maybe sometime.  Part of it is that it is near impossible to watch a game live.  The 2:15 (Mountain Time Zone) Sunday afternoon game will be played at...well lets see...4:15 a.m. Monday here.  Yikes!
• Smell of Turkey...Nope!  $50 for a turkey here.  I think chicken will do just fine, although they do not smell the same when you roast them.
• Okay this one we do have, the warmth of the house.  Although we do not have the contrast of the cool outside to the warm inside.
• Family all around.  Well, kinda.   My parents are here for Thanksgiving and for that I am eternally grateful.  Other than that, just Carolyn (for whom I will always be the most Thankful for) and our kids (okay, I am thankful for you guys, too) as far as family goes. But we are very glad to have HOH (House of Hope; Asian Hope's boy's home) and their house parents as well as a teacher and his wife over, too.  I think 24 in all.  The more the merrier.
• Christmas season in the air...well, no. 95+% Buddhist.  Need I say more?
• I think I can count on one finger the number of stores decorated for the holidays.  For reference, see previous bullet point.
• Haven't really seen Christmas lights going up either.

So am I complaining? No, I am not.  I wouldn't change where I am for the world.  I am simply grasping onto our new reality and being real with what I miss this time of year.  Allowing myself to feel the emptiness and loss from what we are missing also allowed me to reflect more clearly on what I have to truly be thankful for.

• A God who wants me as I am, not as some perfect package.
• Loving family and friends all around me
• A job I really love and the chance to make an eternal impact often.
• Amazing people back in the States partnering with us to make it all possible.
• Health.
• The joy of living out what I truly believe God has prepared for me to do.

So, our thanks go out to each of you.  Even having you read about our journey here encourages us.  It makes us feel connected more to you.  We are so grateful to each one of you who keeps us in your prayers and those who faithfully support us and the work we are doing here.  We love you all lots and are remembering you on this Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Uttermost Parts

We are really enjoying ministering to the many unreached people here in Phnom Penh. It is a whole different feel than outreach in the States. Whenever I taught kids at outreach events in the US, I could be about 99% sure that every kid there knew the name of Jesus, knew what the Bible was and had probably even read some of it. Here I can be pretty sure that no one will have heard the name of Jesus. That is a sobering and exciting reality all at the same time. However, there are still more remote places here, where people are even less likely to hear the Good News. 
That is why one of my friends and I took a motorcycle trip out of the city a few weeks ago, to evaluate needs in outlying villages and assess how we can minister to them best. 
Our trip took us about 40 km west of Phnom Penh on a highway.  Then we went north 5 km or so and then headed west on dirt road for another 100 km or so.  The dirt road began as a wide, fairly well maintained road, much like the pic below with the ox carts.  Then the last 20 km or so was like the picture right below that one: difficult to navigate, but well worth it. We were able to visit with several families and make valuable contacts.  Our plan is to make a couple more trips out there in the next few months to set up ways that we can efficiently help the villagers and ultimately bring the Gospel to them.  When you think of it, please pray that God would direct us and prepare the hearts of those we will minister to that they would be receptive to the Gospel.

One of the families we were able to visit with.




Sharing the road with a train of ox carts.



This is actually the same road.  This is how it looks the further we get toward the end of the road.

Some spectators.  They were great.

  Dinner is delivered.

My friends bike got stuck.  The last 20 km or so was a lot like this.