January 17th

This is the day our family will say good-bye to one home, one phase of our lives and hello to a new one. January 17^th is the day we board an airplane and start a new chapter in our lives. It did seem a little disconcerting buying 6 one-way plane tickets to a third-world country but nevertheless, we are all excited…most of the time. At times each of us are filled with paradoxical feelings. Excited one minute and scared the next. Happy and then sad. Fearless and then fearful. Certain of the direction we are going and then at times wondering "what are we thinking?". But above all of this, we are confident that this is the path God has laid out for us. We rest secure and peaceful in this. It is amazing to look back on the last year to see where God has brought us, uniting all 6 of our hearts around one common goal. Thanks to all of you who are sharing this journey with us. Just know, if you ever happen to find yourself in Cambodia (I know it is a common layover stop for many flightsJ) you will have a place to stay!

Amazing Gift!

A couple weeks ago our family received an amazing gift from a friend of ours. It goes without saying, although I will, that we have been blessed in so many ways over the past year since we decided to move. Many of our friends and families have shown us tremendous generosity and kindness in our many facets of change. However, one of the most unique gifts came a few Sundays ago. Rachel Olsen, a photographer friend of ours, gave us the gift of a one hour + photo shoot of our family. The pictures came out so beautifully and we are so appreciative. We could not have imagined what a blessing it would be and now we have keepsakes for a lifetime. We recommend her very highly to anyone who needs pictures done professionaly and at the highest quality. Please check out Rachel's website at www.rachelolsenphotography.com. To see her blog and some of the pictures of us you can go to www.rachelolsenphotography.com/blog. Thanks again Rachel and thanks to all of you who are so actively involved in our journey. We are truly blessed to have you all along.

Being Helpless

Wow! It is hard to believe it is already November. We are continuing to move closer to our goal of moving to Cambodia and excitement hasn't been greater. We just had a church take us on as their missionaries which could really boost our monthly support goal. We also have a meeting with the missions pastor from another church scheduled for next week. God sure is moving. We are at 70% of our monthly support now and are trusting that we can report a large jump in that number once all of the details with these 2 churches are ironed out. Thanks so much for your prayers.

In the midst of all of this, we had an opportunity to experience receiving help when we were helpless even as we prepare to do the same for kids in Cambodia. It happened on our way back from a trip to Minnesota to visit Carolyn's mom. It was a nice and productive trip as we were able to help her out when she had back surgery. On our way home we looked at the weather forecasts and knew we would hit some snow in Eastern Colorado. No big deal, right? That's what I thought until the interstate was closed...about 50 miles from home. What a bummer. With an entire interstate full of travelers converging on a small town, I knew our chance at a hotel room was slim to none. We simultaneously looked for a room and another road out. Neither would yield positive fruit and we were stranded and helpless. We didn't know anyone in that town, the snow was piling up and it was getting colder by the minute. But thanks to the kindness and generosity of strangers we ended up safe and warm. We secured a room in hotel Red Cross. We ended up spending the night on the floor of the local High School Gymnasium with 80 other stranded travelers. We were fed and housed by people we had never met and will probably never see again. It was a humbling experience to be so dependent on strangers but it is also an experience that we will never forget and showed us the other side of being helpless.

A Little Fall Fun

To be honest, we were hoping to NOT see the fall colors this year. Not that we have anything against them but we were hoping to be in Cambodia by now. For whatever reason, God does not have us there yet. As we continue to look forward to moving we also continue to put our hope in the One who has called us there as well as in His timing. As Carolyn put it, "Our hope is not in our circumstances changing but in God's plan in the midst of it." He is certainly using our time here to grow us, stretch us, challenge us as well as bless us. One of our blessings was to get up into the beautiful Colorado Rockies to see some of the fall colors. We went for a hike to celebrate Calli's 10^th birthday. How soon we all forget and take for granted the beauty right in our own backyard. We took a long walk around Long Lake, saw snow, collected leaves and generally just had a good time as a family. All 6 of us are in a way grieving not having reached our destination yet, but trying to find good from God in the midst of it…and you know what? Its there!

Traffic

This journey we are on is exciting and there is no where we would rather be but It can come with some frustrating times as well. Focusing on these times is counterproductive. I was reminded of this last week. I was driving north on I25 in heavy traffic (a lot more than usual) when I found myself getting unreasonably frustrated, especially because there was nothing I could do about it. In the midst of my fuming I glanced to the West and saw one of the most spectacular sunsets I had ever seen in my 30 years in Colorado. The sun had just gone behind the mountains and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It just gradually went from a dark orange to a brilliant blue with all of the reds, purples and pinks in between. It was truly an awesome sight. My enjoyment of it was interrupted by God reminding me of something. It was like He was telling me "during this time of waiting to go to Cambodia, don't focus on your frustration. Look for the good in where you are at. Don't focus on all of the "negative" things that are happening around you to cause you to go slow, but look for the good."

So much for my fuming. That was over. While the temptation is still there to become restless and discontent with Gods timing, we are finding ourselves more content with where we are. While we are being diligent and faithful in our pursuit of moving, we are resting completely in God's timing and faithfulness...trying not to focus on the 'traffic' around us.

Holding Pattern

Well, here it is the end of July and we are still hanging out in the States. We are just waiting to reach 100% of our financial needs for our ministry in Cambodia. It is amazing how our timing is not always consistent with how God sees things. Ultimately we are content with His plan. Not because we are super spiritual, but because our past experience has shown that God's timing always works out for the best. That is not to say that there are times that we may feel unsettled or discontent but as a whole we are confident that God's timing will be best for us when all is said an done.

During our extended time here we continue to be amazed at the people that God causes our paths to cross with. One such family is a Cambodian family that now lives about 3 miles from us. Who would have thought? They have been so fun to get to know and have had us over for their son's graduation party, lunch and most recently invited us to spend the day with them at the Dragon Boat Festival in Denver. Through them we have also been introduced to a whole community of Cambodian people, most of who live in our area. That is something we could not have manufactured on our own.

The Dragon Boat Festival was amazing. There were over 100,000 spectators and about 2 dozen boats that competed. The Spirit of Cambodia, the boat representing Cambodia in the competition, ended up taking 3rd place overall. The Festival highlights the people, customs and cultures of Asian Pacific countries. Food vendors, performers and many activities highlighted the weekend. We all enjoyed soaking some of what we will be experiencing in our new culture.

As we continue to wait, we continue to trust the One who has called us. We will be sending out our newsletter soon to update more specifically where we are at. If you wish to receive the update you can email me at dohlin@asianhope.org or post a comment at the end of this posting.

Excitement is Mounting

Wow! What a fun journey God has us on. Excitement is mounting as we move closer and closer to our departure date. We don't want to miss out on any of what God is doing in Cambodia. He is really at work and we can't wait to join Him. Along that line we are asking each of you reading this if you would join us in praying specifically for God's provision. I copied text from an email I sent which will explain a little better:

Hello again from the Ohlin's. A very humble and appreciative thank you to each of you for your prayer and financial support of where God is leading our family. We are so thankful for each and every one of you who is joining us on this journey. I wanted to update you on where we are at currently and let you know what we as a family are up to this week. First, we are right about 50% of our monthly pledged gifts (which we are so thankful for). However, we really feel like God is calling us to be over in Cambodia by July 31 and in order for that to happen we need to be at 100%. A big task for us but pocket change for our God. With that in mind, we would like to ask each of you to join our family in praying specifically for God to provide for our needs so that we can make it to Cambodia in 33 days (by July 31). The 6 of us are bringing this request specifically to God and trusting in His provision. He has been beyond faithful so far and we are confident He will contiue to be. A few of the verses we are reading as we bring this request to God are:

Mt. 18:19-20 : “Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them. “

Eph. 2:8-10 : “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Jer 29:11-13 : ”’For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”

Thank you so much for joining us in this. We look forward to reporting back about God's faithfulness and provision. Again we appreciate all of you. God Bless!

Thanks for reading. We will report back.

Obedience

The pictures, from top to bottom are: a unique picture of Abby (in green shirt), Abby's friend Tara, Cameron and our missionary friend Nicole; Alex and Nicole; a goofy picture of Carolyn, Cameron and Me; our Family.

I guess it is time to update our blog again. To me it seems a little pointless or boring since not much has changed but we might as well let you all know what’s going on in our lives. As many of you know we were thinking we would be in our new home by now but that isn’t the case. It is hard to explain all of the emotions that we are feeling on a daily, if not hourly, basis. As it becomes clearer that each of our hearts are 10,000 miles away, life here only becomes more of a paradox. We are trying to “connect” here while at the same time we are trying to say good-bye and unplug. If that sounds hard to do at the same time, you are absolutely right. This is where well meaning people will chime in and tell us ‘well you chose to do this”. To which I say an overwhelming “you’re right”.
You see, we are by no means complaining when we describe to others how where we are right now can be a hard place at times. But the fact that it is a hard place doesn’t by any stretch mean it is a bad place or that we would go back and change where we are for anything. We love the place that we are at but at the same time refuse to pretend that it is always easy. I look at the position that we are in similar to a story of Peter in Bible (Matt.14:22-33). He was in a boat on a lake when a violent storm came up. He saw a “ghost” walking toward him on the water and when he realized it was Christ he wanted to go out and see Him. So Christ called him out and Peter stepped out of the boat, where it was relatively safe, into the stormy water. That’s where Peter needed to go if he wanted to join Christ. Similarly, our family has felt a compelling call to join Christ where he is working in Cambodia. Our “boat” is America and its predictability and safety…what is yours and where might Christ be calling you to step out and join Him? Moving a family of 6 to a third world country is counterintuitive to man and may seem a little ridiculous but in order for us to join Christ, Cambodia is where WE needed to go. Into the “storm”, where it isn’t necessarily comfortable or “safe”. We had to get out of our boat of comfort and predictability and step out in faith. Easy? No. Good? We think so.
When it gets down to obedience, especially as a follower of Christ, for me to really grasp it I have to boil it down to a very easy to understand level. So to do that I look at my relationship with my kids and liken that to my relationship with God. I was thinking the other day about our 4 year-old Cameron when he was helping me carry a piano bench across the room. He really thought his contribution was making a difference. But what I realized was that no matter how much he tries he really doesn’t have much to offer me. Now before you start calling me nasty name and thinking I am totally insensitive, let me explain. He doesn’t have anything tangible to offer me. As his dad, he can come to me and offer his strength in lifting something. Or offer the penny in his pocket (or maybe even a quarter if he’s real rich) when I am buying a treat. Or maybe he offers a great idea for solving a perplexing problem. Whereas I listen or even receive what he has offered, it hasn’t really made a huge difference. But what can he offer? His priceless gift of his heart in relationship and obedience. Again as it says in God’s word, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” So too for us, we may sacrifice our money which to God may even amount to a whole quarter but what He really wants from each of us is our hearts in relationship and our obedience. After all, that is really all we have to offer our Father that He doesn’t already have. Just like a 4-year-old and his father.
So that is where we are these days. In the midst of obeying without seeing the end result. Struggling sometimes but always confident that we are obeying and trusting that God, who is all powerful and all good, is in control and has our best interest at heart…just like a father is to his 4-year-old.

Conflicted

Well, here we are midway through May and we are back to life as usual, which for us means constantly living in transition with the knowledge that withing a couple months we will call Cambodia home. We are all very excited and wishing we had an exact departure date but also trying to enjoy our last weeks in the states for a while. In our hearts we are kind of there already but have to wait for all of the other details to fall into place. A couple of recent events, however, have moved us closer to being fully prepared to leave.

The first of these is our training. We finised that on May 1 and it was an amazing time. It is so hard to describe the impact it had on all 6 of us but suffice to say that it was well worth it. We connected with 50+ other people who are all in a similar position as ours. None are going to Cambodia but we had 5 continents and probably 15 - 20 counties represented there. It was so good to gain encouragement and insight from others on the same type of journey. What amplifed the blessing was that there were many kids there and each of our kids found friends their same age. It was bittersweet when we had to leave but each of the kids left there encouraged as they also have made lifelong friends who are walking down a similar road as theirs. We all left with hearts and minds prepared to move.

The second thing we did to prepare us more fully to move was to have a large garage sale. We were basically selling almost everything else we own (ie. all of our winter clothes, kitchen stuff, decorative items, bikes, camping gear, lawn tools...etc). God blessed us with good weather and great traffic. We sold a lot and donated the rest of the stuff to my parent's church for their Youth Group garage fund raiser. So basically, we are left with the clothes in our closets, a few decorative items to make our new home feel homey (not homely), a mixer, a blender and my cordless drill. Something about that feels so good. An amazing non-coincidence happened during our garage sale. A woman and her father were shopping at our garage sale and noticed our sign regarding us moving to Cambodia. It turns out she moved here from Cambodia about 7 years ago. We visited with her for 20 minutes or so and it was just delightful. I even practiced some of my Khmai (Cambodian language, not a form of martial arts) on her and her Dad. We plan on getting together with her again before we leave. It was such an encouraging "appointment" arranged by God.

So that brings us to where we are right now, conflicted. Ready to go but not able to yet. We are trusting God's timing as we try to reach 100% of our monthly support needs. We know this is just part of the process and are trying to embrace it while trying to say all of our good-byes. Although it is hard and sometimes uncomfortable at times, we know this time is just part of the journey and really are enjoying the new experience. You can be sure that as we draw closer we will keep you all updated. God Bless.

By the way, anyone reading this wanting to help with support can do so at http://www.asianhope.org/. Click on the "Donate" tab. Thanks in advance.

Training in Palmer Lake, Colorado

It has been a while since the last post. I would like to say it was intentional but that would not be accurate. We thought after we moved out of our house and settled with my parents things would slow down but it seems as if the opposite happened.

Not a ton of new and exciting things have happened. We are fully engaged in our fundraising efforts, still paring down the things we still own and still united in the direction God is calling us. It is difficult to stay focused on our common vision at times but just when we hit a low point it seems God causes something to happen that encourages us.

Currently we are at Missionary Training International (MTI) in Palmer Lake, CO for their SPLICE training. It is good so far but onlt the second day. We did hear that it is an emotionally intense time and we are looking forward to meeting God here as individuals and as a family. The kids almost instantly assimilated with the other kids, none of whom they had ever met before. That in and of itself encourages us for the move. The few pictures are from our time here. We appreciate any and all prayers. Thanks for taking the time to read. God bless!

On the Move

Wow, a lot has transpired since our last update. We're at our 3rd address in the past 2 weeks and it has felt like it. We moved out of our first house on Feb. 28th. That was a whirlwind to say the least. Even after 374 (give or take a few) trips to goodwill there was so much "stuff" to pack up. At the beginning of the day on the 28th it didn't look like we would make it out by midnight but with the help of my parents and a helpful friend (with a pickup) we were out of the house by about 7:15, steam cleaned carpets and all. It was a bittersweet moment. Although there wasn't much time to spare I had Carolyn come back in to the house so she and I could survey our first home one last time before we left. It was one of those times when you don't have to say anything to the person you are with but you both know what the other one is thinking...and its the same thing. Neither of us said a word, we just embraced and wept. Not for some amazingly awesome custom house that we built with our own hands (because it wasn't) but for all of the memories we had made there. It was an emotional but appropriate close to that chapter of our lives.







Now the next chapter starts: our "in between Fort Collins and Phnom Penh" period. We stayed at my parent's house for one night(about a half hour south of Ft Collins in Firestone, CO). From there it was on to a house in Longmont some friends of ours let us use while they were away. It is a very nice house and one we could use as our own for 10 nights. It was a good transitional period. Now we are back at my parents house for a few months. Time sure is seeming to fly as we are almost officially in spring. Our next move will be when we go down to Colorado Springs for training in April. Its funny how transition itself can become somewhat of a "norm" or develop a sort of comfortable feeling. These times have caused us to notice and appreciate some of the little things even more. A family walk, movie night, a long run for Carolyn and me, time with friends, a lady bug. Any of these would have, a few months ago, been possible taken for granted but as we are getting rid of so many of our material posessions some of these "intangibles" are taking a place of higher and higher importance, which maybe they should have months/years before.

So with all of this moving, we have heard the question more than once "why Cambodia?" Don't people need help in Denver (insert name of any city)? So here is the answer as we see it. First, thats where we feel like our Father is calling us. Like kids with their earthly parents, when asked to do something by your parents, even though it may not be what everyone else is doing and no one else may understand why you are doing it, there is a element of trust that causes you to proceed. You believe that your parents want nothing more than the best for you. That is definitely where we are now, trusting that even though some well meaning family and friends may second guess our decision, we are confidently moving forward.

However, thats not to say that we have no personal desire to pursue this as well. It is a very beautiful country that we enjoyed very much when we visited. More importantly, both Carolyn and I have a heart for Cambodia and the Khmai people. They are wonderful people and we look forward to getting back there. There is such a need over there. For example:

• The average Cambodian makes less than $260 per year.
• On the UN Human poverty index, Cambodia ranks 73rd out of 78 developing countries.
• One in 11.5 children will die before the age of 1
• One in 8 children will die before their 5th birthday
• One in 212 women will die in childbirth
• Has the highest rate of child abandonment in southeast Asia
• 45% of the population is under the age of 15
• The Christian population has grown from an estimated 15,000 people in 1995 to 100,000 in 2002, but that still represents less than 1% of the population.

All of these are compelling reasons that confirm our choice to move to Cambodia and do what we can to make a difference. Thanks again for sharing in our journey. God bless. Here is a link to a video for Asian Hope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiYEhNA0pWg.

A time of Paradox

I'm not sure exactly how to explain to you the place we're in right now...very likely because I'm not exactly sure how to explain it to myself. We are in the midst of a time of paradoxes. We are feeling joy and pain, peace and frustration, patience and anxiety, all of which we are experiencing at the same time. At the moment probably the thing that is provoking these feelings most is experiencing so many "lasts". But the paradox comes in that in experiencing these lasts, they by nature mean we are experiencing firsts.

One of the "lasts" we are experiencing now is this is our last week in our home. There is pain in that as we sell or otherwise get rid of the majority of our stuff. Someone just walked out the door with mine and Carolyn's bed, a couple weeks ago we got rid of our beloved trampoline, Alex's loft bed was taken last weekend...just to name a few. But as we walk out the door of removing so many of our possessions from our lives at the same time we are walking into the door of readjusting our priorities. "OK, I guess I don't really need a trampoline or bed to be happy". (By the way, I did tell the kids they could still go and jump up and down on the rocks where the trampoline used to be). The box we need for what we consider a true need or truly important is becoming smaller and smaller.

Another last we experienced just yesterday was the last trip to the Denver Zoo, at least for a few years. God really blessed our day as a family and it was something we really needed, as the busyness of the move has stripped us of any family down time. Not that we are that attached to the zoo but it just won't be an option anymore. But it was fun to discuss with the kids their feelings and how this is all impacting them. We are all in agreement that some of these modern "luxuries" and conveniences will be missed but we are also collectively excited about the unknown adventure that awaits us. All of these earthly things that excite and woo us are so easily replaced by the next best thing. I think what we are most looking forward to are the experiences and relationships and moments that impact our hearts that no one could predict or dream of until they happen...and experience them together.

Evaluating what's really important

It's about time we started our blog and let anyone who wants to be in on our exciting journey as it unfolds. Any of you that may be reading this and may not know anything about what we are doing I will give you a quick version. We are a family of 6 and we are moving to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a position I took with Asian Hope (http://www.asianhope.org/). The 6 of us are comprised of Dan, Carolyn, Alex (14), Abby(12), Calli(9), and Cameron (4). I will coment more on this as our journey progresses. Right now we are all getting ready to move out of our house on Feb 28th and move in with my (Dan) parents. They live about 30 min south of us so we will try to keep life as normal as possible for us and the kids in the transition period. It is such a trip going through 15 years of stuff we've kept. Who would hold on to a suitcase that has a broken handle and a zipper that doesn't work? Me for one. It is so cool to be able to go through all of our stuff and separate it into stuff we need and stuff we don't need. We actually have 4 "categories" that we filter all of our stuff into. They are trash, Goodwill, things we want to keep but not bring with to Cambodia and things we want to bring. Since we can't bring much with I am thrilled to say the first 2 categories receive the most contributions (the aforementioned suitcase made it into the trash category). The "keep but not bring" category is mostly sentimental things that have no real practical value. Like artwork from the kids' early years, matching sweaters Carolyn and I got on our honeymoon (I know, we were REAL cool back then). We won't need those in a tropical climate, and maybe when we move back they will actually be somewhat in style again.

Then our final category (stuff we're bringing) gets the most scrutiny. Each of us are going to get 2 18 gallon Rubbermaid containers to fill with whatever can be put in there and that is pretty much it. Clothes, books a few special decorative items, some toys for the little guy and personal electronics for the other kids. Its this category that seems to reveal most about each of us. What do we value most when a cap is put on what we can hold on to. So far I think Cameron has demonstrated the greatest amount of faith in the whole process. When I asked what he wanted to bring, all he wanted was his "New Niney" (his special blanket). Thats it. As long as he knows he is with his fam, he really doesn't need much else. What a cool attitude and an example.

And as our house seems less and less like "ours" we are all realizing what is really most important. All 6 of us are realizing that home is not characterized by the house you live in or where all of your stuff is but "home" is who you are with. So as many of our "posessions" are let go of we are seeming to hold on to each other tighter. There is something cool and somewhat unexplainable that happens as all 6 of us are united around one common vision. Each of us experience sadness and question what in the world we are thinking at times but then there are usually atleast 4 or 5 that are there to encourage. During this time we also thank all of you for taking time to share in this journey and being an encouragement to us in so many different ways. It means more to us than you may ever know. God Bless!

A quick comment on the pictures. They are of the truck ready for the 27th trip in 2 weeks to Goodwill (may be a slight exaggeration), the Rubbermaids that will make the trip with us to Cambodia, Abby, Calli and Cameron in and empty art niche as we "declutter". Sorry about the duplicate picture...still trying to work on the formatting.

By the way, you can watch an informative video of Asian Hope at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiYEhNA0pWg. Enjoy!!