Just a little after lunch photo. Our table is on our porch. Everyday we get to enjoy eating outside and watching the highway traffic go by. People enjoy staring up at us too, as we are the only non-Asians in town. I get a little tired of people standing at the road and staring at us, so I started giving them a friendly wave and big smile. One Sunday morning this got me in trouble. The woman I waved at assumed I was flagging her down because I wanted to buy her market veggies. Oops…we ended up with some greens thanks to my waving.

This week Josh participated in the funeral of a Jarai church leader. His name was Romah Hiem and he was in his early 30’s. Romah left behind a wife and three children, ages 6  to 1 years old. (The picture above shows Hiem’s casket, lowered in the ground. According to Jarai custom, the deceased is buried with his possessions–even valuables such as a motorcycle–so he can have his things in the spirit realm. Hiem’s grave had nothing but an open Bible, an open hymnal, and the flowers traditionally thrown in by mourners.)

(In the above picture, the widow leaning over the casket is Romah’s widow. Following Jarai custom she has shaved her head.)

Josh met Romah Hiem at the end of Jarai Bible School last week, when all the participants went to pray for him. He had been sick for months and had seen multiple doctors without any significant help. The family was expecting him to die soon at home. Later that week after the family got enough money to pursue surgery, Josh drove Romah and his wife to the Vietnamese border to go to a hospital in Vietnam. Romah died a few days later from a burst kidney.

Josh preached the graveside message (in Khmer) about Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life.

One of the saddest things about Romah Hiem’s death is that his wife was not allowed to be with him in his hospital room. He died alone. I don’t think she even got to say goodbye. Heartbreaking. After the funeral she asked Josh pray often that she would see her husband again. We weren’t sure if this meant she was afraid of leaving the faith or if she was suffering from not being able to be with her husband when he died. Josh promised to pray, and reminded her of the promise of Jesus that he had just preached: everyone who believes will be raised to new life.

I think one of the things that has affected me most since moving out to Oyadao is watching people physically suffer yet remain strong in the faith. This week we sat with Pastor Chuol as he wept because of his intense pain, yet he continues to say he will believe in God whether he suffers and dies, or is healed. Sobering. You could not be in that room without weeping too. Romah Hiem suffered intense pain before he died, but he did not turn his back on his Lord, an easy thing to do in this animistic culture. They refuse to sacrifice to the spirits. They refuse treatment from witch doctors. They remain strong until the end.

Revelation 12:11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (ESV)

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

Last Friday we were able to move into our new rental home. It appears that all the plumbing problems have been fixed. We’re spending the week unpacking and doing projects.

We praise God for allowing us to move here. It is a perfect fit for us: much larger than we expected, great neighbors to play with, lots of access to people. We’re thankful for all God has done.

Can you tell Clara is tired of waiting for a home…or maybe she’s tried of seeing Angkor Wat.

Late Monday afternoon, the day before we were planning to move into our new rental home, we found out that our home had some plumbing issues. So instead of moving into our new home we moved into more temporary housing while deciding what to do. We’re very thankful for the Crowley’s kindness to lend us their downstairs.

The main problem was water was leaking down the side of the house from the bathroom. It appears that the water was coming from the toilet (which hadn’t even been sealed when they installed it).  Another problem was that they didn’t install any water cutoffs for the plumbing. Josh has spent the past two days at the house to make sure things are being taken care of.

As of Wednesday night it looks like we’ll be able to move in a day or two. We’re trusting the Lord for His timing. Who know what will happen next. Life is an adventure!

Lord willing we’ll be moving our belongings into our new home this Friday. We hope to sleep there Tuesday or Wednesday night. We’re so thankful the time has finally come!

It will be different living away from the missionary community here (it’s about a 35 minute drive). I think it will hit the hardest when Josh has to travel and I’m home at night by myself, fortunately our kids are very resourceful and are working on building door barricades (just kidding).

So thankful to be moving soon. Thanks be to God!

A few days before my parents left Cambodia, we took them to Angkor Wat. (The trip worked out perfectly since my parents flew out of Siem Reap at the end of our visit.) The big events were an elephant ride and exploring the temples. It was really fun watching my mom take in everything. I think she had a blast. My dad was very hesitant about riding an elephant, but once he got on, he had a great time with the kids.

Thankfully, besides a short rain shower, the heavy rains held off until we were finished for the day. We were very thankful for that. Thankful we could share the trip with my parents.

In the middle of June we were delighted to welcome my parents for their first visit to Cambodia. It had been over two years since we’d seen my parents. They went through quite a time to get here, missing their flight from Seoul, Korea and arriving a day late. We really appreciate all the adventures they went through to come all the way to Cambodia to be with us. We appreciate all the time and money they spent to make a trip halfway across the world to see our world.

The kids were really excited to see Grammy and Grampy Grace (as they started calling my dad). We loved hearing them laugh with delight as they played together. Becca learned some new tricks from Grampy Grace and enjoyed hearing stories about Grammy’s first graders. Anna who typically is a bit resistant at first was warm and friendly when they arrived. Isaiah had so many memories of my dad from when he was 1, he was really excited. Clara was her happy self to meet her grandparents for the first time.

The first part of my parents’ time with us was pretty rainy and we spent a lot of time inside. We spent one morning moving a lot of our belongings into storage. We were able to visit the Sleeping Buddha and a waterfall on non-rain days.

Among other local things, my mom enjoyed going to the market and riding the moto and my dad enjoyed eating pork and rice at a local Khmer rice shop we affectionately call The Shack.

It was really great to have my parents here. We’d been looking forward to their visit ever since they mentioned it before we moved to Cambodia. It was nice for us to be able to show them our life…some things just can’t be explained without experiencing them. Between having little kids and the time difference, it’s hard for me to talk on the phone, so it was really nice to be able to talk to my parents in person without having to be on a device.

We really enjoyed my parents’ visit.  I’m very thankful for my parents’ complete support of our being here. They are always so excited for us and grateful we’re here. They encourage the kids in their adventures here. That means a lot. I’m thankful for the way they raised me to go and serve the Lord and the ways they encourage our whole family as we serve the Lord in Cambodia. Thankful that they were able to come and see our lives here. Maybe they’ll come again during our next term….

A big thanks to my mom for all the pictures. I haven’t even seen the pictures she took on her phone yet. Next week I hope to post pictures from our trip to Siem Reap with my parents. Maybe I can get my mom to guest post on her impressions from their visit sometime.

This month (July 13th), Clara celebrated her 4-month birthday. For awhile I’ve been calling her Smiles #2 (since we called Anna Smiles), but I have switched to calling her Giggles. Clara absolutely loves to laugh. Sometimes she just looks up at me smiling with anticipation as she waits for me to make her laugh. She is sunshine during this time of transition.

Clara started rolling from tummy to front in at the end of June. She is now a fast roller and can cover a lot of ground. She’s also working on inching forward. This sweet girl is on the move.

A short update on our family: On July 11th we moved out of the house we’d been watching and went to Phnom Phen for a week. We had a friend coming for a three-day visit and needed to renew our visas and driver’s licences. It was the first time the kids and I had been back since we left last July…don’t miss it at all! The best part was seeing friends and eating at our favorite Khmer restaurant.

This week we moved into temporary housing while we wait for our rental home. We’re in a one bedroom flat…we’re praying they can have our house ready by August 1st. It’s going to seem HUGE after living here.

Tuesday Josh and I celebrated 8 years of marriage. So delighted that God is blessing me with my man. Being in Cambodia has brought us closer together (we’re finding that living overseas can make or break a marriage). If not for my dear man, I’m certain I would have lost it here. So glad to have his faithful friendship and leadership.

Thankful for the four precious children God has blessed us with. So glad I get to be on this parenting journey with Josh.

Our major accomplishments for the year: we’ve moved to Ratanakiri and delivered our 4th child together. Looking forward to our new adventures together in this next year!

For our anniversary Josh and I went to the Ratanak Resort. It was a lovely place to relax and spend extra time with each other.

Monday Clara turned 3-months old. She’s quite the little mover in her pack-n-play: she rolls from tummy to back, moves from one end to the other on her tummy (not sure if this is intentional), often does an 180 degree from the position I left her in.

Clara loves to laugh. She seems to think diaper changing time is really hilarious. The other day Josh had to ask her to stop laughing while listening to Dr. Casillas’ sermon…she was a little too loud.

The dress Clara is wearing was mine. I thought I’d left it in the States and was happy to find it recently when I was going through clothes. So thankful for our sweet smiley Clara Grace.

Isaiah chose to wait to have his birthday cake until Aunt Emily arrived on Saturday. He also wanted Uncle JD and Aunt Kim to come for cake too.

We had pizza for supper and then enjoyed cake and ice cream. For his birthday we gave Isaiah his first real Legos and a car rug (bought at IKEA in Bangkok).

So glad to have this crazy little man in our crazy little family!

Happy 4th birthday to Isaiah! Our little man was extremely excited the night before his birthday. After I put him to bed he came out to tell me the reason he was grumpy was because he was saving all his joy for his birthday. When I told him he didn’t seem grumpy at all, he insisted he was grumpy so he wouldn’t use up his joy for his birthday!

Part of Isaiah’s birthday countdown calendar was a sleepover with Mommy when Daddy had to be away for the night. Isaiah was thrilled to be Daddy for the night. He wanted to use the computer like Daddy.

It’s been fun watching Isaiah be a brother. He loves playing with Becca and Anna. The other day he wanted to hold Clara too. He’s praying for a baby brother and two more baby sisters (so Clara can have baby sister and that baby sister after that can have a baby sister!).

We love all Isaiah’s silliness and hearing him walk around the house singing Bible songs he makes up. Thankful for our little man!

This week is also Clara’s 11 week birthday! She’s now rolling from stomach to back, laughing, and moving all over her bed. She’s a sweetie!

This is Isaiah’s contribution to the blog:

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May 18 Meeting with Village and Sub-District Heads
On May 18 Josh drove out to Saom Kaning village and met with the head of the village, as well as the head of the sub-district. The village head told Josh he has no problem with our family moving to the village, but first there needs to be a village-wide meeting with us present to allow the members of the village to vote.

The sub-district head said he would approve us only if the district authorities (in particular, the district police) say yes. We’re waiting for him to meet with the district police before we plan a meeting with them.

We thank the Lord that no one has said no yet. Please pray with us as we begin making contact with higher officials to seek their permission: first at the district level, then at the province level. It’s possible that higher officials will say we need official approval from further down first.

In the meantime, we will begin looking for a house to rent in one of the two towns closest to Saom Kaning Village. We will need permission to live in a nearby town, as well, but we expect it will be easier to get permission, because we would be living among Khmer rather than a minority group. Please pray that we can find a home and get permission to move in before the beginning of July, when we vacate our present house.

May 20 Meeting with Jarai Church Leaders
This meeting included about 18 Jarai church leaders, two partners from another mission organization, my team leader, and Josh. Our team leader, JD, facilitated the meeting. The meeting focused on what the churches can do to promote better understanding of the Bible in their churches. The focus then narrowed to the possibility of a Bible translation that reflects the way Jarai in Cambodia speak, and we were encouraged that there was general agreement that the existing translations are hard to understand and that unbelievers in particular don’t understand them. (The existing Jarai Bibles — a New Testament and a complete Bible — are good translations, but they were translated into the variety of Jarai spoken in Vietnam, which is hard for Jarai here to understand.)

Although some concerns were raised about undertaking a new project, we believe that these are issues that can be worked through. We plan to have another meeting in June or July to allow the Jarai make a decision about whether or not to begin a translation project. Please pray that they will have wisdom as they think about and discuss the issue over the next month or two. And please pray that we can find ways to overcome the potential obstacles, as well.

Thank you so much for your prayers. It is very much by your prayers that we are sustained and guided in the work God has called us to.

May 13th Clara celebrated two months. Can’t you tell she’s thrilled! Clara enjoys interacting with us – she is full of smiles and coos. Love this little girl!

Everybody has different opinions on who Clara looks like. There are moments Clara has the looks of the other kids, but she really has her own individual look (see collage on the left).

Life is pretty full around here. Not many dull moments. The other day when our kids were wrestling, I overhead one say: You’re not supposed to be screaming. Dead people can’t scream. We all laughed!

Taking pictures of all the kids is becoming more difficult, but I managed one.

Here’s something to show how dusty/dirty everything gets in our home: I’m constantly cleaning dirt from under Clara’s fingernails. How can an infant have dirt under her fingernails?

Becca lost another tooth two weeks ago.

This past Sunday Clara celebrated 5 weeks. We’re enjoying her smiles. She started smiling several weeks ago…it almost felt like the week she was born. Guess she was amused with her exciting birth.

Of our three older children, Anna is the most attentive to Clara. She’s always asking, “Clara hold me,” and wanting to talk with her. Lord willing they will be great friends.

One week after Clara was born our home owner’s dog had another litter of puppies. The kids have enjoyed playing all 7 of them.

Happy 2nd birthday to Anna Grace! We love our sweet little bundle of mischief. Anna loves to play and laugh and she has quite a sense of humor. She loves growling at people and attacking Isaiah. She’s quite the talker and her vocabulary is growing.

For several days before her birthday Anna denied it was going to be her birthday. Said she didn’t want a party, or cake, or presents. She didn’t even like people singing happy birthday to her. After I got her presents out, she decided she wanted presents and she was pretty pleased with the cake, once it was in front of her.

We did a double birthday party for Anna and Josh (since on Josh’s birthday we were driving all day), but it ended up being more focused on Anna, so we had another party the next night for Josh. Our meal was a buffalo roast, and our team leaders’ family joined us for dinner. (It is a very busy week for us, since our helper is gone for Khmer New Year’s.)

A very happy 35th birthday to Josh! Delighted that he chose me to be his wife and accompany him on this adventure. He’s a wonderful husband and daddy and we’re blessed to have him!

One month has flown by with being in Bangkok and coming back to Cambodia. Clara has adjusted well to Ban Lung and is keeping a good schedule. She’s a pretty happy girl and smiles and is starting to coo.

Three Weeks: Anna spent her 3-week birthday riding in a car-seat for two days. She did great!

Four Weeks: