June 10^th – Monday we went to bed preparing to head to the Ratanakiri (a northern province) in the morning. However, that night the tone of our trip changed. . . Josh woke up sick with some sort of stomach virus. He spent all Tuesday in bed with little improvement. Wednesday Josh was weak and miserable, but we decided to try making it halfway to Ban Lung. Our plan was to drive four hours and stay in a hotel, then drive the next four hours on Thursday. Josh’s sickness lasted four days. Saturday he woke feeling better and actually showed a real smile. (Pictures below show our dinner at the hotel halfway to Ratanakiri – delicious! –  and JD’s breakfast there the next morning.)

There is something about sickness that drains the body and wearies the soul. God allowed Satan to fire arrows of doubt and discouragement at Josh during his time of sickness. Below is an except he wrote in our post Cambodia update:

My own impressions were colored quite a bit by jet-lag for the first couple days and then, as that was wearing off, the physical and emotional drain of being sick. I found the heat of Phnom Penh somewhat more oppressive than I’d remembered. I much preferred Ratanakiri, which is milder and greener.

Our survey made me painfully aware of how attached I am to comforts such as air conditioning, good water pressure, and clean bathrooms. I had prided myself (based on my previous two trips) on being adaptable and unattached to basic American luxuries. I’m now making it a matter of prayer and reflection to prepare my heart for the changes that await us in Cambodia. In many ways, this is basic Christianity, the willingness to suffer (or in this case, be mildly uncomfortable) for the sake of eternal goods.

What hit me most as Josh dealt with being sick and the discouragement that came with it was how hard it was for me to be strong for two . . . and how much harder it will be when we have kids here too. We will adjust to living in Cambodia (heat, language, etc) – it will become our loved home. Fighting discouragement and unbelief together as a couple and as individuals will be an ongoing battle. Pray for your missionaries – especially when they are fighting sickness. It is a time when Satan knows they are weak. . . praise the Lord that our God is always a strong tower of refuge.

One thing we did Thursday afternoon after we arrived in Ban Lung was to drive around the town with JD. JD took us up to a hill overlooking the area. . .a place where a giant Buddha was reclining. The view was beautiful – a fresh breath after being in Phnom Penh. God has called us to minister to the people of Cambodia. It will require us to give up much. Satan will tempt us to despair, but we can look upward and see the One who has made a way for us to approach into the throne of grace and call upon God to rescue us and give us grace to do His work for His glory.

Next week I hope to wrap up the summary of our visit to Cambodia – with pictures from our village visit, our time with the missionaries in Ban Lung, and a few pictures from a Khmer church service.