Yep, we ARE still alive!

Sorry, but it has been over 2 weeks since I have updated this blog. We have been SO busy it has not even crossed my mind. Well, I lie- it has crossed my mind...however, we were in quite a slump where there were no new stories or pictures to write about. Now, prepare yourselves. I have a ton to say!! Here is what we have been up to these past weeks in words; below are the pictures to prove it!

• Easter Musical here at school, with kids working hard to memorize lines, learn dances, etc.
  
• Karie got very sick, and missed 3 days of school; nothing conclusive, but seemed like a bacterial digestive system infection. The day she got better, she got a sinus infection. Was out for a solid week. Miserable.
  
• Went up to Siem Reap (home of the ancient Angkor Wat temples). LOVED it up there; we didn't even feel like we were in Cambodia. The small, quiet town is totally geared towards tourists. Things we saw that are not in our city: trash cans, a lovely river with a green grassy walkway, green TREES, friendly Cambodian people, clean streets. Totally opposite Phnom Penh.
  
• rainy season and hot season seem to be co-existing here: the heat turns up during the day, and CRAZY storms blow in at around 3pm in the afternoons. It doesn't cool it down however, just adds to the moisture in the air. Black clouds, wind, and flooding are common occurrences here again.
  

So happy to be off the bus! Do you see why Brian has a smerky smile? Haha..

Beautiful river walk area: Siem Reap

Getting ready for the most FUN we've had in awhile...

....sunset ATV ride through the rice paddies and villages!

The beauty of an impending storm.

Angkor Wat: built in the first century!

Fun climbing on ancient ruins! Ta Prom Temple.

Where they filmed Tomb Raider: Ta Prom Temple.

Sweet babes: Siem Reap

Our crazy storm yesterday! It was this flooded after only 1 1/2 hours of downpour.

In other news, we have less then 6 weeks before we begin our trek HOME. We are thrilled beyond belief to have made it through the adventure that is Cambodia, but in the same sense, sad to leave this adventurous life behind. One day soon, I will be walking around the beautiful neighborhoods of Los Gatos with my Mom...totally satisfied with where I am...but near the front of my mind will be the times we had here in this country. I am so thankful for these times, both hard and good. The kids I have in my class are beyond description, and I will miss each of them dearly. They have shown me what it means to be true learners. Some are learning all the school subjects in their third language. They are only between 9-12 years old. I love these kids.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be doing some of the following: packing up things, getting rid of anything we can, taking "last trips" to some of our favorite restaurants, pools, and markets in the city, celebrating Karie's 28th (ugh.....SO OLD) birthday, and finalizing our trip plans for our 4 days top over in Japan. We should be home around June 4-6th. Here are some ways we could really use your prayers:

• For our last weeks with our students: that we would continually show who Christ is to them, and how much He cares for them.
• For us to stay healthy, with all that we have to do.
• For Karie's job search: her ideal job would be teaching in a public school.
  
• For Brian's final details of getting registered for school, starting in the summer.
• That we would not rush these last weeks, no matter how excited we are to get home; that we would take each moment and treasure it.
  

Thanks for reading, and look for more updates to come! May God continue to bless you all!

The Terrace Cafe, a rainstorm, and the Good Samaritan

Oh yes, this is the Terrace Cafe. See why we like it so much? In the center of their sign is a traditional Apsara dancer...the most common dance in Cambodia.

Last night for B and I was truly delightful. We escaped to our favorite coffee shop in town (actually in our neighborhood), and we brought some school work and an iPod. You must understand that this cafe has been decorated with the highest effort to cater to its customers; there are plush seats inside, 2 very powerful wall air-conditioners, fruit out on display, colorful laminated menus, incredible freshly ground coffee, and about 15 people working at the same time....all there to serve your needs. Believe me when I say this place is not Cambodia. The owner went to Thailand to train in making exquisite coffee, bought a very expensive machine there, and hired someone incredible to decorate both the inside and outside of this place. This is not Cambodia.

Anyway, as B and I sat in the Terrace Cafe, we enjoyed good music, great drinks, and most of all....a powerful rainstorm that crept up on this country. We are in the middle of hot season, and with hot season, it is not rainy season. We have had rains quite a few times this week, and it has been the absolute most refreshing thing I have experienced in awhile. The rain washes all the dust and pollution out of the air and cools everything down. As we sat, the raindrops pelted the roof of the coffee shop with great strength. I walked outside to enjoy it firsthand. It was raining so hard that on the street, with each landing drop, a large bubble formed where the drop hit. It was incredible. I couldn't help but get nostalgic as I nestled down in my chair inside, and feelings of being at home, cozy, in front of a fireplace filled my mind. My entire body was in a complete joyous state as, for a few minutes, I pictured myself at home...all cozy.

I got up numerous times during the storm to head outside and enjoy its beauty. On one occasion, I looked to my right and saw a sight that wrenched me to my core. It was a sight I will not soon forget: two little girls and their father, wearing rags, and huddled under the awning of the business next door. They were clearly homeless, poor, and in need. I smiled at them, hoping what little I could give might show God's love in some way. They did not smile back. My heart began to break in many fragmented pieces. I started to think of my own father, and how he did all he could to provide for my sister and I when we were little girls. I began to melt inside, thinking that this father was doing all he could to provide for his little girls....which turned out to be an awning to get out of a storm. They do not have a house to go to when the rains stop; they do not have warm blankets to dry them off.

This week in the ladies Bible study I attend, we are looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is found in Luke 10:25-37. The study hit me hard this week, as we are surrounded daily by prostitutes, beggars, those who have lost limbs because of land mines, and poor street children. How can I be a better neighbor to them? Why aren't people in their own country reaching out to be better neighbors to them? Why is there such a numerous amount of this country's population living in utter poverty?

"....which one of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." -Luke 10: 36-37

The verses we had studied just this week, the people in the story....they were now standing face to face with me, dripping wet. As I had thoughts of coziness and sheer joy inside the coffee shop, they had thoughts of food, a dry place, and sheer fear outside the coffee shop.

Go and do likewise....

I had to do something, but what? How could I show God's love to this family who surely spoke no English? They must be hungry, I deduced, so I went inside to order them some food. The wait for the food seemed like an eternity, as my whole body quivered with the reality of the family standing outside. As the food came, I rushed outside to hand it to them. They placed their hands together, in the traditional Asian greeting, and thanked me with the only way they knew how. I prayed that they might someday know Christ's love, and that He might show Himself to them through that hot meal and dry ground.

I was so thankful to God for rocking my world last night. I was probably the most comfortable I had ever been here, and God did not allow that to last for long. I am grateful for that family, and so glad to be able to be a small light in their very dark world. Through my night last night, I would like to encourage you to read the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). "Go and do likewise" this week, and then leave me a comment as to how you were a true neighbor to someone in your world. Reaching out to others causes God to smile big, and it makes your own heart soften in a major way. Have fun this week as you look for ways to be a neighbor!