Hey Guys! April and May have been probably our biggest adventure/stretching months yet! Talk about a roller coaster. The Lord has stretched us and encouraged us during our craziest times. Curtis and I would not trade our life here for anything. Things can be uncomfortable and just down right strange, but the Lord has made this our home.
April took the cake. In April we finally moved into our apartment. We had no bed sheets, cooking equipment or even a place to sit, but it wasn't important at that time. It's amazing how much you think you need but really the Lord gives you every single thing you actually need. Calvary Hills came here on a missions trip and brightened everyone's spirits over here especially ours. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to be hugged by family. Their trip was like a breath of fresh air. They came and just served. Whoever needed help, even if it was last minute, they dropped everything to help. April was actually supposed to be the hottest month but instead the Lord provided big rain storms that weren't expected. It was still baking like a baked potato but the team got some relief from the insane heat. Half way through their trip I became extremely sick. I still have no idea what it was but it was the third time since I have been here that I got this sickness. I could not eat or drink, I could hardly walk. Nothing make you completely rely on the Lord more than stomach sickness in a third world country. Right at the worst time for me, Curtis and I had to fly to Thailand to renew our Visa and that trip was a Godsend. I was exhausted and so sad that I was missing so much time with our church, but I was actually able to go to an international hospital in Thailand that took great care of me. The Lord had His hand on me. If we did not go to Thailand I would probably still be in incredible pain with no answers. We were so excited to come home to see the team. We ran upstairs to drop off our stuff before meeting them and to our shocking surprise we had a KITCHEN!
While we were gone, the team blessed us with a stove, a toaster oven and a microwave. I just about balled my eyes out. You mean I can actually cook things now?! I have a crazy addiction to popcorn and I was having withdrawals without it and now I have it just about every day. Probably not healthy but at this point I don't even care. Haha. We can never truly express how thankful we are for Calvary Hill's gift. We can now use our home for ministry. I host the women's bible study at our house every other week now and we can invite new friends over to just hang out and eat! It's the little things in life:)
April was also the month of Khmer New Year. They do not mess around about their new year. Holy moly! The entire city of Phnom Penh shuts down and they all travel to their home villages for an entire week. I mean there were only white people left in the city and dogs… so many dogs. We could hear birds chirping…Birds!!! This city is the city of noise. It is up and coming and the construction is nonstop so when everyone took a break the silence was almost numbing. It was a beautiful restful time. During this time the roads were completely empty so Curtis taught me how to drive the motto! When you have a brain that thinks backwards a manual bike is a nightmare. But I think i did pretty good! On a more sad note: I am not allowed to drive anymore :( Apparently running into a fence and hitting a massive pothole sending us almost to the ground is frowned upon.
Suddenly April ended and May started in a flash. I just can't believe it is already May! May is hot. It is hot like the Sun with humidity reaching 90% almost every day. It actually rains here with the Sun out and blazing. Crazy. Harvest Bible College is starting our second semester this week! We are extremely excited. There are 12 students now. It makes for a more intimate classroom setting. We have local teachers here this time which is a lot fun. Josh Schmitz is teaching Exodus, Kurt Kula is teaching on Acts and Curtis is teaching Hebrews…all in 2 weeks! Prayer is definitely appreciated for the students and just their comprehension and also for the teachers. It is hard work teaching these subjects and we are very grateful that Josh and Kurt dedicated their time to invest in these men.
Every day Curtis and I wake up here we are reminded that first we have a puppy that likes to eat and play at 5a.m. and second that we have been blessed beyond belief. We love it here. It has been rough many times, but the good outweighs the bad by a long shot. We are ready for what the rest of the year has in store for us. We are praying for you at home every day. We miss our families and our Calvary Hills family. Thank you for lifting us up. This is definitely a team work operated mission. We absolutely could not do this without you :)
Much love until next time <3