Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
- James 1:27
Here are the 4 children we are praying for this week:
Paly - age 11 - Both of Paly’s parents are deceased. His mother died after suffering a fainting spell and his father was killed when he slipped and fell down a staircase. An older brother attempted to look after Paly, but he was extremely poor and was never able to find a job which would have provided him with the money to care for his brother. Because of his, he brought Paly to the orphanage so that he would have food and could also continue with his studies.
Picching - age 14 - Pichhing’s parents are both deceased and he was living with relatives who were extremely poor. Knowing that they could not provide Pichhing with proper food or education, his relatives brought him to the orphanage so he would have a better life
Polin - age 14 - Polin’s parents are divorced and her father left for Thailand to find work and never returned home. Polin moved with her mother and brother into their grandmother’s house, but she was very poor and was unable to provide for the family. The grandmother brought Polin and her brother to the orphanage so they would have food and could also continue with their studies.
Every day while driving to work at around 5:30 in the morning, I see the same group of middle-aged black folk jogging near my office. They always put a smile on my face and remind me that perseverance is the key to everything we do. I also often find myself praying for this inspiring group of strangers and I think God has placed them in my sight for a reason.
1 Corinthians 9:24
“Run in such a way to get the prize!”
Let’s continue to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead in Cambodia and beyond.
Last week as I was wrapping up my email I was trying to think of what to speak on next. Immediately the word restoration flashed in my mind. What I didn't know was that God was going to work on that area in my life this week. I've always struggled with having to be perfect. until I met you guys I could only be surface friends with people for fear that people would see who I really was. I've known by faith that God has made me a new creature, (2nd cor 5:17) but when thoughts from my past would come to mind it was almost as if I was slamming into a wall. By having authentic community and being able to share my heart with other believers and learning to be transparent I have been chipping away at that wall. This week God completely tore it down and I want to share these thoughts.
Do you remember the show Extreme Makeover where they take a person and make them almost unrecognizable? That's what God does to us when we come to him. The blood that flowed from his side at Calvary covers us. He not only takes away our sins, but any fear, guilt, and shame associated with them. Our spirit man becomes unrecognizable, and we begin the process of being completely transformed to reflect the image of Christ. We will probably never know what God did for us that day, he has set us free!! The word of God says he who the son has set free is free indeed. (John 8:36)
Let's take a look at Isaiah 61-1-4. I love the whole passage but these verses focus in on what God has done for us. He has given us beauty for ashes. God has not only resurrected your spirit, but the things in your life that were torn down and destroyed from what you have done and what others have done to you. You are completely restored!! You may not see the physical manifestation of your victory and your freedom right away but as Jesus said with his dying breath on the Cross it is finished! (John 19:30)
Even if you feel your life is as hopeless as the valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37: 1-11. God has done something miraculous. In this passage God shows Ezekiel a valley of scattered human bones. he goes beyond Ezekiel's faith and gives him the words to speak to the bones and the bones not only form skeletons, but they receive flesh and life again. amazing story. No matter how desolate your situation, he can give you the words that will bring healing and life to whatever you are going through. The tough part is hanging in there until the change comes. There's an old Baptist song that speaks of peace in the valley, probably based on that scripture from the Psalm 23:4.
Isaiah 61 also talks about restoration so that you can help rebuild ruins and waste places. I can think of no better commissioning scripture as you prepare to go to Cambodia. I pray that God would give you a revelation of freedom in him, and that you would be filled with overwhelming joy. If you are haunted by anything from your past I pray that God would give you the words and insight to crucify those thoughts in your head that you might experience a true resurrection of the mind.
The song this week is For Every Mountain By Kurt Karr and the Kurt Karr Singers. This is a true worship song. I get chills when I hear it and I hope you are truly blessed. As usual I have no idea how to connect the youtube video, but here is the address.
What was the Khmer Rouge actually like in Cambodia???
I'm so glad you asked! Pastor Vek and his wife and child were living in Phnom Pehn when the regime came into power... and they have lived to tell about it. It's a pretty amazing praise to God that all three survived. If you want to know more about it you can buy his book, Ordeal In Cambodia on Amazon. Or, read the PDF version here.
I can't tell you how great it feels to be getting so much encouragement from so many people! Here is another letter of encouragement (and vocabulary) from one of our sponsors:
From: we mathews
Date: Monday, May 9, 2011, 5:41 PM
We were giving to the general fund, so please use this money however you see best.
Charles and I live and work in Haiti with the organization Samaritan's Purse. We love going on the North Point and/or Browns Bridge website to give our tithe and money to trips that we believe in. Actually, I (Debbie) worked in Cambodia for 3 years as an English teacher at RUPP (Royal University of Phnom Penh) and so our hearts are VERY MUCH still with Cambodia and it's people!
Thank you very much for checking up on the donation. May you and the team be blessed as ya'll leave this Thursday and go serve the people of Cambodia!!
Just a quick Khmer lesson...(this is how I sound things out in my head...not the proper "English" spelling of these words)
Everyone knows the name Usain Bolt, winner of the 100 meter dash at the 2008 games and given the name the fastest man in the world. Does anyone know the name of the man who won the Marathon? I had to look up his name, which is interesting because the marathon race is the crowning Glory of the Olympic Games. The very last thing to happen before the closing ceremonies is the end of the Men's Marathon and the medal ceremony. I thought it was interesting that I had no idea who that man was that ran 26.2 miles, but could tell you the name of the man who ran 100 meters. If you're wondering the winner of the Men's Marathon is Samuel Kamau Wanjiru. That brings me to my next topic which is endurance.
Endurance
I don't want to take anything away from Usain. What he did was absolutely incredible. But when I think about what Samuel did, how he was able to win a grueling race that was over 26 miles long is awe inspiring. This is a race so strenuous it the first person that ran it died. This is the type of race we are running. We are in a sense dying to self when we are at the starting line of faith. This race has it's joy's and victories, but there are also challenges and pain. I'm sure there are times Samuel wanted to give up but something inside him told him to keep pressing forward.
I once ran in a 5k race called the race for Champions for the American Heart Association. It was my first and only race to date. As I was running there were people on the sidelines saying encouraging words. There were times I wanted to give up, but when I heard those words I would instantly become fired up and continue to run. My legs started to ache but I heard those words. I was not the best runner by a long shot. As a matter of fact, I came in dead last. I was probably 10 minutes behind the person in front of me. What surprised me was that when I finally crossed the finish line, none of the crowd had gone home. Everyone was waiting for me, and they cheered for me as if I had won the race. They were excited that I had finished. I broke into tears. This is what it must feel like when you get to heaven.
There are times, however, when you feel alone. You can even be in a room full of people and still feel no one knows the cries of your heart. You may look around and you are running the race by yourself. I once read an article in the Wall Street Journal about Ultra Marathon Runners, people who aren't dependent on the cheers from the crowds but run marathons many times by themselves through deserts and jungles alone. When I lost my job and then my life completely unraveled, one of the things I thought was that this was my midnight Marathon. This poem is a result of the that experience.
The Midnight Marathon
Sometimes in Life you can find yourself in a Midnight Marathon
In a desert
as worn down shoes turn sand into daggers
yielding pools of blood to reflect the moonlit sky
you begin to fight battles with loneliness
pulling you down roads you never thought you'd Go
wanting to compromise to fit in to belong
waves of selfishness come to deepen the chasm
the mind forms a mirage to anesthetize itself from truth
tears in the night, the cries of a broken heart
know that God is near to the hurting
he saves, heals, and binds up wounds
as you continue to put one foot in front of the other
and endure to the end
you will receive the embrace of dawn
from the new rays on the horizon.
When you enter these seasons where it feels like you can't find your way, like you are running at midnight and can't see three feet in front of your face, that is the time to buckle down and press into God all the more.You may not be able to see God or sense his presence, but he is right there running the race with you. This is time to enter into the worship battle strategy I spoke of last week. You need to know that if the enemy can't take you out he will try to wear you out to take away your effectiveness. He is sitting there waiting for trials to happen so he can keep you in discouragement. These painful times are the times to lift your hands in Worship. When you are in pain and pressed from every side let worship pour forth from your soul. Psalm 42:5-7 shows David encouraging himself. I also included these scriptures that encourage me to keep going.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. ( Hebrews 12:1-3)
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3: 12:-14)
There is something about music and what it does to the soul. so I will continue to include songs with my emails. This week I am including one of my favorite worship songs, Not the Time or The Place by Rev. Marvin Sapp some of the lyrics are: This is not the place for giving up/ this is not the place where you should be/This is not the time or place to lie in defeat /you got to hold on you got to be strong!
I could hardly get this email out as I have been listening to this song the whole time!!!
These are the children we are praying for this round:
Srey Nang - 14 years old - her father died from an illness several years ago and her mother was never able to find work to provide for the family. Srey Nang, her brother and sister were all placed in the care of their grandmother who was also extremely poor and lacked the means to properly care for her grandchildren. As no other relatives were able to help care for the children, they were brought to the orphanage in order to be given a chance at a better life.
Srey Nath - 15 years old - Sray Nang's sister
Ry - 13 years old - Srey Nang's brother
Rathanak - 14 years old - cousin to the above 3 - his father passed away due to illness and his mother was never able to find a job. Rathank seldom had enough food to sustain him and he also had to give up his schooling. No relatives were able to help provide for him, so he was brought to the orphanage so that he could have a better life.
Thank you so much for partnering with us in prayer!
Alex, who currently lives in Cambodia full time, just sent an email out for prayer request for Srey Mom (big). If you remember back to this post she was just on our list of children that we are currently praying for at the orphanage. I don't have all of the details but I can say for sure she needs our prayers.
Here is some of what I do know. The children who are at the orphanage come from a rough background, at best. These children were, more than likely, living on the streets before joining the orphanage. Unlike America, there are not shelters or assistance. And, anyone who has baggage can tell you that your past follows you into your present. That being said, Srey Mom has had a few rebellious outbursts that have gotten her in trouble before. Apparently, she had such an outburst that Pastor Vek (the pastor of New Life Church and head of all the orphanages under the New Life umbrella in Cambodia - there are 3) decided she needed to be removed from the orphanage. They contacted her aunt (who is the wife of the pastor who was the director of the orphanage in Kampong Chhnang) and she came and took Mom to live with them. Pastor Vek told Alex that he still intends to provide support for Srey Mom every month and that they will look into bringing her back to the orphanage at some point - just not sure when that will be.
Srey Mom is such a beautiful girl with a really great heart. I know many people who have gone to Cambodia on a mission trip who have fallen in love with her spirit. I know that I will miss her in July if she is not there but I fully trust and support Pastor Vek's leadership decisions and I know he knows what is best for her and for the rest of the children at the orphanage.
Please keep Srey Mom in your prayers as well as her aunt and uncle who are caring for her. Hopefully they will be able to talk to her about the problems she is having and help her to understand why it is best for her to be in the orphanage.
Here is some more encouragement from my good friend Kamaria...
For today I wanted to focus on keeping a heart of contiual praise and worship. I have known and been excited about sharing this with you for a couple of weeks. As I was thinking and preparing what to say I was tested in this area, and these are my thoughts and observations.
Worship as a Battle Strategy
Rejoice in the Lord Always and Again I say rejoice (Philipians 4:4) If this was the first thing I read as a new believer I probably would have just packed it all up and went home. I would think that Paul was a serious crack addict because there is no way to keep rejoicing in any and and every circumstance. Even today when I am going through some things I am not always there. This rejoicing scripture comes to mind when I am going through things and some days I receive it, other days it feels like someone took their fingernails and dragged them down a chalkboard. You can get distracted with the storms of life and even with things happening that just irritate you. I don't know, say you work for a well known women's clothing store and thirty minutes after you close the night before Easter your manager lets in a very inconsiderate client who tears through piles of newly folded clothes leaving such a mess on the sales floor and in her dressing room . This helps to delay your departure time by about 40 minutes. " Hey lady you want to see how much Jesus I really have!! Lock n' load!! (clink -clink!!) (Ok, so I didn't really say that but I did not have the attitude of rejoicing that night. I still need so much more of Jesus.)
God used a stranger to encourage me and keep me focused on him On Wednesday of last week. I was crying riding home on the train and just couldn't stop my tears. A man took off his shades and put them on me to shield my eyes so others wouldn't see me cry. He said some encouraging words and then shared with me what he was going through. He had just found out two days ago his wife was in love with another man. I was stunned as he told me his story, he actually met the man and his wife left with him that night after ten years of marriage. You never know the ins and outs of someone's relationship, but what struck me was that I didn't sense any bitterness. He was obvously hurt but he had released it to God. He even was saying how he could have been a better husband and not worked so hard, but taken time out to care for her emotional needs. I felt such a sense of calm as he continued to point everything back to God. Please keep him in your prayers his name is Dustin. I didn't feel led to stay in contact with him but to pray for him to cross paths with a strong man of God to help him through this storm. What I want to share is that Dustin has tapped into the principle that I am striving toward and want to share with you today, the idea of worship being a battle strategy.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is how Jehoshapat fights a battle with praise and worship. No one raises a weapon but as they worship God fights the battle for them. this is found in 2nd Chronicles 20 1-29 focusing on verses 20-24. On the days I grasp hold of this message I can definitely see results. The Joy of the Lord is indeed our strength. Nehemiah 8:10 That is why the enemy fights so hard to keep us bogged down with the cares of this world and focused on ourselves. He knows that if we grasp ahold of this principle that we will be unstoppable. The more we yeild to God, Satan can't stick around, he has to leave. James 4:7.
My prayer is that God continues to work in all our lives to get a deeper revelation into what happens when we worship and to strive to be so connected and confident in Christ that we will be able to keep an attitude of rejoicing in every situation know God has already fought and won our battle.
Today I wanted to include one of my favorite worship songs from one of my favorite praise teams of all time, Israel and New Breed. The song is Called Rejoice in The Lord Always. I couldn't find footage of them worshipping, but the audio portion from this slide show is pretty good.
I'm Laura Lace Tidwell and I'm originally from Oneonta, Alabama. I went to Auburn University and I love Auburn football. I work as a flight attendant for an international charter company so visiting new and exciting countries is pretty normal for me. However, Cambodia is special. This will be my second mission trip to the Phnom Pehn orphanage and I can't wait to see the kids again. They are precious and amazing! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!
Here are the children we are praying for this round:
Srey Mean - 9 years old
Srey Mean’s father is deceased and although her mother is employed as a part time house cleaner, her income is extremely low and she seldom is able to provide for her own needs. Srey Mean and her sister were sent to live with their grandmother, but she was also unable to provide her grandchildren with enough food and could not afford to send them to school. Because of this, Srey Mean and her sister were brought to the orphanage so that they would be properly cared for.
Srey Chea - 11 years old - Srey Mean's sister
Srey Mean and Srey Mom's sister is Hanna, who is the orphanage "Mom."
Srey Mom (big) - 15 years old
Srey Mom's parents are divorced and her father and mother abandoned her after they separated. An aunt attempted to look after her, but she was too poor to provide her with food or a means of continuing her studies. Her aunt brought her to the orphanage in order that she would be properly cared for.
Narin - 11years old - Srey Mom (big)'s half-brother
Narin's parents are divorced and neither of his parents could provide him with proper care. He was unable to continue going to school and on most days had very little to eat. Relatives eventually brought Narin to the orphanage so he would have a chance at a better life.
One of my good friends, Kamaria, has offered to support the team by sending us encouragement letters. She has been emailing them to me and a few others weekly. I thought it would be good for everyone to see. If you would like to join her in sending us encouragement leave a comment and I'll get in touch with you.
Leaving Egypt
During this season of Lent God ministered to me powerfully about leaving Egypt. Provision was made for the Israelites to to leave Egypt, but they had to physically leave Egypt to receive their blessing. Exodus 13:1-14. Not only that the only people that actually entered the promised land were those that had a changed mindset. Even Moses himself did not enter, but died before receiving the promise because of his anger issues
Deuteronomy 32:48-52. As you read throughout Exodus, several people in Moses' Generation died off in the Desert because of idolatry,murmuring, complaining, and unbelief even though tremendous miracles were done on their behalf. It wasn't until 40 years after they first started to wander in the desert when those with corrupted mindsets died off that Joshua led the Israelites to fight the battle of Jericho and actually enter the promised land. Joshua 6:15-16.
Bishop Wellington Boone once said God can not deliver you from your friends he can only deliver you from your enemies. If you have embraced sin or a wrong mindset and have not come to a place where you step out of your comfort zone to hate sin then that is your friend.
The bondages of slavery have been broken but we have to leave our Egypt and change our mind about whatever is hindering us to receive the fullness of Christ.
What is your Egypt ? insecurity? Fear?Lust? Bad Company that hurts you emotionally, spiritually, or physically? jealousy? fits of anger or wrath? Pride?
It can be painful to walk away from these things because the wrong mindset or sin can be a "comfort" because you know no other way. Even those behaviors that you know are destructive produce fear in your heart at the thought of leaving them behind. I have experienced, however, that when you can walk away from your Egypt and embrace more of the mindset in Christ you experience a true freedom unlike any other. John 8:36
Ephesians 1:19-21 says that we have the same power in us that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. let us fully embrace this power and pray for and receive the courage to walk away from what ever is keeping us from experiencing the fullness of the ressurection. Let us keep what Jesus did on the cross in our hearts throughout the year!!
If you know someone that would like to be on the list for these messages send me thier email and I will add them.
God bless you, and have a good week!
Thank you for all of your prayers and support!! XOXO, Kristie
Yesterday the team met together to start planning. Once again I'm stunned at all of the great ideas people have!!! I'm getting excited to see what is going to happen once we are in Cambodia.
The goal of the team is to make the children feel special. Generally, there are 33 children at the orphanage and about 4 adults. Not a great ratio for one to one interaction and it makes me realize how for granted I have always taken my small family for. Because of this, the children sometime struggle with feeling special, feeling unique. But, as we know, God made each of us very special and very unique, even if we don't always feel that way. So, as a group, one of our main focuses is to make the children feel special. Not only to us, but to God.
We have come up with ideas of what we think will work, but what do you think??? If you have a great idea we would love to hear it.
