Home!

Hello everyone!
We are officially home! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support during our 4 weeks in cambo. It was an amazing time, and your prayers had much to do with that! The adjustment process is always hard, so please keep praying for us. We all know our work isn't done...we get the blessing of sharing with so many what we have seen and heard. Feel free to contact us to ask questions about it all and know that if it takes a little time to hear back, we are probably catching up on sleep :)

Thank you to all the Team Cambodia friends and family. I can't explain just how much I felt God's hand on this trip. I can say that I felt carried through it all.

And to my students in cambo, even though you probably won't see this, thank you for blessing my heart in ways I can't possible express.

Cambodia is a beautiful nation in a process of healing. We were priviledged to be there.
Katie

The journey home

We just arrived in Phnom Penh, where we'll stay for the night, then tomorrow (Tuesday) morning we head to the airport! Our debrief time in Sihanoukville was relaxing and fruitful, and I'm excited to get home and see so many people who I've missed dearly. See you soon!

Almost done!

Since it's been a while, I figured I'd write a quick update to let you all know that we're still doing well!

Last week we continued teaching our English classes (and computer classes for Mike), as well as going out to the village every afternoon. It was hard to be finished at the village Friday knowing that we weren't coming back this week, but we're increasingly finding hope for that place in the work that the long-termers are doing here in Cambodia.

Saturday we got to visit a silk production place outside of town called Artisans of Angkor. We got to hold a silk worm and see the process from worm to finished product. It was really cool, and that company is doing a lot of cool things, training women from villages and opening village workshops for them to make high-quality silk goods to make enough money to live well (enough food, security from the costs of sickness, etc.). A big part of changing the realities of trafficking here in Cambodia have to come through both education and economic change.

This week we are working more at the White Doves Center, and teaching our classes. Emily is teaching dance to the woman at the WDC, which has been a great experience. This morning we went for a prayer bike ride with Martin, the director of White Doves, an amazing Norwegian man who has been here for something like 8 years. He showed us various places where prostitution happens in Siem Reap, from a big nightclub to a little alley of shacks. It was good to have visuals of those kinds of places as we pray, and there's a lot of hope for those situations in the work that a number of organizations are doing here in Cambodia, from YWAM to IJM.

Anyway, tomorrow is our last day in Siem Reap, and on Thursday we take a 10-hour bus ride to Sihanoukville for debrief. We're a bit sad to say goodbye to this city, but debrief will be a good time as we start to discuss what our experiences here mean for us. Then we'll be home, one week from today!

-Steven

Last full week in Siem Reap

Hi F&F!!

Quick update!

This Saturday, we relaxed by doing laundry, going to the salt pool we went to last weekend and had a good time eating out. Sunday was church at YWAM's base, and then Raffa house ministry. The Raffa house is difficult for all of us as it is so different from White Doves. The former has more structure and all the girls there are taught to be respectful and have good mannerisms. Raffa house is in need of help, but we are often at a loss in how to help them with our brief time here. We are praying that God would send someone to work with them long-term (as is YWAM to work for them).

Monday was typical for us all, but this week we do not do devotions at White Doves. The only interaction we have with them is pretty much when Emily and I teach English in the morning. So, the rest of the team went to the slum-village we visit every afternoon and picked up trash. I remember one of our team members making the comment that even though we have not even made a dent in the tremendous amount of trash, we may have planted a seed. She experienced one little girl who began helping her pick up trash, and was truly touched.

Today we had International Children's day!! We went to the slum-village we go to every afternoon, but this time, we went in the early morning and had help with our White Dove gals. We had games, activities, and even a traditional Khmer dance performance for all the kids. It was a true joy to see their faces and join with them in their excitement.

Well that's all for now.

Please pray for us as we start the "down-hill"side of our journey here. One of the team members got the word from God that this week and next week will be the hardest ever as the enemy will try to discourage us so that we feel like we've not had an impact at all here.

Love you all!!

-Michael and the team!