Thursday, July 30, 2009

Almost Ready to Go!

Hello all!

Here it is... our Chattanooga blog! We are so excited to be leaving in only 3 more days!

Please be praying for safe travel for us on Sunday. Pray for our team members as they pack and prepare for the week.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Our Final Day In Battambang

Today brings a close to our brief stay in Battambang but it definitely has been a life changing experience. The men are hard at work trying to complete the huts before we leave tomorrow morning. The huts look awesome and we are so proud of the men's progress. We closed our time at Four Square orphanage with a fun day of VBS. And the women had another special time at Rapha House sharing a devotion wtih the staff.

Tonight we will be having a special time with the YWAM staff. Please pray that they would be encouraged and blessed.

We are excited to come home and see our families! Please pray as we start our travel home tomorrow. We love you!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

More Fun in Battambang!

We have been in Battambang for five days now and are nearing the end of our stay here. Yesterday was really busy. The men were hard at work again trying to complete some huts for the YWAM base, but their progress was slowed because of an afternoon downpour. Evelyn, Linda and Ann spent the morning at Rapha house while Michelle, Hannah, Joy and Phillip continued their VBS at Four Square Orphanage. The afternoon times are spent teaching English at several different locations, Rapha House, YWAM's Youth Center and with Kalyan ( a Khmai girl who runs a street kids ministry). We have all realized that we don't remember anything we learned about English and are constantly being challenged to remember the rules of grammar. =)

Today some of our team was able to do a prayer walk in a handicap village beside the YWAM base and had a powerful time praying in the Spirit over this community.

Please continue to pray for strength, I can tell people are growing tired quickly, with the days being hot and our schedule being full. Also, please pray for the Community Service tonight on the base, at which Jay will be sharing his testimony. Thank you so much again for your support!

Love, The Khmai pies =)

Monday, July 20, 2009

Day Two in Battambang

Today we are hard at work in the different ministries we are working with. The Lord has really blessed our team with many gifts and talents and we are definitely getting every opportunity to use them for His glory. The men are hard at work this morning building huts around the YWAM base, which will be used for Bible studies, small group meetings, etc. The women divided up and some are blessing Krissy and helping her clean her new house and the others (plus Phillip... who is not a girl =) are doing a VBS at an orphanage.

We are excited to bless the base with these new huts and to bless Krissy. The children at the orphanage enjoyed learning about how God created earth and loved to sing to us in both English and Khmai.

Please continue to pray for opportunities to be God's love and grace extended. Also that we would be lead by the Holy Spirit and would be quick to obey His leading and guiding.

P.S. Today is the one year anniversary of the death of a former Khmai YWAMer. Please be praying for the staff to be encouraged as they remember his great life in serving the Lord and would be filled with joy instead of sadness.

Thank you again for your prayers!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Hello From Battambang!

Well we made it! We arrived in Battambang, Cambodia Saturday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. Our travel went pretty smooth. We are definitely glad to be here and not traveling =) This morning our team split up in to two different groups for church. One group went to Rapha House Church and the other to Four Square Church (which hosts an orphanage we will be working with). Linda was able to share her testimony at the Rapha House and Brandon preached at Four Square. After church we went through a series of orientations to prepare us for the ministries we will be a part of. And right now the team is on a scavenger hunt to figure out the city on motos =) and are enjoying every moment!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We are recovering well from the time difference and enjoying all all the new food we are experiencing. Please continue to pray for divine appointments. During our intercession times we believe God wants to do miracles and an out pouring of His Holy Spirit. So please be praying for these and that we would be quick in obedience to the Lord. Thank you again for joining with us in prayer and please know we are holding you all in our hearts and praying for too. =) Have a good day!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

The Day has Arrived!

The time has nearly arrived for us to board the plane and we are anxiously awaiting to see what God has planned for this trip. We know God is the author of this journey and we can not wait to witness His authorship as the story unfolds over the next 11 days.

Please pray for safe travel ( we will arrive in Bangkok, Thailand 12:00 A.M. Saturday morning... its a really long journey...). Also pray for favor as we cross over the the Thai/Khmai boarder. Lastly, pray for the people we will be working with and serving. Pray that the love of the Father would be evident to them.

Thank you so much for partnering with us and cannot wait to tell you all that God is doing!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

16 Days Til...

Prepped and anxious, our team leaves for Asia in 16 days. Our total travel time will be just over 24 hours before we land in Bangkok, Thailand, and another 15 hours before we reach the YWAM base in Battambang, Cambodia.

God has been speaking some amazing things to our team through our times of intercession. One consistent word has been Isaiah 61:3, that for those who mourn in Battambang, God will give "a crown of beauty for ashes." We know that as we stand on that word, God will be faithful to use us as we partner with the YWAM base and local churches to bring hope and joy to the local Cambodians we will serve and share with.

Once we get to Cambodia, we will be updating our blogs very frequently, so make sure to check back whenever you can.