Life after Cambodia...

So I don't know if anyone even reads these still but I had some stuff on my heart and mind and even though it's almost midnight I had to get it out. Otherwise I'll never fall asleep!
First, I want to thank everyone who support me and the other girls on the team, whether that was financially or prayerfully or both. I can't even tell you how much that means to me. You helped make a life changing experience happen for us. I'm reminded of a conversation I had with my dear leaders only a few short months ago, shortly after spring break. I try not to think about it because it wasn't a proud moment for me, but it's amazing to see how far God has brought me and the whole team really since then. See, I asked them to meet me because I needed to talk to them about the trip. I wasn't sure if I was going to go - no money was coming in for me and we had our travel cost due in like one day. I was beginning to wonder if that was a sign that I shouldn't go. But they encouraged me and told me how sad they would be to see me leave the team and said they would do everything in their power to see that I can go, and they kept their word! Then God worked His miracles and brought in the money for our team, even more than we had expected! Funny how God works isn't it?
But that seems like forever ago. Now I've been there and I've come home and I have so many new thoughts and emotions and concerns. I feel like God is showing me the world with a totally different light now. And those girls at the center - those sweet, sweet girls...they've been on my mind almost constantly. I close my eyes and see their beautiful smiles, I hear a song and tell anyone who will listen (or even who won') how we danced to that song in Cambodia and the girls loved it, I try to sleep and can only think about the tight hugs or their gentle hands reaching for mine. People keep asking me if I changed anyone's life. I'm starting to hate that question because how can I know? But I do know that their lives changed my life. Their acceptance of me and the rest of the team was unlike any I've experienced before. I didn't need to do anything to prove myself, they just accepted me right away. If only we could all be more like that.
Anyway, that's nowhere near everything on my mind...I'm sure you'll hear it later ;) but my eyes are finally starting to feel too heavy to see what I'm typing. Believe me, tonight I'm not taking my comfortable bed in an air conditioned house for granted. I plan on sleeping very well tonight!
God be with you all!
Love,
Katie

Quite a Difference

Ummm.... I'm all alone in the Hong Kong airport! and let me tell you, after being with my five wonderful teammates constantly (not to mention the many other amazing people we've had the privilege of getting to know and work alongside with this last month), it is quite a difference. I know God is with me; I know the Comforter is my guide even in this small cafe in the corner by the check-in counters. I watch people and wonder what they have been doing the last month...or maybe what they did last night. Did they cry, because they felt alone too? Did they stay up all night after listening to live music in a small venue 'till the wee hours of the morning (like we did ;)? Did they see their families and are now sadly leaving? or have they been missing their homes as we have and are now so excited that the journey home is finally here? Maybe it's for business... maybe it's for vacation. Or maybe it's for something a little more heart-wrenching: a tough decision to change homes, a need to flee, a funeral, a wandering spirit that won't rest until it finds where it belongs (too bad this world is no one's home)...

But I am here because our team is done with our short time of service in Cambodia. I am here, because I came early to see them off at the security gate and then wait for my dad's and my flight to Bangkok at noon. I am here... because I am blessed enough to have a way to visit my dad and Thailand again--and I am blessed "enough" because how could I even ask for more right now? I am here... but I am about a million different places in my mind. I am back at the center, waking up to bless the morning and put on some water to boil. I am back in that yucky bathroom, with the cold shower-water hitting EVERYTHING else in that yucky bathroom... because there is a bathroom and there is running water and there are things, like toilet paper, for the water to hit--I may not like what that does to the toilet paper ;), but the water rinses and refreshes me, so even there, there is a blessing "enough." I am also in the adoring embrace of a girl who might not feel refreshed or rinsed quite as often as I do. I am looking at her without words that she could even begin to understand--I am looking at her, my hands on her shoulders, and I give her a head-nod--because I don't even know how to say, "I know... and HE knows." I am seeing her, but I cannot tell her she is seen. I am also enjoying her company... I am enjoying all the center-girls' company...maybe it's because they so enjoy mine?

So I am here, but I am also back there. I am here, but I am also back home. I am home with my parents and sisters and niece, I am home with my friends and my family of Christ, I am home with my peers and mentors, my confidantes and acquaintances... with my stories of where I've been, my heartache of what I've seen, my hope of who I would like to be now and how I would like to live, and even my struggle of who I've been and how many I obstacles I see in the way of these changes (myself still being the biggest one...). I am also home with "my" coffee shops, my cell phone, and my free wireless (more or less)... I am home in my comfortable environment and easy-access washing machine... and my bed. I don't feel "guilty" here, because I don't think that's exactly what God has in mind. But I do feel restless. I do feel the need to act out (even a little) and speak out (probably a lot) about what my eyes have become more open to during this trip. And I do feel sad. "Sad" because, even in those places, I am not at home.

But where I am right now--in reality--here in the Hong Kong airport, I am missing my team like crazy and trying to decide if this girl pacing behind me is waiting for her muffin or to use this computer? oh, wait a sec... yeah, it was the muffin. But I guess I should get going anyway. My dad will be here with me any minute now, and so then I will be here thinking about Thailand and how very grateful I will be to set foot on that land again--that beautiful land to which I compare all others and still far exceeds whatever they have to offer. I have missed Thailand... so even as I deeply miss my team on that plane leaving Hong Kong, those girls at Daughters in Cambodia, my family and friends in Oakhurst, my peers and "family" and mentors in Redding, and even as I miss my true home (strange as that sounds... as if I have been there before...), I will be grateful for yet another blessing that God has given me on this 22-year (so far) journey.

Wherever I am, I am truly blessed enough. But He does not seem to just stop at enough sometimes...for whatever reason... so maybe neither should I...? Maybe the difference between "enough" and "more than enough," can also be quite a difference.


Anyway... that's probably more than enough for now ;). Thanks for listening to this lonely girl in the airport.
Thanks for many many other things too! (like support, prayer, and belief).


But if I could just ask a few things more...

Please keep praying for safe travels...
please keep praying for my team...
please keep praying for God's work and their continued "debriefing" with Him.

And please, please, please... keep praying for Cambodia...


Much love,
Jenna

Beach...woohoo!

So, we're safe and sound in Hong Kong :) Haven't quite made it to "debriefing" yet, but I figure we'll get there sometime...tonight-ish. We've been busy enjoying the AC, sleeping till noon, and gazing at the beautiful view of the beach from our Hotel! Jealous? Yeah I would be too...except I'm here. Lol. Anyway, we love you and can't wait to see you all again. We'll probably continue to post blogs occasionally from home, updating you on how God continues to use this experience in our lives :) Pray for lots of rest while we're here, and safe travels home, and we'll see you soon!

Love, Cassie and team

Hong Kong here we come...

Hey friends and family!

It's Saturday here, which means we leave for Hong Kong tomorrow! Crazy huh? Well this week has been...crazy beautiful--that's the only way to describe it.

Wednesday's performance was amazing. God answered so many prayers. The ballet piece was absolutely beautiful, and I have to admit, a dream of mine fulfilled. Who ever thought I'd be teaching ballet to a bunch of ex-prostitutes? God is so cool. And then Jenna's music group performed "O Lord you're beautiful" and I swear there was not a dry eye on our team. Ruth was so blessed by the whole thing too, which was such a blessing for us. And Libbie's hip hop group had so much fun--only showing how even hip hop can be used to glorify God.

On Friday we had our last church service. Jenna sang a song she had written before coming to Cambodia, and it was absolutely beautiful. My favorite line is, "the dark will not stand a chance against love." That could not be more true, and I think now we know it more than ever. At the end we had all the girls sign these pink t-shirts we bought, and we began saying our goodbyes. It was an hour-long frenzy of pictures and laughing and and hugging. We all felt so loved. One of the girls we have all grown especially fond of is Cham-nan. She really had a hard time. While others were signing my shirt, she just sat next to me and held my hand. I looked over a few minutes later and tears were just streaming down her face. Oh my gosh it makes me cry just thinking about it! I will always love that girl. I stole her away for a moment and took her outside. In my broken Khmer (if you can even call it that) I told her Jesus loves her and that I would miss her so much. I gave her my thumb ring...somehow not enough to express what I felt, but it was leaping out of my heart and i can only hope she felt it too.

Last night we went out as a team to celebrate our last "night" in Cambodia. Over fish n' chips, pizza, caesar salad, and frappacinos, (random but oh so delicious) we reflected on our time here. So much to process! Sometimes all you can do is laugh and enjoy being with each other, because it's either laugh or cry. But we really enjoyed spoiling ourselves, eating at our beloved "FCC" on the riverfront. After that we figured we'd continue on the spoiling theme....and got professional massages :) It was a blast. Awkward at times, lol, but so refreshing. It was only $8 for an hour. Amazing huh?

As we prepare to leave, there are so many mixed emotions. I think last week we really grieved leaving this place, but I feel that now God has given us a peace and excitement for what lies ahead at "home." We are excited to share what we've learned, and to use our newfound knowledge to continue in ministry. But we still have so many questions as well. Ones that I know will not disappear once our feet reach American soil :) How do we live more simply so that others can simply live? How do we raise awareness, and better yet, empathy and action for the cause of stopping human trafficking? How do we live out God's justice in the world? How do we love the unlovely? So many questions. I think I speak for all of us when I say Cambodia has taught us that we live in tension...constantly. Broken yet whole, Preparing and waiting for the bridegroom, in the world yet not of it, justified yet not fully sanctified, seeing glimpses of the Kingdom yet longing for all of it. Either way, I see a bright and beautiful future for all the girls on my team. I am so proud of them. Their hearts are full of so much love and wisdom, and I have full confidence that they will live out this "tension" back in the states with God's grace.

Well, I love all of you so much and truly can't wait to be in community with you again. Know that you have all been as much a part of this journey as we have. I can't even tell you how much your emails, encouragement, news articles, prayers, and love have meant to us. You have been so close to us while we've been here that I wouldn't be surprised if you literally felt our presence leave Cambodia! (I wouldn't wish jet lag on you, though!) Also know that our journey doesn't end when we get home. There will be many more stories and pictures to share (which many of you will patiently sit through, thank you!) and much more processing and "living out" to do. So thank you, in advance, for coming alongside us, for praying for us when we get discouraged by American apathy or materialism, for asking us questions, for sending money back to Daughters (wink wink), and for truly being our extended family. We love you all so much!

Wish us luck in Hong Kong, and we'll see you all soon!

In His Grip, Cassie

I know He restores

Hello all :)

Well it’s the last week and I’m so pleased. There is an excitement in change. We are recognizing how important these new relationships are to us and how much we’ve enjoyed being here, because soon we’ll be gone. But there is also an excitement of what’s going to happen when we get home. It may be hard to share at our churches and recount all the things that God did in our lives over the past month, but I want others to be aware of what God has taught me. It’s exciting to see how God has brought us closer to him, our team and our families while we’ve been in Cambodia.

Today we went and saw the killing fields. I would expect there to be big deserted fields with some brush and a few old dirty buildings. But the landscape was beautiful. There were tall gorgeous trees, green grass, flowers, butterflies, and dirt paths to take us through the outdoor memorial. But the area next to the grass was a deep hole, a mass grave that had been dug up. And next to the beautiful tree was a sign explaining how the “killing tree” was used to beat children. I can imagine a child desiring to climb that tree; anticipating the challenge of getting to the top. But instead these children were terrified of what would happen if they were taken to it.

A couple of days ago we visited what used to be a brothel. The downstairs had rows of rooms and the two rooms upstairs were used for the highest bidder and his virgin and video making. This building is now used for God’s purpose; to love the children in the area and provide medical treatment for the sick. But when I saw a little girl climbing the stairs I immediately wanted to tell her to come down from there. How fitting for a little virgin to be walking up those stairs. She does not belong up there. None of these women belong in those rooms, and none of the men do either. But God can restore what was once used for evil and where demons dwelled, to a place of healing and joy.

Our God is good all the time, and even when I see the devil working all around; I know that my God is bigger and better than anything the devil can do. He restores my soul.

With love,

Alisa

a few days and a few bumps

with some sore throats and a couple upset stomachs, we're all preparing (in various ways) for our last few days working with the Daughters Center. we have one more day of classes tomorrow morning and then the performances are tomorrow afternoon at 2! :) we are so proud of our students... the joy these girls get from having even the slightest bit of teaching and fun is remarkably humbling, and i think we can each say that they have taught us more about hope and joy than we expected them to carry. please pray for our day tomorrow. as the week winds down, and we hear more and more "we miss you when you leave"s, it will be hard to find peace of mind and peace of body. some of us are trying to push through our annoying stuffy noses and headaches--which make us more emotional, somewhat discouraged, and all-in-all like the "full-potential" of our trip is not being met in the last stretch of a week's time. we want to "finish strong" of course, and those of us who want to feel like we're DOing something helpful with the little time we have left might be frustrated. please pray against satan's attacks in these ways. we figure, since he hasn't had much success in bringing us down in other areas, he's now trying to sneak in some words of doubt and hopelessness last minute. BUT, we are praying, we are believing, we are professing our faith to the very air in our flat... and we are drawing upon God's strength to help us hope even in a worn-out state. please pray for healing--the smallest of healings will do--i would love to be able to sing with my music students tomorrow. "Oh Lord, You're Beautiful" sounds a hundred times better in Khmai, so it is a blessing for me to be able to join in as well.

but i'm sure either way, i will be telling God how beautiful i think He is in that moment. whether my throat feels better or not.



four more days in Cambodia...

we miss you all!

love,
jenna

Pictures!

The View from our rooftop

On the river with Daughter's Staff and Friends

The riverfront

Pakou at the orphanage

Khmae faces :)

At the airport in Hong Kong

Near the Riverfront

At Yejj Cafe'

deep fried pancakes, anyone?

So here we are sitting in the little internet cafe after a long, full day of dance classes, music classes, and visiting another ministry. It's been a day full of mixed emotions, as many days seem to be. We laugh and enjoy our time here, but our hearts break so often for the women and children we work with. If they didn't we probably wouldn't be here right now.
But even after such a full day I can't help but realize that we have so little time left here. Part of me is ready to come home. I'm ready for a hot shower or a good chai tea latte in an air conditioned Starbucks. I'm ready to see the people I love and miss so much. But another part, a bigger part I think, isn't ready to leave. There are so many things that I'll miss here. I'll miss calling out "speed bump!" as we go over the only speed bump in the city on our tuk-tuk rides with "Daddy Durn." I'll miss seeing "monks on a moto" and the smiling faces of the Cambodian people. I'll certainly miss our cook's singing and laughing and the patient hours she spent teaching us Khmer. Even more, I'll miss spending every day with these five wonderful girls that I've grown to love and trust so much. We've been through so much together - from deep frying pancakes in a wok to crying and praying with each other. These girls hold such a special place in my heart and I'll miss them so much. But what I'll miss most is the girls and women we've met here. I don't want to ever forget our silly dancing to Usher and Step Up or learning how to make flowers out of icing or the stories they've shared. I came here with the intention of serving and encouraging these beautiful girls and they've done the same for me - probably more than they'll ever know.
But we're not leaving just yet! We still have some time left :) and I intend to use it wisely. I don't want to spend any more time wishing I was somewhere else. God brought me here. He wants to use me to do His work. He doesn't need me but he chose me - us - anyway and I want to respect that choice by doing the best I can. So I'm challenging myself to remember that each moment I experience is a moment I can't get back. Whether it's good or bad I want to do my best to cherish it because it's a part of my life that could help to shape me and I know that no matter what is happening in that moment, God is right there holding my hand and laughing or crying along with me.
Please continue to pray for us. We miss you all back at home :)
And happy birthday Daniel and Carlos!

- Katie

Our GREAT God (& John Castledine)

When we first got here, Ruth, told us about John Castledine. She said again and again, “he’s an amazing man.” And without a doubt, that he is simply amazing and so much more.

Saturday at 4:30am we woke up and got ready for our ferry to go across the river to go see this amazing church to go see the amazing man, John. We were late, which isn’t new, but thankfully we didn’t miss our ferry and we were off.

Upon arriving on shore, we met the man. He had grey hair and looked like a John…um yea… that’s right. He had grey hair. We were in the middle of traffic so introductions we a simple “hello” but that was good enough for us. We went through town and I personally liked it a lot better than the part of Phnom Penh that we have been living at. It was a lot quieter here and I’d say it was more peaceful to some extent. Anywho, soon enough we arrived at the training center called, Sovanapoom Care. It looked like a fortress with its walls high and the door that kept all the bad things out. As we entered the center, there were two rows of elderly people outside with loud music coming from the inside. We got there right in time to see the last 30 minutes of their outreach. Inside the center were about a hundred little children; some were there with their mothers. The room was packed and up where the stage was were the children who lived or came to the center on a regular basis. They were leading worship and it was an amazing sight to see. We found out later the elderly remained outside because the service had been moved upstairs making it hard for them to climb up. I thought it was genius considering the children sang so loudly anyway.

John later had us go outside. It was a regular, it seemed, that he gave away noodles to those who came by. Considering food is hard to come by among those who are in poverty, anything is a blessing. John handed out two packs of noodles to the elderly as they left and had us help hand out one pack the massive amount of women and children who came down from the stairs. I have plenty of pictures and I can’t wait to show you!

When all the visitors had cleared, John invited us into the office and got right on with it. He started to tell us how it all started and we sat in awe… no…I mean we were IN AWE of what God had done in his life. John and Tessie Castledine came to Cambodia about 10 years ago. But before those 10 years God had turn John’s whole life around. You see, John was a major alcoholic and an abuser. Never did he think that he could ever change his ways… but what can I say, we serve an amazing God who can turn even the hardest of all hearts around. John said that the day he gave his life to God he had been on fire for God and until this day he is still on fire for God… I believe it.

It all started when made it loud and clear that John and his wife needed to go to Cambodia. Unsurprisingly, he did just that. From the start, people told John it was a waste of time to work with poor people and that he shouldn’t go. He retorted and said that Jesus worked with poor people all his life and if it was good enough for the Lord then it was good enough for him *I thought, “AMEN to that!”* With nothing but twenty dollars to his name he and his wife went to Cambodia. When they had first gotten there people were dying left and right of starvation and diseases. I believe their passion grew when John encountered a woman who was ready to drown her child because her baby was sick and she couldn’t take care of it. John saw her and stopped her asking her for the baby if she didn’t want it and sure enough she gave over her baby and left. Not to long after, the baby the grew to love and called their own died in their arms. Tessie took it hard as any mother would and remained heart broken for her child. When John was walking the street and saw a little boy no older than 5 years old caring for his one year old brother, he couldn’t turn away and took them home with him. Obviously, Tessie wanted nothing to do with them and asked him to take them back. John said he would take them back and of course they’ll die on the street soon enough. This was just the thing to change Tessie’s mind and they kept them both and raised them as their own. Since that day children have been brought to them and the family has grown from two children to over seventy now.

Most of the children who come have lost one or both parents, which is why most people consider it an orphanage, and other children have been given to them due to their cruel living environments. Many of those children were abused by their parents who were druggies, alcoholics and gamblers. Instead of feeding their starving children they spent every last cent on themselves. These children were either handed to the Castledine by the government or by relatives or neighbors who witnessed the children’s living circumstances. The Sovanapoom Care is a place where babies whose mothers had no milk or money to feed them, children dying of starvation and disease, young teenagers at risk of trafficking and adults with nowhere left to turn have found it to be an oasis of life in often desperate situations.

Some of the stories that continue to ring in my mind as John went on and on about the MANY MANY amazing things God has done since they had gotten to Cambodia are the stories about Jeremiah and Samson. Jeremiah was the boy I had mentioned earlier who was 5 years old when he had to take care of his one year old brother all by himself. His name wasn’t always Jeremiah but you see, this young boy took that name upon himself claiming the God has called him to be a prophet. John doesn’t doubt that God has placed this one his heart and within John’s own heart he knows that one day it will be Jeremiah who will take over him when he dies. He learns quickly and is a gifted musician. He welcomes those who have come in after him and looks out for them as well.

Samson is my personal favorite. He was at the footsteps of the center with aids and a hole in his throat but he was still breathing and alive. Everyone in Samson’s family had died and he was the only one left. He lived and ate with the dogs and knew nothing beyond that. John commented that Samson received his name because to grow without love requires one to have great strength *not to mention the huge hole in his neck that should have killed him…but it didn’t* Samson at six years of age and in his boldness would go around the town and to the docks proclaiming, “I HAVE AIDS BUT JESUS IS GOING TO HEAL ME AND I WILL BE HEALED!” and sure enough, his faith in the Lord healed him. These two are just some of the few AMAZINGLY RADICAL stories that John told us. The rest you’ll have to hear for yourself because they way unbelievably awesome.

John knows that God has called him to raise up a generation for his kingdom right where he is in Cambodia. God continues to give him visions and John continues to be obedient. An orphanage or not, John calls it a training center where building character is their main focus. Again, those who come MUST have a heart to learn. It’s a Christian-based center but nothing is shoved down their throats. Once the children are there they just can’t deny the One who had led them there and they worship—they really worship. As a matter of fact, the church service is led by the children. Children as young as 3 sing at the top of their lungs and they raise their hand up high as they sing their praises, which I assure you, reaches the heavens with a blast! John had also mentioned that when a new child is brought to their doorsteps he asks the children if they are willing to let them come in. letting new children come in means having less food and less floor space for the night. But each time they say, “yes” because they’ve all been there too—they’ve been without a home, they’ve been without food, they’ve been without hope. These children are amazing and it breaks our hearts to know that we will never be able to fathom the pain they had gone through. But we are thankful, truly thankful that there are obedient followers of our AMAZING GOD who chooses to say “YES!” when they are called and they live out their callings to the fullest measure.

I know this is about the longest thing you’ve read since your textbooks this summer if you got through it all but there are so much more I wish I could say but I must stop now. Our amazing tuktuk driver waits outside patiently for us and I must say my hands are getting tired. ;-P but before I leave I ask you to pray and REALLY PRAY because they need you. The center lives and feeds by donations and there aren’t any regulars so you know how that goes. Pay check to pay check and it is a close call everytime. John has also been given a vision to build a school building four stories high to give these children a chance and to empower them to become more than anyone has ever expected of them to become. John is raising up a generation who is hungry and thirsts for God but there is only him, his wife, and his sister, along with the temporary volunteers who come from time to time. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM! IT IS AMAZING WHAT GOD IS DOING HERE… NOW THAT YOU KNOW…WHAT WILL YOU DO?! GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY. *well, you can give and ask God if he is going to send you here too if you want! I’m sure they’d appreciate it loads

Oh! And you can go check them out at: www.sovanapoomcare.com..


We miss you and love you our lovely loves! See you in about 2 weeks.. pray for us too!!!!

inChrist,
pakou

A prostitute made me a bracelet today.
Pink, white, glitter.
A yellow smile, big brown eyes.

She's so beautiful.
So much taken from her
The world screams slut! trash! whore!
But she made me a bracelet today.

She creates.
She dreams.
She dares to hope.
She is you. She is me.
A prostitute made me a bracelet today.





Jesus, how far have we removed you?
From the trash piles, from the whore houses, from the mud?
How far have we removed you?
To make you beautiful, to make you clean, to make you comfortable.
Oh, Jesus, how far we have removed you.

We've white-washed you,
made cookie-cutter deserts and mass produced you,
sweet smelling and high priced -
sold to the highest bidder, the young and the restless, the popular and the trendy.
Oh Jesus, please forgive us
for how far we've removed you.

Take us with you,
back to the trash piles, back to the whore houses, back to the mud.
Remove us from our independence, our perfumes, our lovers.
Remove us from our false identities, from our hypocrisy, from our mansions.
Remove us from ourselves, God.

Take us back
to the trash piles, the whore houses, the mud.
Jesus
take us back to your heart.



-Cassie

Quick update :)

Hey everybody :) We love and miss you all, but we are doing really well. Just a quick update on the last few days...

On thursday we got to meet our tuk-tuk driver's brand new baby boy! Oh my gosh he is sooo cute! Durn took us to the hospital so we got to meet his wife, his mom, and their baby. The whole experience was just amazing. We have just fallen in love with this guy! (non-romantically of course). He takes such good care of us. Keep praying for him to come to church again. We want him to know Jesus so badly!

We also had a Spa Night for the Daughters Staff last night (Friday). It was Awesome! These grown women giggled and squealed like little girls as we painted their toes, did their makeup, and massaged their feet. I gave a mini-sermon on beauty and how we long to be beautiful because we're made in the image of a beautiful God (ideas borrowed from "Captivating"). The whole night was just such a blessing to our team, to be able to give back to these women who work so hard. I got some good pictures so I'll have to show them when I get back. Oh, and after all the staff left we grabbed our cook, Sopeavie, out of the kitchen and did her feet and nails as well. She was so happy. We wanted her to feel pampered too.

One last note, we are going on a ferry ride today with a few staff from Daughters. We are excited to have a day off, and looking forward to getting to know these women more. They are so amazing. And tomorrow, we are going to visit a church across the river, and have to get up super early cuz the ferry leaves at 6 am. It will be a fun day though.

I think that's it for now. More to come later! Thank you so much for all your love and prayers!

In His Grip, Cassie and team

Reality.

Cambodia. A place that was so unfamiliar is now a place we know just a bit better, and love a bit more.

We’ve been here for about two weeks now, and it does feel somewhat like home now. The days are long, but at the end of the day we know its worth it all—we even end up sharing stories and before we hit the pillow the room is filled with laughter and joy. (But sometimes frustration and tears—but we all have each other..:)

In these past few weeks our schedule has changed, but we are pretty busy.
In the mornings Jenna teaches a music class; and I teach a hip hop class. Later in the day Katie and Cassie teach ballet. After that we usually have lunch and for the rest of the day we join the women in the center. We either can join the sewing room, the cake room, or the children’s room. I’ve been so honored that the LORD can use us, no matter our faults, hesitations or insecurities—these women here are so beautiful. They are so giving, gentile and truly kind. We have learned so much from them. We’ve been able to have a couple seminars to teach and also sermons on our testimony… the LORD has been working-but in just ways we don’t expect.
We’ve been able to visit a couple Cambodian Churches-wow are they awesome. I love seeing these people on fire for the LORD—and how their community is so inviting. Also our (tuk tuk) driver has been able to attend church with us—weve gotten to know Him pretty well!
Basically we are all doing good. The Lord has been transforming us, shaping us..slowly but surely. In all honesty, Its been tough sometimes to wake up and face the day-but I have to let go of fears, frustrations and complacency-and Trust in Him-that He wants me here, He is working, and that its not about the "doing" but the "being" (with these women).
Pray for encouragement, communication, joy, health and peace. Gods been so good to us, but we are still fighting the battle. PLEASE pray for the Daughters organization-they are going through a lot of transitioning. Pray for encouragement, provision and funding. Thank you so much. We greatly appreciate all your support and prayers (we love checking our blogs and being encouraged by you all!! We love you!)
We miss you all.


Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
Psalm 51: 10-13


Blessings and Peace,

Libbie and the Cambodia team