The Weekend

God is good. This weekend was a blessing to me. The family I stayed with during the first weeks I was here in Cambodia came to my house and helped me clean and set up many things in my house. They also had me over for meals. I spent Saturday evening with my missionary friend Rachael. She had me over for dinner and we spent a long time talking it was fun.

The adventure of my bed and wardrobe

I got my bed home and when I went to put it together it would not fit together. So Chris Manfred came over with a saw and we spent about a hour cutting wood and beams so that my bed would go together and so now it does. But it was a learning process. My wardrobe is one that you build with metal beams and when I went to open the box there were cockroaches. What fun. I had to spray the box with Raid and then after they had all died I had to clean all the beams and but the wardrobe together. That did not work to well either. Everything takes a lot longer here. But finally I feel like I am getting settled.

A House

Sorry it has taken a while for me to post on my blog I have been very busy and have not had time to get to the internet cafe. But I wanted to let you know that I found a house. It is located in Toul Kork an area of Phnom Penh that is in the northwest. This is where other missionary families and the office is located. It is called a long house in Khmi which really means tall. It is taller and skinner than shorter and wider. It is nice it has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, another sitting area and a covered roof. I hope to be able to post a picture once I get everything set up. This week I am shopping for all the furniture and appiances I need. I wil most likely move in on Sept. 3. Thank you for praying, pray as I transition and move in.

House Hunting

In Cambodia when you are house hunting you are truly on a hunt! Rachael my closest missionary friend in Cambodia has taken me on this it started today. She drove me up and down streets and as we drove we looked for signs hanging on the gates of the houses. If I saw a sing I would ask Rachael if that place was for rent. Sometimes the sign would read: House for sale, sometimes: Do not park here, and even sometimes: Do not pee here. I did see a house for rent. The house was divided into two sections so that two places could be rented. I looked at the section I could afford it had a living room, kitchen and bathroom on the bottom floor and then a bedroom and balcony on the second floor. It is very different looking for a house in Cambodia then in the states. I looked at a one bedroom apartment but it was out of my price range. Tomorrow I have an appointment to see a house in my price range it is large and has 4 bedrooms. Anyway please pray for this venture that the Lord would guide me to the right house, landlord and area of the city.

Language Learning

I began my language study on Thursday with a tutor. She is a very nice lady. Since we have started I have learned the 33 Khmi consonants, can recognize them and write them and have learned over 100 vocab words. When I say I have learned over 100 vocab words this means that I have gone over them each about 5 times in my tutor session and have tried to study them outside of the class. Each day in my tutor session about 1/2 hour is spent on review and the other 1 1/2 hours is spent on new things. Please pray that I would be able to retain the things that I am learning and that I would be able to study as well. I still have the vowels to learn and there are 23 and many of them have 2 sounds that they make.

Host Family

On Saturday I moved in with with Mayara and Pheary and there family which consists of their three daughters aged 7, 4, and 2; their nephew 14 and their helper. They all live in one home and I blessed to be there with them. It humbles me that they have made space for me in their samll home. May God bless them greatly in return of their generousity. They are a family who loves the Lord and want to serve Him. It has been a nice few days with them so far. I have had to learn a lot while living with them though. Today I learned how to wash my clothes by hand which is just one of the things I have learned. On Thursday I will begin language learning with a tutor please pray for me as I focus on learning Khmi and continue to build a relationship with this family that i am living with.

In Cambodia

I have safely arrived in Cambodia. Thank you for your prayers for my safe travel. I was welcomed warmly by the other C&MA missionaries in Phnom Penh. I have been spending the last few days meeting them - it has been a joy and privledge. I am finally adjusted to the time change. Tomorrow I will move in with a host family, I am looking forward to learning from them and developing a relationship with them. Pray for a good time together.

Medication Assistance Approval for 1 year

If you look at my blog page you will see something is drasctically different. The medication money meter has disappeared, PRAISE GOD OUR PROVIDER. He works in his own time-and it is amazing. I did not expect to know yet if my medication would be covered through NORD, but today I heard that it would be. Not only will I recieve one year supply of medication, 3 months at a time but the $50 shipping charge has been changed to $15. The only other cost will be to ship it to Thailand, insure it and then get it to Cambodia. God has worked out the details right in time - my medication will arrive on Thursday and I leave for Cambodia on Sunday. Thank you for praying for me.

Dealing with Details

It is less than 2 weeks until I will be in Cambodia - I am excited, but this week especially I have been dealing with details. I finally after calling numerous times received confirmation to take excess baggage on the flights from Minnesota to Cambodia. I began my new medication - pray that the injection sites would not become red and itchy (like hives). I am still waiting for assistance with the medication. I have been playing phone tag with my doctor...
Anyway amid it all I am learning even more how to be patient and trust God with what is unseen and in his time not mine. Through this all I want to be more dependant upon Him and not rely on myself, I want him to be glorified in and through me.

Assistance for Medication

I have applied for financial assistance for the medication I need and the process is taking longer than expected. I found out this week that my information has to be sent to another place NORD (National Organiaztion of Rare Diseases). This means that I have to reapply with them and then they will be the ones to approve it or not. Please pray that this would be approved. It would mean that I would only have to pay $50 every three months for the medication and then whatever it will cost to ship (to Bangkok) and insure it. Also pray that this would happen in a timely manner, the process usually takes at least three weeks.