Cambodia Updates

I apologize I have been lacking in blogging about Cambodia! I have been super busy finishing up my summer classes and catching up after jet lag! So here it goes:

Saturday free day in Phnom Penh-

We woke up early this morning and went to the Russian Market. THe other girls had already gone and told us it would be crazy. Thankfully, we went early enough that we avoided the heat and the crowds. As soon as we walk in people start calling out to us to be their wares. It was really overwhelming because it's kind of dark and yucky inside. It's hard to explain. The walkways are narrow and rough but we started finding our way around quickly. A little boy, probably around 10, quickly became our "guide." A lady that had a mamed face followed us aorund fanning us trying to get us to buy postcards. The first thing I did was buy some of the beautiful silk scarves! They were BEAUTIFUL! You can get them for about $2 each so I got several to give as gifts for friends. They also had some beautiful Cambodian scarves that are not silk. I do not know what they are made of, but they are beautiful.
Bargaining was not my strong point and I'm pretty sure that everyone can tell that! I got a silver ring with elephants on it and I love it! I also found some Khmer books I can use in my classroom. It's really hard to find kids books because they are all Buddhist or have a lot of underworld or depressing stuff. I found two books that are well made and have colors, shapes, musical instruments and stuff like that. They are excellent books and show Cambodian life! Those were definitely a good find! I bought some beautiful silk purses as well that were about $3 each! Great gifts! OUr little guide would try to help us with bargaining as well. He was hilarious. He kept calling Bud Greve "Mr. ATM" b/c Betty kept going to him for money. Very funny!

After our adventures at the market we went to a cafe that rescues girls out of prostitution and employees them. I think they said it was a Christian run place. They had delicious sandwiches. We headed back to the hotel to unload our market finds and then headed to Toul Sleng Prison.

Toul Sleng is where Pol Pot housed and tortured the educated and elited of Cambodia during his horrible reign from 1975-1979. The atrocities that took place in this complex were unthinkable. Our driver, Sopheak, went with us. He was about 7 or 8 when this happened and remembers it well. He would point to pictures of people that he knew. Many people enlisted in the Khmer Rouge not knowing what exactly it was. Later they were forced to torture and kill friends and family. One building housed pictures of every person that entered Toul Sleng. It was very overwhelming to see all of these children, teachers, doctors, lawyers, hard working people, etc. They were punished because they were educated. We walked through room after room in silence wondering how in the world something like this could happen only 35 years ago. This ended the year I was born and the world was clueless.

One of the leaders was named Duch. He later became a Christian. He asked God if he should turn himself in, and God said no; however, he was to go peacefully and share all his information when they found him. He did exactly that and is now in prison. He is the only person from the leaders that has done so and he has revealed many many things that happened there.

As if Tuol Sleng wasn't enough, we then drove outside of Phnom Penh to the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum. The day was overcast and raining. THere is a school not far from here and we could hear the children out playing. It was so overwhelming. THis is where they took people from Tuol Sleng to finish the job. THere were markers that said "Mass Grave of Persons Withouth Heads" or something like that. There was a specific tree that they used to beat and throw children against. There are mass graves all over. There is a large memorial in the middle filled with skulls. It was incredible.

I've been to the Holocaust Museum in DC and this was unlike even that. Maybe because I was there where it happened, maybe b/c I was younger when I went to DC or maybe b/c this Genocide happened during my lifetime... but it was incredible to think that something like this can happen even in this time.

Saturday evening we went to the Night Market. It was really nice just watching night life in PHnom Penh. Dr. Hardy and I did a little more shopping. We then went back to the hotel and hung out in the lobby of the hotel and used internet. It was a nice evening after a long, emotionally exhausting day.

Sunday we had the honor of attending the international church. Ann Greve was installed as pastor that day so it was an honor for us to see her installment. I loved watching everyone worship, singing the same songs that we do even in kids church at ET. There are 31 nationalities represented in that church.

After church we ate at Lucky Burger. I think we could compare it to McDonalds, but it was nasty! After lunch, we packed up and drove to Sihanoukville. It was a very long uncomfortable drive, but not horrible. We had all of the luggage in our van for both groups (the other girls drove down in a different van) plus Bewin, one of hte Cambodia girls. It was crunched! It was still a good trip and I took lots of pictures. Bewin taught us some Khmer so it was neat learning some of their language.

When we got to Sihanoukville, it was HOT and HUMID. WE first went to the orphanage. There were kids EVERYWHERE! There are 83 kids ages 7 months to 22 years old there. They were out playing and gathered around us. I immediately had several boys following me around asking me questions. Most of them speak English pretty well. They showed us all of their animals they raise. They have many dogs, pigs, fish and crocodiles! It was a lot of fun hanging out with them!

After the orphanage we went to our hotel. It was right across the street. It was NOT the SUnway in PHnom Penh! It was hot and we had to climb what seemed like a lot of stairs with our luggage to our rooms. Our room was very small and hot. There were ants in my bed! I had a break down once we got there! Dr Hardy encouraged me to make it thru dinner and I'd feel better. We went to dinner and then when we got back to the hotel. I spent some time journaling and in prayer and felt much better after that! Our bathroom is one big room. THere is no separate shower! It's jsut a hose on the wall with a shower head and you shower next to the toilet! It was crazy! We did get a nicer room though at the end with a little balcony. It faces the School of Hope where we will be working so that was nice. It was a very long, tiring, hot day and I went to bed early!

3 Days of Teaching in Phnom Penh

I got 11 hours of sleep my first night and woke up refreshed and ready to go. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel. THey have a large buffet with several different types of food.

There are about 40 students in our first clas. I was surprised that they all seemed very young. We found out the average age was 30 but many of them looked like teenagers or early 20's.

The first couple of hours of instruction went well, but we realized we were going to have to adapt things a bit because of the language barrier. In the morning we taught on writing a behavioral objective. We are also implementing a lot of cooperative learning stratgeties to show them different ways to teach. In the afternoon we did the Knowledge level of Bloom's Taxonomy.
I had to make up a song for the teachers on the water cycle. That was a lot of fun! Lunch was a form of soup with stuff in it that you put on rice. I pretty much ate rice and soy sauce. I couldnt identify the meat!

We ate dinner at a restaurant called KWest. I had another cheeseburger. NOt as good as Java, but still pretty good for a cheeseburger in Cambodia.

We had fun lesson planning in the evening and just laughing and being silly. The heat takes so much out of you so we were all exhausted and goofy. I also got to Skype with my parents for a few minutes so that made my night as well.

2nd day of teaching-
Today was much better. We are more into a groove with teaching. THe students are still having a difficult time grasping the concept of higher order thinking with Bloom's, but they are getting there slowly. Today we did Comprehension and Application. The students are great. They are so fun and they are so eager to learn. All of them have some amazing story that brought them where they are today.
Lunch today consisted of broth and nooodles with boiled pork kidney. Needless to say, I ate rice and soy sauce. I know... I am so boring! :o) We did get fried banana on our break. It was still warm and it was amazing!
For dinner tonight we went to Khmer Siran. It was beautiful. We sat on this terrace caved in by amazing greenery. We sat on the floor. The weather and atmosphere were beautiful. It was an enjoyable evening, even though I was rather uncomfortable sitting on the ground.
We also rode in a tuk-tuk for the first time. That was an experience! It was fun and interesting to see the traffic so close and personal. We went to a park and walked around. There are street vendors every where and people dancing in large groups and the most amazing fountatins I've ever seen. It was memorizing!
After all of that Dr Hardy and I went and got foot massages at the hotel. Things like that are so cheap and so good! It was incredible! They bring us into this nice quiet room and bring hot tea and have relaxing music on. Then they turn on the TV and it was Cops! So we're trying to relax but all we can hear is Cops. Finally we just kept laughing and had them turn it off. It was a nice time of conversation and getting to know her better. She is an amazing person and I really respect/admire her a lot.

Last day of teaching-
This went well. We were not able to get all 6 levels of Bloom's. We missed Evaluation, but what we did get in, went well and the students are understanding now. Hopefully they will be able to take this back and use it!
We were able to bring them pencils, pens, rulers, calculators, tons of posters and shampoo, conditioner and deodorant. It was fun to bless them with all of that stuff! It was also hard to say goodbye to them! They are all amazing!

First few days in Phnom Penh

I wasn't able to blog while I was there, but I did do a lot of journaling. I will be highlighting the trip using my journal to blog. :o)

Day 1-

The flight went well. On the way from Dallas to San Fran, my MP3 player bit the dust. I was worried it would make it a long flight over the ocean but thankfully China Airlines has headphones with movies and music. From Dallas to San Fran we also flew through a storm. Seeing the lightning above the clouds was incredible.
The 12 hour flight was not fabulous, but it wasnt horrible. Thankfully I was in an aisle and was able to get up quite a bit. I dozed, but didnt get much sleep. It was a new feeling being the minority! I was no where near any of our group on the plane so I was silent for 12 hours. Hard to imagine isn't it? ha :o) It was good though. Everywhere we go we definitely stick out in the crowd! On the flight to San Fran I sat by a lady and we did chat a little. She flew out of Kansas City and was also flying to Taipei so we chatted.
China Airlines served several meals and they were all different. I tried them anyway and only one made me feel a little yucky, but it was towards the end of the trip and starting to feel the fatique so it just didnt set well. There was this mystery salad with ham and apples and some funky dressing. I tried it but didnt like it. My favorite meal was the beef and potatos with gravy. Imagine that. ha

Day 2-
We arrive in Phnom Penh and the first thing I notice is the traffic! WOW! There are few traffic laws here and they are really merely suggestions. I am overwhelmed by the sites and sounds and smells!! The main method of transportation are moto bikes and they are everywhere. PEople are driving on both sides of the road, in and out of traffic. When you want to turn you just turn and hope people stop! I am amazed by this! The motos often carry 3 or 4 people on them and loads of other stuff.

We first go to Cambodia Bible Institute. Wow, it is HOT! We walk around the campus and get familiar with it. We meet Ann Greve and other people from the school. There is another group from Evangel already there working so we meet them as well. They are doing Khmer classes this week and then joining us in Sihounakiville next week.

Our hotel is gorgeous! THe service is also amazing. We have two full size beds in our room and a nice bathroom. We have a gorgeous view of the US Embassy directly across the street. It is comforting seeing the American flag flying high in front of the Embassy every morning!

We didnt tip the bellhop because we didnt know how much. The other girls gave them $2 USD. We were told later that probably made his week b/c a good tip is $1000 Riel, which is about .25 cents in USD.

Ann takes us to dinner at a place called Java. It was so good! I had the best cheeseburger and smoothie I've ever had! I'm not quite ready for Cambodian/Khmer food just yet! Ann tells us all about Cambodia and the school and the people. I am amazed at the stories she tells of the people and what they have gone through. It seems unreal that the atrocities that happened in Cambodia happened, especially after Hitler.
She tells us a story of a girl who is about 38. In 1975 she was 5 years old when Pol Pot took over. She was separated from her family and put in a work camp for 5 years. When Pol Pot lost power, they released all the children from the work camp but they had no where to go and had lost their families. She was only 10 years old. She made her way back to the home she lived in as a child and found her two siblings there. THey had been in different work camps and didnt knwo where to go when released so they did the same thing. Eventually the three of them made it on foot to their grandmothers house in the country and their mother was there! Later, they found out their father had been killed by the Khmer Rouge at Teuol Sleng Prison. They found out when they saw his picture there years later when it opened up as a museum.

After dinner, the five of us decided to walk around the hotel. It's a nicer area with a park nearby. As we walked down the streets we had several women approach us asking for money and food for their children. THere were lots of naked and half naked children running around. The women use their children to beg. It was very hard for us to see this and keep walking.

It's been a long overwhelming past few days. I can tell already that I love this place. I am amazed what Ann and the other missionaries have done. Ann came in 1991 when Cambodia first opened up. THere were no phones, cars, or much else for that matter. She flew into an airport htat had been bombed out. There were holes in the walls. She said they unloaded her luggage with a tractor and thent he tractor drove through a hole in the wall and they got their luggage off the tractor. It cost her $50 to send a fax from the one fax machine in the entire city. To hear her tell those stories and see where Phnom Penh is today is crazy. She is an awesome woman and I can already tell I'm going to like her a lot!

Back home!

I arrived safely home today around 11 am. Let me tell you, it was quite an adventure! I'll start with my return trip and then get into the trip itself at another time b/c I'm exhausted!

We were originally scheduled to fly out Saturday at 10:50 am. Early in the week our flight was cancelled. Thursday we got rebooked for Friday at 10:50 am with the same itinerary. We would be back in Springfield Friday at 10:50 pm (the flight was 24 hours but the time difference made us get there the same date we left!).

We flew from Phnom Penh to Taipei with no problems. We then go from Taipei to LAX which was a 12 hour flight. We had to get baggage, through customs, etc and to our connecting flight to Dallas in a very short amount of time. We get to our gate and our flight to Dallas was cancelled due to mechanical problems wiht the plane. The next plane doesnt leave for a few hours which means we miss our connecting flight in Dallas to Springfield. At that point it had been about 24 hours since we had slept. I was very sick with stomach stuff (normal traveling fun stuff!) and miserable but overall we were all doing good. The other girls camped out on the floor and I camped out in the bathroom and walking up and down the halls to stay awake. We finally left LAX around 6:30 pm CA time and arrived in Dallas at 11:30 CST. We got to ride in a Boeing 777 for the flight and it was really nice. It was a shame we couldnt have that plane when we did the long flight to Taipei. For the first time we were all 5 in the same aisle and on the emergency row so we had tons of room. I actually slept for a little bit. It was comfortable.
WE had obviously missed our connecting flight at Dallas to Springfield b/c we should have already been in Springfield. So we had to get a hotel, which took forever. We arrived at the hotel around 12:45 am. IT was a NICE hotel. I had my own room with a king size bed. It was WONDERFUL!!!! We weren't able to get our luggage which meant we couldnt put clean clothes on, but at least we were able to shower and put on our dirty stinky clothes again! This morning the Greves, Dr Hardy and myself flew out at 9:30 and got home around 11. The other girls flew out at 3:15 and got in around 4:30. We couldn't all get on the same flight. IT was a VERY long exhausting time. Right now I'm going about 5 hours of sleep in three days but holding up surprisingly well. I'm trying to stay awake until 8 pm to try toi get back on a normal schedule!
That was the worst thing that happened on our entire trip, so really, it wasn't that bad. The rest of the trip was amazing!

I wasn't able to blog while I was there so I will just do highlights from my journal over the next few days to tell you more about it! I will soon upload pictures to either snapfish or shutteryfly and videos to you tube for everyone to see.

It is SO good to be home but I really miss Cambodia and hte amazing people I met there. My cats are happy to have me home and have been purring an awful lot! I am unpacked and working on laundry now. IT wasnt too bad.

I appreciate everyoen who has been praying for us! It was an amazing trip!

I'm here!

I only have a few minutes but wanted to let everyoen know that I am here!
It's hot and humid but so far so good. We got in at 9 am yesterday and hit hte ground running! It is definitely a totally different culture, but I am acclamating pretty well!

I'll have more updates later!

Marti

Today is the day!

Last night Deborah, Leah and I went out for a nice dinner at McAlisters. Afterwards, we met up with Sarah, IVy and Gabby and went to Andy's. It was the first time all five of us have gotten together in a LONG time so it was very nice to see everyone! I love my friends!!!

I slept in this morning enjoying the comfort of my own bed for the last time in two weeks. I cuddled with my cats. They know something isn't right! Braxton has been very whiney for two days. I took my shower enjoying my nice clean American water and put makeup on for the last time in two days! ha :o) I love my makeup! I finished packing, loaded up the car and headed to church for a picnic. (I didnt go to the service, just the picnic). I said goodbye to the kids and talked with the Greve family for a bit. Their aunt is the one I will be working with in Cambodia and I have become very close to them all over the past few years. They're great people!

I met up with Leah, her brother and parents at Logan's for lunch and enjoyed a nice lunch with them. Now I am stuffed and sleepy just in time to get on a plane!

I am so incredibly blessed in so many ways. I have amazing friends, church family and family. I never dreamed I would have an opportunity like this and God has just paved the way. I am so excited about this. I will miss the comforts of home, my family, friends and cats for the next two weeks but I am excited about what lies ahead.

I appreciate your thoughts and prayers! My email is mj_netteler@yahoo.com if you would like to email me at any time!

God bless!

Marti Jo

Well this has been quite a week! I dont know if I have ever been so tired! I was up late last night and early this morning so I better sleep in tomorrow morning and on the plane!

Tuesday I travelled to Sikeston for my nephew Jacob's graduation! I am so proud of him!!! It was a very short, but good trip. It was good to see my family before I leave. I didnt get to see my nephews Corey or Reid Thomas so that was a bummer, but I did see the rest of the clan.

This morning I have finally packed. There is no way I can get everything in one suitcase so I have a big one and a small one, plus my carry on. That is more than I wanted to deal with, but I just cant get it all in one and stay under the weight limit! I am more than likely over packing, but you never know what you are going to need for two weeks in a Third World country!

This afternoon I have a meeting with the girls for the trip and then I have some last minute things to do before tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow I can just rest and take it easy....we'll see! ha!

I attached some pictures from my nephew's graduation as well! I will try to update periodically if we have access. I am sure we will at a couple of places. Please check back for updates and pictures!

PLease pray for us as we travel and as we do this work in Cambodia. Pray that we will have a safe and healthy trip, that we will be able to communicate clearly with the Cambodian teachers and that we will be a blessing to everyone we meet and come back changed!

God bless!

Ready or not...

Wow...six days! ACK! I have SOOOOO much to do between now and then! Here's a quick run down...

Tuesday: Work 8-1, drive to Sikeston, go to my nephew's graduation.

Wednesday- Get up at 5 am, leave Sikeston by 6 am, drive to Springfield. Get to work at approximately 10 am. Work until 6:30.

Thursday- Work 8-6:30, Bible study 7-9 pm

Friday- Work 8-6:30

Saturday- Pack and clean

Sunday- DEPART FOR CAMBODIA!

I am also taking an online class that averages 2-3 hours of work a night plus last minute shopping/preparations. Needless to say, sleep is a luxury this week!

I'm in such a whirl right now! It seems I have been preparing for so long for this trip and now I feel like there is so much to do still! I am so excited about this adventure. I'm excited to spend two weeks with 3 awesome women of God (Ashley, Adrienne & Holly) and our amazing professors Dr Hardy, Dr Greve & Betty Greve. I can't wait to meet Ann Greve and the teachers we will be working with.

I am sad to leave my cats for two weeks (Pathetic I know...), but my roommate Deborah will take great care of them. I feel so honored and blessed that I have this opportunity. This is a time of stretching and growing! I am dreading the 28 hour plane ride, but I know that's part of the deal!

Anyway...check back while I am gone! I should be able to post things periodically!

Now, back to my online class...

The Countdown Has Begun!

Seventeen days!

WOW.... My to do list is a mile long...yikes! I dont feel like I have enough time or money to do it all but it will all come together!

Speaking of money, I have 100% of my funds in! I actually have for a couple of weeks but haven't had time to update! Thank you so much to everyone who has sacrificed for me! I was amazed every time I received a donation. God is so good!

I completed the semester with 6 straight A's! WOOHOO! I worked VERY hard for that! Long story short, but I had to drop a class next semester and take it online over the summer. So far, it's taking me about 2 hours a night to do the homework and I do not appreciate that! It will be nice to have this class over and done with in 6 weeks instead of 4 months. I am enjoying getting off work at 4:3o as opposed to 6:30 IMMENSELY. Those two hours make a huge difference!

Well, this is short and sweet but I'm calling it a night!

Lovely weekend!

The end is in sight! School is almost over and in just a little over a month I will be in Cambodia! WOW... I cant believe it is almost here! Saturday morning we had a team brunch at Bud & Betty Greve's house. We had wonderful food and a great time to sit and discuss our itinerary for the trip. We bought our tickets last week and got an amazing deal on them! We got them for $600 less than we budgeted so budget wise we are doing great! Because of this, we will be able to stay in a little nicer hotel Phnom Penh. We also got to Skype with Anne Greve, the missionary we will be working with. It was really cool getting to talk to her. I cannot wait to meet her!

Many have asked if I am getting nervous. At this point, not at all! I feel a little overwhelmed sometimes but the task ahead of us, but nervous, no. I am a little nervous of the flight. Not because I am afraid we will crash, but because we will be in a plane for such a long time! 28 hours there and 24 hours back! I might go crazy! ha!

As far as budget goes, I am almost there. I will thankfully will have enough to reimburse the cost of the shots and my passport and some other small expenses I have incurred preparing for the trip. The shots are so incredibly expensive! I had my typhoid and Hep B Friday and that was most of my paycheck! :o( Thankfully, I had NO side effects from the shots though! They said I could possibly get sick, be sore, run a fever, etc. I wasn't even sore! Next week I get Polio and the Malaria pills and then I'll get another Hep B right before I leave.

Friday night I hung out with three of my closest friends Leah, Ivy and Gabby. It's been a long time since we all have done something together so it made it that much better. We had dinner at Qdoba, then we went to the mini golf place and did golf and batting cages. Then we went and watched a movie at Leah & Gabby's apartment. It was a great time! Saturday, after brunch, I met Leah, Sarah and Stacey (Leah's foster daughter) and Rachel (Stacey's friend) in Branson for a great day hanging out down there. I love when I can be with friends! (see pictures!)

This is the last week of school! I cannot believe how it has flown by! I have one final this week and two next week. Unless I bomb a final somehwhere, I will have straight A's at the end of the semester! I have worked VERY hard for this! :o) I still cannot believe I only have one semester left before student teaching. I got my placement at Nixa Century Elementary in 2nd grade. It's a wonderful school and I'm looking forward to meeting the teacher and the students.

That's the update for the week! Have a great week to come!

URGENT!

If you received a support letter and will be mailing in a donation and would like to receive tax credit for it, do NOT put my name on it! I was told wrong initially and on my support letters said to put my name on the memo line. Make it out to Evangel University and leave the memo blank. The address they are going to is my home and I am turning them in as they come in so I will be getting the proper credit.

If you have already mailed me a check with my name on the memo line and would like to receive credit, please contact me ASAP.

Thank you! I apologize for any inconvenience!

Tomorrow is my best friend Christina's 30th birthday!!! I miss her SO much and wish I could be there with her to celebrate the big 3-0!!! This is a picture from last summer when I visited her in Michigan! Love you Christina!

Today is a beautiful day! I have the windows open and am sneezing like crazy but I love this fresh spring air! I cleaned my bathroom earlier and now it's time to work on the bedroom! I am generally a very CLEAN person, but I am not always a very NEAT person! Currently, it looks like a library and a closet threw up in my bedroom floor! It's HORRENDOUS!

Yesterday I left my house at 7:15 am and got home at 12:15 am after hanging out with friends after work. I came home to a howling from my bedroom closet. I had locked my poor cat Braxton in the closet for 17 hours!!! He must haved gotten in there while I was getting dressed and then I shut the closet and left! Poor baby! Thankfully I have a litter box in there so that was okay. HE did scratch up the carpet around the door though! I felt like a horrible "mom!"

This has been a great week in fund raising! Since Thursday, I have received $535 in the mail from support letters! I am constantly amazed at the generosity of my friends and family! You all are amazing! Those that can't give and have offered their prayer support amaze me also! I am so blessed! I think I need to start taking a tissue with me to the mail box because I always cry when I open the mail and find that more people believe in me and this mission enough to support it financially! Thank you!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and week to come! I am looking forward to going home to be with my family for Easter! It will be my first time home since Christmas and I can't wait!

Over halfway there!!!

As of today I have $1700 for Cambodia! Only $1500 more to go! Woohoo! Praise God I am a little over halfway there!

Today I babysat Isaac, Nathaniel and Victoria. We had a super fun day! I made goop out of cornstarch and water and Isaac LOVED it! He played with it for a very long time. Isaac's birthday was last week and Nathaniel's is next so I took them to Jumpmania as a birthday present. I still can't believe that Isaac is 8 and Nathaniel will be 6. I have been watching these guys since Nathaniel was born and it just seems unreal that they are this old! I love being able to carry on a conversation with Isaac. He's at that age where he's really developing his own opinions and world view and everything. Today we talked about how God can do anything except make people love Him. We talked about how God gives us a choice to love Him and live for Him and we have to decide what we want to do. God can't force us to. It was a fun conversation with an 8 year old who is pretty smart!

Tomorrow I am watching the Browne's, Kilbourne's and Clarks Life Group and then next Saturday I have Bronwyn. I am keeping busy and raising money to send me overseas!

I also realized today that the trip is in a little less than two months! WOW! It will be here before I know it!

Kansas City Fundraiser

Friday evening all four of us students going to Cambodia packed up my little HHR and drove to Lenexa KS (just outside of Kansas City). This was our first time all being together and it was a GREAT trip! I had a blast getting to know the other three girls, Ashley, Adrienne and Holly. We each have different strengths and talents that work very well together. We also had fun getting to know Dr Hardy and her daughters Clara and Chloe better as well.

Our faculty sponsor, Dr Colleen Hardy, has a sister who lives in Lenexa named Dawn. Dawn and her husband Ben and their 2 yr old Ethan had us come to their beautiful home and clean all weekend. We did landscaping, cleaned out a fish pond, scooped dog poop, raked leaves, pulled weeds, trimmed bushes, etc. We also did stuff inside the house like filing, organzing and cleaning. Dawn and Ben were fabulous hosts who treated us and fed us VERY well! It's great to make new friends! We also got a lot of down time to hang out, watch movies, and talk. We did parafin wax hand treatments and got to hang out in the hot tub at the end of the day to relax. It was a great weekend start to finish. They even want to have us after the trip just to hang out with them. They were extremely generous in their donation and it was a huge blessing to all four of us!

Thank you Ben, Dawn & Ethan for a great weekend!!!

Budget updates and other stuff...

My dad came for a visit this weekend. He came on Thursday night for my band concert and left this afternoon. We had a very nice relaxing weekend. Friday night we went out to eat at Bud & Walts Pizza in Nixa (AMAZING!) and then watched Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium (2 thumbs up!)

Saturday we drove around a lot, went to some antique stores, had lunch, hung out at my house, and just relaxed. It was very nice. He also helped me get my support letters printed, folded, and in envelopes. That was a huge help! They changed our budget and I now need $3200 instead of $2500. It will all depend on our plane tickets, so if some of you get letters that say $2500, you were in my first batch of letters. If it says $3200, you got in the second batch after the finalized budget. :o)

Our team is going to Kansas City next weekend and will be working for a lady who will pay us to help with the trip. I believe we will be cleaning and helping with filing and stuff but I dont know the details yet. It will be good to get to know the girls I will be traveling with and make some money for the trip.

That's my short and sweet update for the night! I attached a picture of me and my Dad today before he left. Dad is holding his "grandkitty" Sammy. :o)

Cambodia- Blog 2

From the moment I heard about this trip I just knew I was supposed to go. I thought, how in the WORLD am I going to take two weeks off of work, come up with $2500 and travel to the other side of the world??? But I KNEW....

Several years ago, in a matter of a few months I had two people prophecy over me in different churches in different cities. I knew neither of these men and when they spoke to me it was as if I was hearing the voice of God. Now let me get one thing straight...I am VERY VERY VERY overly critical of things of this nature. I have seen way too many quackos out there who claim to be of God but you just know they ain't quite right. I have always learned that there are two things to look for in a prophecy. Does it edify the Lord and does it confirm something in your life? These did both of those.

The first time was at Battlefield AG. It was one of those times I didn't want to go forward to the altar, but I felt God telling me too. I was standing by a friend and this man was prophecying quietly over him. He was saying things to my friend that I knew my friend had only shared with me and one other person. I knew this was of God. You can just sense it.

When he came to me, he turned the microphone off and very quietly gave a message I know was from the Lord. The first part was very personal regarding some things I had struggled with in my faith and walk with the Lord. These were things I had never told a living soul then and still haven't. God had my attention.

After that he began talking about my burden for children. He began talking about how someday I would be ministering to children that were dirty, abandoned, and in need of all the love I could give them. He said they were dark (as in dark skinned) children and they were all around me and I was loving them. In my mind, I could see it. I still have this mental picture in my head of what that will be like.

Not too long after that I was in a service in my home church, First AG, in Sikeston MO when a man gave a very similar prophecy. He said he could sense God's call on my life to work with children. He could tell the call was so strong and so powerful and God was going to use me in ways I would never have imagined. He had no clue who I was or anything, but God told him this.

It's no doubt to anyone who knows me knows my love for children. Seriously, how many other 29 year old babysitters do you know? I figured out the other day and I watch approximately 50 kids from all kinds of families and walks of life. It's a ministry to me and I have grown to love every child in their own unique way and I pray that I can make a difference in each child's life.

So back to the main point of this blog. God has shown Himself to me in so many ways in this short time I have had in preparing for Cambodia.

On THursday, Feb 12 at 3:30 pm I sent off my passport expecting it to take a few months. I was warned it could be forever before it processed. I prayed over it as I sent it off. I received my passport on Feb 23. It was dated Feb 18, only 4 business days after I sent it off! That was one of those "God" moments where I knew it was meant to be. Everyone I have told was amazed at that.

Today I had another one of those moments. A family blessed me with a wonderful donation that has helped tremendously. It was one more affirmation that I am doing the right thing. The circumstances behind the donation just showed me that. I cried (and believe it or not, I'm not reallya crier!) as I held the check in my hands, once again, amazed at how God is in everything and how His timing is amazing.

Don't get me wrong, I still have a ways to go on the fundraising, and I'm sure all of the donations won't come in as easily as this one did, but I know that He is in control. And a few weeks down the road when I am starting to get stressed, I can think of this time and remember how faithful He is!

And hopefully in a few months, I will see my vision come to reality.

Cambodia- Blog 1

This summer I have an amazing, once in a life time opportunity to teach for two weeks in the country of Cambodia. I will be teaching Science in three different schools throughout the country. I, will a few other students and two professors, will be teaching and demonstrationg the principles of Bloom's Taxonomy to help students to learn more and teachers to teach better. Over the next few months I will be using my blog spot to document my journey to Cambodia.

Two months ago, I didn't even know where Cambodia was. I had heard of it through the Greve family at church. Ann Greve is a missionary to Cambodia and her brother and family go to my church. That was the extent of my knowledge of this country. As I have begun studying the history of this country and its people, I have developed a passion and burden for the people. I now have a chance to help change their path in life!

In 5 years, 2 MILLION people were killed in Cambodia for the simple fact that they were educated. This happened from 1975-1979. I was born in 1979, so I think that is why this really hits home with me. Things like Hitler's Holocaust seem more far removed because it happened before my life time; but, the Holocaust in Cambodia happened in my lifetime. Really, it wasn't until the past 10 years that many things have come out about this horrible time in Cambodia's history.

I have posted a link for the full details. Please take a chance to look at it at your convenience.
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Genocide/pol_pot.htm

Over the next few months I will be posting updates on my trip progress and specific things you can pray for.

I am currently writing my support letters. For the next two months, all money I make babysitting will be tax deductible and go directly to my trip. If you are interested in having me babysit (in the Springfield area!), please let me know soon as my calendar is filling up. I am also willing to go to churches in the area and share a presentation on Cambodia and my upcoming trip on a donation basis.

If you are interested in donating, please leave me a message and I will give you directions to do so. I will be sending out support letters in the next week. If you would like to help save postage and a tree or two, I can email/Facebook/Myspace you a copy of my support letter. I have NO problems sending out a hard copy if you would prefer that! :o)

Last weekend, I was able to raise $90 babysitting for my trip plus $10 from selling cookies at work. $100 down, $2400 more to go! We can do it!

God bless!

The Pain Saga

Update: Family is doing great. I haven't seen any pictures from them yet (not sure why they haven't posted them), but I have heard itw as a nightmare. My dad said their yard is STILL a disaster...but they have about 25 trees. thankfully there was no damage to the house or anything.

I think I have just survived the craziest three weeks of my life lately! Not because of some horrible anything, just SCHOOL. HOLY COW!?!?!? I have been so busy! There is something major due every class period the past few weeks. Midterms!!! On a positive note, I A-ced every single project and test! Of course, I have not slept in forever...but who needs sleep! I also had a scholarship audition.

I personally think it went HORRIBLE. I was fine until I sat down, and then it just flew out the window. My instructor assures me that I did great, but I really dont think so. I will be getting something, just not sure what.

Last week I met with a new doctor for my ongoing back problems. It turns out that I have degenerative arthritis in my lower back. The cartlidge is getting thin as well. That could explain why I feel like I have a baseball of muscle knots in my low back. This has been such a LONG journey for me. I started having back problems when I was 20. At 21, I went to a chiropractor in Sikeston. He told me I had degenerative arthritis and I would be crippled by the time I was 30. After that, I went to a rheumatologist. At that time I didn't have insurance but the thought of being crippled by 30 terrified me. I went to one in Springfield. He did not look at my back, he did not take x-rays, he did not do an MRI. NOTHING. He looked at me and said "You are too young. It will go away." (i.e. You are 21 and don't have insurance...)

So for the last 8 years I have been living in excrutiating pain. I have gone to numerous doctors adn chiropractors since then. No one has been able to help me. It really became a battle because they all said I was too young. Finally, Fibromyalgia came up. So I became labled with that. In my heart and head, I KNEW that was not it.

Finally, on 12/22/08 I went to the ER. I could hardly walk and had only one time before experienced back pain like that. The ER doctor was great. He referred me to a back surgeon to do an MRI. He was floored that no one had ever done that. So two weeks ago I met with a back surgeon. Long story short...the man was a JERK. He was hateful to me. He was only in there for a couple of minutes. He said there was nothing he coudl do for me and without saying this exactly, he insinuated that I was wasting his time and he flat out told me that I was in pain because I was overweight. I was crushed. I sat in my car and cried like I haven't done in ages. I was so upset and frustrated. I KNOW pain and I know there is something wrong! It's not like I wanted something horrible to be wrong that required surgery...I just wanted ANSWERS!

The one good thing Dr. Jerk did was refer me to another doctor who specializes in pain management. So I went to Dr. Woodward two weeks later. He was AMAZING. He reviewed my MRI and discovered the arthritis. We talked...he talked...I talked...HE LISTENED (imagine that???) and now I am in physical therapy. I am going to the same place I went to when I had ankle surgery and am going to the same therapist. Just in one session I noticed a very slight improvement. It's just so wonderful that I KNOW what is wrong and that someone believes me and has answers! So I will be in therapy for a few weeks. They will teach me things I can do at home since time/money are issues for me. Then I will go back in 2 months and meet with the doctor. Then we will start working on a fitness routine to help lose weight. It's not hte cause of the problem, but it doesn't help.

Answers are amazing and they really are half the battle. I have a better attitude about it now and I feel more confident that I can live with less pain.

Next post: My upcoming trip to Cambodia! I don't have time to blog on that now, but will later!

Ice Storm 2009

I remember the "great ice storm" of 2007. I remember living in Ozark and really not being affected that bad. School wasn't even cancelled.... But then I remember driving into Springfield the first day we were back at work and just having my breath taken away. The damage was just...incomprehensible. It was as if a bomb of ice had exploded over the entire city. Nothing was left untouched. I remember thinking...wow...life will never be the same...it will never LOOK the same. I had never in my wildest dreams imagine that ice could be so destructive. I was fortunate and only lost power for 2 days, but many people I know and work with, went 2 weeks or longer.

Then came the little ice storm of 2008... and I was a little more prepared and really, it wasn't too terribly bad.

Slowly but surely life goes on and things DO get better. The trees, though shaken and battered, bloomed again in the spring. The ice storm became a distant memory.

January 2009-
My Dad and I talked on Monday night. We were supposed to get slammed here in SW Missouri and they were supposed to get 5-10 inches of snow in Sikeston. I prepared. I had food, water, candles, ligthers, clean clothes, etc. I did the dishes, took the trash out, things that I learned from the last ice storm.

They did nothing.

BOOM... They get the ice...we get the snow (with some ice too!). Yeah, things were bad here, but so much worse there.
My family got hit harder than I think Springfield did in 2007. I have this intense fear/anxiety that sometimes will just engulf me to the point of not being able to breathe...and that is fear is that something will happen someday and I will not be able to reach my family in the event of a disaster.

Of course my fear is well founded, at least to me. My parents are on top of the largest fault line in the United States that hasn't quaked violently since 1812...so it's just a couple of hundred years overdue. I am terrifed that someday it will quake and I will be left alone in this world without the people who mean more to me than life.

Anyway, back to the ice storm... So they are going through this horrible experience now. They have no power, no heat, no food, no gas. My Dad is currently staying at Red Cross shelter set up at their church, Miner Baptist. Of course he is volunteering there as well and I guarantee you that no one will leave without hearing about Jesus because of him!

My mom, Sara, Dave & Reid were at Sondra's house (a family friend) who had power, but then it went out. Dave, Sara & Reid are trying to get a generator for their house. Bryant is with his mom. Jacob is staying with a friend who has power. Missy & Brandy are staying Cape with Corey who has his own apartment and power and Kayla is at her Dad's house in Scott City and they have power....and me...

...I'm here...in Springfield...feeling utterly helpless! I hate that my family is scattered and I hate even more so that I am not there to help them through this. They are all stressed and tired and I want to be with them. I want to make them laugh and play dominoes and spoons with them to help them pass the time. I dread going back to Sikeston for the first time and seeing my "home" changed and damaged. I looked at pictures on line and cried. I think it was harder seeing my "home" or my "safe place" damaged like that.

I've also been thinking about how I got prepared for the ice this year because I have been there and was not prepared the first time...and they did not prepare because they've never seen anything like this... and I keep thinking of the song by DC Talk "I Wish We'd All Been Ready."

Are we ready? Am I ready? The time may come when I may lose my family or my friends or my home... and all I will have is my faith and relationship with God to carry me through...

And some glorious day I know that I will be with my heavenly Father in heaven, with my family.

Am I ready?