Anthem

I woke up this morning with an anthem in my head:

“my God’s not dead
He’s surely alive
and He’s living on the inside
roaring like a lion.”

What a way to start off the morning!

Yesterday was such a mind-blowing day. It was one of those days were you have to stop and ask, “God, did you really just allow me the honor of being in this moment here with these people?”

What an amazing organization CHO is. The depth of their love for this country sets the bar so high for us all. From the dignity they try to bring to those dying from AIDS to the hope they try to bring to trafficked children, I am honored to call the people at CHO friends. They are an inspiration.

I wish I could put into words what we have experienced these past few days. Sadly I can’t. Maybe the words will find themselves to me soon enough. I hope so. I don’t want to hold the thoughts captive in my head just for me to sort through.

But for now, I am praying for an awakening over this country…over this city…over these beautiful people. Praying their hearts will swell with the knowledge and hope in another song that’s been ringing in my heart… “for You and You alone awake my soul.”

love.
Kelli

“Let hope rise. Darkness tremble.
In Your holy light
And every eye will see Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised.”

Random thoughts

I wish you all could hear the music in the background as I type this blog. It reminds me that I’m not anywhere near home. Earlier, I heard chanting that reminded me of the call to prayer streaming from the mosque beside a guesthouse I stayed at in Nairobi. Not something I normally hear on my day to day back home…probably not yours either, I would assume.

The sights and smells here are like nothing I’ve ever seen…yet similar all at the same time. The heaviness of the poverty around us is enough to suffocate you. If you allow yourself to go unchecked, you start to feel hopeless. What can little ole me do for these people? What can our church do for them? What can The Church do for them? Well, when you put it that way…

Imagine what would happen if every person on earth who was madly in love with Christ took a stance…did something to fight against even just one injustice they have seen/will see in their lifetime? Just that alone would change the world….don’t you think?

Imagining The Church as freedom fighters and believing with all my heart that my God is the God of restoration and Justice lifts the hopelessness.

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There’s something about worshiping God under the same roof with people from a different culture that makes my heart so happy. I love the feeling in the room whenever I hear God being worshipped in a different language. Those moments are very holy. I love bowing my head in prayer as another language pours over me. Our God hears those prayers just the same as ours. I love that!

We went to church this morning with our new friends at CHO. Their church (as far as I could tell) consisted of a room on the second floor of their office. I’m horrible with numbers, but I’d say about 40 to 50 people were there. A great turn out for a country with hardly any Christians.

Last night, Mao asked if one of us would like to give the message for the service. We volunteered Jamey for the job. Good decision on our part…his message this morning was powerful and full of truth. It takes a lot of courage to get up in front of a group of people no matter what the situation…let alone getting in front of about 40 people who don’t even speak your language.

At church we met a couple from Scotland, three 18 year olds from England and a father and daughter from Australia. It encouraged me to know that CHO has friends from all around…that Cambodia is not forgotten.

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Night has been the hardest time for me here. I keep getting distracted. The girls in the brothels are on my heart and mind. Night time is when they are “working.” So while we are eating, talking and discussing, there are girls right down the street who are being abused and violated. There are children who should be safe at home who are being raped. They are being tortured, raped multiple times a day, beaten…And the world knows about it…

So what will we do?

Please continue to pray for us. Please ask God to show us where He’d have us go and what He’d have us do.

Please pray for our hearts...that no matter how broken they may be by the amount of injustice we see, that God’s Justice will continue to ring strongly in our hearts and especially among these beautiful people.

Love you all.
kelli

prayer requests and schedule

So here we go. We leave in 12 hours. We need to be at the airport in the morning by 9am. I wanted to ask for a few prayer requests for us as we are preparing to go.

For me (Erin): my kitty died yesterday. While I know it is ok and that she was really really sick, it is still really hard and I miss her so much already. Just pray for me to be able to grieve her little life but to also not let it get in the way of my purpose for this trip. For my little bug (my daughter), she will be with grandma and great grandma. I know she will have a blast but she is a mommas girl, and I hope she doesnt miss me too much! I already know I will miss her!!

For Kelli: that she will stand firm against the enemies attacks. Her mind has been playing tricks on her.

For Jamey: he has been a bit under the weather.

For Tim: Pray for my shoulder – rotator cuff – as I am having trouble lifting my arm – and I don’t want to have to ask Erin to carry my bags.

For the team:

• Pray for us for our LONG LONG flight. it is 19 hours and then another 5! We will also loose 12 hours :) Basically Friday wont exist for us at all except for 2 hours or so.
  
• To see the beauty in the Cambodian people
  
• To know how to respond to begging children – who are mostly managed by handlers
• To understand clearly with whom and how North Point should partner.
• For a team with humble hearts and servant spirits

Here is our daily schedule so you can be praying for us!

team daily schedule
3/18 Depart Atlanta Korean Air 12:55 PM via Seoul, South Korea
3/19 Arrive Siem Reap, South Korea
3/20 PM meetings with Cambodian Hope Org (CHO)
3/21 Church with leaders of Cambodian Hope
3/22 Participate in CHO ministries
3/23 Participate in CHO ministries
3/24 Participate in CHO ministries
3/25 Siem Reap PM meeting with White Dove Ministry
3/26 Meet with International Justice Mission
3/27 Explore Siem Reap – tour Temple Historical Areas – identify future team opportunities
3/28 Debrief – develop recommendations for North Point globalX Evening depart for Atlanta via Seoul, South Korea
3/29 Arrive in Atlanta 11 AM