Our First Week in CambodiaIt took twenty-six hours of flight time, 14 suitcases, six carry-ons, two car seats, two layovers, one stroller, one pack-and-play and a few meltdowns, but we made it to Cambodia! We have had an incredible group of people here on the ground who have bent over backwards to make our transition as painless as possible. They stocked our fridge, ordered us furniture, filled our house with basic supplies, set up someone to clean our house this week, have taken us around town to learn where to shop for what we need, and answered the 3,254 questions we’ve had – and a few that we didn’t even know we had. Despite the incredible work of these friends, there have been inevitable challenges. We landed already feeling physically and emotionally exhausted from packing up our life and saying goodbye to everyone we loved. Our family has been battling jet lag, and jet lagged toddlers are SO FUN. Everything from housework, to going anywhere, to buying groceries takes longer and an immense amount of mental energy. We are tired, but hopeful. Even in the short time we have been here, we are so encouraged that this is going to be a great fit for us. I read this verse this morning and it resonated almost comically: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.‘” – James 4:13-15 We have landed in this place that feels so foreign and other, but Jesus has been working here for a long time. He knows how He will use us, and it will likely be in ways we have not anticipated or accounted for. So we are trying to remain open-handed, to set aside our agendas. And on days (which will be most of them for a while) when our “accomplishment” is directing a driver to our house to deliver our fan, we celebrate. It is only by His mercy. Arrival in Phnom Penh luggage We couldn't believe it, but every piece of our luggage arrived in Cambodia! We were (of course) the last people at the luggage carousel trying to figure out how we were going to get all our stuff and tiny humans through customs, with only four adult hands, but a few airport workers had mercy on us and helped us push all seven carts. Thank you for praying over this entire trip. He provided everything we needed.  twymankids The kids did the best they could at the airports and on the flights. It was long. It was not always pleasant. I learned that endless snacks prevent crying. But the plane eventually landed. Praise be.  sleep Poor Charlie barely slept at all on the flights. We got to our house, he walked in the door and straight up PASSED OUT like this on the couch. Even with the ten people and kids there to greet us. Thankfully, after a few rough nights, he is back on a schedule.  avocados We haven't done a ton of cooking yet, because my brain has not yet been capable of processing how to navigate. However, we have been discovering lots of new fruits and vegetables. Everything is fresh and delicious. And take a look at the size of these avocados!  team The missionary teams from our agency and from the hospital have both been showering us with love and support since we arrived. We are so thankful for these new friends.  twokids  tuktuk Public transportation is primarily by tuk tuk, which is a bit like an open air cart pulled by a motorcycle. They have an app like Uber to call one, and this picture was our first time to venture out by ourselves. It's super hot here, so ice cream is pretty much a requirement every time we head into the city, which is about a 25-40 minute drive, depending on where we are headed.  pool One of our first purchases was an inflatable pool for the kids to help beat the heat and it was worth every dime. Little Miracles
How to Pray
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