Nate and Christiana

March and April brought many exciting events, sweet moments, new discoveries and…the dreaded “HOT season”. People would ask, “So, how hot IS it?” We rarely knew the actual numbers, so our description was usually,” It’s so hot that if you turn the fan off (which we have constantly blowing), you’re drenched in sweat in seconds “. I do know that the average day was 100 degrees or higher. Even as I write this, it’s towards the end of May and it’s 95 degrees today. Apparently this hot season is lasting longer and is hotter than the previous years. (Which is somewhat encouraging, actually…perhaps it can only get better?) Hot season has been more unbearable because of the constant power outages and car breakdowns. No power means no fans and no car means no escaping the heat by going to the local air-conditioned mall. I can’t deny that it has been difficult. There have been days when yet another power outage felt like the last straw. I knew that the mission field would bring challenges, but I hadn’t foreseen the weather being such a huge factor. It made me realize how frail and weak I am.  It made me realize how much MORE I have to rely on the Lord to sustain and keep me. And He has. The heat and power outages, though still trying, are almost “normal” now. We have since bought two battery-operated fans…one that actually attaches to a car battery (Perhaps not the safest thing to have lying around when Ava is more mobile!). Our car has also been running more consistently too, so we now have an escape option. And though it is dragging on longer than usual, the hot season is almost over. Next up…rainy season! While I know this will bring it’s own set of challenges…flooding, leaks, etc…I am SO excited for it!

Now onto other subjects…Perhaps the biggest event in March was the arrival of our shipment. It had departed my parent’s home the first week in January, and it arrived March 25th at our home in Phnom Penh. One cannot describe the immense joy we felt in seeing our “stuff”. We had heard so many horror stories about theft, loss and corruption in regards to container shipments, that we had prepared ourselves for the worst…oh we of little faith! What was even more amazing than our shipment arriving, was that it arrived en toto!! NOTHING was missing. Also, it was in and out of customs in ONE day. These two occurrences are NOT normal. We were truly overwhelmed with this remarkable blessing from the Lord. Thank you to those who prayed specifically for this!

Nate helping the movers with our boxes

Unloading the truck

Excited that his guitar arrived intact!

We were also thrilled that our espresso machine (a gift from my parents) was not stolen. It has already been such a blessing to us as well as many others. Bong Udt and Sumnang enjoying their lattes.

Another huge event was Ava’s first taste of “real” food (see picture above…I love her face!). She began her cuisine experience with some tasty rice cereal. We later introduced sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, and bananas.  She has been enjoying them all immensely. Here’s a funny sequence with Nate feeding her carrots…

Lil’ Miss Hulk Hogan

She loves smiling at the camera…hmmm…some personality coming out, perhaps?

Concentrating…

Oooh…

“All done!” — We’re trying to teach her some sign language

Yet another epic experience was Ava’s first soccer game (held at Logos International School). If you know anything about my family, you know that we are avid soccer fans…especially my younger brother, Johnny. He even gave Ava a Manchester United baby jersey. Soccer is a very popular sport in Cambodia, which is very convenient!

In April, we enjoyed an evening of Wii fun with the House of Hope (Asian Hope) boys. Nate was an uncle figure to these guys when he was here previously in Cambodia. While things have since changed…wife, baby,…and he can’t hang out with them as often as he did when he was carefree and single, we hope to enjoy many more times with these fun-loving, sweet kids (especially since they only live one block away!).

From back to front: Nate, Hocklee, David, Kosal (holding Ava), Jonathan, Sammy, Pov, Veassna and Tia (Some of the guys were missing).

The guys playing Wii while Ava spots the camera for yet another smile

Ava loved the attention from the boys. No, Nate is not strangling Tia–He’s showing him how to do the archery game.

Hocklee playing with Ava

Ava and David

Ava had been eyeing Tia’s hair all evening…She LOVES hair. We (Tia included) let her play with it for a little while. She was in hair heaven!

Another highlight was Skyping with my brother Trent during his 30th birthday bash. The theme was “Settlers of Catan” (the board game) and everyone dressed up as various components of the game. We decided to join in on the fun and dressed up as the “bandit”. This was definitely a bittersweet moment. It was such a joy to be a part of the event, even though we were half-way around the world, but I had to catch myself from choking up a few times, because we couldn’t be there in person.

Big Bandit and Baby Bandit

And some more memories…

Ava hanging out with her sweet little friend, Calvin. You can read his story on the Dedert Family blog. They live a few blocks over and have already been such a blessing to us.

Playing “Settlers of Catan” with Katie and Reilly. This great couple came as short-term missionaries for Asian Hope. It was so much fun getting to know them, and they are already missed! Come back to visit! Or better yet, to live!

Here are some pictures of Ava and Mommy at the beach in Kompong Som which means “Agreeable Port.”  It was Ava’s first time ever to the ocean, and Christiana’s first time to the beach in Cambodia.

So, we’ve been in Cambodia for nearly three months, now. In some ways it has flown by, and in other ways, it has seemed like a VERY long time–especially with everything that has occurred–setting up house, car repairs, etc. Here’s a glimpse at some of the many moments we’ve experienced in the last several months.

The team heading off to lunch on a Sunday afternoon.

A friendly motorist. It’s amazing, and somewhat scary, to see how many babies/children ride on motos. I guess you do what you have to!

A street vendor

A fabric seller at Olympic Market

I started seeing the name “Dara” everywhere, which was ironic because my middle name is Dara. Apparently, it’s usually a male name, and it means “star”.

One of the more destitute areas of the city

An interesting recycling idea…old stereos used as planters.

Copyright laws are nonexistent here, so you can get away with just about…anything.

Nate brushing Ava’s “hair”. Her locks have changed quite a bit since this picture was taken. The darker, longer hair has been replaced with shorter, blondish-red hair.

Oh, how she LOVES her daddy.

An interesting cultural difference — Men will often sport hats that westerners would consider extremely feminine — like the pink, wispy look displayed above. Also, pink is considered a masculine color here.

A providential meeting – My aunt and uncle had emailed, asking if we knew their church’s missionaries, the Lewis family. Nate had met them in language school, years ago, but hadn’t seen them since. A few days later we ran into Ralph at church. He and the family work in the province/country, so they are rarely in Phnom Penh. It was fun to inform my aunt and uncle that I HAD met him, only a few days after they had inquired.

We had the opportunity to spontaneously spend some time with a short-term team from the HeartCry Missionary Society. We had them for dinner, and enjoyed sweet fellowship. They were SO excited to use the internet. It made me realize that as missionaries to Cambodia, we can also be a blessing to other missionaries/travelers…to those who are desiring a momentary safe haven from the bombardment of unfamiliarity.

I was looking for fabric at the outdoor market, Phsar Toul Tom Poung (Russian Market), and I came across this very unique pattern. I had to take a picture for all of my USC friends!

A man carving idols. It brought to mind several Scripture verses, particularly Romans 1:23 and Deuteronomy 5:8.

There was a huge fire in the slums. These fires are often intentional…a way of purging the city…quite sad.

Ava’s first taste of water. She loved it! We’re glad that she liked it, since she has to drink it every day…for the rest of her life. (And even more since she lives in hot Cambodia!)

Ava devouring her giraffe squeaky toy–a gift from Auntie Joanna, Uncle Gary and cousins, Liam and Sophie. This is definitely one of her favorite toys!

A view from outside the local gas station. All of the employees were on the floor eating dinner, except the one poor girl making coffee behind them. This is a fairly common scene…to go into a store, even a nicer store, and to see everyone eating together on the floor. It is also normal for someone to be cooking up dinner in a back corner…even if it’s a clothing store etc.

A goofy family portrait, whilst sitting on the couch. Don’t stare into Ava’s eyes too long…she WILL hypnotize you!

Nate chopping big blocks of ice to place in the freezer. The hope is that they would help keep the freezer cool during the numerous power outages. It’s worked pretty well so far, but they do take up a lot of freezer space, unfortunately.