The Untitled Adventures of YCEW 2011

Hello friends and family! This is Natalie, Jered, Katie, and Janna.

It has been a crazy couple of days! We are all having a great time. Since you last heard from us we've visited the temples of Angkor, toured Siem Reap, attended a local church service, gone to a silk farm, and we just returned from an overnight trip to a village on the Thai Cambodian border. It's only been a few days, but it seems like we've been here for months!

The Angkor temples were beautiful! We visited four of them, including Angkor Wat itself and Ta Prohm, the two most famous temples of Angkor. The temples were used for thousands of years by Cambodian people. They switched back and forth between Hindu and Buddhist beliefs as the kings changed the national religion. The sheer size of each temple was overwhelming and breathtaking. The intricate detail of the temples was incredible to see. There were carvings on every wall explaining the history, culture, and religion of Cambodia. The craftsmanship of the temples easily rivals that of the Incans, Mayans, and Egyptians. We're constantly astounded that there are aspects of this country that we never learn about back at home. One cool ministry we saw at the temples was the bands that were made up of landmine victims, allowing them to earn a steady income instead of begging on the streets.

On Sunday we started out by going to a church service in Siem Reap. The language barrier made it difficult to understand what was going on, but it was still obvious that the people were worshiping the same God that we do. We all felt welcomed and comfortable. One of the songs the youth led was "Shout to the Lord," and we all joined in English. Hiknee translated for Natalie during the sermon and testimonies, which was very helpful. One woman gave a testimony about her life as a Buddhist Nun and her constant searching for something more in life. It was really encouraging to hear about how she finally came to Christ, and learn about the trials she's been through and the strong faith she has maintained throughout everything.

We got to do a lot of touring on Sunday as well. We went to a silk farm, which is a factory where youth and young women are trained to make, dye, and weave silk. One novelty experience that we got to "enjoy" was a fish massage. We dunked our feet in a large tank of hungry fish, and for twenty five minutes they chewed the dead skin off our feet. It was an interesting experience, especially for those of us who are extremely ticklish, but our feet felt very smooth afterward! Later that day we explored the market and ate at a fancy restaurant.

Yesterday (Monday) morning we got up early and headed to a village near Battambang. After five hours of bumpy roads, dust, and beautiful scenery, we arrived. We stayed at the home of some believers in the community. There were so many cute kids running around, and the girls really enjoyed getting to play with them. We visited several other houses of believers in the village. A woman with young-adult aged children lived in one house, and a newly married couple in another. At both of the houses that we visited, the believers' spouses were non-Christians. After visiting these homes, we all gathered at the original house for a time of worship. The Cambodian believers and our team took turns singing songs in our own languages and then we had a time of testimonies. Katie and Jered both shared a verse and the personal meaning that it held for them. After that, Jesse gave his personal testimony and Hiknee translated. While we were there, four people accepted Christ into their lives, which was very exciting to us. However, Hiknee shared with us that it is possible that they only were interested because there were white foreigners present and that they might not be very serious about the commitment. Either way, they were still exposed to these Christ-like believers and were willing to go through the process, so we find that to be encouraging. After that we ate a very yummy dinner that they generously made for us. Then the girls slept upstairs, and the boys slept outside, on mats and hammocks.

Today, after various experiences in the hammocks and on the floor, we drove from the small village to Battambang. Leaving was both exciting and emotional, as we had to leave the children and the families who had been so hospitable to us. The drive was a difficult one as the roads we were traveling on were still under construction and made of dirt. It was exciting driving to an entirely new place as well. We arrived in Battambang, and were amazed by the quality of the hotel where we will be staying for the next week or so. Another exciting discovery was the coffee shop and restaurant ministry down the street and around the corner. The little shop was started as an outreach to widowed mothers in Battambang and has now spread throughout the country and to many other people. It trains them in cooking and restaurant management as well as gives them a step up in finding work.

We are excited, but not entirely clear on what is coming our way during the next few days. We appreciate all of your prayers and thoughts as the trip progresses. We are blessed to be traveling with this group of people, and are thankful for leaders as thoughtful as Jesse and Kelsey.

We can't wait to tell you more about our experiences in the days to come.
-Jered, Katie, Janna, Natalie.