Family Matters: Thanksgiving

Hello everyone!
I wanted to give you a little peek into what our Thanksgiving was like. It is a little late, and most of you are already in Christmas mode, if you weren't already before Thanksgiving. So, what is Thanksgiving like when you are in Phnom Penh, Cambodia? Here is a picture tour, ending with a video ;)


Kelsi and the women folk cooked--you can read more about that on Kelsi's blog under the "Family Matters: Blog" ;)

 We set up enough table space for our family, the Benz family, and the team that was here for the month.

And we ate yummy food!

 We also downloaded last year's Macy's Day Parade and watched it!

All in all, it was a pretty great Thanksgiving. My brother, Joshua, used to say, "Brother by blood and by the blood." Even though we did not get to spend Thanksgiving with our blood family, we were able to spend it with our family by the blood. One of these days, God willing, we will be back in the States, but for now, we are thankful to be in His will, doing what He has purposed for us to do. I hope your Thanksgiving was fantastic, and my prayer is that it was a reminder for us all to look back on how God has been faithful and thank Him for it.

Here is the video I promised of the preschool singing their Pilgrim Song.

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

Bible Study Corner: Trials (Older Boys)

I said that I would post about what the older boys and I have been studying in God's word, so I thought that I would take this time to give an overview of the last couple of months. We began a study a while back on the book of Job. I love the book of Job. I think every time I read it, God uses it differently to speak to me. I remember reading it through and realizing that sometimes God will do things that I don't understand, but I can still trust Him. And on another occasion, I read it and saw that I was much like Job's three friends--always quick to speak into a situation, without really trying to understand what the person was truly struggling with or what God might be doing in their life--speaking without seeking what God might have me say. I read it again recently, which is why I wanted to go through it with the boys, and this time, God showed me the nature of trials and tribulations. When I finished reading Job, I randomly went to James. As I began to read James, I thought, "Man, it is if James just read Job and then wrote this!" As it turns out, in chapter five of James, he mentions "the perseverance of Job." So the older boys and I went through Job, chapter by chapter, and it took a very long time, but every chapter had something really great in it. I am going to be honest, we studied through Job for close to three months, five days a week, thirty-forty minutes a day. In the end, we learned that God has a purpose for our suffering and trials. We moved to James recently, and have studied part of the first chapter, and we have found that God uses trials in our lives to perfect us. I told the boys that the word for trial is like testing, but not like the pass/fail tests they face at school, but rather like the process of testing pure gold. When gold is found in the rock, it is filthy and has dirt in it and rocks in it. To get all of that out, it is placed in a pot, and placed in extreme heat. The fire melts the gold, and the gold being the densest goes to the bottom. Everything else, all the imperfection and dirt, floats to the top, and it is scraped off, leaving only the pure gold left. We can view our trials in this way. God takes us, completely sinful and full of impurity, and He places us over the fire to get all of it out. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in the Word and tells us of the sin in our lives, and we daily eradicate it, by the grace of God. We also talked about how muscles will not grow, unless they are first put under stress. For us to be strong in our faith, we must put our faith to the limits. We must live through situations that are difficult and find that God is faithful. The purpose of trials in our lives is to test whether we have genuine faith and, if it be true that we have genuine faith, to make it strong. If God were to protect us from all hardship, we would never become stronger. He is preparing us for a purpose, and that preparing is done through the heat of trials. We discussed that there are two types of trials: the trials of difficult times and the trials of temptation. We find in chapter one, that temptation is not from God, but he allows it so that we may learn to control our desires and stand up to temptation. The other kind of trial comes from the fact that we are living in a broken, sinful world--that is in desperate need of Jesus to come back and make everything right. Because we live in a broken world, other's sinful choices effect us. We also have a broken planet, and tornadoes and hurricanes destroy property and lives. We find that God does not cause this to happen, but rather allows it to happen, so that we may grow in our faith. We know all too well that Christians are not protected from hardship. James tells us that we can have joy in the knowledge that we do not go through terrible times for no purpose, but God uses it to make our faith strong and prepare us for eternity. We also talked about how the poor should glory in the fact that they are worth much in Christ, and that the rich should glory in the fact that even though they had many things, God humbled their hearts to understand their need of a Savior. In both cases, we find our true fulfillment in Jesus. When reading James, I think that it is very beneficial to keep Job in mind. To link the Old Testament with the New is always helpful, and to truly understand what James is talking about, when he speaks of trials, we must look to the example of Job.
I will keep you periodically updated on what we have been discussing in our Bible studies.
Please continue to pray for me, as I seek to make disciples here in Phnom Penh. Please pray that I would speak the truth of God's word, and that I would not add my own opinions, but simply proclaim what the Word says and how it may be applied in our lives.
The names of the boys in my older boys Bible study, in case you would like to pray for them are:

Ratana
Seth
Savorn
Ta
Visoth
Chantee

These boys are growing into men of God quickly, and they need your prayer.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

What Is It!? Episode Four - Timothy

Hey Everyone!
Here is the next episode of What Is It!? In this episode, you will be introduced to Timothy. He is also joined by Ratanak and David, during a demonstration of one of the possibilities (Ratanak is the taller one in green). Take a guess at our Facebook Group page Mission Cambodia.

The options are:
a. Flour Sifter
b. Lunch Box
c. Ceremonial Hat for Traduitional Dance
d. Travel Pots

Thank you to our supporters that allow us to work with such great kids, and thank you to everyone who prays for these guys everyday. They are a blessing and a joy to be around.
Well, until next time!
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

Khmer Phrases: Consonants 1-5

In this edition of Khmer Phrases, we will be starting to take a look at the letters that make up the Khmer Alphabet. I thought this might be a good idea, because for me and Kelsi, it was difficult to speak the language accurately until we began to learn to read and write it also. This may be going a little too in-depth... if so, enjoy seeing my NoShaveNovember beard and remember that the language of Cambodia is something that Kels and I are learning so that we can better further the Kingdom of God and make disciples as we are here in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Enjoy!

Also, thank you to everyone of our sponsors that help pay for our tutoring, which we have three times a week. It has made teaching the BYKOTA Kids and living in Cambodia so much easier.
If you would like to pray for us, that God would give us the gift of languages and quicken our minds to learn, I would greatly appreciate it. We have Khmer lessons from 7:30-8:30 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. With Daylight Savings Time, this means if you are awake from 6:30-7:30 on a MWF morning, you can pray for us during our lessons... that would be cool! Keep us in your prayers!
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

Family Matters: Muggy

This is a picture of the best dog I have ever owned. Muggy is house trained, doesn't bite, is gentle with children, and sleeps all the time. When I had dengue and typhoid, He laid right next to me the whole time. I love that our girls get to have a friend. He also likes to sleep under the covers. This is a picture of him snuggling in Kelsi's sewing scraps. We Skyped with some friends and they didn't even know we had a dog, so I thought I would do a little post about Muggy: the best dog I have ever owned.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Water Festival

Well, I thought I would take this time to give everyone a look into the Cambodian culture. I would explain it, but this video does a better job, so... enjoy! Also, this year, there are no boat races, due to flooding and mourning the death of the King Father.

Our Khmer teacher also explained that, in the provinces, the people gather together a lot of fruit and vegetables and pile them up. Then in the evening, they all feast on the pile. There is also a ceremony of candles, in which the people stick them to a board, and flip them upside down. Each candle represents a different province, and the dripping wax represents how much rain each province will get. Our Khmer teacher said that it is just for fun. I couldn't find a video of this, however. Just a taste of the culture of Cambodia!
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

I Am Homesick

Kelsi and I have been in Cambodia for almost a year and a half. When I go to church on Sundays and meet with other missionaries who have been here for twenty plus years, it makes it seem like we have only been here months. When people ask how long we have been here, and I tell them a year and a half, they almost always say, “Oh! You’re a rookie.” Not in a condescending way, just poking fun. No matter how long we have been here, I have the days when I just wish I was home. I was listening to a sermon today, as I washed the dishes, and the preacher was talking about James 1:1 and how the letter was written to the dispersed—those Jews who were longing to return to their home country: Jerusalem. He explained that James’ letter is not only for Jews, however, because all Christians are dispersed and longing to go home. The reality of Heaven is clearer to me now than ever before in my life. In the States, I had moments here and there when I just longed to be in Heaven. Not that I was having a bad day, simply the reality of how perfect Heaven will be overwhelmed me, and I found myself crying, “Come, Lord Jesus, quickly!” Being in Cambodia, I think of the things in America that we have left behind: family, friends, air-conditioned house, clean drinking water, carpet, McDonalds, Chinese Buffet, people who speak my Language, Walmart, deer season, winter weather, and the list goes on and on. The idea is not “woe is me!” It is merely that these longings of a “better” place fill my mind frequently. And now, I find myself making the connection in a more real way about how we should long for Heaven. Because, although I miss home, and long to be there again, I continue the work that God has given me here. I don’t sit at home thinking about how great America would be, and how badly I want a plate of fried rice with General Tso’s Chicken—ok, I do that sometimes. I wake up and go to work. The reality of Heaven being our home does not mean we have no purpose on Earth. The reality of the States being my home does not change the fact that God has a purpose for me here. When I see the connection between my longing for the States and my longing for Heaven, it helps me to fight off homesickness, and it builds my hope. Because one day, whether or not I ever make it back to the States, I will inevitably be in Heaven. The uncertainty of going to my temporary home in the States is remedied by the certainty of my being in Heaven, when God has accomplished all He wants to through me. And so I have hope. I am longing to go home, and whenever I long to go home to the States, God will remind me that even the States is not really where I belong.

BecauseHeLives,

Micah.  

What Is It!? Used for Edition!

Hey everyone!
It has been a long while, since we came out with a What Is It!? video. I thought it was time to introduce you to something that you all wish you had! I know you all know what a sprayer looks like, but the question on this installment is not "what is it?" but rather "what is it used for?" At the end of this video, you will find the reveal for Episode Three: Food Edition. Let me put the options here below:

a. Toilet Paper
b. Bathroom Cleaner/Toilet Cleaner
c. Feet Washer
d. Combination of Two of the Above

Good luck, and I will reveal the answer in the next episode of WHAT IS IT!?

Bible Study Corner: Wisdom (Middle Aged)

The last couple of weeks, we have been talking about wisdom. The middle aged kids and I started with a look at 1 Corinthians chapter two, and the distinction between earthly wisdom and the wisdom that God gives us through the Holy Spirit. We discussed how we need to look to the Bible to know right from wrong, and that it should be our guide in life. We defined wisdom as "The knowledge that God gives us to live our lives, and the understanding of the mysteries in the Bible."

After looking at 1 Corinthians, we went to an example in the Old Testament... wait for it. Nothing too surprising, we looked at 1 Kings 3:5-12. This is the story of when Solomon asked God for wisdom. I think most know the story, if you don't, go ahead and read it. And then skip over to Proverbs 2:3-10. I explained to the kids that Solomon actually wrote most of the book of Proverbs, and then we read these verses together. Basically, it says, if you call out to God for wisdom, and seek it as if it is something really important and valuable to you, He will give it you. I asked the kids if they thought Solomon really believed that, and they all said yes. Why? Because that is exactly what happened with him. He asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him. In the same way, we can ask God for wisdom, and if we seek for it in His word, He will give it to us. For the next couple of days, we studied various verses in Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:5--"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." I explained what the word lean means (you can never assume with these kids how much they understand). And we talked about how sometimes, we think we know better than God. For example, God says, "be pure," and we say, "well, but they love each other, and they will probably get married anyway." In this way, we are leaning on our own understanding, instead of on what God's word says. I finished by explaining that no matter how smart or logical something sounds, if it does not line up with Scripture, it is wrong.

Next we talked about Proverbs 18:1. In this verse we find that a man who isolates himself seeks his own desires and does not want to listen to any counsel. I explained to the kids that God has placed people with much experience in our lives to give us counsel and wisdom. Sometimes, when we are doing something we know is wrong, we will not talk to anybody about it, and it is because we do not want to hear them say that what we are doing is wrong.

The next day, we spoke on the following verse: Proverbs 18:2. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in expressing his own opinion. In this passage we find that we must humble ourselves, and listen to others well. A study came out that said that most people when listening, are not truly listening, but are simply waiting for the other person to stop talking, so that they can speak. We are not called to live like that. We are to put others above our self, and this means listening to understand what they are saying. It means caring about what they have to say, because in doing so, you show that you care about them. I had planned on looking at Proverbs for a while longer, but decided to take a detour and focus on the aspect of God's wisdom that teaches us how to live, so we moved into Ephesians 4:25-30.

We began with discussing falsehood. I wanted the kids to understand that this was more than just lying. So many people are able to bend the truth and not feel the conviction that should come from such an act, because they justify or omit information. I wanted the kids to know that God calls us to be trustworthy. When we say something, we will do it. When we say something, we mean it. I used the example of one of  them running an errand for me. "I give the money and allow you to leave school to go buy snack for the kindergarten, and then an hour later, you return with way less snack than you should have." I ask, "What took you so long?" and he says, "I went to get the snack." I reply, "Is this all you were able to get with the money I gave you?" He replies, "Yes." In this example, we have two types of lies, the first is the justifiable, omitting kind of lie. It should not take an hour to get snack, but since he did not want to do school, he walked slowly and took a long time at the store. This is not honest behavior, even though he had permission to be gone. The second lie is the kind that we are used to hearing. It was not at all true. The snack was less expensive, and he pocketed the money. This is not only lying but stealing. In either case, God wants us to be trustworthy and honest people. At the end of the example, I made the point that even by worldly standards this was not the way people should act. I said, would you trust this person to go and buy something for you? And all in agreement said, "no." So deep down, even the world knows that God's wisdom should be the standard.

The next verse describes how we handle anger. I love to ask people new to the Bible whether it is ok to be angry, and then follow up with, "Was Jesus ever angry... was God ever angry?" Undoubtedly, someone always says, "No Jesus was never angry." And then you show them the passage when he drives the people out of the temple with a whip, and turns over the tables, and they say... "Ok. Jesus has been angry." I like to teach this passage of scripture with Matthew 18:15--"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother." Anger is an emotion that comes when someone has wronged us in some way. We learn in Ephesians that we can be angry without sinning. I told the kids that when we are angry, most of the time we sin. I am angry with Karona, and so I call him stupid or hit him. In this way, I was angry and sinned. However, there is another type of anger that comes. It is more dangerous in my opinion, and it is the one when someone has wronged you, and they don't seem to notice. This is the type of anger, that can be without sin, but then turn into hatred and murderous thoughts. In Ephesians we find that we should not let the sun go down on our anger. Meaning, we need to follow Jesus' advice to go to our brother and tell him how he has wronged us. Most of the time, when this is done, the person says, "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel that way." And we have restoration and the anger passes away with forgiveness. Paul goes on to write that if we do not go to our brother before the son goes down, we leave room for the enemy to come into our minds and lie to us. When we lay down to sleep is when our thoughts really begin to run. The Enemy is a liar and he works through deceiving us in our minds. He will come in and say, "That person hurt you so bad. They don't deserve to be forgiven, because they will probably just do it again. You know what? They have always been that way. I hate them." And in this way, we leave room for the enemy, when we ignore God's command to go to our brother and talk to him. God is in the business of reconciliation. It is ok to be angry, but do not let it become sin.

The next day, we discussed verse twenty-eight, which says, "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." I found that with this topic, much like with the lying, the kids wanted to make it all about "do not steal." I decided to focus more on the latter half of the verse. Here we have a reason for working honestly with our hands. I explained to the kids that if we are seeking God's kingdom and righteousness, He will provide for our needs (we have talked about this before while studying Matthew 6). Sometimes, we are blessed with extra. Most people (including myself) take that as an opportunity to go and buy that new toy we have been wanting. In this verse we find that our purpose in working hard is to have "extra," so that we are able to share with those who need it. In life, we are both in excesses and in need, at various points. I wanted the BYKOTA Kids to understand that this excess can be used to bless others. That we can be the hands and feet of God by helping those who need it. We, as God's people, should not be lazy, but rather quick to work with our hands. For what purpose? So that we can provide for our family and have extra to help others in need.

The section that we covered today was about our words. I heard a sermon on this topic just a couple weeks ago, and he said that our words can be a gift, if we choose to make them one. I liked that idea. I focused on two words in this Bible study: corrupt and build-up. Our words can do two things, they can break someone down or pollute their mind, or they can build someone up and encourage them towards holiness. It is difficult sometimes with the language barrier to monitor how the children speak to each other, so I like to talk about our words a lot. Rhonda taught a small group lesson on this a couple months ago and used the analogy THINK. Think, "Is what I am about to say Truthful, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, or Kind?" In this way, we do not need to say everything that pops into our head. We choose to only say things that will build each other up. I showed the kids all the places in Proverbs that talk about controlling your words, and we discussed how our words matter.

We will continue to study in Proverbs, after we finish up this portion in Ephesians. We recently finished studying the Roman Road and Ephesians 2:8-10, in my attempt to give them a strong foundation in the Gospel. I thought that this study would help them get to know what God's word says about how we as followers of Christ should live.

I will post about what the older boys and I have been studying on a later date. I hope that this has encouraged you, and I also ask for your prayer that Christ would help me as I make disciples here in Cambodia.

Just in case you were wondering, I have nine kids in my middle school class: two girls and seven boys. One boy is nine, the rest are about twelve, and the girls are eleven and twelve.

Their names, if you would like to pray for them by name are:
Bee
David
Gene
Heng
Hiang
Karona
Ratanak
Timothy
Varee

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Family Matters: What's in a name?

So tonight during Khmer lessons we finally found out that Abigail and Lily's Khmer names have a meaning. We were told that they didn't mean anything when we first got them. Kels and I were cracking up over them after we found out. I think that it is funny how God can make a name fit so well. Firstly, Abby's Khmer name (and middle name) "Roat" means Sunflower. We had been spelling it wrong, and when we looked at the birth certificate it was Ro srak oauh Ta june gno... we couldn't figure it out, but our Khmer teacher immediately said, "Oh! This is how we spell it when it is used for sunflower." I was once nicknamed by a professor in collage "Jesussunflower." He told me to look up sunflowers, and I found that "They always point towards the sun and seem to reflect its image." Best nickname ever, and I am sorry to say that I do not live up to it. So Abigail Roat means "The Sunflower that brings the Father Joy." Totally fits Abby. She is so full of energy and always brings a smile to our faces, and I know her Father in Heaven's face is smiling on His little Joyful Sunflower. Lily Niet was slightly comical. Her name Niet means "Power" or "Authority" or "Bossy." Although she is younger than Abby, and most of the kids she plays with, she can not be pushed around. She is definitely the boss. Lily is a symbol of beauty in Cambodia, and so she is Beautiful and Bossy--which Kelsi says fits her Diva personality. I can make it sound better, though... she is a Beautiful yet powerful girl. I am so happy to have found out this information, and I am also continually amazed at the redeeming power of Christ. When I think back a year ago, when Abby and Lily came to live with us, I remember a terrified baby girl, and a quiet, orange-haired toddler who woke up with night terrors every night. I know that God is in the business of restoration, because I see it every day in my little girl's smiles.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.  

Family Matters: Baby Names and Such

Hello Friends,
As most of you know, Kelsi and I are expecting our third daughter. If this is news to you, go back a few blogs and watch the reveal video with Abby and Lily. Kelsi and I have been working hard on coming up with a name. I think this is probably normal. We also wanted to keep it a secret until Baby Girl was born... unfortunately, we have a four-year old daughter who is a genius and does not understand secrets. Long story short, Abby spilled the beans on our name, so we decided to go ahead and tell everyone. Something that was important to us was that it meant something and that her middle name would be Khmer to match her big sisters. So that you can see what it looks like in Khmer, I am posting a picture. But to give the names of our children in order: Abigail Roat (4), Lilian Niet (2), and... drum roll please... Melody Roem (Due: February 25th). Roem is pronounced in two syllables first syllable is "row" as in a boat, and the second is "um" as in you don't know what to say. I will post a video soon and say it correctly. The word Roem, in Khmer, means dance. Here is the picture:

There you have it! I am quickly becoming out numbered... and I am ok with that. I love my girls, and I am excited to meet Melody in February or March, if she is late. That is all for now! Also, Kelsi will be making a trip back to the states in the spring/summer so that everyone can meet her. Please continue to pray that God works out His will with our adoptions, so that we can bring Abby and Lily home soon too! In His time, we are content. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of us. We had gifts come in after announcing the baby, and we were able to buy a crib, changing table, and stroller. We will slowly equip until Melody arrives. Have a blessed day!

BecauseHeLives,

The Bergens.

Also, here is a picture of Kelsi five months pregnant :)

Purpose of Our Blog...

Hello Everyone,
It has been a while since I have blogged consistently. I think that there are multiple reasons for that... sickness, business, ect... For me, the biggest thing is just not having anything "blog-worthy." I can see in our past blogs that this has been a place for updating everyone on what has been happening in Phnom Penh. We have told you about activities and school and trips, and told stories of how God has been providing for us in really cool ways. So I was thinking about the purpose of this blog, and if it is purely for updating, what do I do when we go an entire month in which we do school, have a birthday party, and play soccer... all these things are routine, and I have blogged about them before. Should I blog about them again? Or maybe I could just post a little thing that says "All is well, same same but different." (Same Same But Different is a famous phrase in Cambodia. They even have it on T-shirts). Then I started thinking that maybe it is time for our blog to go back to what it once was: a place for you to experience things in Cambodia. Start making "What is It?" videos again, and Khmer phrases. This is where I would like to take our blog, plus an addition of "Bible Study Corner." Every morning and afternoon, I teach the Bible--with the Middle aged kids and then with the older boys. I think that I will start posting what we have talked about during those times. It is usually about ten-twenty minutes of Bible study. I would also love to share the memory verse songs that I and the kids learn for our Bible memory! I would also like to include a section called Family Matters, in which I give updates not on our ministry but on what God has been doing in our home. So these are my ideas. The purpose of our blog, I believe, is to help all of our close family and friends live life with us, while we are far away. If you have any requests or ideas on what we could do on our blog, please email us at micah.kelsi@gmail.com. That's all for now!
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

Soccer Day

You know how a while back, I told you guys about this really cool part of our ministry where I and the older boys go and play soccer? Well, the middle kids were jealous and so we went together a couple weeks back. The older boys really impressed me. They didn't complain, and they really involved the younger kids in the game. Everyone had a blast... so today, I decided we needed to go again, and it was awesome again! I love the kids I work with. I got some pictures finally of the field and such. I usually don't bring a camera, because that is dangerous... but this time, I had my phone and so here are some pictures of us at the soccer field!

Thank you guys so much for your support that allows us to take the kids out to do fun things. Soccer is one of their favorite things to do.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

Adoption Update

September 17th marked a year since Abby and Lily stated living with us.  So much has changed in what seem like such a short time.  When we first met Lily she was 18 months old, only had two teeth, didn't speak a word, and was scared of everyone except Micah.  Now she is 2 years old, going on 3.  She has a mind of her own, she is so funny, loves Disney princesses and her pink princess dress.  Abby was tiny, had streaks of orange in her hair from malnutrition, was terrified of men, had night terrors and only spoke some Khmer.  Now we can't get her to stop speaking (English) or stop bouncing.  She no longer wakes up screaming in the night.  She also loves Disney princesses and knows most of the movies word for word.  I love my girls and can't wait to see what this next year with them brings!

Now for the real reason of this post:

A lot of people have been asking about progress with our adoptions.  Well, lots of things have changed but there really hasn't been any progress.  I will start with the new law that took effect way back in January.  If you will remember, they told us our adoptions would be finished by last Christmas and then told us to wait for the new law.  We were okay with that, because we were under the impression that everything would be finished by February or March….so we waited…. and waited… and had a guy ask for a meeting that never happened….and waited some more… we are still waiting!  In this Mark and Rhonda have met with a lawyer about pursuing foster care (which I will talk about a little later).  He said that there is nothing written in the new law for people in our situation.  There is a place for foreigners who are living in their home country and have never met the child (except the American end of this is still closed) and there is a place for Cambodians to adopt.  There is nothing written for expats living in Cambodia to adopt a child that is already living with them.  I am going to let my frustration show and come out to say that this is downright crazy stupid!    There are so many people in our exact situation that have been told “It’s no problem” and are now stuck until the law changes again!  Also, with all the election hullabaloo,  the minister of social affairs (the guy in charge of adoptions)  has stepped down and a new guy is in place.  We don’t know yet if this is good news or bad news.  We are praying it is good.

Side note: Micah and I did know about the Cambodian government and that we might be here for quite a while before we decided to take the girls in.  We made a commitment to God, to their mother, and to them that no matter what we are here for them and will not leave them even if we live in Cambodia forever.  Also, I understand that maybe God just wants us here a little longer.  I understand that God knows the plans He has for us and has it all worked out. But I can’t help but be frustrated that we have been told for a year now to just wait a little longer and now are being told that there is no law for us. 

I want to take a minute and tell you why it is so important for us to have legal documents for our girls.  This part is really hard to tell people and unless you understand Cambodia and the culture here you may not believe some of the things I am about to write.  Abby and Lily’s mother is a Christian.  She loves them and did not give them up because she was unable to provide for them or because she did not want them.  She did what she did because they are not safe with her.  They have an abusive father.  He would come home some nights from wherever he had been to beat on all of them and take money from their mother.  If she did not have enough he would threaten to sell the girls.  This is a real thing in Cambodia.  Parents sell their children into sex trafficking, slavery, and for body parts.  You may think “well just report him!”  There is no such thing as child protective services in Cambodia.  At any time he (or their mother for that fact) could come and take them back and there is nothing we can do about it.  NOTHING!  Praise the Lord, as far as we know, the father is somewhere in Thailand or Korea right now and we don’t really have to worry about him. 

There is one other thing we are looking in to and that is foster care (as I mentioned earlier).  With legal foster care we would have more stand against their father wanting them back and could also get passports for them.  With those passports we could take them to any country but America.  Remember, America is still closed for Cambodian adoptions and will not issue tourist visas for them (yet).  Another good side to foster care and having their passports is that if anything ever happened and we had to leave Cambodia for a while (medical reasons, safety reasons) or if we just wanted to take a family vacation, we could!  Also, when adoptions do open or a law gets passed for us we will be up front to be finalized.  We are still looking into this and figuring out how to go about it.  Please pray that God give us wisdom and favor.

So there you have it.  A lot has changed but at the same time nothing has really progressed.  Please keep us in your prayers and pray that, while we wait for the laws to align, we can keep the girls safe and don't ever have to deal with their father. Thanks for all your support in this crazy crazy journey!

Gender Announcement

Hey everyone,
I am not sure how much you know about pregnancy in Cambodia, but there is more technology than you would think. That being said, Kels and I went to the Ultra Sound office a couple days ago and found out the gender of the baby :) Here is the video reveal!

That's all! :)
Thank you all for your support and prayers. We could not be here without you!
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

For all who are curious, this marks 15 weeks. Due Date is February 25th :) Kelsi and baby girl are both healthy and right on track.

Bangkok and Visas

So, Kels and I went to Bangkok two weeks ago... On Wednesday, Mark got us the papers we needed for our NGO visas, and we left Thursday morning on a bus to Bangkok... fourteen hours later, and we were eating McDonalds and Subway and driving on roads where the cars followed the rules of driving. The next morning we went to a mall, that was air conditioned and there wasn't someone asking us to buy something every two seconds... we walked around looking at things for hours. It even smelt like America. Then, since I was leading the service on Sunday, we got on a bus Saturday morning and drove fourteen hours back... the bus from the border to Phnom Penh played the most obnoxious Khmer music the entire eight hours, and it was so loud that you couldn't even hold a conversation! I am posting a video and a picture...
We also got to drive through the girls' home town/province Pursat; although they were not with us--still can't leave the country with them, yet.

Here I am with my beloved McDonalds... BIG BIG DRINK! No free refills though... but I have gotten used to drinking a can of coke with my meals, so I did not need to refill that cup...

Here is a video of eight hours of our life... ok, it is not really eight hours, but it summarizes eight hours of our life... on a Cambodian bus. Word of advice, take the Mekong Express.

Pictures of School

Hey everyone,
I have been seeing all these posts on facebook about teachers and kids going back to school. We have been going strong since our four week break in December--with a few random Khmer holidays and doctor visit days thrown into the mix. Here are some pictures of some of the stuff we have been doing. Firstly, the kids are now starting a break from Khmer school, so we, wanting to keep them busy and not on the streets, decided to do an activity afternoon. Basically, if you think of an elderly home... that is what we have been doing. The kids play board games, and we hot BINGO, and they watch movies. We still have school in the morning for the Middle age kids and Kindergarten, and then the older boys are with me in the afternoon, while Kelsi works with the activities... but I am gonna be honest, I have had the older boys join in on quite a few :) Here are the pictures from the last few weeks of school.

Some of the BYKTOA kids have been with us a while, and have had enough English that they are able to teach the newer kids the basics. Below Heng and Varee are working on the sounds used in the English language, Timothy and Katrona are working on sight words, Bee and Ratanak are working on sight words, and Gene and Hiang are doing sight words.

The pictures now are of the kids doing game day. The older boys joined in, and they played all the board games out of our closet. On a different day (not pictured), we let them do the puzzles, and they really got into them... until Ratana, Savorn, and Bunro found out that the one they were working on didn't have all the pieces... oops.  

On Friday before we took a week off, I coordinated a big group game day. Basically, I googled "group camp games" and found some cool ones. Below is a picture of the kids playing human "Gou." Gou is a Khmer game that uses the same pieces from a standard Chess set. It is between chess and checkers as far as difficulty goes. What you can't see is a the tape on the floor denoting the edge of the board. We also played balloon volleyball, and other things for like three hours. The kids liked it a lot, and I had some fun too.

We decided to start up the Flat Stanley program (more on that later... it is still in progress). These pictures are of the kids voting on the two that they liked best. If you don't know anything about Flat Stanley, just google it :)

The kids have a favorite game now. After we played BINGO for the first time, they have been asking to play again (we are going to play today). We had prizes and such, and they had way more fun than I thought they would... also, these pictures prove that our summer program is based on the same programs they use at elderly homes. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the picture tour. I will post some more on the other things that have been happening soon. We don't post that often about our work in the school... just wanted to let you guys know that we are still doing it! :) Have a great day!
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

Beach and Praise Report

Sue-su-day! (That means "Hi!")
Well it has been a relaxing week. Kelsi's parents are in town. When they come it is a huge blessing. They do all the dishes and wake up with the girls. They basically come alongside us and lift a little bit of our burden (actually, a lot of our burden). Last week, we took a week off of school and went to the beach. I think it is funny how perspective matters. I could tell you how the beach was awful, because it rained the whole time and blah blah blah, complain complain complain. Most of the time, I tune out when I start to hear complaining (I know that isn't very Christ like, and I know that I also do my fair share of complaining). In reality, it rained everyday constantly, and you know what... it was still amazing! When you live in Cambodia for long enough, rain really doesn't ruin anything. We swam in the ocean still, and had a very relaxing quiet time at our resort hotel (Kelsi's parents took care of the cost of that, by the way. Just another way they are a blessing to us). The girls loved the "big water" so much. They are from Pursat Province, and I am certain they had never been to the ocean before. We practiced in the hotel pool for a little bit the day before--I made big waves, so they weren't completely shocked. Abby kept asking to stand up on her own. She went under the water a couple times, and it didn't even seem to phase her. At the pool, she asked me over and over again to "jump with daddy," which involved me picking her up and jumping into the pool with her in my arms. We went under the water every time, and she still loved it. Lily was a little bit more laid back at the pool and the ocean. I have a feeling she will be a "tanner"--not that she needs it ;) She just wanted to stay in the shallow water at the pool and walk on the side holding papa's hand. When I got her into the water, she didn't want to play. All she wanted to do was float around the pool in my arms. We found out that Lily is car sick on this trip, too. She threw up the whole way to the beach, of course, I had no idea, because I am also very car sick... I was passed out in the back seat.  All in all, it was fantastic to get away from all the city sounds and sleep in air conditioning again! :)
Which brings me to my next topic. This is going to be a list of praise reports (bragging on God). Things that God has blessed us with in the past couple of weeks. A blessing in my mind is sometimes something we need and sometimes something that is extra that we really don't need. To start with our new apartment (which is perfect for us and God provided immensely in that way), we have already written the blog about how a friend of ours did a garage sale and provided the funds we needed to move into our new place and equip with our necessities. We had everything we needed, however, we were living without some things. We have had no air-conditioning, and no hot water, and the water pressure in our shower was like a faucet... less than a faucet. We also have a very narrow walkway to get out of our house, and our neighbors dog sticks his head through the fence and takes snips at the girls. It got to the point that we had to carry them, because they were frozen in fear of this vicious dog. I wanted to put up metal on the bars to block the walkway, and our repair man told me that it would cost about $40 dollars for the metal, and that would not include his labor. That doesn't seem like much, but I am gonna be honest with you guys and let you know that the last two months Kels and I had about $900 for the month, and we had to make quite a few cut backs. The reason for this amount is that NTNI takes our total giving for the month and takes a percentage out to help us save for emergencies. In reality, our giving has been about $1,000 a month. The last two months, we have run out of money about two weeks before our NTNI money was supposed to come. We had food, and we were fine. Like I said, this is about bragging on God. To go out of order, this month, Kelsi's parents came just as we were running out of money, and they took care of us. Next month, we weren't sure what to do. We made the announcement about Kelsi being pregnant, and I was going to include a paragraph about needing more support, but before I did, I posted it. Kels and I talked about it, and we wanted to make sure we didn't take it into our own hands too quickly. Most of the time, when people have problems, they jump right to fixing them, when they should really jump right to praying. So we did. We prayed and asked God to provide for next month, in the same way He had provided for this month. When our reports came in for August, I found that God answered our prayers. The report came just short of $3,000. After NTNI took out savings, we ended up having for the month of August $2,600... We didn't have any more supporters, for your information. This was due to our normal support base giving above and beyond what they normally give... all at the same time. We didn't need this huge amount right this second... I think that God was showing Himself faithful. Instead of trying to fix things immediately on our own, we simply placed it in God's hands, and He said, "Yeah. I can fix that. Let me show you how well I can fix things, when you trust in Me." I am sure everyone had their own reasons for giving more this month, but what ever reason, God used it show me once again that I can trust Him with all of my needs. As for the air-conditioning, no hot water, and no water pressure... to be honest, not having air-conditioning was not the worst thing, and of course when it is hot, a cold shower is actually pretty nice. Nevertheless, Kelsi's grandparents gave us the money to put in an air-con and install a water pump for the shower. The air-con ended up being less expensive than we thought, and so we also got to buy a water heater for the shower--which made our water pressure even better! With the giving this month, we decided to put the metal on the fence, and a light in the walkway, so we don't have to fumble in the darkness when we come home late, and the dog can't bite the girls. These are things that are not really needed, but have been a huge blessing. Kelsi's parents also bought us a bed, couch--since ours was eaten by termites and literally fell apart when you sat on it--and cabinets and storage for the kitchen...  Kels put it right last night. She told me that she felt spoiled. I think it is important to remember that we don't really need these things. We will one day die, and these things will not come to heaven with us. And there are many in Cambodia who live without these things. One reason Kels and I didn't make an announcement to raise funds for an air-conditioning and such, was because we both knew that these things were not something that we had to have to live, but were comforts... so many comforts. We didn't want to clutter our lives with comforts, especially at the expense of someone else. Now, some might say that with Kelsi being pregnant, an air-conditioning is a necessity... especially since she will be at the last stages of it, when hot season gets here. I hope that in reading this, what comes to mind is "God is gracious!" "God is good!" If grace is when we get what we don't deserve, Kels and I have received quite a bit of it lately with our living situation. I think we would have been just fine living on in our apartment the way it was, but I am so blessed to have a little place, in this big uncomfortable country of Cambodia, to be at home.
That is all for now! Thank you to everyone who made this blog possible.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens

Update for June

Hello Everybody!To start off this blog, I wanted to share a picture of the girls. In case you still don't get it... Kelsi is PREGNANT! I know right... Just in case some of you are freaking out right now, thinking that Kelsi will be having a baby in a ditch somewhere, you should know that having a baby in Phnom Penh, Cambodia is not as dangerous or terrifying as you might think. We have a midwife as a doctor, and all of the same technology as in the states. Kelsi is already on the pregnancy vitamins and we have gone in for her first check up. She is about seven and half weeks along, and we have been told that we can hear the baby's heart beat some time this week :) Abby and Lily love the idea of having a baby sister or brother. Abby everyday asks about the baby in mommy's tummy. Kelsi is also dealing a lot with morning sickness, and afternoon sickness, and night time sickness... Abby asked why mommy didn't feel good, and I told her it was because she had a baby in her tummy, and now Abby won't drop that. Also, Lily has gotten old enough that she has started protesting that she is the baby. Abby asked her today if she was the baby, and she said "no." and shook her head like Lily does... I'll have to get a video of it some time. Abby then said, "Lily not the baby. The baby in mommy's tummy." Yes, yes it is... Please pray for Kelsi during this time. We are so excited to be making this addition to our little family :)


On another note, the night before Kelsi's first appointment, I could not sleep... I was burning with a fever, and every muscle in my body was aching. That morning, I touched Kelsi's back, and she said that it burnt. I stayed home from school, but I really wanted to go to the appointment, so we left together at eleven. We got to the doctor and went through all the routine questions about the due date and such, and Kelsi left to go pee in a cup. While she was out, I told Gloria how I didn't sleep last night and everything else, and she said she wanted to do a blood test, but she was pretty sure she knew what was wrong. We got the blood test, and found that I had dengue and typhoid. Dengue attacks your immune system and makes your muscles ache, and typhoid makes you have diarrhea, head aches, fevers that come and go, and it also makes you have an extremely low blood count (I'm not sure though... "I'm a teacher, not a doctor, Jim!") . Some of these symptoms may actually be the dengue, I am not sure... Google it, if you are curious. In either case, I was down for a week and a half, and I am now back up and teaching again. I would like for there to be more to the story, but I really just slept for a week and a half and took pills twice a day. My experience with it was being really dizzy whenever I stood up, and my chest hurting whenever I would breath. I was also really hot for some of the time. Mostly, it was just really annoying, because when I was laying down, I felt mostly fine, and I could hear Kelsi taking care of the girls and the whole house, and I could do absolutely nothing to help her, knowing that she was not feeling at all well, either. My wife is amazing. 

If you were wondering why we had not posted on the blog in a while, now you know ;)We also have some amazing teams here helping us with special projects, and they really stepped up when I was down. Another reason I love having teams here--they fill needs that would otherwise be difficult to fill. 


I had some really good time with God during my week and a half of laying in bed. I learned a very important lesson on humility, as well. I was completely gone, without notice for over a week, and you know what... School kept on going, BYKOTA House did not come to a crashing halt. My girls did not starve to death. Things kept on going on, even though I was not there. Some might say that just means I am not a very important person, or my job isn't very important, but I wonder if all of us need to have this humility check. None of our jobs are so important that if we were gone for a week (or forever) we could not be replaced. We sometimes get the mindset that if we don't do something, it won't get done. I understand that there are special jobs that are done by special people, but lets all take an honest look at the only person in the universe who's job must continually be done. And if He were to be gone for a week, everything would come to a crashing halt. Things did not keep on going as if nothing changed, while I was gone, but things did keep on going in some way. This humility check is what allows me to take a Sabbath rest every Sunday, and every night as I sleep. And this humility check reminds me that I am not as necessary as I make myself out to be. As Solomon in all his wisdom wrote, "18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity." -Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 And at the end of Ecclesiastes: "13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. I know that one day I will die, and nothing I have done on earth will really matter to those still on earth, but I also know for whom I do things. I toil not for others, but for God. And as Jesus says in Matthew 6, I am not storing up my treasures on earth (doing things for others to see), but I am storing up my treasures in heaven (doing everything for the Lord to see). Ultimately, what I do is only important, because I do it for the Lord, and one of these days, I will be gone for more than a week, and on that day, someone will replace my work. I am not so proud to say that I am too important to not be around. For now, the dengue and typhoid didn't kill me, so I am feeling pretty invincible. I love the joys of life, and the gift that God has given us to be here. I love my wife, and my daughters, and my soon to be son... :D just kidding-we don't know whether it is a boy or a girl, and I would love to have three daughters just as much as I would love to have two daughters and a son. I love serving the Lord, and living every day for Him, knowing that one day, I will be with Him face to face. 

To sum up this blog post:

Kelsi is PREGNANT! WOOT WOOT!
I don't have Dengue and Typhoid anymore! WOOT WOOT!
And it might be time to have a humility check.... I won't woot for that one ;)

Thank you to everyone who faithfully prays for us and supports us. We could not be here without you. If you were to be gone, we would notice ;) 
BecauseHeLives,

The Bergens. 

Cambodian French Toast

In case you were wondering what breakfast looks like on some mornings...

Rice, brown sugar, cinnamon... Tastes like... Cambodian French toast!

We're Biking in the Rain!

As not a lot of you know, Kelsi, Abby, Lily, and I have been riding our bikes to school since we moved into our new place. It is now beginning to be rainy season, an this afternoon was the first time that we have had to ride home in a down poor (definitely will not be the last). Here is a video of what the girls thought of it :)

BecauseHeLives,

The Bergens.

Bibles!!!

Jordan showed up with a suitcase with 

Khmer Bibles in it! I asked how many, and it was the exact number I needed: 12! I now have school Bibles for all the BYKOTA School kids! Here are the pictures of the kids reading God's Word in their own language :)