We have been in the states now for over a month. The time is going by really slowly, which we really appreciate. Leading up to our departure, we felt like we would never get here, but now the slow passing time is a blessing. We have been visiting with family and friends and have enjoyed more pajama days than I am willing to admit. All in all, the girls love it here. I do not think that they expected it to be as cold as it is, but they think America is awesome! This is probably due to the fact that they love sleep-overs and this month has basically been a non-stop sleep-over at different people's houses.
I have been thinking about blogging for the last week, but could not really think of anything "blog worthy" (as if anything on here is). I am going to write about a lesson that God is teaching me (Micah) right now.
I like to be busy. Like most people, I like to have a purpose. It is not so much about what other people think of me, but that I like to have things to do--it is just the way God made me, I guess. If you ask Kelsi, I am always wanting to work on projects. I have learned the lesson that I need to put Kelsi and the girls first in my priorities, but I still like my projects and work. Since being in America, I have not been doing too much. We are speaking at churches and trying to raise our monthly support (please be praying for that), but during the week, we are mostly just spending time at the Loyd house, and spending time playing with the girls. I noticed that I have been feeling kinda strange and some what distant in my relationship with God. The enemy took that as an opportunity to creep in and whisper the all-too familiar lie in my ear: "You don't really have a relationship with God. You are just acting like a Christian to make yourself feel better, ect..." That may just be me, but knowing that the enemy has very few tricks, I am thinking he probably tries it on you sometimes too. But it did make me think about my relationship with God (which we are instructed to do countless times in the Word--not from doubting but a healthy evaluation). When I start thinking about things, and when the devil is verbally attacking me, Kelsi usually takes notice, so she asked me what was up. After explaining what I was thinking, she spoke some great wisdom into the situation (single guys, keep your eyes open for a wise godly woman--I got mine). She told me that maybe God was trying to teach me to rest in Him. I know the importance of Sabbaths and the humility that comes with taking a break, but resting in God is not my strongest point. We go through seasons in our lives when we are laboring in the field (really until we get to heaven), but there are times when God calls us to breath for a moment--not because we are too tired to carry on--but because He wants us to enjoy Him. I really enjoy being obedient to God's calling... teaching and projects are who He made me to be. I like doing things and especially check-lists :) But without those things, is God enough to satisfy? Can I get in God's presence and just be content to be quiet? The season I am in now is a season of resting in God, and I am finding it difficult to just be quiet and still. I am grateful that God can speak wisdom into my heart through my lovely wife, and I am practicing resting--trying to clear my to-do lists and just sit with God in the quiet. I am satisfied with Christ, and I am so blessed to have this time to take a step back and remember why I follow Him--because He is the only spring of life that truly satisfies.
Thank you to all our supporters for your prayer and financial sponsorship. We are blessed by your faithful obedience, and this time in the states could not have happened without you!
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
December 20, 2014
November 23, 2014
Abby's Eye
Most of you know that Abigail fell when she was young and damaged her right eye. This happened when she was a little over a year old. The last time Ron came to visit (Abby and Lily's biological mother), Abby came home from visiting with her with a new story about her eye. We had been previously told that she fell on a stick, but now Abby says that she ran into a hammer that was hanging on her grandpa's belt. This story seems likely to me, because she is always running around without watching where she is going. Which ever story is true, she is blind in that eye, and that is a fact.
We have taken Abby to an eye specialist in Cambodia, and after two seconds of looking into it with a light, he told us that she would never be able to see out of it, and that the stitches should be left alone unless they caused her problems. Obviously, Kelsi and I did not want this to be true. We wanted there to be some surgery that could be done, so that she could see out of that eye again. We let it go, but when we found out that we were going to get to come to the States, we decided to go ahead with a second opinion.
We went to see Dr. Susie sometime last week, and did not take pictures, because it slipped my mind. It was funny, because during the pre-check up, one of the assistants was going through the motions and came to a test with some glasses, and she said, "Have you ever been to a 3D movie?" I replied, "Yes, but she doesn't like them, because the glasses don't work for her." The assistant looked perplexed, so I added, "You have to have both eyes working to see 3D..." She looked kind of embarrassed and said, "Well, I guess we won't do that test..." Yeah... probably not.
Once we got in to see Dr. Susie, I was excited to ask the question... but before we got there, we found out that Abby is nearsighted. She will be getting glasses eventually, but not quite yet. The doctor told us that she would love to slap some glasses on her to protect her good eye, but she is still a little young for glasses. What a shock! Abby is going to wear glasses for the rest of her life!? I guess I couldn't give her my great sight, since she is technically not biologically mine... oh well.
We finally got to ask about Abby's blind eye, and Dr. Susie took a look inside. The doctor in Cambodia missed that Abby does still have part of her iris left, so she could be eligible for a cornea transplant. I was really excited, but then the bad news came. Even though she could technically get the transplant, her brain has already developed for three years with one eye, and there is a slim chance that it would adjust to having two eyes. Dr. Susie said that it would be hard to find a surgeon who would take the chance on it. She is still young enough to maybe pursue it, but we would need to be stateside with insurance before we tried anything with it.
It is looking like Abby is just going to have one eye. She is already quite adjusted to it, and most of the time, I forget that she is blind in that eye. We are super grateful to Dr. Susie for the check up. She was great with Abby and answered all of our questions with grace and kindness. And on top of it all, she gave us the visit for free. Such a blessing to our family! When/If we get back for good, she will definitely be our eye doctor.
Well that is your update on Abby's eye. Hopefully it answered some questions you might have about her vision and what we could do about it. We get asked all the time, "Will she ever be able to see out of that eye?" Like most things, God could work a miracle and give her vision... or He could show His glory in her through her testimony of a life with one good eye. Just as in the story with the man born blind, Jesus explained that it was not about sin that he was born blind, but so that the glory of God might be shown in him. I believe the same thing for Abby. We all have a choice to live for the glory of God, and I believe that her heavenly Father has a plan for her life that will give her an opportunity to show His glory in an amazing way. That is my prayer for her at least.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
We have taken Abby to an eye specialist in Cambodia, and after two seconds of looking into it with a light, he told us that she would never be able to see out of it, and that the stitches should be left alone unless they caused her problems. Obviously, Kelsi and I did not want this to be true. We wanted there to be some surgery that could be done, so that she could see out of that eye again. We let it go, but when we found out that we were going to get to come to the States, we decided to go ahead with a second opinion.
We went to see Dr. Susie sometime last week, and did not take pictures, because it slipped my mind. It was funny, because during the pre-check up, one of the assistants was going through the motions and came to a test with some glasses, and she said, "Have you ever been to a 3D movie?" I replied, "Yes, but she doesn't like them, because the glasses don't work for her." The assistant looked perplexed, so I added, "You have to have both eyes working to see 3D..." She looked kind of embarrassed and said, "Well, I guess we won't do that test..." Yeah... probably not.
Once we got in to see Dr. Susie, I was excited to ask the question... but before we got there, we found out that Abby is nearsighted. She will be getting glasses eventually, but not quite yet. The doctor told us that she would love to slap some glasses on her to protect her good eye, but she is still a little young for glasses. What a shock! Abby is going to wear glasses for the rest of her life!? I guess I couldn't give her my great sight, since she is technically not biologically mine... oh well.
We finally got to ask about Abby's blind eye, and Dr. Susie took a look inside. The doctor in Cambodia missed that Abby does still have part of her iris left, so she could be eligible for a cornea transplant. I was really excited, but then the bad news came. Even though she could technically get the transplant, her brain has already developed for three years with one eye, and there is a slim chance that it would adjust to having two eyes. Dr. Susie said that it would be hard to find a surgeon who would take the chance on it. She is still young enough to maybe pursue it, but we would need to be stateside with insurance before we tried anything with it.
It is looking like Abby is just going to have one eye. She is already quite adjusted to it, and most of the time, I forget that she is blind in that eye. We are super grateful to Dr. Susie for the check up. She was great with Abby and answered all of our questions with grace and kindness. And on top of it all, she gave us the visit for free. Such a blessing to our family! When/If we get back for good, she will definitely be our eye doctor.
Well that is your update on Abby's eye. Hopefully it answered some questions you might have about her vision and what we could do about it. We get asked all the time, "Will she ever be able to see out of that eye?" Like most things, God could work a miracle and give her vision... or He could show His glory in her through her testimony of a life with one good eye. Just as in the story with the man born blind, Jesus explained that it was not about sin that he was born blind, but so that the glory of God might be shown in him. I believe the same thing for Abby. We all have a choice to live for the glory of God, and I believe that her heavenly Father has a plan for her life that will give her an opportunity to show His glory in an amazing way. That is my prayer for her at least.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
November 19, 2014
Airplane!
So I am finally getting around to writing about our flight. We have been in the states about a week now: praise God!!!
Our flight did not go exactly as we planned. Phnom Penh to Korea was great. Abigail freaked out when we took off for the first time--a good freak out. She loved flying. Lily didn't even pay attention to it. The flight was in the middle of the night, so the girls basically slept the whole flight. The only thing not so great about it was that I forgot to take some Dramamine before the descent, so I ended up being super sick. We had a seven hour layover in Korea, so I had plenty of time to recover. It is a great airport to have a layover in with children, because there is tons of room, and there are play-places. We were able to put some dance videos on for the girls on my computer, and we basically just waited at our gate. I ended up walking across the airport for some Subway, which was great! We made our flight and took off for our long flight.
One good thing about traveling with small children is that you get put to the front of the line on everything!
The long flight was all right. Kelsi and I sat in the middle and the girls were on either side of us. They again slept most of the flight, and when they were not sleeping, they were watching movies! To the person who thought of putting movies on the backs of seats in planes, I love you. The girls were amazing! Such troopers. When we landed in LAX, we knew that we had only about an hour and a half to make our connection--because our flight was delayed slightly. We were not super confident that we would make this flight, because we had to go through immigration and re-check our bags, and LAX is a terrible airport. We told our flight attendant that we were going to be on a short connection, and so when we landed, they put us on the fast track to go through everything.
We went through immigration, and went to the front of the line on multiple security things, but in the end, having to re-check our bags killed us. By the time we made it to the place to check our bags, they told us that we should just take them to the gate. When we got to the gate, they said that since we did not have our boarding passes, and it was only fifteen minutes to take off, they could not do anything for us. So instead of getting on that plane at 10:15 AM, we were to wait for the next flight at 6:30 PM.
LAX is not a good airport to have a long layover in, and by this point, we had already been traveling for about twenty hours. As we waited for our flight, it got pushed back to seven, and then eight, and then eight thirty. By the time we got on the plane, it was nine. All I can say is you might want to avoid LAX and Delta is not my favorite airline, but that is based on one experience.
All in all, we landed in Kansas City! It was a long journey, but the girls were so excited when they saw their memas and papa standing at the gate. They were so excited about being in America that Abby ran straight to go outside... I don't think that she realized how cold cold could be. When it snowed on Sunday, she picked it up with her bare hand and then said, "That is sooooo cold!" When we played in the snow for the first time, she didn't last one hour. At forty minutes into playing she said, "Daddy, I think we need to go inside... my hands are freezing!!!"
We are blessed to have this time in the states, and we are slowly getting over jet lag--it is much harder when you have a baby! Abby and Lily woke up at two in the morning the second night and said, "We don't want to sleep anymore..." And Melody has been waking up at four in the morning ready to play, after on and off sleeping. I can't complain though, because most babies sleep like that anyway, but Mel usually sleeps through the night! Oh well, in the words of Abby, "We're in America!!!" :)
We would love to see you guys, so please get in touch with us, so we can plan a time to meet up with you! Our email is micah.kelsi@gmail.com
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
Our flight did not go exactly as we planned. Phnom Penh to Korea was great. Abigail freaked out when we took off for the first time--a good freak out. She loved flying. Lily didn't even pay attention to it. The flight was in the middle of the night, so the girls basically slept the whole flight. The only thing not so great about it was that I forgot to take some Dramamine before the descent, so I ended up being super sick. We had a seven hour layover in Korea, so I had plenty of time to recover. It is a great airport to have a layover in with children, because there is tons of room, and there are play-places. We were able to put some dance videos on for the girls on my computer, and we basically just waited at our gate. I ended up walking across the airport for some Subway, which was great! We made our flight and took off for our long flight.
One good thing about traveling with small children is that you get put to the front of the line on everything!
The long flight was all right. Kelsi and I sat in the middle and the girls were on either side of us. They again slept most of the flight, and when they were not sleeping, they were watching movies! To the person who thought of putting movies on the backs of seats in planes, I love you. The girls were amazing! Such troopers. When we landed in LAX, we knew that we had only about an hour and a half to make our connection--because our flight was delayed slightly. We were not super confident that we would make this flight, because we had to go through immigration and re-check our bags, and LAX is a terrible airport. We told our flight attendant that we were going to be on a short connection, and so when we landed, they put us on the fast track to go through everything.
We went through immigration, and went to the front of the line on multiple security things, but in the end, having to re-check our bags killed us. By the time we made it to the place to check our bags, they told us that we should just take them to the gate. When we got to the gate, they said that since we did not have our boarding passes, and it was only fifteen minutes to take off, they could not do anything for us. So instead of getting on that plane at 10:15 AM, we were to wait for the next flight at 6:30 PM.
LAX is not a good airport to have a long layover in, and by this point, we had already been traveling for about twenty hours. As we waited for our flight, it got pushed back to seven, and then eight, and then eight thirty. By the time we got on the plane, it was nine. All I can say is you might want to avoid LAX and Delta is not my favorite airline, but that is based on one experience.
All in all, we landed in Kansas City! It was a long journey, but the girls were so excited when they saw their memas and papa standing at the gate. They were so excited about being in America that Abby ran straight to go outside... I don't think that she realized how cold cold could be. When it snowed on Sunday, she picked it up with her bare hand and then said, "That is sooooo cold!" When we played in the snow for the first time, she didn't last one hour. At forty minutes into playing she said, "Daddy, I think we need to go inside... my hands are freezing!!!"
We are blessed to have this time in the states, and we are slowly getting over jet lag--it is much harder when you have a baby! Abby and Lily woke up at two in the morning the second night and said, "We don't want to sleep anymore..." And Melody has been waking up at four in the morning ready to play, after on and off sleeping. I can't complain though, because most babies sleep like that anyway, but Mel usually sleeps through the night! Oh well, in the words of Abby, "We're in America!!!" :)
We would love to see you guys, so please get in touch with us, so we can plan a time to meet up with you! Our email is micah.kelsi@gmail.com
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
November 4, 2014
Abby Goes to the Dentist
Abby was complaining about her tooth, so we looked in her mouth and found that she had a tooth growing in behind her baby tooth (commonly called a "Shark Tooth") Her baby tooth was wiggly but was not ready to come out. We decided to take her to the dentist to have it extracted, so that her other tooth would fall into place correctly. Here is a photo tour of our experience :)
The whole procedure only took about five minutes. The dentist rubbed her gums with the numbing gel, and Abby screamed at that. When the dentist got out the pliers, Abby reacted as if it was a chainsaw. When the pliers went into her mouth she was not happy, but before she even had time to react, the tooth was out. The dentist asked me afterwards if I could help her to not be scared the next time... Hello, I bribed her with ice cream afterwards and held her hand and spoke to her in a calming voice the whole time. And leading up to it, I said over and over again that it would not hurt... what more could I do... seriously... any suggestions would be great... comment below.
It took me three tries to get her to finally hold this smile--showcasing her new gap :) The dentist told Abby not to stick her tongue in the whole or play with it for a while... who is she kidding, how can you resist? Abby kept telling me, "Daddy, I'm sticking my tongue in the hole :)"
As promised, afterwards we went to the new mall, and ate ice-cream. Abby picked the chocolate chocolate chocolate... I'm not sure if that is really what it was called, but it was a big bowl of chocolate things, and Abby ate it all by herself, because Lily is as stubborn as Kelsi, and when she found out she had to share, she would not eat a single bite of it... other than the cherry on top, which she did not have to share.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Thank you to everyone who prays for us and supports us. It is because of you that we were able to take Abby to the dentist and ice cream! You are a huge blessing to our family!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Abby was not excited. A couple nights before, I tried to pull the tooth out (how hard could it be?). When I was unable to get it out, I told her that she would have to go to the dentist, and she cried, "No! I don't want to go. You pull it out... I don't want to go to the dentist, cause it will hurt." I could not convince her that it would hurt less at the dentist than if I tried to pull it out...
It took me three tries to get her to finally hold this smile--showcasing her new gap :) The dentist told Abby not to stick her tongue in the whole or play with it for a while... who is she kidding, how can you resist? Abby kept telling me, "Daddy, I'm sticking my tongue in the hole :)"
Hope you enjoyed it!
Thank you to everyone who prays for us and supports us. It is because of you that we were able to take Abby to the dentist and ice cream! You are a huge blessing to our family!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
October 28, 2014
How Much Money Is This - Tickets!
So here is how this game works:
Take a guess at how much money is in the two bags. Abby and Lily have been saving for their trip home for over two years now, but it still amounts to less than $100. The square that is the correct answer is still open, so keep guessing. To guess, simply follow the instruction here and fill in the number which you believe is the amount in the bags. Then email us at micah.kelsi@gmail.com and let us know that you gave and guessed. The winner will receive a gift from Cambodia delivered by us when we come in two weeks!!!!
Here is the chart, again:
Here is the video!
Thank you so much to everyone who has already given towards this :) We are very excited to see everyone, and Abby and Lily pray each night and thank God for working all this out so that they can go see snow :)
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
October 24, 2014
Road Construction In Cambodia
In Cambodia, they do things a little differently than in the States. I have noticed that with construction projects, Cambodia seems to be much quicker, even though they have fewer resources available. This week, somebody in the Cambodian government decided that our road finally needed to be paved... well, in Cambodia, they don't pave things. Instead, they put up blockers and lay down a layer of concrete. I took a video of the guys working today. In the video, you will see a boy that could not be older than twelve helping to push the cart. Don't be too quick to judge this, because today is a Cambodian holiday, so he might just be tagging along to help; however, there is no age limitation on who can work in which fields--that I know of, at least. I hope you enjoy this look into our life here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia! We are very excited to be getting a new road :)
We are also glad that we already renegotiated our lease for next year (preemptively, because we wanted to have some security when we get back, and also because we need to know how much extra per month we will need) Our landlord is only increasing our rent to $250/month--it was $230. We are blessed that God has given us favor in her eyes. Hopefully, if we need to, we can keep renting this house for a long time.
Here is the video:
We are also glad that we already renegotiated our lease for next year (preemptively, because we wanted to have some security when we get back, and also because we need to know how much extra per month we will need) Our landlord is only increasing our rent to $250/month--it was $230. We are blessed that God has given us favor in her eyes. Hopefully, if we need to, we can keep renting this house for a long time.
Here is the video:
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
October 7, 2014
100th Post - Our Visa Adventure
This will be our 100th post on Mission Cambodia... And it is fitting that this post is the 100th, because it is the conclusion to a very large chapter in our lives and the beginning of a new one: Abby and Lily Go to America. The next chapters go something like this: Micah and Kelsi Pursue Full and Finalized Adoptions... but we will get there when we get back in February (spoilers).
This post is about the adventure that Abby, Lily, and I went on today.
It all started at 5:00 AM this morning. I woke up to the sound of my alarm, and it was quite alarming. I did not expect to sleep at all, but I hit my pillow like a lump and was in dream land before I knew the difference between it and reality. I guess I just had a peace that everything was going to be fine. The girls were up at five thirty and in a daze. We were in a Tuk Tuk by six. Our appointment was at seven, but it is a half hour drive to the Embassy and we did not want to be late... we were not. We stood in line outside the Embassy for a half an hour. After we got into the Embassy, we waited some more. After about thirty minutes (which, if you know anything about the U.S. Embassy, is a very short time), we were called to the window. I handed in our paperwork, and the employee looked at it for a moment and said, "These pictures are unacceptable. Please take this sheet with you, get new ones, and return before nine. Then you can continue the interview process." We ran to the closest photo shop (there are literally a bajillion in Cambodia), and had Abby and Lily pose for a new photos that were the correct size and positioning. After that, we rushed back to the Embassy. By this time, it was about eight thirty, and the girls were getting restless. We waited and waited and waited, until at last at ten thirty, we were called to the window for our interview. He asked for the forms again, and asked if I was the legal guardian of the girls, which I proudly answered, "Yes, we have foster care through the Ministry of Social Affairs," and it felt so good to say it. He asked about our relationship with the girls mother, and whether she knew we were taking them on this trip, to which I replied, "Yes, she actually helped us get the passports :)" He asked about our intentions to adopt, and I told him that we would love to adopt, if it ever became an option. Then he walked away for a while to make some copies and look over our forms. When he came back he asked about our plans in America. I told him, and he asked to see some kind of documentation of our roots in Cambodia, so I gave him our work contracts and a letter of recommendation from our director. And after waiting all morning, this thirty minute interview ended with him saying, "Well, everything looks great. I just need to make some copies and you will be all set." When he came back, he handed me a slip of blue paper and said, "You can pick up your visas on Thursday." And our adventure of the last five months ends with Abby, Lily, and I dancing outside the U.S. Embassy and screaming, "We're going to America!!!"
Obviously, some of you may be wondering about our plane tickets. It seems as though we have not been too worried about them at all, and there is a reason. Kelsi's parents offered to pay the difference after we tried to raise the money. A couple days ago, when I made the visa appointment, we went ahead and began to book our flights through a ministry that allows you to do early booking without cash in hand immediately. Today, along with visas, we also got our e-tickets for our trip home. We will be departing on November 12th, earlier than even Kelsi hoped for initially.
We decided to go with one way tickets (don't get excited, we are coming back to Cambodia), so that we can raise funds for our trip back while we are in the states. Please consider donating towards this. There are instructions on our post here:
http://missioncambodia-bergen.blogspot.com/2014/09/plane-tickets-and-game.html
Kelsi's family has been way generous to us (I hope they don't mind me saying it), and we would love to take more of this burden off their shoulders. They are such a blessing to us, and we could in no way repay them, and I don't think that they would ever ask us to.
So, I guess I will be seeing all of you sometime between the months of November and February, with all my girls by my side. Speaking of my girls, they are awesome. Abby and Lily handled a five hour wait at the Embassy like pros--no melt downs, obedient as all get out, and with great attitudes the whole time. They are great :) You guys will love meeting them! Pray for our flight!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
This post is about the adventure that Abby, Lily, and I went on today.
It all started at 5:00 AM this morning. I woke up to the sound of my alarm, and it was quite alarming. I did not expect to sleep at all, but I hit my pillow like a lump and was in dream land before I knew the difference between it and reality. I guess I just had a peace that everything was going to be fine. The girls were up at five thirty and in a daze. We were in a Tuk Tuk by six. Our appointment was at seven, but it is a half hour drive to the Embassy and we did not want to be late... we were not. We stood in line outside the Embassy for a half an hour. After we got into the Embassy, we waited some more. After about thirty minutes (which, if you know anything about the U.S. Embassy, is a very short time), we were called to the window. I handed in our paperwork, and the employee looked at it for a moment and said, "These pictures are unacceptable. Please take this sheet with you, get new ones, and return before nine. Then you can continue the interview process." We ran to the closest photo shop (there are literally a bajillion in Cambodia), and had Abby and Lily pose for a new photos that were the correct size and positioning. After that, we rushed back to the Embassy. By this time, it was about eight thirty, and the girls were getting restless. We waited and waited and waited, until at last at ten thirty, we were called to the window for our interview. He asked for the forms again, and asked if I was the legal guardian of the girls, which I proudly answered, "Yes, we have foster care through the Ministry of Social Affairs," and it felt so good to say it. He asked about our relationship with the girls mother, and whether she knew we were taking them on this trip, to which I replied, "Yes, she actually helped us get the passports :)" He asked about our intentions to adopt, and I told him that we would love to adopt, if it ever became an option. Then he walked away for a while to make some copies and look over our forms. When he came back he asked about our plans in America. I told him, and he asked to see some kind of documentation of our roots in Cambodia, so I gave him our work contracts and a letter of recommendation from our director. And after waiting all morning, this thirty minute interview ended with him saying, "Well, everything looks great. I just need to make some copies and you will be all set." When he came back, he handed me a slip of blue paper and said, "You can pick up your visas on Thursday." And our adventure of the last five months ends with Abby, Lily, and I dancing outside the U.S. Embassy and screaming, "We're going to America!!!"
Celebratory Ice Cream :)
Obviously, some of you may be wondering about our plane tickets. It seems as though we have not been too worried about them at all, and there is a reason. Kelsi's parents offered to pay the difference after we tried to raise the money. A couple days ago, when I made the visa appointment, we went ahead and began to book our flights through a ministry that allows you to do early booking without cash in hand immediately. Today, along with visas, we also got our e-tickets for our trip home. We will be departing on November 12th, earlier than even Kelsi hoped for initially.
We decided to go with one way tickets (don't get excited, we are coming back to Cambodia), so that we can raise funds for our trip back while we are in the states. Please consider donating towards this. There are instructions on our post here:
http://missioncambodia-bergen.blogspot.com/2014/09/plane-tickets-and-game.html
Kelsi's family has been way generous to us (I hope they don't mind me saying it), and we would love to take more of this burden off their shoulders. They are such a blessing to us, and we could in no way repay them, and I don't think that they would ever ask us to.
So, I guess I will be seeing all of you sometime between the months of November and February, with all my girls by my side. Speaking of my girls, they are awesome. Abby and Lily handled a five hour wait at the Embassy like pros--no melt downs, obedient as all get out, and with great attitudes the whole time. They are great :) You guys will love meeting them! Pray for our flight!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
October 6, 2014
Foster Care, Passports, and Visas Oh My!
I am in complete astonishment. Can I just tell you about our amazing God!? Months ago, Kelsi said that she was praying and just felt like God told her that we would get to go home for Christmas this year, and I said, "Awesome. We got a lot to do, but if it is God's will, we will get it done." As I said this, I was thinking, "I hope she doesn't get her hopes up too much..." We have had so many things that we got excited about and then didn't happen, and I just didn't want Kelsi to get burned again. Really, I was questioning whether Kelsi actually heard from God or not, because I didn't have that sense... But I also know that my wife is an amazing, godly, wise women, and so I trusted her. At this time, we had no foster care, and we had not even started to work on it. I began to pray this simple prayer over and over again: "God, I believe, please help my unbelief." Kelsi went to America for a month, and I got busy on the paperwork... two months later, we got foster care, but it was getting close to those dates Kelsi had said. We immediately applied for travel permissions and passports, and within the month, got both. With passports in hand, we had just to apply for visas. I had mentioned that October 20th was our appointment date, and it was killing me that I had to wait until then, because it is so hard to get prepared to go with that little bit of uncertainty. I prayed like crazy, "God, I know that it doesn't really matter, but can we please go in for our interview sooner than that?" I sent an email to the Embassy with questions about various paper work things and included a query about possibly moving our appointment up, even though we didn't really have a good reason. I got a response that said if I had technical difficulties, I could call the helpline for help... I decided to let it rest, because I didn't really have a reason to move the appointment to an earlier date, other than just wanting to get it done as soon as possible! I prayed again, "God, I can wait. I know that you will work it out in Your timing. I'm not worried about it, please help me to be patient." About an hour later, I check my email again, and there is a new email from the Embassy stating that there are openings for appointments tomorrow... I just shook my head and muttered under my breath, "Nice one, God." I am so blessed to be here... by here, I mean in the midst of God's will. Since Kels and I have been in Cambodia, it has been hard, but I just continue to say... Our God is faithful! He is trustworthy! Even in the pain and difficulties, He shows Himself good! Why do we doubt, brothers and sisters, when He constantly proves Himself to be a great and good God?
Please pray for us for tomorrow. Our interview is scheduled for 7:00 AM, but most of the time it takes all day of waiting for your turn, so I don't know exactly when we will have our interview--by "we" and "our" I am referring to Abby, Lily, and I. If you would like to be on your knees at the right time, we are twelve hours ahead, so on Monday night at 7:00 PM, just pray for us. Pray for favor and wisdom, and that the girls are able to wait patiently for the interview, since we are not aloud to bring anything in other than paperwork for the interview. Even pray that we do not have to wait for very long for our interview. And most of all, remember to thank God for His goodness, thus far.
I was telling Abby the other night, during our prayer time, that she needed to pray for passports, and she said, "But we already have passports," and I said, "So we need to thank God for them." Don't be too distracted by new needs or the enjoyment of the blessing to remember and praise God for what He has already done! All glory to God!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Please pray for us for tomorrow. Our interview is scheduled for 7:00 AM, but most of the time it takes all day of waiting for your turn, so I don't know exactly when we will have our interview--by "we" and "our" I am referring to Abby, Lily, and I. If you would like to be on your knees at the right time, we are twelve hours ahead, so on Monday night at 7:00 PM, just pray for us. Pray for favor and wisdom, and that the girls are able to wait patiently for the interview, since we are not aloud to bring anything in other than paperwork for the interview. Even pray that we do not have to wait for very long for our interview. And most of all, remember to thank God for His goodness, thus far.
I was telling Abby the other night, during our prayer time, that she needed to pray for passports, and she said, "But we already have passports," and I said, "So we need to thank God for them." Don't be too distracted by new needs or the enjoyment of the blessing to remember and praise God for what He has already done! All glory to God!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
October 1, 2014
Bible Study Corner: Commandments
Last week we had a Khmer holiday. Because of this, half of our students were away at province. We decided for this week to do a combined class of elementary and youth, and then have the afternoon off. Because we had been doing different Bible studies for these two groups (the youth are going verse by verse through Mark and the Elementary are going through the whole Bible as a story overview), we decided to do a topical study for this week on God's commandments. We have been doing a back to the basics focus on Tuesday night small group (using the verses from the Navigator's Topical Memory Verse System and teaching our way through them), and we just finished John 14:22 and Romans 12:1. Both these verses speak on being obedient to God. We focused on the first verse (John 14:22), and spent five days on it. Here is how our days worked out:
Day 1: Why does God have commandments?
We discussed the purpose of God's laws. I started by talking about why I have rules in our classroom. I asked, "Why do we raise our hands to speak?" and the kids came up with great answers. I had them all tell me their favorite colors at the same time, and then asked Varee if she could tell me what Linda said... no. Of course, because they both spoke at the same time. We have the rules for a purpose so that everyone feels heard and so that we can show respect to one another. I also asked why we had the rule of not going to the internet cafe, and they all know that it is for their protection. That is why God has laws and commandments, so that we know how to live in unity with each other and so that we can stay away from those things that bring us harm.
Day 2: What does it mean to love God?
On this day we discussed what it means to love God. Jesus said that if we loved Him then we would obey Him. This seems obvious to me, because for me to say that I love my mom but then to be rebellious is to speak with my words love and speak hate with my actions. So that is what we talked about: loving God with our actions and obedience. To love God is more than to just simply have good feelings towards God. To love God is to follow Him and do what He says, and not out of some robotic response, but out of trust in Him as our Father. He knows what is best for us, and we trust that He does what He says, and does everything in our best interest, and that is why we obey Him.
Day 3: How do we obey God's Commandments?
On this day, we talked about the importance of Jesus' work on the cross to free us from the bondage of sin, and the necessity of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and leading us in holiness. I gave the analogy of being locked in prison. You can not get your chains off or escape by yourself, and you aren't even really sure you want to. Jesus comes and opens the door to your cell and unlocks your chains. You are free to leave, but you still have to make the choice to leave. When you decide to leave, you find that you are completely lost in the prison. There are so many halls and doors, but the Holy Spirit comes and leads you step by step through it all, until you finally reach the exit. In this picture, Jesus has done the work on the cross so that we are no longer trapped by sin in our life. We are able to leave it behind. The Holy Spirit teaches us to walk according to God's ways, and He will continue to work in our lives showing us sin that needs to be dealt with, until that glorious day we see God face to face, and we will finally be made perfect, but we must continue to walk with Him, listening to His guidance, or else we may stop in another cell and decide to stay, because of the luxuries in that place. We must continue to follow until we finally exit this wretched prison of our own wills and flesh and are given new bodies of immortal glory. Ultimately, the answer to the question is that we can not obey God's commandments on our own. It is only by the Holy Spirit and through Jesus' work on the cross that we are able to obey God.
Day 4: How do we learn/know God's Commandments?
On this day, we talked about the importance of being in God's word. We believe that God's word is the instructional manual for our lives, and so to learn to have life to the fullest, we need to be studying it daily, and memorizing it. But not only reading God's word, asking Him to reveal to us areas in which we fall short and allowing it to change our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We learn God's commandments by reading His word and also listening to the Holy Spirit's still small voice in our daily lives. Obedience to God starts with knowing what He expects of us.
Day 5: What happens when we disobey God's Commandments?
I decided to use an analogy on this day that I have used before but, this time, I added something to it. Here is the analogy, and I know that it is not perfect, but I hope that it is helpful:
Pretend that you have just received a brand new toy. It is fantastic. It has movable parts. It lights up and flashes, and walks across the room without you having to touch it. The person who gave you this toy also gave you three rules: 1. Do not touch the button on the back of the toy, because it will shock you. 2. Keep this toy dry. 3. Keep this toy away from small children. So the first thing you do is turn the toy around and push the button on the back, right? I mean come on... "It will shock me"? That just doesn't make any sense. And BUZZ!! You get shocked. The next day, all your friends are going to the pool, and you really wanna go, but you also don't want to leave your new favorite toy behind, so you decide to put it in a plastic bag... that will keep it safe. But inevitably, the bag breaks and the toy is ruined. All the lights stop working. It doesn't move on its own anymore. But at least it still has the cool pieces that come off and on, so you still think it is fun to play with. The next day, you decide to let your little sister play with the toy. She picks up one of the small pieces, eats it, and chokes to death.
So what happens when we disobey God's commandments?
1. We get hurt.
2. We ruin things that God gave to us for our enjoyment.
3. We hurt others.
Why do we disobey God's commandments? Or How do not take God's commandments seriously?
1. Because we do not trust that the consequences are real or that we will face judgement
(Just as Eve believed the lie of the serpent when he told her that she would not surely die).
2. We decide that if we are careful that we can get as close to sinning as possible and still not feel the consequences. We think, "Just one time won't hurt" or "I will be careful" and then everything is ruined and we are trapped in habitual sin.
3. We just simply do not care about others. If something does not effect me, then I do not care if hurts someone else. This is the core of our selfish nature that God is trying to root out of us. The truth is that no sin is contained to just myself. This is why there is evil in the world, and why God allows it (we have the choice to obey or disobey Him--so that we can have genuine love--and when we disobey, our sin hurts others around us).
So that is what we have been studying at School of the Nations. I'm not sure if this is at all interesting for anyone to read, but I hope that it helps all you Bible teachers out there. I appreciate all the prayer for our kids and for myself. It gets difficult sometimes to teach the Bible every single day, but God is good and He is always providing great lessons not just for the kids but also for me. Please continue to pray for us, as we teach. Pray that God would speak through us, and that His word would penetrate the hearts of the kids. Pray that we would not just teach with our lips, but also with our lives. Pray that the kids would not just be hearers of His word, but also doers of it. Thanks in advance for those prayers!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Day 1: Why does God have commandments?
We discussed the purpose of God's laws. I started by talking about why I have rules in our classroom. I asked, "Why do we raise our hands to speak?" and the kids came up with great answers. I had them all tell me their favorite colors at the same time, and then asked Varee if she could tell me what Linda said... no. Of course, because they both spoke at the same time. We have the rules for a purpose so that everyone feels heard and so that we can show respect to one another. I also asked why we had the rule of not going to the internet cafe, and they all know that it is for their protection. That is why God has laws and commandments, so that we know how to live in unity with each other and so that we can stay away from those things that bring us harm.
Day 2: What does it mean to love God?
On this day we discussed what it means to love God. Jesus said that if we loved Him then we would obey Him. This seems obvious to me, because for me to say that I love my mom but then to be rebellious is to speak with my words love and speak hate with my actions. So that is what we talked about: loving God with our actions and obedience. To love God is more than to just simply have good feelings towards God. To love God is to follow Him and do what He says, and not out of some robotic response, but out of trust in Him as our Father. He knows what is best for us, and we trust that He does what He says, and does everything in our best interest, and that is why we obey Him.
Day 3: How do we obey God's Commandments?
On this day, we talked about the importance of Jesus' work on the cross to free us from the bondage of sin, and the necessity of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and leading us in holiness. I gave the analogy of being locked in prison. You can not get your chains off or escape by yourself, and you aren't even really sure you want to. Jesus comes and opens the door to your cell and unlocks your chains. You are free to leave, but you still have to make the choice to leave. When you decide to leave, you find that you are completely lost in the prison. There are so many halls and doors, but the Holy Spirit comes and leads you step by step through it all, until you finally reach the exit. In this picture, Jesus has done the work on the cross so that we are no longer trapped by sin in our life. We are able to leave it behind. The Holy Spirit teaches us to walk according to God's ways, and He will continue to work in our lives showing us sin that needs to be dealt with, until that glorious day we see God face to face, and we will finally be made perfect, but we must continue to walk with Him, listening to His guidance, or else we may stop in another cell and decide to stay, because of the luxuries in that place. We must continue to follow until we finally exit this wretched prison of our own wills and flesh and are given new bodies of immortal glory. Ultimately, the answer to the question is that we can not obey God's commandments on our own. It is only by the Holy Spirit and through Jesus' work on the cross that we are able to obey God.
Day 4: How do we learn/know God's Commandments?
On this day, we talked about the importance of being in God's word. We believe that God's word is the instructional manual for our lives, and so to learn to have life to the fullest, we need to be studying it daily, and memorizing it. But not only reading God's word, asking Him to reveal to us areas in which we fall short and allowing it to change our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We learn God's commandments by reading His word and also listening to the Holy Spirit's still small voice in our daily lives. Obedience to God starts with knowing what He expects of us.
Day 5: What happens when we disobey God's Commandments?
I decided to use an analogy on this day that I have used before but, this time, I added something to it. Here is the analogy, and I know that it is not perfect, but I hope that it is helpful:
Pretend that you have just received a brand new toy. It is fantastic. It has movable parts. It lights up and flashes, and walks across the room without you having to touch it. The person who gave you this toy also gave you three rules: 1. Do not touch the button on the back of the toy, because it will shock you. 2. Keep this toy dry. 3. Keep this toy away from small children. So the first thing you do is turn the toy around and push the button on the back, right? I mean come on... "It will shock me"? That just doesn't make any sense. And BUZZ!! You get shocked. The next day, all your friends are going to the pool, and you really wanna go, but you also don't want to leave your new favorite toy behind, so you decide to put it in a plastic bag... that will keep it safe. But inevitably, the bag breaks and the toy is ruined. All the lights stop working. It doesn't move on its own anymore. But at least it still has the cool pieces that come off and on, so you still think it is fun to play with. The next day, you decide to let your little sister play with the toy. She picks up one of the small pieces, eats it, and chokes to death.
So what happens when we disobey God's commandments?
1. We get hurt.
2. We ruin things that God gave to us for our enjoyment.
3. We hurt others.
Why do we disobey God's commandments? Or How do not take God's commandments seriously?
1. Because we do not trust that the consequences are real or that we will face judgement
(Just as Eve believed the lie of the serpent when he told her that she would not surely die).
2. We decide that if we are careful that we can get as close to sinning as possible and still not feel the consequences. We think, "Just one time won't hurt" or "I will be careful" and then everything is ruined and we are trapped in habitual sin.
3. We just simply do not care about others. If something does not effect me, then I do not care if hurts someone else. This is the core of our selfish nature that God is trying to root out of us. The truth is that no sin is contained to just myself. This is why there is evil in the world, and why God allows it (we have the choice to obey or disobey Him--so that we can have genuine love--and when we disobey, our sin hurts others around us).
So that is what we have been studying at School of the Nations. I'm not sure if this is at all interesting for anyone to read, but I hope that it helps all you Bible teachers out there. I appreciate all the prayer for our kids and for myself. It gets difficult sometimes to teach the Bible every single day, but God is good and He is always providing great lessons not just for the kids but also for me. Please continue to pray for us, as we teach. Pray that God would speak through us, and that His word would penetrate the hearts of the kids. Pray that we would not just teach with our lips, but also with our lives. Pray that the kids would not just be hearers of His word, but also doers of it. Thanks in advance for those prayers!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
September 11, 2014
Fly Us Home [UPDATE 10/29/2014]
Here is how it works:
Each person chooses one of the squares to fill. You fill in a square by donating the money that is equal to the numerical value of that square. So for instance, I could donate $10. Now, the ten dollars could fill the 10 slot or it could fill the 1,2,3, and 4 slots. The number doesn't matter too much; it could be your age, or your birthday. It is also nice because not everyone can donate $100, but you can pray and as God leads, donate what you are able to give. As people donate, I will fill in the squares and re-post the picture. After all the squares are filled, we will be fully funded for our plane tickets!
You can donate one of these two ways:
The first is to give online through NTNI. Follow the link, fill out the information, and make sure to select Bergen Micah and Kelsi under the "Please Direct My Donation To." If you have any questions, feel free to email me at micah.kelsi@gmail.com
The website is https://secure.qgiv.com/for/?key=MRLA8TFTN6BQB2XMUFK2
If you prefer to donate with a check, simply make the check out to Nation to Nation International (NTNI), write 777-Cambodia in the memo line, and mail it to Nation to Nation International PO Box 1607 Joplin, MO 64802.
Please email us at micah.kelsi@gmail.com with the amount you donated.
You may think that this could no where near cover the cost of plane tickets for an entire family, but it amounts to $5,050, which is about the costs we have been seeing as we begin searching for flights.
Although we have plane tickets purchased to get to the U.S. we are still needing to buy tickets to come back to Cambodia. We would also very much like to ease the burden of the Loyd family, who have shouldered our one way tickets to the States, so that we could get the best deal on them.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
September 7, 2014
Family Matters: Our Little Princesses
After receiving the letter of approval for foster care, we decided to celebrate. Kelsi had brought back some princess dress up clothes from Mema Bergen (my mom), and Kelsi thought that they were the perfect way to celebrate. Here is a video of the girls trying them on for the first time. They absolutely love them, and at home, they have worn nothing else but these dresses, since Monday. Enjoy!
They will always be our princesses, and we are so grateful God brought them into our lives.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
They will always be our princesses, and we are so grateful God brought them into our lives.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
September 1, 2014
Family Matters: Our Budget
Kelsi and I attended a Financial Peace class, before we got married. In this class, we learned the importance of a budget, and it has been a blessing ever since. Kelsi is very keen on the envelope system, and so each month, we pull out all of our money and separate it into envelopes, and then put those into our safe (please don't steal our safe). I will explain each item at the bottom of the list. This is our budget for one month.
Thank you to everyone who has been blessing Kelsi and I with support. Kelsi pointed out that over the last two years we have only lost a handful of supporters. Your loyalty to us and obedience to God is an encouragement to us.
Admin Fee: 10%
Tithe: 10%
Rent: $230
Electric/Water: $150
Transportation/Ice and Drinking Water: $170
Khmer Lessons: $32
Uin: $50
Groceries: Remaining money divided by four
Admin Fee: This is the money that our organization takes out of our donations to cover their costs. They are the ones who deposit our money into our account each month, and make sure our tax forms are ready each year.
Tithe: This is given to our home church here in Phnom Penh--International Christian Fellowship--where I lead worship each Sunday. Kelsi and I believe that it is a commandment from God to tithe, and so even though we do not receive a pay check, we still feel like we should tithe off of what God has given us (even the Levites were told to tithe off of the gifts that were given to them). We usually tithe off of what we actually receive in our bank account (after the admin fee has been taken out)
Transportaion: The cost of tuk tuks varies each month, but we have found that on average, we spend about $150 on tuk tuks. We have to buy water jugs for drinking water, and also ice, but the cost is minimal and $20 usually covers it.
Uin is a dear friend of both the Benz family and ours. She comes three times a week and helps us keep up on keeping the floors cleaned (a feat in Cambodia with doors and windows always open and with all the dust) and really anything else around the house. She does dishes, if they need to be done, and also hangs laundry. She is a wonderful sister in Christ, and a huge blessing to us, and you should pray for her.
Groceries: We take the remaining money and divide it by four (weeks), and then that is our spending money for each week for the month for food, doctor visits, and any other costs that pop up.
To give a more numerical value to these, I will give you an example of a typical month. We usually receive about $1,200. That means that what is placed into our account is $1,080.
Admin Fee: $120
Tithe: $110
Rent: $230
Electric/Water: $150
Transportation/Ice and Drinking Water: $170
Khmer Lessons: $32
Uin: $50
Groceries: $85 per week
This month, we had something not great happen. Our home church gave us $1000 for foster care (that WAS great), but it also meant that the 10% admin fee was $100 more this month than usual--we have $970 for this month. Kelsi and I are in a pretty tight place, since we also have some extra costs for preparations to make a visit back to the States. We have said before that our lives would be more comfortable with closer to $1,600 coming in before the admin fee (which would give us about $150 per week for our grocery/every other non-budget cost). We have been stretching pretty thin the last couple months. I know those of you who read our blog are already supporting us financially, and we would rather not have those people already giving to give more, because we know that it is hard financially for everyone. We would just ask that you would pray about what God would have you do. Maybe pass along our information to a friend? I don't know really what to do, other than continue to thank God for providing and pray that He would continue to give us exactly what we need. It seems lately that He thinks we need a lot less than we think we need, but maybe that is a lesson we need to learn. Please pray for us to be wise with the funds entrusted to us, and that God really would provide for all our needs.
If you would like to support us one time specifically for this month, please follow the steps in the "Support Us" tab and then send us an email at micah.kelsi@gmail.com letting us know that you have given, so that we can have our admin place that money into our account as soon as possible.
Thank you to everyone who has been blessing Kelsi and I with support. Kelsi pointed out that over the last two years we have only lost a handful of supporters. Your loyalty to us and obedience to God is an encouragement to us.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
Foster Care: God Provides [UPDATED: 10/4/2014]
Thank you for everyone who has been fasting and praying with us for our foster care to be approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Today I received a call. After submitting our paper work, and being told that I needed to wait to be called, it seemed that I had some random number calling every single day--wrong numbers, mostly. Each time my phone rang, my heart would jump. This morning, I got THE call. My phone rang, and I didn't recognize the number:
Me: Hello, this is Micah.
Them: Yes, is this the Micah who is married to Kelsi?
Me: Yes.
Them: And you have two girls named Roet and Niet that you are trying to get foster care for?
Me: Yes, that is correct.
Them: This is Dina, at the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Minister has approved your application, and given you a letter of approval for foster care of Roet and Niet.
Me: SERIOUSLY!? When can I come pick up the letter?
Dina: Today before 11:30 or after 2.
Me: I will be there as soon as possible. THANK YOU!!!!
And just like that, Abby and Lily are legally in our care. We have a few steps to take, but Kelsi and I's hope is to be home for Thanksgiving and stay through January. Let me take you through the steps we need to take, for this to be a possibility.
1. Foster care (Check)
2.Passports (Check)
I had pictures of the girls' passports, but then realized that that is probably not a good choice...Exciting though!
3. Travel Permission (Check)
4. Tourist Visas: This will be working with the U.S. Embassy and will just be simply applying for tourist visas for the girls. I have to be honest, the U.S. Embassy has given us more trouble than any other office, so we will see how they handle this.
[UPDATE: 10/4/2014]
We have made our appointment for October 20th. Although we would like to have it sooner, it is in God's hands, and we are trusting His timing. Please pray for favor and that the process of actually receiving the visa is a quick one.
After that, we are on a plane to America with our whole family, and how much better will that visit be!?
If you would like to help in this process, the most important thing you can do is pray for us.
Kelsi and I are also in a bit of a financial crunch right now. Although the passports and foster care have already been provided for by our home church (Open Door), everything on this list will cost money. Although God is always providing for our needs,our giving in the last couple of months has declined. I will be writing a little bit more on this in another blog, but it would be great if we had people pledge the cost of these items:
Visas: $320
Translated Copies for Embassy Interview: $52
Just let us know if you would like to sponsor one of these items, and it will be a huge blessing to us!
There is the road ahead. We are very excited to see God work all of this out, and it is fantastic to see His mighty hand at work. Please continue to pray for us! We love you guys!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Me: Hello, this is Micah.
Them: Yes, is this the Micah who is married to Kelsi?
Me: Yes.
Them: And you have two girls named Roet and Niet that you are trying to get foster care for?
Me: Yes, that is correct.
Them: This is Dina, at the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Minister has approved your application, and given you a letter of approval for foster care of Roet and Niet.
Me: SERIOUSLY!? When can I come pick up the letter?
Dina: Today before 11:30 or after 2.
Me: I will be there as soon as possible. THANK YOU!!!!
And just like that, Abby and Lily are legally in our care. We have a few steps to take, but Kelsi and I's hope is to be home for Thanksgiving and stay through January. Let me take you through the steps we need to take, for this to be a possibility.
1. Foster care (Check)
2.Passports (Check)
3. Travel Permission (Check)
4. Tourist Visas: This will be working with the U.S. Embassy and will just be simply applying for tourist visas for the girls. I have to be honest, the U.S. Embassy has given us more trouble than any other office, so we will see how they handle this.
[UPDATE: 10/4/2014]
We have made our appointment for October 20th. Although we would like to have it sooner, it is in God's hands, and we are trusting His timing. Please pray for favor and that the process of actually receiving the visa is a quick one.
After that, we are on a plane to America with our whole family, and how much better will that visit be!?
If you would like to help in this process, the most important thing you can do is pray for us.
Kelsi and I are also in a bit of a financial crunch right now. Although the passports and foster care have already been provided for by our home church (Open Door), everything on this list will cost money. Although God is always providing for our needs,our giving in the last couple of months has declined. I will be writing a little bit more on this in another blog, but it would be great if we had people pledge the cost of these items:
Visas: $320
Translated Copies for Embassy Interview: $52
Just let us know if you would like to sponsor one of these items, and it will be a huge blessing to us!
There is the road ahead. We are very excited to see God work all of this out, and it is fantastic to see His mighty hand at work. Please continue to pray for us! We love you guys!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
July 31, 2014
Foster Care Need (Passports) [UPDATED: 9/1/2014]
In the waiting game currently with foster care. I called the Ministry of Social Affairs today and they said that our paper work was still in the Admins office (they look over it and make sure we have everything and the correct forms). Our contact at the ministry said that she would call me when it was all finished. Whilst in the waiting game, our directors got news that it might be easier, if you know a relative of the child, to get the passport before you achieve foster care. So on Monday, hopefully, Abby and Lily will be going in with their aunt to apply for passports. This should take about a week. Kelsi and I have been secretly praying and hoping (ok maybe not so secretly) that we will get to travel with the girls to the States, and our biggest hope would be to come back from November through January (three months is the longest visa we have heard of coming from the U.S. Embassy with travel papers and foster care). Obviously, these are our plans, and God has His own, but we have been praying that this might happen, ever since we heard that we might be able to get travel visas to the U.S. with foster care. We also found out that if we waited to apply for passports until after foster care was completed, our passport application could take up to six months. This seems like nice timing that our directors got this information, and we have decided to go with it, but we need help. First of all, foster care all together, after it is completed is going to be $400. The passport fee which we will need to pay soon (like maybe at the end of next week), will cost us $600 for both girls. So, we are looking at possibly an extra $1,000 this month--that we do not have. We are confident that God will take care of this, and we are just asking everyone to pray about whether He wants to use you to accomplish it. I know it is a lot of money, but I also know that my God is trustworthy, and I am not worried about it. Again, please pray about this, and be obedient to what God is telling you to do (even if it is to do nothing). Thank you to everyone who has been fasting with us for foster care, and also for the countless hours spent in prayer for us. We feel so blessed to be here, and we miss all of you so much.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
UPDATE:
We had the $1000 come in, because our God is a provider and because our friends and church family at Open Door are awesome! We were unable to get passports, because the girls' original birth certificates are at the Ministry of Social Affairs, but our contact there said that, even after foster care, the aunt can take them in and get them a passport, and it won't be any more difficult. At the moment we are still in the waiting game. Our foster care could be approved or declined any day now. We have been told that it will be at least a month, which is tomorrow... We are still praying and fasting for it to be completed. As soon as it is approved, we will be going in to get passports for the girls and applying for travel permits and visas. The time is beginning to slip away for us to be home for Christmas, but I know that God can still accomplish this, if it is according to His will. Sometimes we pray really hard for things, and God says no. Why? I don't know, but I know that I trust in Him. He knows my whole days and sees my whole life continuously before His all knowing eyes. He knows what is best, and if I truly believe that, then when things don't go my way, I am certainly not going to throw a tantrum about it. Keep praying and we really appreciate all the support from everyone and especially the prayers!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
UPDATE:
On the 1st of September, we received a call from the ministry, and our foster care was approved. Read about it in the post entitled "Foster Care: God Provides"
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
UPDATE:
We had the $1000 come in, because our God is a provider and because our friends and church family at Open Door are awesome! We were unable to get passports, because the girls' original birth certificates are at the Ministry of Social Affairs, but our contact there said that, even after foster care, the aunt can take them in and get them a passport, and it won't be any more difficult. At the moment we are still in the waiting game. Our foster care could be approved or declined any day now. We have been told that it will be at least a month, which is tomorrow... We are still praying and fasting for it to be completed. As soon as it is approved, we will be going in to get passports for the girls and applying for travel permits and visas. The time is beginning to slip away for us to be home for Christmas, but I know that God can still accomplish this, if it is according to His will. Sometimes we pray really hard for things, and God says no. Why? I don't know, but I know that I trust in Him. He knows my whole days and sees my whole life continuously before His all knowing eyes. He knows what is best, and if I truly believe that, then when things don't go my way, I am certainly not going to throw a tantrum about it. Keep praying and we really appreciate all the support from everyone and especially the prayers!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
UPDATE:
On the 1st of September, we received a call from the ministry, and our foster care was approved. Read about it in the post entitled "Foster Care: God Provides"
July 24, 2014
School of the Nations: Translation and Worship
Every Tuesday night, we have what we call Small Group. Everyone in Bykota House comes to the center, and we worship together in song and have a devotion in God's Word. Our praise has been primarily in English, but the staff and some of the lower level children have been struggling to enter into worship, because of the language gap. I have been trying to learn to sing the songs in Khmer, but it is a slow process. Mark had the idea to have the songs on the slides in English and Khmer, so that even if I am singing in English, they could follow in Khmer (if it is a familiar song) or at least know what we are singing and meditate on the lyrics. The idea came to mind, what if the older boys translated the lyrics? That way it is practice in their translating and also in their Khmer typing skills. So, after two days, we now have six songs in Khmer and English, and I am excited to worship this Tuesday and hear the response from the kids and staff. Here are some pictures of the boys working on the songs. They are using youtube, and also just a dictionary and the original song (that is work right there!)
Just another reason we are blessed to have sponsors. These computers were donated by Liberty church even before Kelsi and I came. There is also a projector. Our Tuesday nights benefit so much from these tools, and I thank God everyday that we have them, and also that we have such bright, godly, young men here at Bykota House.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
July 13, 2014
Bible Study Corner: All Ages
Elementary:
In the elementary, we have been going through the whole Bible telling every story that comes up. We just finished Moses meets with God on Mount Sinai, and the Israelites build the tabernacle. We are moving into Leviticus, which begins with Aaron's two sons dying because they did not obey God, and God instituting the Levites as the chosen group to maintain the Tabernacle. I have been enjoying teaching through the Bible in this way. The kids love it. We start our day every day with a story from the Bible and how it applies to us. With the building of the Tabernacle it was that God had given certain people talents and they were able to use them, and everyone else joyfully gave to the work. In the same way, God gives us each of us talents too and calls us to work for His Kingdom. On Mount Sinai we talked about the fact that God showed Moses and the Israelites how to live, and He does the same for us today with His word. It has been fun telling those stories that are normally skimmed over, and just flipping through my Bible every day to see what story comes next.
Middle School:
In the middle school, we have begun a study through the book of Mark. I asked the kids if they wanted to be treated like the older boys, cause they have been asking to switch to the High School class. One morning, I said, "Who wants to be in the High School class?" and everyone raised their hand. So then I continued, "All right. This is the new High School class, but I expect you to act like it." From that moment on, we began a Bible study the way grown-ups study the Bible--verse by verse through a book. I chose Mark to start, and we have been working our way through Mark day by day. I love it, because we go around in the circle and everyone takes a turn reading a verse (Varee or Odom reads the Khmer) and then we discuss what it means and how it can change our lives and attitudes. Recently, we discussed how the Pharisees took God's law and expounded on it, and then began to follow and instruct their man made teachings as if they were God's law. We also talked about how Jesus was able to create bread and fish from just five loaves and two fishes, but then His disciples were frightened when their was a storm later that evening. Jesus is Master and Wonderful Lord, when you are on land and safe, and He is providing for your needs, but when you are on the raging sea, is He still the same Master and Lord? Can not the same Jesus who made bread multiply also make the sea calm?
Older Boys (High School):
The older boys and I have finished our study on James. It concludes with the idea of confessing your sins to one another and this concept of sin. We decided to go ahead and study 1 John to further this study on sin in our lives. We just finished discussing chapter three where John explains that those who "practice righteousness are righteous" This does not imply that we are perfectly holy, but it also does imply that we are to be practicing righteousness. We are like babes learning to walk, and every time we fall down, God picks us up with His grace and allows us to try again. We also discussed the work of the Holy Spirit inside of us, convicting us of our sin, so that we are unable to just continue walking in sin flippantly, but have sorrow and repentant hearts, when we have rebelled against our Lord.
So that is a wrap-up of what we have been talking about in our Bible studies at school. Kelsi, Abby, Lily, Melody, and I have been reading through the Bible together at night during our bed time routine, and we just finished reading Leviticus (and "Chronicles of Narnia: A Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis, or "the horsey book" as Abby calls it). Please continue to pray for us, as we try to live out what we teach in every area. Pray that the Lord would open the kids minds to understand His word, and that we would all be changed by it, as we study it, and make it a part of our daily lives.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
In the elementary, we have been going through the whole Bible telling every story that comes up. We just finished Moses meets with God on Mount Sinai, and the Israelites build the tabernacle. We are moving into Leviticus, which begins with Aaron's two sons dying because they did not obey God, and God instituting the Levites as the chosen group to maintain the Tabernacle. I have been enjoying teaching through the Bible in this way. The kids love it. We start our day every day with a story from the Bible and how it applies to us. With the building of the Tabernacle it was that God had given certain people talents and they were able to use them, and everyone else joyfully gave to the work. In the same way, God gives us each of us talents too and calls us to work for His Kingdom. On Mount Sinai we talked about the fact that God showed Moses and the Israelites how to live, and He does the same for us today with His word. It has been fun telling those stories that are normally skimmed over, and just flipping through my Bible every day to see what story comes next.
Middle School:
In the middle school, we have begun a study through the book of Mark. I asked the kids if they wanted to be treated like the older boys, cause they have been asking to switch to the High School class. One morning, I said, "Who wants to be in the High School class?" and everyone raised their hand. So then I continued, "All right. This is the new High School class, but I expect you to act like it." From that moment on, we began a Bible study the way grown-ups study the Bible--verse by verse through a book. I chose Mark to start, and we have been working our way through Mark day by day. I love it, because we go around in the circle and everyone takes a turn reading a verse (Varee or Odom reads the Khmer) and then we discuss what it means and how it can change our lives and attitudes. Recently, we discussed how the Pharisees took God's law and expounded on it, and then began to follow and instruct their man made teachings as if they were God's law. We also talked about how Jesus was able to create bread and fish from just five loaves and two fishes, but then His disciples were frightened when their was a storm later that evening. Jesus is Master and Wonderful Lord, when you are on land and safe, and He is providing for your needs, but when you are on the raging sea, is He still the same Master and Lord? Can not the same Jesus who made bread multiply also make the sea calm?
Older Boys (High School):
The older boys and I have finished our study on James. It concludes with the idea of confessing your sins to one another and this concept of sin. We decided to go ahead and study 1 John to further this study on sin in our lives. We just finished discussing chapter three where John explains that those who "practice righteousness are righteous" This does not imply that we are perfectly holy, but it also does imply that we are to be practicing righteousness. We are like babes learning to walk, and every time we fall down, God picks us up with His grace and allows us to try again. We also discussed the work of the Holy Spirit inside of us, convicting us of our sin, so that we are unable to just continue walking in sin flippantly, but have sorrow and repentant hearts, when we have rebelled against our Lord.
So that is a wrap-up of what we have been talking about in our Bible studies at school. Kelsi, Abby, Lily, Melody, and I have been reading through the Bible together at night during our bed time routine, and we just finished reading Leviticus (and "Chronicles of Narnia: A Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis, or "the horsey book" as Abby calls it). Please continue to pray for us, as we try to live out what we teach in every area. Pray that the Lord would open the kids minds to understand His word, and that we would all be changed by it, as we study it, and make it a part of our daily lives.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Weddings in Cambodia and Update on Foster Care
I don't think that you have lived in Cambodia, until you have had a wedding party set up right outside your bedroom window. I saw it about three days ago. First they came in with the medal frames to make the big tent that stretches about fifty feet long and twenty feet wide. I knew exactly what it was as soon as I saw it. The tent roof could be reached from our bedroom window. The next morning, I noticed the trucks coming with all the tables and chairs. I thought it would happen that evening for sure, but it did not. God allowed us a night's rest for Sunday Church. But then, as we were leaving for church, I saw that the tables had table clothes and they had brought the generators. There was also a large beer delivery truck parked in front of our house. I knew that by the time we got back from church, the party would already be in progress... and it was. If you have never experienced a Cambodian Wedding party, there are two words to describe it. Loud. Really Loud. Kels and I have been to one before (our tuk tuk driver's daughter). And the music is so loud you can not even speak to the person sitting next to you. And then, as people leave, they leave the music playing at top volume... there could be one person sitting at a table, and the music would still be blaring. I think that is odd, but I am sure there are many things that I do that my Cambodian neighbors must think is crazy. It is currently ten o'clock. The party goes on outside our window. The bass guitar and shrill singing will probably continue late into the night. I think Kelsi says it best, whenever something happens and she is just thinking about how crazy something is she just throws her arms in the air and says, "Oh Cambodia..." There are a lot of things that I let bother me, but I have to say, I am not going to let this one get to me. I found myself praying for the newlywed couple, and feeling excited for them, even though I don't even know them! I think it is crazy when God changes an attitude in your heart like that. Kelsi has always said, "Choose joy." I have been working on rewriting hymns. One in particular that is in progress is called, "Joy in Sorrow." I have added a refrain to it that says, "You choose joy, when you choose to trust in the One who overcomes." I think we Christians get silly sometimes over the things that we allow to ruin our attitudes. Joy is not some emotional high or happiness as some would suggest, but instead is knowing that through every circumstance, my faith is firmly planted on the One who overcomes in the end, and has already won the victory. So I can be sour about this, or I can choose to just throw my hands in the air and say, "Oh Cambodia..." I might not sleep tonight, but the Bible says to rejoice with those who are rejoicing. There is a huge party going on outside. Celebrating the marriage of two people. I know nothing about them, but I think God likes parties, and I am gonna use this opportunity to pray for something that we have been fasting over for almost twenty days now.
Update:
We have found out that the Ministry is accepting applications for foster care, but they are not processing them. I contacted Channa, our contact and fellow servant in Christ, and he said he will help us turn our paper work in, even though they are not processing at the moment (just to get our stuff in the door), but he has been very busy because he is the director of an NGO, and summer months are always when we have the most volunteers. Our prayers lately have been that God will give him a free moment so we can get our paper work into the ministry. And then we can pray for a miracle that they will decide to process it. I will be calling Channa again in the morning to see how this week looks for him. I realize that many of you have been coming alongside us in our fast for foster care, and I have to say, I have been praying pretty hard lately, because I keep seeing pop left and right and thinking how badly I want a pop. Thank you for all of you who have decided to do this with us, and I hope to give you good news in the recent future! Keep up the praying!
UPDATE: 7/17/2014
We have turned our paper work into the ministry, and now we are just waiting to see if we are going to be approved or not. At this point, we just pray like crazy. Now more than ever, it is in God's hands. Please pray for favor with the minister and a quick response. Thank you for your prayers.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Update:
We have found out that the Ministry is accepting applications for foster care, but they are not processing them. I contacted Channa, our contact and fellow servant in Christ, and he said he will help us turn our paper work in, even though they are not processing at the moment (just to get our stuff in the door), but he has been very busy because he is the director of an NGO, and summer months are always when we have the most volunteers. Our prayers lately have been that God will give him a free moment so we can get our paper work into the ministry. And then we can pray for a miracle that they will decide to process it. I will be calling Channa again in the morning to see how this week looks for him. I realize that many of you have been coming alongside us in our fast for foster care, and I have to say, I have been praying pretty hard lately, because I keep seeing pop left and right and thinking how badly I want a pop. Thank you for all of you who have decided to do this with us, and I hope to give you good news in the recent future! Keep up the praying!
UPDATE: 7/17/2014
We have turned our paper work into the ministry, and now we are just waiting to see if we are going to be approved or not. At this point, we just pray like crazy. Now more than ever, it is in God's hands. Please pray for favor with the minister and a quick response. Thank you for your prayers.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
June 27, 2014
June Wrap-Up and Special Request
The month of June has flown by. Most of you are in the loop as far as what has been going on, but just in case you were out of it, let me give you a wrap up.
Beginning of June:
As we were preparing for one of our busiest months of ministry with the largest amount of short term volunteers I have ever seen, our directors received a call from the states with devastating news. This sparked a mad dash to get plane tickets and transfer responsibilities to Kels and I. Within a three day period, they trained Kelsi and I on the tasks that they normally handle, and left for the states. Because Sarah and SJ are in the process of adoption (just like Abby and Lily), they are unable to travel, so they stayed with Kelsi and I. Half of the volunteers for the month showed up--a world race team of ten girls, with the addition of one more in a couple days.
Middle of June:
We spent a week with the world race team being awesome, as they usually are. We had another team of five arrive, and another single person, bringing our total volunteers up to eighteen. That is a lot of volunteers! The team of five people came from Liberty Church, who sponsored our computers at school, before I came to Bykota House. They were great! We went on field trips with the kids, and they did a special sewing and business class. They also took Kelsi and I out to eat on several occasions--the world race team baby sat on some of (most of) those nights, so Kels and I could have a meal in peace and quiet... sigh. We had another volunteer come towards the end of the Liberty trip.
End of June:
The Liberty team left (they'll be back... I can always tell), and two days later, the world race team left--leaving us with the two volunteers that came separately and by themselves. They have been holding down the fort at Mark and Rhonda's house and taking care of baby Leah. One of them is also doing preschool this week. The Benz's will be coming home tonight, and the month will be over--the month that only God could have worked together. We could not have made it through the month without the abundance of help that we had. Looking back on the team meetings that we had leading up to June, I remember thinking about how many volunteers were coming and wondering what we were going to do with all of them, but God knew all along, and He worked everything out in the end. I just look back in awe and give Him the worship and glory that He deserves.
Special Request:
During the month of June, because I had four pre-schoolers to transport in the morning, we had to take tuk tuks every day to school. I worked out with Boo Sovon to pay him at the end of the month for the tuk tuks, so that I wouldn't have to make sure to have the money every day. Boo is amazing. When I was gone to the states in January, he gave Kelsi tuk tuks for free the whole three weeks I was gone. I know that he is in the process of paying off a home loan, and he could use a blessing, and I thought I would throw it out to all of you. We can gather the money to pay him the normal amount for this month, and do the math, but I would rather bless him and his family with extra. I will tell you that the normal cost would be about $120. Like I said, we can pay him that, or we could double or triple it! He has been an amazing blessing to our family, and I would love to bless him back. If you would like to give towards this, please go to our "Support Us" tab, and go through the online process, and then email us at micah.kelsi@gmail.com to let us know how much you gave and that it is for Boo.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Beginning of June:
As we were preparing for one of our busiest months of ministry with the largest amount of short term volunteers I have ever seen, our directors received a call from the states with devastating news. This sparked a mad dash to get plane tickets and transfer responsibilities to Kels and I. Within a three day period, they trained Kelsi and I on the tasks that they normally handle, and left for the states. Because Sarah and SJ are in the process of adoption (just like Abby and Lily), they are unable to travel, so they stayed with Kelsi and I. Half of the volunteers for the month showed up--a world race team of ten girls, with the addition of one more in a couple days.
Middle of June:
We spent a week with the world race team being awesome, as they usually are. We had another team of five arrive, and another single person, bringing our total volunteers up to eighteen. That is a lot of volunteers! The team of five people came from Liberty Church, who sponsored our computers at school, before I came to Bykota House. They were great! We went on field trips with the kids, and they did a special sewing and business class. They also took Kelsi and I out to eat on several occasions--the world race team baby sat on some of (most of) those nights, so Kels and I could have a meal in peace and quiet... sigh. We had another volunteer come towards the end of the Liberty trip.
End of June:
The Liberty team left (they'll be back... I can always tell), and two days later, the world race team left--leaving us with the two volunteers that came separately and by themselves. They have been holding down the fort at Mark and Rhonda's house and taking care of baby Leah. One of them is also doing preschool this week. The Benz's will be coming home tonight, and the month will be over--the month that only God could have worked together. We could not have made it through the month without the abundance of help that we had. Looking back on the team meetings that we had leading up to June, I remember thinking about how many volunteers were coming and wondering what we were going to do with all of them, but God knew all along, and He worked everything out in the end. I just look back in awe and give Him the worship and glory that He deserves.
Special Request:
During the month of June, because I had four pre-schoolers to transport in the morning, we had to take tuk tuks every day to school. I worked out with Boo Sovon to pay him at the end of the month for the tuk tuks, so that I wouldn't have to make sure to have the money every day. Boo is amazing. When I was gone to the states in January, he gave Kelsi tuk tuks for free the whole three weeks I was gone. I know that he is in the process of paying off a home loan, and he could use a blessing, and I thought I would throw it out to all of you. We can gather the money to pay him the normal amount for this month, and do the math, but I would rather bless him and his family with extra. I will tell you that the normal cost would be about $120. Like I said, we can pay him that, or we could double or triple it! He has been an amazing blessing to our family, and I would love to bless him back. If you would like to give towards this, please go to our "Support Us" tab, and go through the online process, and then email us at micah.kelsi@gmail.com to let us know how much you gave and that it is for Boo.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
June 23, 2014
Fasting for Foster Care [UPDATED 9/1/2014]
If you have been following our blog for the last few months you will know that we are in the process of getting foster care for the girls. We have finally finished gathering all the paper work and now all that is left is the waiting game. First we are waiting for our friend to take the papers to the ministry, he is waiting for the ministry to tell him he can come, then we will wait for approval. We really feel like this is the track God has us on and we have done our best to seek His will all the way. We don't want to just sit back and wait. We are tired of just waiting! So we have decided to take action the only way we can...prayer and fasting. We are asking you to consider praying and fasting with us. How it will work is, we will choose something to fast from until we have foster care for the girls. I, Kelsi, am choosing to fast from chocolate. This doesn't mean I am just not going to eat chocolate until it is done, it means every time I think about or want to eat chocolate I will pray for our foster care to be finished. So you have to option to fast from Facebook, chocolate, pop, or something else of your choice. Let us know if you want to join by sending us your name and what you are fasting from in our email (micah.kelsi@gmail.com) so we can keep you updated on the process and specific prayer request regarding our foster care.
UPDATE:
On the 1st of September, we received a call from the ministry, and our foster care was approved. Read about it in the post entitled "Foster Care: God Provides"
UPDATE:
On the 1st of September, we received a call from the ministry, and our foster care was approved. Read about it in the post entitled "Foster Care: God Provides"
June 22, 2014
Volunteers and The Mission Mindset
Working on the field, we have many short term volunteers come to Bykota House. I have noticed that, just as the body of Christ is vastly different, we too have different types of teams and volunteers. Overall, there are two types of teams that come to work with us. There are the teams that come alongside and lift the burden off your back for a time, so you can take a breather, and also teams that come alongside and till the field with you, so you can accomplish five times more work. Both are great. I enjoy when we have teams that come and take over the school, so I can have an afternoon off, or that babysit, so Kels and I can have a date night. I also am so glad that we have those that come and give us the opportunity to take the kids on field trips or plan big, elaborate activities for the kids to do, with my supervision and help. Some people think that if you prefer one, that the other must not be good, but I disagree--every team is a blessing. Within the teams, there are also different kinds of volunteers. Some people come and want to do, do, do. They just want you to put them to a task and work them to death on something. To that I say, "Awesome! Here are some things that need to be built/organized/painted." While other volunteers want to be relational and hang out with the kids and get to know them, and to that I say, "Great! I have some amazing kids that would love your attention!" There are even those who come just wanting to do whatever is needed, and I am not going to lie, I think that this is a fantastic attitude, and I appreciate flexibility, so to them I say, "You are my favorite..." Not really, but you get the idea that we have all kinds of volunteers, and they are always such a blessing, but there is one thing I notice has almost ceased to exist in missions. When we come to a ministry, our attitude is always, "What can I do." We want to be useful. We must have a purpose. I do not think that this is a bad attitude to have. We want to be as helpful as possible, during the time we have set apart, but I also think that this attitude sometimes stems from pride. We must have something to do, so that we have validation for coming. We want the pat on the back that comes from a job well done. I understand that most people spend thousands of dollars for the plane ticket alone, so I know why they want their time to be productive, and I agree, but there is a form of missions that I think we have forgotten about, and that is the missions of encouragement. Do we remember that Paul sent people with his letters? In most every case, those carrying the letters came to the churches in those cities and just encouraged the believers there. They weren't there to build a wall or teach in a school. They didn't need a purpose for being there, except that there were believers who needed encouragement living in that city. We mostly think that we should be encouraging, while we are doing other things. Could you ever imagine going on a missions trip just to encourage the believers in that area? To come to a ministry and simply make it your aim to pray with the missionaries on site everyday and live life with them. To speak words that would build them up and have a meal with them. Yes, and be willing to help in anyway. Being on the receiving end of short term missions trips, I have to be honest it is difficult to find things to do sometimes, but I am always encouraged when I am able to sit down and talk to people about what God is doing in their lives, and just have time to talk with other believers: doesn't that always build you up? The reason we do not consider this missions is most likely because we can't take a picture of it, but if you want my opinion, we could use a lot more short term encouragers--who make it their aim to be helpful in any way necessary, but also will just spend time in genuine fellowship with other believers--those that understand this to be missions work just as much as anything else that we could be doing. We have had many encouragers on the teams that have come through, and I am always energized by their presence and able to keep on with God's work, with new life, because of it. So, my encouragement: build your wall, teach English, love on kids, paint some rooms, but remember that being busy is not the goal of a short term missions trip. Spend some time with the people you are serving alongside and be an encourager, and you will bring a blessing to them in a way you could have never imagined.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
May 28, 2014
Foster Care in the Works
Well, as most of you know, Kelsi and I have been working on obtaining foster care through the Ministry of Social Affairs. Previously, we had a Family Based Care Agreement with Bykota House, which basically was foster care through our children's home ministry. Foster care through the Ministry of Social Affairs is much stronger. I began putting paper work together, after Kelsi left for her month in the states--thought I might have some extra time on my hands, and I did. Just an update on what we have been up to, this is the list of things that we need to apply for foster care--with the things marked out that we have already obtained.
For the Foster Parent:
1.
Letter of Request to the Minister of Social
Affairs
2.
Supporting letter from the Center where the
child resides written to the Minister.
3.
Affidavit from the US Embassy
4.
Medical certificate
5.
Marriage certificate
6.
Birth certificates
7.
Psychological report
8.
Family Based Care Agreement
9.
House lease agreement
10. Certificate
of residence
11. Financial
statement
12. Certificate
of employment
13. Copies
of passports
14. Copies
of visas
15. Criminal
Background Check
16. Birth
certificates
17. Documents
of admission to the Center or orphanage
18. CV (history) of the child prepared by the Center
19. Supporting
letter from the Center
20. Documents
on Abigail’s eye
21. Visa
picture for the girls
For the Foster Parent:
For the foster child:
***Translated copies of all documents originally written in English***
The Affidavit should be done tomorrow afternoon. The Medical certificate will be done as soon as our doctor knows what she is supposed to be checking for. The Psychological report is done, but we are waiting on the original copies to arrive from Batombong. Still looking into the Criminal Background check... online it says that we have to send everything by mail, so we will probably prepare all the materials and have them brought over to Kelsi's mom in the states, but then it says that it will take at least 25 days to process, and then we will have to get the report back to Cambodia some how--the mail is not reliable here. After that we have some forms in Khmer that a friend is going to help us with, and we can apply at the Ministry of Social Affairs for foster care. No it is not an adoption. A friend of ours, however, who has this has been able to get a travel visa for her son and take a trip to the States. This legal tie is a big step towards adoptions, too. If you are Khmer and have foster care through the Ministry, after six months, they encourage you to adopt. Things seem to be moving at the US Embassy too. Today, when they rejected our Affidavit, they gave us an example form that was for when an American needs to apply for a Cambodian Adoption and needs an Affidavit stating that they have informed the US Embassy. It is a slow process, but it is exciting to see movement towards something tangible. Please keep praying for us, and pray specifically for all of this paper work to come together and for us to have favor with the Ministry of Social Affairs. God has plans greater than ours, and we are trusting Him, as we walk on this path in Cambodia. Thanks for your support and prayer!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
UPDATE!:
We got the Affidavit signed today! WOOT! May 29th, 2014
UPDATE!:
We received the Psychological Evaluation today from Batombang! Yeah!!!! Only two more things! May 31st, 2014
UPDATE!:
We found out that the medical check ups did not need to be for us, but for the girls, so we had some worked up by our doctor--basically saying that we have been taking the girls in for check ups and have taken care of their shots. DONE! June 1st, 2014
UPDATE!:
We found out that our background checks did not need to be professional FBI backgrounds. Kelsi's grandpa, Wendell, was able to get us what we needed through his Kamp Kersey connections. We have them now, and that concludes all the things that we were supposed to get together for foster care!
June 9th, 2014
UPDATE!:
I spoke with Channa today (Channa is helping us get our stuff together to apply), and we have one more piece of paper work (a Khmer application) and then we can apply. Currently, we have been told that foster care applications are on hold, due to something in the government, or because someone did something bad--that is usually how it works. We will apply as soon as possible. We are meeting with Channa tomorrow to sign the Khmer Application.
UPDATE!:
We got the Affidavit signed today! WOOT! May 29th, 2014
UPDATE!:
We received the Psychological Evaluation today from Batombang! Yeah!!!! Only two more things! May 31st, 2014
UPDATE!:
We found out that the medical check ups did not need to be for us, but for the girls, so we had some worked up by our doctor--basically saying that we have been taking the girls in for check ups and have taken care of their shots. DONE! June 1st, 2014
UPDATE!:
We found out that our background checks did not need to be professional FBI backgrounds. Kelsi's grandpa, Wendell, was able to get us what we needed through his Kamp Kersey connections. We have them now, and that concludes all the things that we were supposed to get together for foster care!
June 9th, 2014
UPDATE!:
I spoke with Channa today (Channa is helping us get our stuff together to apply), and we have one more piece of paper work (a Khmer application) and then we can apply. Currently, we have been told that foster care applications are on hold, due to something in the government, or because someone did something bad--that is usually how it works. We will apply as soon as possible. We are meeting with Channa tomorrow to sign the Khmer Application.
May 23, 2014
Birth Date?
So, as many of you know, it is very difficult to pin down birthdays for children at a children's home. We have had some who did not even know their own birthday. When Abby and Lily came to us, we were told that Abby's birthday was February 14th. So adorable! She is a valentines baby! After we had learned a bit more Khmer, we checked again, and realized that it was not February 14th, but rather February 22nd. Well, Kelsi and I have been working on gathering the paper work to apply for foster care through the Ministry of Social affairs, and since my Khmer reading is a little bit better, I decided to look at the girl's paper work again, and Abby's birth certificate has her birthday as January 22nd! And even more than that, we though she was born in 2009, and her birth certificate says that she was born in 2010! Which would make her four years old NOT five! Kelsi is convinced that she could not be four years old. Our Khmer teacher helped me read the documents, and he is sure that it is accurate. I chose to believe that my daughter is the smartest four year old ever! Oh Cambodia! We are looking into the validity of the document, but most likely we will have to go with what it says, whether we think it is correct or not. That is just the way it works here sometimes: documents are wrong, and that is that. That is all. Just thought you would find this amusing. So with this change in Abby's birthday, our family has my birthday on December 31st, Lily's birthday on January 20th, Abby's birthday on January 22nd, Kelsi's birthday on January 23rd, and Melody's birthday on January 25th. What a birthday season! I see some group birthday blow-outs in our future!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
UPDATE:
We have verified that Abby was born on January 22nd, 2010, and she really is four years old. I spoke with the girl's aunt who is on staff at Bykota House, and after intense questioning on my part, she finally was perplexed when I asked, "How old would you say Abby is?" Her reply, "She is four..." Ok. So, that is settled, and my daughter is a genius.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
UPDATE:
We have verified that Abby was born on January 22nd, 2010, and she really is four years old. I spoke with the girl's aunt who is on staff at Bykota House, and after intense questioning on my part, she finally was perplexed when I asked, "How old would you say Abby is?" Her reply, "She is four..." Ok. So, that is settled, and my daughter is a genius.
May 16, 2014
School of the Nations Update
Our school is always fluctuating. Since I have been here, we have tried different types of teaching, different methods of groups, and every time you think you got it figured out, something new happens. This year, we had the fluctuation of Kelsi having Melody--she was teaching our elementary group. Put together a rotation schedule that divides my time between them and the older boys, and utilizes peer mentoring, and that hurdle is jumped. The elementary is a great group, and I really enjoy teaching them. A new hurdle is a system that I am in the process of creating (with Kelsi's help) called Pace Book Online. It is basically a bunch of interactive PDF documents that help the young kids become familiar with the words they see in their pace books. It is basically curriculum development. The middle school group had been working great. I spent a year working on a system to meet the needs of a group that ranges from no English at all (speaking, writing, reading, nothing) to practically high school level (speaking fluently, writing creatively, reading with ease). Finally had a group system worked out and it was going splendidly, and then we had a new student, so my groups were blown to pieces. Recently we lost a student. He went to be with his family who is now able to take care of him. Most of you know Timothy from the "What Is It!?" videos. He will be missed very much. I keep finding things that remind me that he is gone, and it is weird, because I am happy that he gets to be with his family, but also saddened that my time with him was cut short. He has made so much progress and he is a joy to be around. With his leaving, my groups for middle school were obliterated, and I basically had to start over. That is the reality in any school system. At the moment, I believe that our system is pretty awesome, with a rotation schedule that meets the needs of every student and also has time for speaking, writing, listening to, and reading English. I get to teach with a ratio of one to three, because of the rotations, and this ensures that the kids are getting the most attention. When we have teams, it is a one to one ratio, but I am confident that anyone could teach this class by themselves, after some training. I am in the process of creating a "School of the Nations Plan" that lays out how to run the school, because in the months of January and February, I was pretty well absent. This has been an amazing experience for me, and I have gained so much experience with curriculum development, classroom management, and even being a principal. If God ever allows/calls Kelsi and I back to the states, I will have a pretty great resume from my time as School Administrator at School of the Nations ;) Well, that is the update on how the school has been going. If you have any questions, please let me know. Also I am happy to share material.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
May 1, 2014
The Countdown - Suitable Partner
This is a shameless blog about how much I love my wife. If you are not in the mood for a mushy, gushy blog, then I suggest you let this one slip.
It is exactly five days and four hours until I get to see my wife again. There have been a few people who have told me that they have spent up to month(s) (that is plural) separate from their spouse, and I think that is unbearable.
I want to start by first saying that I am very glad that my wife was able to go back to the States and spend time with family and friends, and re-charge (she had not made a trip back since we came in June 2012). I know how important it is to leave right. We came to Cambodia and stayed longer than we expected (God wasn't surprised), and there is a certain amount of closure that I think helps, when you are able to be in the States and leave, knowing that you will not be back for a while (a long while). I say all of this, so that you don't think that I didn't want Kelsi to go. I am glad she went, and I am glad that she is coming back in five days, three hours, and fifty-five minutes.
I have had many people ask me how I am doing with the girls and such, and my answer has been, "Things are good. We are eating and sleeping. The girls are great." And that is true, Kelsi and I have a great routine for bedtime, morning time, eating time, and so all of these things go on. Kelsi made it even easier, because she made me a bunch of pre-cooked meals, that I only needed to heat up, and we have had great dinners. People have asked me whether I need help with food, and I have answered truthfully... no, because Kelsi took care of it--even I can throw something in a pan and heat it up. So, I have been fine, the girls have been great. We are surviving.
I think that people like to be valued. Part of being valued is being missed. I think when people leave, they secretly hope that things don't go so well, because they want to know that they play a key role. Kelsi and I both have a flaw. It is called 'pride' technically, but it shows itself in not wanting to be needy and ask for help. We put on a brave face, and only when things are completely unbearable, do we ask for assistance (yes, I know we need to work on it, but there has to be other people in the world who need more help than us). The point is that things have not been super great. There is a huge part of our family gone. I am not wanting to complain or make anyone, especially Kelsi, feel bad, but I want everyone to know that when my partner in crime, and life sharer is away, things do not just move on like normal. She is my heart. She shoulders the load of life with me, and sometimes carries me on her back on top of the load. Without her, everyday seems a little less beautiful. My bed is empty, other than Muggy, and he is a poor substitute.
I find it funny the way people sometimes talk about their spouses, and you almost want to step in and say, wait, you should talk about God that way, it is almost blasphemous to talk about your wife that way. You are wrong. My relationship and love of my wife is a reflection of Christ's love for the church. And the deeper I love my wife, the better I understand Christ's love for us. Of course I love God more than my wife, don't be silly. To say that I need her and love her more than all the gold in the world, is both truthful and not blasphemous.
God saw Adam in the garden and said, we should make him a partner that is suitable for him. I know that God has different callings for some people, and Paul would say that it is better to remain single, but God looked down and saw me, and said, he needs a partner suitable for him, and He sent Kelsi to me. Some people have fallen off of the "true love/soul mate" wagon, because they say we don't have one perfect person for us. They say that this mindset has led to divorces, because people get married and then find their "soul mate," and it is not their wife or husband. They also say that this idea has put fear into people who now think that they might chose the wrong person. In reality, we get to make the choice and it should be based on wisdom not emotions, I agree with all of those things. But, as a very wise and beautiful woman once said, "It is kind of like the whole free will versus predestined argument. God chose us, because He knew that we would choose Him. In the same way, God knew who you would choose to marry all along, and so they are the person that God had for you all along." - Kelsi Bergen. She is the person that God had for me. He knew who I needed, and he brought her to me. In a time when I thought I knew everything, God came and said, "Nope. This girl is the person who will help you grow into the man that I really want you to be." She is humble and faithful. She is gentle, but she does not get pushed around. She is not afraid or worried, but quietly trusts in the Lord. She is not perfect, and neither am I, but we are both willing to allow God to work in us, through each other. That is what marriage is about: God takes two people and binds them together into one, and they begin to become more like Christ, because they have each other as an example of Christ and His love. You think as a single person that your way is the best way, and when you get married you find out that it is not, and God opens your eyes to see that He works in so many different ways. Kelsi, my wife, is so much like Christ, and I know that I would not be the man I am today, without her.
So, yes, life has gone on. We have been ok, but I could not look you straight in the face and tell you that my life is at all close to being great. I think most husbands would agree, my life on the inside is a train wreck when she is away. My desire to do anything slowly fades. Who do I share my experiences with, day to day? My partner in crime is not around...
My life is about pleasing God and glorifying Him, loving my wife the way Christ loves the church (you know that He is longing to be reunited with us), being a father to my daughters in the same way that God is a father to me, and loving others, even those that do not treat me well, especially those that don't treat me well. I love my wife more than any other person on the planet, even though there are some close seconds--like the two that are asleep in their beds right now, and the one that will be in my wife's arms when she returns in five days, three hours, and thirty minutes. She is the one that I choose to spend the rest of my life with, and the one that God created just for me. I do not claim to understand heaven. I know that Jesus said in heaven we will not be married or get married, but I wonder if I will remember Kelsi as my wife, in heaven. I don't know how our memory will work. I know that there will be no more tears in heaven and no more sin, so there will be some part of my time here on earth that I will not remember, but I hope that I get to recall this beautiful blessing and how she impacted my life on earth, so I can thank God to His face for creating such a perfect helper for me and praise Him for being a good God. Thank God for giving me such a great wife. Oy! I can't wait to kiss her when she gets back, I miss her like crazy!
Ok. Mushy-gushy over. Have a good day, everyone! I am going to sleep one of the five more sleeps I have to, before my wife is laying next to me again.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
It is exactly five days and four hours until I get to see my wife again. There have been a few people who have told me that they have spent up to month(s) (that is plural) separate from their spouse, and I think that is unbearable.
I want to start by first saying that I am very glad that my wife was able to go back to the States and spend time with family and friends, and re-charge (she had not made a trip back since we came in June 2012). I know how important it is to leave right. We came to Cambodia and stayed longer than we expected (God wasn't surprised), and there is a certain amount of closure that I think helps, when you are able to be in the States and leave, knowing that you will not be back for a while (a long while). I say all of this, so that you don't think that I didn't want Kelsi to go. I am glad she went, and I am glad that she is coming back in five days, three hours, and fifty-five minutes.
I have had many people ask me how I am doing with the girls and such, and my answer has been, "Things are good. We are eating and sleeping. The girls are great." And that is true, Kelsi and I have a great routine for bedtime, morning time, eating time, and so all of these things go on. Kelsi made it even easier, because she made me a bunch of pre-cooked meals, that I only needed to heat up, and we have had great dinners. People have asked me whether I need help with food, and I have answered truthfully... no, because Kelsi took care of it--even I can throw something in a pan and heat it up. So, I have been fine, the girls have been great. We are surviving.
I think that people like to be valued. Part of being valued is being missed. I think when people leave, they secretly hope that things don't go so well, because they want to know that they play a key role. Kelsi and I both have a flaw. It is called 'pride' technically, but it shows itself in not wanting to be needy and ask for help. We put on a brave face, and only when things are completely unbearable, do we ask for assistance (yes, I know we need to work on it, but there has to be other people in the world who need more help than us). The point is that things have not been super great. There is a huge part of our family gone. I am not wanting to complain or make anyone, especially Kelsi, feel bad, but I want everyone to know that when my partner in crime, and life sharer is away, things do not just move on like normal. She is my heart. She shoulders the load of life with me, and sometimes carries me on her back on top of the load. Without her, everyday seems a little less beautiful. My bed is empty, other than Muggy, and he is a poor substitute.
I find it funny the way people sometimes talk about their spouses, and you almost want to step in and say, wait, you should talk about God that way, it is almost blasphemous to talk about your wife that way. You are wrong. My relationship and love of my wife is a reflection of Christ's love for the church. And the deeper I love my wife, the better I understand Christ's love for us. Of course I love God more than my wife, don't be silly. To say that I need her and love her more than all the gold in the world, is both truthful and not blasphemous.
God saw Adam in the garden and said, we should make him a partner that is suitable for him. I know that God has different callings for some people, and Paul would say that it is better to remain single, but God looked down and saw me, and said, he needs a partner suitable for him, and He sent Kelsi to me. Some people have fallen off of the "true love/soul mate" wagon, because they say we don't have one perfect person for us. They say that this mindset has led to divorces, because people get married and then find their "soul mate," and it is not their wife or husband. They also say that this idea has put fear into people who now think that they might chose the wrong person. In reality, we get to make the choice and it should be based on wisdom not emotions, I agree with all of those things. But, as a very wise and beautiful woman once said, "It is kind of like the whole free will versus predestined argument. God chose us, because He knew that we would choose Him. In the same way, God knew who you would choose to marry all along, and so they are the person that God had for you all along." - Kelsi Bergen. She is the person that God had for me. He knew who I needed, and he brought her to me. In a time when I thought I knew everything, God came and said, "Nope. This girl is the person who will help you grow into the man that I really want you to be." She is humble and faithful. She is gentle, but she does not get pushed around. She is not afraid or worried, but quietly trusts in the Lord. She is not perfect, and neither am I, but we are both willing to allow God to work in us, through each other. That is what marriage is about: God takes two people and binds them together into one, and they begin to become more like Christ, because they have each other as an example of Christ and His love. You think as a single person that your way is the best way, and when you get married you find out that it is not, and God opens your eyes to see that He works in so many different ways. Kelsi, my wife, is so much like Christ, and I know that I would not be the man I am today, without her.
So, yes, life has gone on. We have been ok, but I could not look you straight in the face and tell you that my life is at all close to being great. I think most husbands would agree, my life on the inside is a train wreck when she is away. My desire to do anything slowly fades. Who do I share my experiences with, day to day? My partner in crime is not around...
My life is about pleasing God and glorifying Him, loving my wife the way Christ loves the church (you know that He is longing to be reunited with us), being a father to my daughters in the same way that God is a father to me, and loving others, even those that do not treat me well, especially those that don't treat me well. I love my wife more than any other person on the planet, even though there are some close seconds--like the two that are asleep in their beds right now, and the one that will be in my wife's arms when she returns in five days, three hours, and thirty minutes. She is the one that I choose to spend the rest of my life with, and the one that God created just for me. I do not claim to understand heaven. I know that Jesus said in heaven we will not be married or get married, but I wonder if I will remember Kelsi as my wife, in heaven. I don't know how our memory will work. I know that there will be no more tears in heaven and no more sin, so there will be some part of my time here on earth that I will not remember, but I hope that I get to recall this beautiful blessing and how she impacted my life on earth, so I can thank God to His face for creating such a perfect helper for me and praise Him for being a good God. Thank God for giving me such a great wife. Oy! I can't wait to kiss her when she gets back, I miss her like crazy!
Ok. Mushy-gushy over. Have a good day, everyone! I am going to sleep one of the five more sleeps I have to, before my wife is laying next to me again.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
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