Court Case Update

We just got home from a church potluck, and I found an email in our inbox from our lawyer. 

He went in to see the judge this week to check on the progress of our case, and the judge explained the two things keeping our case from moving forward at this point:

1. Both parents have to be 25 years or older to adopt.

I am currently 24 years old... my birthday is on December 31st, so this is not a huge issue--we may just have to wait until I meet the requirements to have a final decision on our case. 

2. Both parents have to be 20 years older than the child being adopted. 

This is new information to us, and is also terrifying, since there is nothing we can do about it, other than maybe ask for an exception. The good news is that because of the mix up with Abby's birth certificate (most of you are familiar with the fact that she is one year younger in her passport and birth certificate, due to a mistake when we filed for a new birth certificate), Abby is only 5 years old on paper--she will "turn 6" on January 22nd, 2016 (we know she is really seven though). This means that there is a brief period in which I am twenty years older than her, from December 31-January 22. I am hoping that the judge sees this and gives us grace on it. If not, I am not sure what our next step will be.

Please pray specifically about these two issues, and pray that God's will is done in this whole court case. We would love to come home as soon as possible, but there is a chance that God still has work for us to do, and so we may be here a while longer. Your continued prayer is so vital to our ministry and lives here in Phnom Penh. Thank you, and have a great Sunday!

BecauseHeLives,

Micah. 

Email from the Lawyer

We have been waiting a while to hear back from the judge about any progress. This Thursday, I received an email from our lawyer with information that I already knew... October and November are both big holiday months for Cambodia: meaning that no one in government works. Because of this, we have seen a delay in our case. Our lawyer says that he is planning on going in next week to speak with our judge about possibly speeding up the case.

We really would love to move on to the next step, but I know that it will not happen just because the lawyer goes in to speak with the judge next week. To be honest, Kelsi and I have decided that God will have us here as long as He has planned, and we are ok with that.

It is interesting, because there are a few things that we would like to continue doing in Cambodia, but it is also nice knowing that our time will come to an end at some point (possibly soon). I have written this before, but it is the same as Paul describes when he says, "I long to be with Christ, but it is more beneficial that I stay." But on top of that, there is an urgency in our work. We need to accomplish as much as possible before we leave. Not that any of this relies on us, but we understand that before we leave we want a few things to happen: We want Boo Sovon and his wife to be planted in their faith, and the worship team at ICF to be settled with a new coordinator, and the youth bands for the middle school and high school to be ready to lead praise and worship on their own. It is the same with eternity. We long to be with Christ, but we know that we are here for a purpose, and we know that He is coming back soon, so there is an urgency in everything we do, but not a flippancy.

So please pray that the lawyer has favor with the judge, and that the judge makes a decision on our case soon, but also pray that Boo and his wife continue to grow in their faith and are firmly planted, so that when we leave they can continue to follow Christ. Pray that someone with a passion for worship will step up at ICF to take over coordinating the music. Pray that the youth bands continue to become more comfortable, and that God blesses their efforts. Pray that in God's timing we will come home to the States.

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

What We Do, While We Wait

I have been hesitant to write a blog, because I know that everyone is waiting for us to write THE blog. The blog that tells of our adoptions... but our lives are not on hold while we wait for adoptions.

So this blog is to tell you (our friends and family) what we are doing while we wait on God's timing.

Firstly, there is an understanding that we have come to that God has us here for a reason, and when He is finished with us here, we will have adoptions and the ability to come back to the States. When Kelsi and I came, it was for a nine month short term mission trip before we settled down to have kids and jobs... ha! The reason I say that is we have never really had the sense that we are meant to be here for ever.

I am not sure that you have to have some amazing vision or dream or feeling to go on the mission field (and in reality we are called to the mission field of our daily lives, everyday), but I think that as we abide in Christ and He in us our desires become molded to His desires for us. It is my understanding that if God wanted us here forever, He would give us that desire or He would let us know in some way. In reality, we are here because in God's wisdom, we have not been able to immigrate our daughters to the United States. And for me, that is God saying that He still has work for us to do here. Really, we are blessed to have no input on it, because as planners, we would go crazy trying to find out what to do.

Kelsi and I had a transition period after my appendix was taken out and we felt that God was leading us away from Bykota House. During that time, it felt like some days I was twiddling my thumbs, and I was slightly embarrassed to not have anything to do during that time, but a friend really helped by telling me that it was important for us to really seek what God wanted from us during our time left in Cambodia. Kelsi said at one point, we really need to pray and seek what God wants us to do every day. Each day, I woke up and prayed for God to lead me that day.

Recently, Kelsi was at play group (she goes every Friday) and a friend asked her if I was still looking for what God wanted us to do, because they needed an English teacher for their ministry. Kelsi explained that it was hard for us to commit to anything not knowing how much longer we will be here, but our friend explained that they had no one and anything would be great for any amount of time, so I met with her husband at the ministry.

The ministry is called Center for Global Impact (CGI). Basically, they are a vocational/life skills training facility for young women who are either victims of or vulnerable to human trafficking. They teach the girls how to sew and make clothing, give them basic Khmer education (math and reading and writing), and teach them life skills. The program is one year long, and the girls graduate with a certificate of completion. You can check out their website here: centerforglobalimpact.org.

My role at CGI is the English teacher. There are twelve girls, and I teach three classes from 9:00-12:00 Monday through Friday, and also I am teaching the staff Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00-5:00. I just finished my first week, and it was amazing. It is interesting teaching adults... when you teach middle schoolers (as I am more accustomed to), basically 80% of your time is classroom management. I am able to teach so much in the short time I have with each group of four students.

Kelsi has been homeschooling Abby and Lily, and in general being just an amazing mom. She has a blog all about it, so I will just direct you to that to read all about her adventure as a mom, wife, and missionary. The link is in the tabs!

Kelsi prayed about it, and felt like God was telling her that her ministry while we were still here was to the families in our small group for church. So, she has been babysitting and such on demand, which all you parents with small children know very well is a great ministry!

Our small group has been going really well, we have five regular families involved, and we meet twice a month at different houses. We are currently studying Philippians, and it has been really wonderful. I don't know what we would do without our small group.

I continue to be involved with worship at ICF, and have branched out to youth ministry on Thursday and Friday nights, in an attempt to raise up a youth worship band. God has been doing some really cool stuff with that. The middle school youth have a bass player, guitarist, and rhythm box. The highschool is coming along, but we could use some more musicians.

During the transition time, I put together a song book with simplified chords and have been recording the songs as mp3 files, because the students are unable to meet for band practice regularly. I am also working on youtube videos with tutorials. The vision is that I can send out the songs for the week, and the students can practice along with the mp3 files and videos on their own without leaving the house. Raising up some future worship leaders, and so excited to see God working in it!

Kelsi and I are very excited about the Bible study with Boo and his wife. We just finished a Bible study on prayer and reading the Bible, and now we are moving into a study on the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as we progress in their understanding of God's work in their lives. Boo said something really cool the other day in Bible study. He said, "I used to think that Christians were not good people, but then I met Mark and Rhonda, and then started studying the Bible with you, and I realized that Christians love people and Jesus wants us to help others." At some point we put the Khmer Bible on an mp3 player so Boo could listen while he drove, and he and his wife asked us to do it again, because they have a hard time seeing the words in the Bible to read it at night, and they want to listen to it every night.

I have been meeting with a Khmer brother, who leads worship at his church, on Saturday mornings and just worshiping together. He is already very good at guitar, but wanted to learn some strum patterns, and we have been just talking about different ways to play songs and dynamics of guitar led worship, and it has been really good. I have seen God using music a lot more in my life lately, and I love it. Music has always been my passion, and I love that I get to play all the time now.

So, that is it. What we do while we wait. We are still actively trying to get back to the States, but we are so content with what God has for us right now in Phnom Penh. It is an adventure everyday, and we actually really enjoy our life here. Our house is great, we have great community with our church, we are doing God's work, and we have amazing daughters who entertain us everyday.

Thank you to our supporters. You guys are amazing. We are blessed more than you know to have you praying for us and for your obedience in giving each month. We will strive to glorify God each day as we wait for His perfect timing.

BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

Court Update

Firstly, I want to thank everyone who prayed for us today! We received pictures from our churches in the States and had many people message us as we were heading out the door to let us know that they were praying for us. I would like to give you an update on the events of today.

I am sure that most of you were picturing us as you were praying, sitting in a court room (probably like Judge Judy) and a judge in a robe standing up high behind a podium. The reality was a small room with four desks, and plastic red stools (but air conditioned, so not as jungle as you are thinking).

We came in and sat down across from a man, that we assumed was our judge. He asked us questions from 9:00-11:00 about the history of the girls, and how we could prove the length of time we had them. Lots of background story and telling the girls to sit still.

The girls did amazing. They listened and for the most part answered questions, even though it was all in Khmer and translated through our lawyer. The weirdest question was "How are they with your family?" Which we assumed was a bad translation of the questions, "Are the girls comfortable with living with you? Are they assimilating well?" To which we answered, "Yes? We love them and they love us, and they call us mommy and daddy." We both felt like the question was not really necessary, since we were sitting there with our daughters...

Another uncomfortable moment was when the biological father was asked about. At some point we were told that he may need to be involved, because he and the girls' mother were "married" in their village. But in that moment, I remembered something Srey Ron had told me in the meeting with our lawyer... The girls' father specifically said not to put his name on the birth certificates, because he wanted nothing to do with the girls. And when I said this, the man behind the desk dropped asking about the father, and wrote down in our statement that the father did not have a say. This is why you all prayed for us. If the father was necessary, it would have caused all kinds of problems. He could have held back permission for a bribe, or a whole list of other horrible things. This was huge!

Anyways, at some point in the interview, the man got up with our papers and walked into another room. After a while, our lawyer told us that he was speaking to the judge, and Kelsi and I both said simultaneously, "Wait. He is not the judge?" As it turns out, we had been talking to a clerk. So then we assumed that we would be going in to see the judge soon, but that was not the case.

Whether for better or worse, our judge did not want to see us, he instead worked through a clerk to take our statement... not sure if that is a good thing (he just wants to get the paperwork done) or a bad thing... no need to run those possibilities through our heads.

We were then told that they would like to meet with the mother, and we needed to have some documents translated (which our lawyer mentioned might be the case, but he wanted to wait and see which documents they wanted).

So, I hope no one is disappointed. I know that some might have had the expectation that we were going to get adoptions today, but that is not how Cambodia works. It is a process, and we are making forward progress, which is a huge answer to your prayers!

Kelsi and I are settling in and waiting on God's timing, as we take these steps forward. I will write later about new things going on in our lives... basically the things that we do while we wait (I think that will be the blog title).

Thank you again to everyone who prayed. We know for sure that this day would have gone differently without your support, and we are so encouraged by everyone in our lives who love us!

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Prayer Points

Because we know of many people who are praying for us for our court date tomorrow, we thought it might be good to give you a list of things to pray for...

1. Morning preparation--As most of you know, Kelsi and I are not very good at mornings. We are going to need help getting out the door tomorrow with all the things that we need and our sanity. Please keep this in mind at about 6:30-7:30 this evening.

2. Well behaved girls--Abby and Lily are perfect and always obey everything we say... NOT! They are human children. Please pray that God gives them supernatural ears for listening, and gives Kelsi and I patience with them, as tomorrow will most likely be stressful and long.

3. Directions--Please pray that we arrive at the court house on time and don't get caught up in traffic or get lost, as this sometimes happens. Pray that we can make it to our destination safely, also.

4. Favor with the judge--Each judge is different, and we do not know how our judge feels about adoptions for foreigners. Please pray that he has favor for us, and that he is a kind judge with a heart for adoptions.

5. Wisdom for our lawyer--Our lawyer has won cases like ours, so I have confidence in him, but please pray that he knows what to say and how to say it.

6. Six month waiting period--Please pray that the judge allows us to waive the six month waiting period, as we have already shown we can take care of the girls for the past three years. This is normally a period for people who are just getting the children, and they are wanting to make sure it is a good fit.

7. Quick decision--We do not know how long it will take the judge to make a decision on our case. It could be months, weeks, or days, but we don't know.

8. Patience/Contentment--Kelsi and I are trying not to get our hopes up too much, but we are really excited about this, and we are hoping that it leads to us coming home to the States with our daughters for good. Please pray that we can be patient as God works this out in His timing, and also content where He has us for this season of our lives.

9. U.S. Embassy--If/When we get adoptions, we will need to still start a long process with the U.S. Embassy. Please begin to pray for favor with whomever we work with on the girls' immigration paperwork. Also, pray that Kelsi and I have wisdom in how we handle speaking with the Embassy, as this is new territory for us.

10. Thank God for all the already answered prayers!

I hope this helps, and we very much appreciate all the prayer from you guys!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah and Kelsi.

Court Date and God's Timing

In a previous blog we mentioned that we were praying to go home on September 16th. As most of you know already, this will not be happening. As Kelsi mentioned in that blog, we believe that we should be specific in our prayers, but we are always praying for God's will and timing. We appreciate everyone who prayed alongside us for this date.

As an update on the adoption process, we have been summoned to go before the judge on September 21st at 8:00 AM (Monday morning). At this time, he will hear our case. After this, it will be up to him on how long it takes to approve (or disapprove) our petition. We are continuing to pray that God softens his heart for our case, and that our lawyer is wise in his dealings with the judge.

Something that we would like to ask is for all the churches, who are willing, to hold a prayer service at 8:00 PM on Sunday the 20th. This will be when will be going before the judge, in Missouri time. Kelsi and I really believe in the power of prayer, and it would be a great encouragement to us to know that you all are praying.

After the adoptions are approved (not sure on the time table), the plan is to go forward with applying at the U.S. Embassy for the girls Immigrant Visas. I have done a lot of research on it, and I think that it will be best to go ahead and just ask them what they think is the best route. Please pray that we find someone who is helpful and sympathetic towards our situation, as the U.S. Embassy is always a wild draw on who will handle your case.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and prayer. We are excited to see how God is working all this out in His perfect way, and we patiently await the day when we can see you all in the States, again.

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Renewed Excitement for the Gospel

About a year or so ago, because of some circumstances that I will not get too deep into, Kelsi began doing Bible study with our tuk tuk driver's wife (Sinuin). We asked Boo Sovon (our tuk tuk driver) if he would be willing to do Bible study, and he always said that he needed to work, because they only had a year and a half left to pay off their house or it would be taken. So we kept on praying for him and his family and trying the best we could to help them towards this goal. When we got back from the States and gave him the moto, I told him that it was God providing for his family and asked if he would be willing to do Bible study, and he said yes.

Then one day, after he had already agreed to do Bible study, I asked him how paying off his house was going, and he said, "We lost the house already. We are living in a small house further away now." And my heart sank, but I realized that he already wanted to do Bible study, so I asked, "You lost your house, but you still trust in God? You still think that God is good?" To which he replied, "Yes. God is good. Bad things happen, but that does not mean that God is not good. When we go to heaven, then there will be no more bad things." And I was just in awe of his simple faith in this, because there are many Christians who struggle with this issue and it wrecks their faith, and here is a man who has just begun to follow Christ, and he already understands.

So we began our Bible study with the Ten Commandments, because I wanted to share with them the gospel message, and I think that the gospel begins with understanding how much we fall short of God's standard. We went through each in one sitting, and I explained each with the New Testament application when necessary.

The next week, I started by asking if they thought it was possible to keep all the Ten Commandments, and they said no. So I asked whether they thought they could just keep one commandment, which led into the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. This was important, because we needed to introduce them to the idea of sacrificial atonement, which was instituted in the garden of Eden when God slayed the animal to make Adam and Eve clothes. Sinuin had heard the story of Adam and Eve before, but a different version.

We jumped from this to the Roman road, which is a series of verses in Romans that explain our inability to follow God on our own, God's gift of grace to us, and how to make Christ Lord of our lives. Boo and his wife had already made the decision to follow Christ with their lives, but I wanted to make sure that they understood the cost and that it was every part of their lives, and also understand what it means to be a "Christian" which they understand better than most as "Following Christ."

Towards the end of our Bible study in Romans, I made a side comment about Jesus raising from the dead, and said, "Do you know that story?" and they both shook their heads "no" with a puzzled expression... So for the next two weeks, we watched the Jesus Film in Khmer with them, and it was a life changing experience for everyone involved.

In the beginning of the movie, it explains that Abraham was given a promise and it was fulfilled in Isaac, but then God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, and when Sinuin heard this, she put her hands to her mouth and was horrified. As Abraham picked up the knife and raised it in the air, she got tears in her eyes and even shrieked. When the angel appeared and the ram was revealed, you could feel the relief in the room. In that moment, I longed to have my memory wiped, so I could hear the stories of the Bible with new ears. The story of Abraham and Isaac is one that I could tell from memory with all the New Testament applications and explain all the pictures, but it would be so great to hear it like Sinuin did, with all the tension and fear, followed by the relief of God's faithfulness.

Later in the movie, Jesus brings a girl back from the dead. When He comes walking in the house, Boo and his wife turn to Kelsi and I and say, "She's dead?" and we say, "Yes." Boo says, "But Jesus will bring her back to life." He was sure of it. There was no doubt, and he had never even heard the story. And when she sat up, they went crazy with excitement.

And it wasn't just the miracles that excited them, when Jesus was teaching the multitude and speaking in parables, they talked back and forth with each other and shook their heads up and down in agreement. They actively listened to the new truths that were being taught, and you could see in their eyes that the Holy Spirit was at work.

And then Jesus was crucified, and they cried. They put him in the grave, and there was just silence in the room. Finally a few minutes later, Jesus appears in the room with the disciples, and there again the excitement in their eyes was crazy! To them, the Resurrection was the most exciting moment in the film. You could see the puzzle pieces coming together for them, as they realized what it means to follow Christ as a risen Lord. You could see that what we had talked about in the weeks before about Jesus giving eternal life made much more sense in light of the fact that he defeated death!

What I really like about the Jesus Film is that, at the end of the movie, it explains why Jesus died and how the prophets said it would happen, and it uses flash backs in the movie to remind and wrap up the main point.

Although it seems backwards to have waited to watch the Jesus Film until after a few Bible studies, I think it was better, because they had a better understanding of grace and our need for Him to die. I am excited to continue to do Bible study with Boo Sovon and Sinuin. I like to see God working in their lives in such a mighty way.

We have just begun studying Philippians in our church home group, and this last week we studied the first chapter, in which Paul writes, "If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus."

I find myself attributing Paul's words to our situation. Kelsi and I would very much like to be back in the States with our family and friends, but we also long to stay and continue to disciple Boo and his family. We are hard pressed between the two. We are going to continue to be obedient in what God has told us to do: "make disciples." As long as we are here, this is our aim, and we pray that God is glorified in our lives.

Friends, thank you for your support of us in prayer and financially. We are always blessed by your obedience, and find ourselves being blown away by God's faithfulness to our family. We remember you all in our prayers, and thank God in every remembrance of you. Until next time...

BecauseHeLives,
Micah. 

Can I get an Amen, Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!!!

"PRAISE-A-LUJAH!" 

...as my dear missionary friend George Rivera would say.  He has gone to be with the Lord but I will always cherish the time I spent with him and Rebecca in Galeana and I will always remember him when I use this catch phrase.

Our God is good!  Since my last post He has provided enough to cover both Micah's medical bills and our lawyer fees!  AND we have some left over to put toward our visas and plane tickets!!!  I can't tell you how excited and in awe I am!  God always provides and this time He has provided above and beyond what we ever expected.  Thank you all who prayed for us and those of you who gave specially this month!  We are beyond blessed by you!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Because I believe we should be specific in our prayers I am praying for September 16th.  That is the 3rd anniversary of getting the girls and it is ten weeks away.  September has been stuck in my head for a while, every time I pray about our adoptions and going home September comes to my mind.  I don't know why, maybe it is the Lord telling me something or maybe it is just my wishful thinking,  but my God is big and can make big things happen and His timing is impeccable!  So I am praying to fly out of Cambodia on September 16th.  Micah thinks I'm crazy :p we ultimately pray for God's will and timing but why not ask specifically? 

Last year we prayed and fasted for foster care, this year I want to fast again.  You can choose to fast however you want.  Last year we each picked something to fast from (chocolate, Mountain Dew, pop...)  you can choose to do that again or you can pick a day each week to fast and pray.  Whatever you choose, fasting or not fasting,  the important thing is that you pray with us! :)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Adoption Update:
To fill you in... since June 15th we have gotten our visas extended and all of our paperwork turned in to our lawyer.  Yesterday we thumb printed our petition and it was turned into the courts.  Now we will wait on a Judge to hear our case.  This could take anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks.  It is very important that we pray for a good judge.  Some judges have a heart for adoptions and will be able to help us while some others don't really care.  We have no say on which judge we get so be praying for favor!  After that we are unsure, it may take a few weeks again to hear if our adoptions are approved or not.  Once our adoptions are approved (which we are choosing to believe that they will be) we will work on our paperwork to bring the girls back to America for good.

The Raw Truth

When Micah and I were engaged we decided to take a Dave Ramsey: Financial Peace course.  We had heard that a lot of marital spats stemmed from finances so we wanted to start as strong as possible, especially knowing (well thinking anyway) we would be living on teacher salaries our whole lives.  Little did we know we would actually be living on donor support as missionaries for three years and counting.  We have tried our best to follow our Financial Peace plan, envelopes and all.  We have tried to save up an emergency fund. We have tried to be good stewards of what God has blessed us with. But to be honest, it is really really hard.  Yes, I could write for hours about the ways God has provided for us but even so it is still difficult to live month to month hoping and praying your supporters don't forget about you.  Making every decision hoping you don't offend a supporter.  Only slightly more difficult is asking for the support in the first place.  The thought always runs through my head, "Who am I to be asking anyone for money.  It was our choice to adopt, not theirs, and now I am asking them to pay for it?"  In America when we needed more money we would just work more for it.  Micah would take on extra hours at the golf course, I would do different jobs at school.  But here, that is not an option, although I did try to sell my cakes for a while… I sold three.   Here we have to ask our family and friends when we need extra funds and that is hard! So hard and humbling.

It seems like every time we have some money saved up (the money that family and friends have so generously given to us) and we are in a comfortable situation, something happens and we need more for this reason or that.  So, once again I face my pride and ask.  I write my blog about why we need money this time and think "When are they going to get tired of me?"  But I bite the bullet and do it anyway, and I pray.  I pray that God will bless my writing, I pray that He would call someone to give, I pray that someone will be obedient to His calling just one more time.  And He always comes through!  In our three years in Cambodia we have not ever missed a meal, yes, there has been a few weeks that we lived on eggs and Mama Mei (Ramen Noodles) but God always provides for us.

So, here I am again… asking God to bless this writing, asking for Him to speak to your hearts, asking that someone be obedient to His calling.

Last week Micah met with our adoption lawyer and settled on a price ($4000), we were pretty excited because we were only a little short of that in our savings account and we still had some supporters in America waiting on the word to give their "Change for Adoptions."   Then Saturday happened… Micah woke up with appendicitis and needed emergency surgery (Blog Link).  In going back and forth from home to the clinic I had to dip into our savings to pay the tuktuks and to buy quick and easy food because I just didn't have time or energy to cook the meals I had planned for the week.  And of course today we got the bill for his surgery and hospital stay…$747 (still a lot cheaper than America) and that leaves us needing help once again.  At this point we still need $1300 for the lawyer (this still doesn't cover visas and such but we will cross that bridge after adoptions are final) and our doctor bill of $747.  We know that everything happens in God's perfect timing and that He will work everything out for His good but we also know that in order to receive we have to ask.

So I am asking you, reader, family member, friend, whoever you may be to ask God what He would have you do.  Is He asking you to give?  Is He asking you to pray for us?  Is He asking you to send an encouraging word?  Whatever your case may be all I ask is that you be obedient to God.

Thanks,

Kelsi

Micah Is Hospitalized

Some background here... About two week ago, a friend told me that she had some crazy stomach bug that was leaving her with horrible cramps in her stomach. A week ago, Kelsi had some stomach issues that cleared themselves up after a couple hours. So, on Saturday, when I woke up with horrible stomach pains, I assumed that it was that same bug. At five-thirty, I was uncomfortable, and it felt like someone was reaching inside of me and tearing at my stomach. I decided to tough it out, because I assumed it was the bacteria or a bug, but it was not. From five-thirty to ten, I lay in bed as my appendix was trying to burst. When I finally went to the hospital it turned out that I had abscessed appendicitis (google it). 

When I arrived at the hospital, our doctor said, "Let me guess, you have horrible diarrhea." I answered, "Nope. I actually have not gone to the bathroom all day." Her face changed, and she reached over to my stomach and pressed down on my lower right side, and I cried. She turned to the nurse and said, "We have to get this boy an emergency ultra sound, now." So I was sent in a tuk tuk to the nearest ultra sound clinic (twenty minutes away). The tuk tuk ride was awful... I cried every bump of the way. When we got to the ultra sound clinic, they did not want to see me, because I did not have an appointment, but they decided to let me go ahead, when I laid down on their floor... I guess they got that it was serious. During the ultra sound, the doctor was curious why my whole abdomen was in pain, so I explained that I had waited all morning and had been clinching in pain so much, that everything hurt at this point. She soon found out, clearly, that it was my appendix, and I rode back to our normal clinic with the ultra sound pictures. When I got there, our doctor gave me pain killers... THANK YOU, GOD, FOR PAIN KILLERS! I was like a new person. Kelsi and I went on to the surgery clinic which was about thirty minutes away, and they began doing the prep for my surgery. This involved a heart test (healthy heart, check!) and blood pressure (good blood pressure, check!).

I have never had surgery. This one was not a "knock you out" surgery. They gave me a shot in my spine, and I slowly went numb from the chest down... and it was the. most. terrifying. experience of my life. I grew up with three brothers, and we used to wrestle. Whenever they would gang up on me and pin me to the floor, I would have a sudden burst of adrenaline and break free, because I hate being pinned and not being able to move. As I felt my legs going numb, I freaked out. Not just a little freak out... my arms went numb because I was hyperventilating, and the anesthesiologist asked me if I would rather be knocked out for the rest of surgery, which of course I said yes to, but alas it was too late. It is a horrifying feeling to slowly lose the ability to move your body. Suddenly, your toe itches, and you can't move against the others to scratch it. The surgery itself was only about forty minutes long, but the anesthesia lasted for seven hours. I laid in a bed not being able to move, and was told that I was not allowed to sit up for twenty-four hours, not that I could.

After the surgery, I slowly gained feeling as the night went on, and I found out the joy of catheters. Halfway through the night, I finally asked the nurse to just take it out, because I could not sleep, and it seemed to not be working. I was right, it was not working properly, and he pulled it out... I'm gonna go ahead and type that again real slow so you get the picture better... he ppppuuuuullllllleeeeedddddd it ooooooooouuuuuuuttttttt! And after the longest second of my life, I slept for the rest of the night soundly.

The next adventure came the next morning, as I was transferred back to my regular clinic for post op. The nurse came in, and Kelsi asked when we were going to transfer, as most of the staff could not speak English, and we were eager to get answers about recovery time and when I could eat (I had not eaten since Friday night). The nurse picked up the phone, and then hung up and said, "Ok. We go now. Get up." I had not stood up since my surgery the day before, and now I was walking down three flights of stairs to a taxi, while holding my IV in the air. We then road in a taxi to our normal clinic. Here's a picture:



Once we got to our normal clinic, things got a little more comfortable. The staff speak better English and it is just more familiar. What I then discovered is that our doctor believes in using as little pain medication as possible during post op--"so that the patient doesn't over do anything." And when you have had a catheter, you find yourself in a situation in which you weigh how much you have to go to the bathroom against how much it is going to burn. I waited as long as possible, and finally, when I could not hold it anymore, I went, and I screamed, and I bashed my fist against the concrete wall.

It is now Tuesday, and I have two more days of recovery in the clinic before I can go home. Kelsi and the girls have come to visit me everyday in the morning and then at dinner time. I am ready to go home, and get back to normal life, as this weekend was a very painful one. I guess I should give some kind of reflection on this.

A lot of people take 1 Corinthians 10:13 out of context. They say, "God will never give you more than you can bear." I want to clear up that this verse is firstly speaking on temptation. God does not allow us to be in a position in which we have no choice but to fall to temptation, but He gives us a way of escape. This verse is not speaking on pain and suffering. I had a discussion with a friend once and we decided that we believe that God gives us more than we can bear all the time, purposefully. If we were able to handle all the pain and struggles of this life, we would never come to Him. This weekend has been the most painful weekend of my life, and because of that I drew near to God. When I was scared in surgery, I sang my favorite worship songs, and it calmed me down. At night, when I couldn't sleep, I cried out to God to give me rest. As I have been missing my family and my house, I ask God to be my sufficiency. 

We all have a choice when faced with difficulties in life. We can choose to take them and say that God is either not good or not in control or we can take them and say, God can make good of this, and I trust that no matter how terrible things are, He is always in control and will one day set all things right. I am certain that there will not be appendicitis in Heaven, and I am certain that when God created Adam, He did not plan for him to have it, either. Disobedience and separation from God have caused these pains, and I long for the day when I will be free from my sin and reunited with God. 

For now, please pray for my recovery, as I am still in quite a bit of pain, and I miss bedtime routine with my daughters and evenings with my wife. 

BecauseHeLives,

Micah. 

Boo's Moto

Before we left for the States, I went on a tuk tuk ride with our driver Boo Sovon (we just call him Boo). You may remember from earlier posts that Kelsi has been doing a Bible study with his wife, and we have been talking to him about the importance of going to church and getting involved to grow in his faith for his family. He has always said the same thing: that he would go when he was able to pay his house off which would be in about a year. But he has been saying that for about a year and a half, so we keep praying for him. When I was riding in the tuk tuk with him before we left, it sounded awful. We got out and I asked him about it, and he showed me that his engine was falling apart, and in general his moto was breaking down. I asked him how much it would cost to get a new moto, and he told me. He then explained to me that he used to be a bus driver, but his vision has been getting worse so he could not handle the long drive to Siem Reap. Basically during our discussion I learned that if his moto breaks down, he is sunk. So I told him that I would ask my friends in the States if they would ask God if they were supposed to help him with a new moto. While in the states we spoke to First Baptist in Schell City, Missouri about Boo, and they decided that they were the ones to sponsor his new moto. Here is the before and after:

It has more power than his other moto and since it is new it will last a long time. We have already heard people complimenting him on it. Kelsi mentioned that it would be great if he could use it as a witnessing tool. When people say something about it, he can tell them that God provided for it.

I decided to have my friend Seyha come and translate when I gave the moto to Boo. I told Boo that 

God loved him. And when we trust in Jesus and seek His Kingdom, He provides for all our needs. I said that God told my friends in the States to give him this moto, because He cares about him and his family. He said "Thank you God for my moto!" I hope that this gesture has built Boo's faith. As we have been here and seen God provide for us, we know that it has made us trust in our God more and more, who always provides. Thank you First Baptist Schell City! Your generosity and obedience is a blessing to us and those with whom we minister here in Cambodia. Continue to pray for Boo and his family, as they grow in their faith and begin to follow Christ, not just because they work with foreigners who follow Christ, but of their own decision. We are blessed by Boo, and we are so grateful that we were able to bless him in this way. Again, thank you First Baptist Schell City!

BecauseHeLives,

Micah.  

Waiting for June 15th (Adoption Update)

Thank you for the prayers about the meeting on Tuesday! When we met with the lawyer, we found out two things. One that the man's name in the family book is not Abby and Lily's father. It is the name of Ron's new husband. Secondly, the girls' father was never married to Ron legally. She explained that she had a village marriage, but nothing on paper, and he left her and said he didn't want his name on the girls' birth certificates... That means that we are good to go to court, and we do not need to include him at all. Huge answer to prayers! I answered a bonus question on Tuesday too. Abby and Lily's Khmer names are Sreyroath Roeun and Sreyniet Roeun, but Ron's last name is Pich... so I asked why they had a different last name, and the lawyer explained that, in Cambodia, when a child is born, you decide whether to give them the family name or the father of the family's first name. So, Pich is Ron's grandfather's first name, and Roeun is the name of Abby and Lily's grandfather and Ron's father. 

So June 15th can not get here soon enough. On that day, I will go and get Kelsi and my's visas, which just happen to be the last thing on my list of things we need to go to court. After that, I will meet with the lawyer and hammer out price and get our paperwork together to petition the judge. After that, it is a waiting game for the court date, and after that, a waiting game for the decision. 

Some of you may be wondering what the process of this looks like. You may have the questions, "If you get court adoptions, does that mean you can come home right away?" "What is the time frame on this whole thing?" 

To answer the first question simply... no. Court adoptions have nothing to do with the United States. It is all about how Cambodia sees us. However, once we have court adoptions, and Cambodia recognizes us as the legal parents of Abby and Lily, we can petition on their behalf for citizenship with a certain form. That is the uncertainty. We are not sure that this court adoption will be enough for that, but either way, we want as strong of a connection as possible with the girls. If the court adoption is enough, we already have the two years required of residency to apply. It will be a series of trips to the U.S. Embassy and a whole lot of paperwork, and a whole lot of waiting. To answer the second question, not sure. We don't know how long court adoptions will take, and we don't know how long the petition will take. Right now, we are here, and we are glad to be making progress.

Thank you for everyone who has been praying for us, and please continue to pray. Like I said, we have a little bit of a wait ahead of us--three weeks. And for most of you that time will fly by, but for me it will feel like ages. I think God likes to make us wait sometimes. I am excited to see how He works all this out in His timing, and in His perfect way. 

Hope this answers some questions. If you still have some, please comment or send us an email :)

BecauseHeLives,

Micah. 

Gardening Day

The girls are doing a project for school with Kelsi. They are growing Basil, Rosemary, Dill, Marigolds, and Lavender. These are all mosquito repelling plants, and also useful in other things, like cooking and being pretty, or that is what I am told ;) Hope you enjoy the video! Just a bit of our life here in Cambodia. 

BecauseHeLives,

Micah. 

Prayer Request: Adoption Update

Upon returning to Cambodia from the States, we are required to turn in a report to the Ministry of
Social Affairs. I decided to kill two trips with one tuk tuk and ask about adoptions. The meeting at the Ministry was not super eventful. I asked about the rumors of new laws in March and what happened with all that, she said the same thing I already heard, that the U.S. said they would not accept adoptions granted to families with foster care currently. She also said that foster care has been shut down, but it is not in lieu of granting adoptions to those with foster care. I asked if there was anyway that she could give us an adoption as if we were Cambodian, since we have had the girls as foster children through the Ministry for almost eight months now, and most Cambodian families are encouraged to adopt after only six. She said that it was not possible. I then asked if there was any way that the Minister could make an exception for our case, because of Abby's eye, and she said that the Minister does not want to give any exceptions right now, because he is afraid it will open the flood gates--which I completely understand. At this point, I asked Dina what she thought about us going ahead and looking into getting a local court adoption of the girls, so we have some way of fighting for the visas we want, and she said that she was not sure that we would get them, to which I said, "But we can try." She then gave me contact information for a lawyer, who I have a meeting with on Monday morning at 10:00 (Sunday evening at 10:00, Missouri time). I have some paperwork to gather, and a lot of praying to do. This route is going to cost money, and we want to be sure that this is what God wants us to do right now. Please pray for wisdom for us, as we begin this process. Pray that the lawyer's heart is softened to our case. Pray that the judge will have mercy and that we will have favor. Pray that we will guard our hearts well, and not get our hopes up too quickly. Pray for God's will to be done. Pray that this works, and we get adoptions, and even pray that after we get adoptions, they work for our visas. I will give an update on how the meeting went later. I just wanted to make sure everyone began to pray now.

There will also be an update about settling back into Cambodia, but right now, we are still settling, and exhausted! Thank you to everyone who encouraged us while we were in the States, and also for all the generosity from the churches that we spoke to. It was great seeing/meeting all of you!

BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

UPDATE 5/14/2015
I spoke with the lawyer, and he told me a few documents that I needed to collect. Things like a lease agreement, visas, ect... One thing he also noted was that he needed to have a counsel meeting with the mother of the girls. I have known this whole time that Srey Ron would help us with this, so I was not worried about it. Before the meeting with her, we needed to get her ID and the family book from the province. I got both of those things yesterday, and we are scheduled to meet with the lawyer on Tuesday at 9:30 AM, which is Monday evening the same time in Missouri (for all of you who would please pray for us). It is looking like just a couple more weeks and we will have everything to turn into the judge and await the trial, but the lawyer was concerned about the fact that the biological father's name is not on the birth certificate, but is in the family book. Please pray that this is cleared up and will not cause any trouble later. We filled out all the paper work for our lease agreement, and are just waiting for the sangkat to approve it--the sangkat is like the local office. Once that is in my hand, I will go and renew our visas (ten days, usually), and after that I can meet with the lawyer again to sign the final papers, which will include an agreement on the fee. That is up in the air right now, because everything is negotiable in Cambodia. He told me at first that they charge $3,000 per case. I thought, great, because Abby and Lily are sisters, that means one case, one judge, one set of paperwork. But then he back tracked and said, but we also charge $3,000 per child sometimes, so not sure. When I go into that negotiation meeting, I will get it as low as possible, and we will most likely have to pay a percentage of the cost up front. This is why I was wary to go the court adoption route--it gets expensive. Kelsi and I have enough savings from our time in the States (thank you!) to pay the initial part of the cost, but will need some help with the rest--all you people who have been saving change get ready! :) Thank you to everyone who has been praying and also for all the generosity toward our family. We are blessed with a great group of supporters. I will post an update on Tuesday, after the meeting, to let everyone know what the lawyer said about the family book and birth certificate situation.

Snow! Real, Packble SNOW!

Well, Missouri finally gave us some good snow :) Here are some pictures for you!

Lily loved the snow and was happy just walking around.

Abby just wanted to build Olaf and have a snowball fight.

We dragged the girls in a tube behind the Ranger. Abby loved it, and Lily hated it, of course.

And we finally built a snowman!

or two....

Remember to pray even for the small things! God loves when we come to Him like children and ask for things. He knows our needs before we even pray, but He allows us to ask, so that we can learn to rely and trust in Him. Our faith is made stronger, and we realize that God cares for us. 

Speaking of praying, this came out recently, and I wanted to share it with everyone, so you could continue to pray about it: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/new-step-towards-adoptions

God is working on adoptions in Cambodia, and we are excited to see what He has planned.

It was such a blessing playing in the snow with my daughters! I am so thankful that we were able to come to the States, and that we were able to stay longer, so the girls could experience good, packable snow! Thank you to everyone who contributed to this winter furlough!

BecauseHeLives,

Micah. 

Updated Departure Date

It is now February 25th. When Kelsi and I left Cambodia, we were under the impression that this would be our return date, but we have been blessed with extra time. Abby and Lily received visas upon arrival that go through to May 17th. At the time, it didn't matter, because we were needing to return in time for our directors to take their furlough, but things have changed and we are able to stay until April 25th. I will be returning to my position as School Administrator on May 4th--giving me a week to recover from jet-lag. We are super excited to spend more time with family and friends, and continue visiting new churches and sharing what God is doing in Cambodia.

What have we been doing in the states, you might ask? Mostly spending as much time with family as possible. Wendell has been setting up churches weekly for us to share. We have seen a rise in our monthly support and we even had enough to go ahead and purchase our plane tickets. I am no longer surprised by God's provision--He always provides. We at this point are continuing to raise support, with a goal in mind, but we also know that God will provide exactly what we need monthly, if we continue to seek His kingdom first and continue to place our trust in Him. It is exciting to share about what He is doing, and seeing people willing to be a part of it.

Since coming in November, we have been sharing at each church to please pray for adoptions to open up in Cambodia, and we have already seen that it is working. Rumors and whispers are what I call them, until I hear it directly from my contact at the Ministry of Social Affairs, but there has been talk that Cambodia will be finalizing all in-country adoption cases by the end of the year. We have even been told that they have shut down the foster care in preparation for this. I was already planning on going into the Ministry when we returned and fighting for adoptions, so it looks like God has already begun the work. We really don't know where all of this will lead, but we are excited to hear this news.  As usual we are not making plans. When we return to Cambodia, we are assuming it is for the long haul, unless God says otherwise. Keep praying for adoptions!

Because adoptions may be opening up, Kelsi and I discussed how we might help pay for it all--we don't know what it will cost at this point. Since we are teachers, and we are not doing anything during the week, it just made sense to substitute teach. We have already been busy with this, and it feels great to be able to contribute to the work God is doing in Cambodia, and it is easy to work with a good attitude, when you realize that the money you are making will be going toward adoptions one day--maybe soon.

I do have to complain about something... I try not to complain often, but the girls and myself are very disappointed... in Missouri weather. We were promised a long hard winter, and we have seen hardly any snow... all we have to show for this winter is dry cracking skin and two inches of snow. In the words of Abigail, "I wanna build a snowman!" Step up your game, Missouri!

Well, I think that is all for now. As I mentioned already, we have our return tickets purchased, and we are grateful to the many people who contributed towards that expense. We are blessed continually by your prayers and words of encouragement. Thank you to everyone who has committed to praying for us, and thank you to those who also financially support us! May God bless you as much as you have blessed us!

BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.