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.
