There is a vast difference between what you think you will accomplish and what you actually accomplish, with free time. I am getting ahead of myself, though. It is Khmer New Year (or it was). I just finished an entire week off of school and ministry! I literally had no contact with Bykota House for an entire week, other than Facebook updates. Kels and I are still not completely moved in yet--there are still boxes unpacked and rooms unorganized. My plan was to hammer the whole house out this week. Monday, I got up normal time and began the work of deep cleaning and organizing and unpacking. I finished the bottom floor. It took the entire day--probably took longer, because I was being nit picky about arrangements of things and such, changing my mind fifty times before settling on something. At the end of the day, the bottom floor looked great. Clean, organized, spiffy. Here is where what I thought I would accomplished got derailed. I had told Abby about this week on Sunday. I said, "Hey. Do you wanna skip school next week and just stay at home and play. We could swim and play on the roof, and we could even watch movies every night if we wanted to." She was very excited about it. And you know what... that first day, we did none of those things. Abby and Lily played upstairs with their toys, while I cleaned. Abby begged to help, but after having her sweep the floor for an hour, I couldn't think of any other ways to get her involved. (Her time will come, because I grew up in a chore household, and we daily cleaned and did our part). The thing is, I for the most part ignored Abby and Lily all day. Lately, they have been at school, and then I see them for a brief period during lunch time (which I know a lot of dads do not get, so I am grateful), and then I go back to school. By the time I get home, we have started our dinner and bed time routines. I feel like I hardly spend any time with them anymore. And it hit me! I am wasting this whole week on cleaning and organizing!? I assumed that a week off school would be the perfect time to focus on our house, but I was wrong. It was the perfect time to focus on my girls. So, at the end of the week, I accomplished nothing that I set out to accomplish. You know what I did accomplish? I played dress up and dance party, had multiple fake meals prepared by none other than the great chef Abigail Roat and her assistant Lily Niet, played marbles, played cards (the girls did not like Uno), played chase me on the roof, and stayed up too late watching a movie on a few of those nights, too. We did our normal bed time routines and went out to eat at the place with "the broken toys" as Abby calls it (Fresh Pizza). You know what was great about this week? I never rushed anywhere. We had no where to be and nothing to do. When it took three hours to get our pizza, because I took the advice of a friend who said "Dude, it's two for one pizza at Fresh Pizza!" Everyone apparently knew about that... It didn't matter. The girls had fun playing with the toys, and I never looked at my watch and thought, "We have to get home for bedtime because ____." I think sometimes we get so caught up in our daily, busy routines that we forget to enjoy our kids. We take care of their needs, but we do not enjoy them. I picked Abby up from the top bunk, to get her up after nap time today, and she is sooooo stinkin big! She was Lily's size when she came, and Lily was a baby, just learned to walk, who hardly spoke at all. Now she keeps up with Abby (that is a feat). So to summarize this week: I got nothing off my list of things to do done, but I sure had a blast not doing those things! We definitely need to do this more often, and I am so grateful that my daughters still think it is cool to play make-believe with their daddy. Time to cherish that as long as it lasts! Until next time!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Hey! BECAUSE HE LIVES! HE IS RISEN! HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY EVERYONE!
April 20, 2014
April 12, 2014
House Tour
So Kelsi and I moved into a new apartment in mid March. Two days after, Wendell came for a visit--he wanted to see the girls, and Kelsi needed help flying to the states. He was so helpful, although he would say that he didn't do much. He spent most of the time with the girls, showing them some Papa love. He also put up multiple fans, which is good, because I am terrible with a power drill and concrete. Kelsi is in the states now, and I miss her like crazy--not to mention Melody. There is still a lot of work to do in the house. There is a room that is exactly the same as when we moved in, except the fan that Wendell mounted on the wall. I am excited, because we do not have school next week. My plan is to get the house in order, and Abby and Lily really want to help. I know that is going to be an adventure... what jobs can I give them to do... oh well, I am just glad that they want to work. We are going to clean and organize and make the house more like a home. I hope to get pictures up of our new house soon, but since I never actually did that in our last house, I will go ahead and give you a tour with my words. So here we go.
First imagine that it is very hot, and dusty, and you are riding in the back of a tuk tuk (google it, if you can't picture what a tuk tuk is) You pull up on a rocky road, and on your right is a three story bright green house, on the corner of a side street off the main street. It is not an attractive bright green, but rather an obnoxious t-shirt bright green. You walk in the double doors, which are glass. The front room has really tall ceilings (maybe twenty feet), and there is a window on what seems to be a middle level between the fist floor and the second floor. This first room is empty of everything but some tools and bicycles--you do not know it, but this is usually the parking area, even though it has tile floors. You walk through a door at the end of the room on the left, and you find yourself in a short hallway. On the right, almost immediately is a door. You open it and find a very small room, that has one window that allows you to see into the room from whence you came (the room with the bicycles). There is a bathroom on the left--across from the window. This room has been recently equipped with an air-conditioning (Thanks Wendell!), and I explain that it is our guest room, and possible intern room. At the moment, however, it has a table and chairs in it, because it also doubles as our dinning room, when we have no guests (which is quite frequently... come and visit us!!). We want to make use of that air-con, after all. As you continue down the hallway, you find yourself in the kitchen. It is a modest kitchen. One wall is counter top space in the shape of an L, and there is an electric oven, one two-burner, gas stove top, and a sink at the bottom of the L. There are cabinets along the counter, and a brand new light on the bottom of them to illuminate the stove top (Again, thanks Wendell!) Across from the stove top is the refrigerator and a cabinet of food. Oh, and there is another bathroom in the kitchen--but I have no idea why... Behind the refrigerator is the stairwell, and you can't help but go up the stairs. You find yourself not on the second floor, but on some middle floor. There is a bedroom on the right and on the left--the only thing that separates them is the short turn around to go up the next flight of stairs. The bedroom on the right, is much larger and is our master bedroom. It has a gigantic window that over looks the bicycle room--this is the window you saw when you entered the house the first time. I will not describe to you the lay out of the room's furniture, because it will most likely change. There is also an air-con in this room, and a bathroom. All the bathrooms in the house are equipped with a shower, and a sink--although the sink is not hooked into any pipes for the water to leave in, so the water just pours out all over the floor, but I tell you I still like spitting into a sink after I brush my teeth! Also, the bathroom is not how you would have picture it. The shower and the toilet are not separated by anything. The bathroom is all one room and when you have finished your shower or washed your hands, the floor is soaked. You will most likely get your briefs wet, if you sit down to use the toilet, and you have to remove your shoes every time you enter, so as to not track mud all through the house and get the bathroom floor dirty--I explain that this is all part of living in Cambodia. All of the baby things are in this master bedroom room--the crib, changing table, ect... Across the "hall" is the room on the left, and it is really small, with no bathroom. I tell you that it is meant to be the sewing/craft room, because my wife is crafty (I wink and nudge you) (However, at the moment, it is the room that I previously mentioned that has not changed since we moved... full of boxes and a lonely sewing machine in the corner). You notice that this room has two windows that create a great breeze through the room. You go up the stairs to the second floor. On the right you see a room that is oddly shaped and has a random square support pole in the middle of it, which is really inconveniently placed, and is also attached to an L shaped rise in the floor... like six inches tall! I tell you that this is the girls room. (Side note: it has mosquito netted slides over the windows on the inside, on both the windows, because there were only two tracks in the window. Wendell paid to have them put in, thanks Wendell! I realize that was not a very vivid description, but they are awesome and worth mentioning, as they keep my beloved daughters from getting dengue fever). You notice the girls' bunk bed, and that it barely fits in their narrow room. They also have a reading nook on the L shaped lifted floor area. I tell you that it was all Kelsi's idea. You also notice that the girls have no toys in this room. Across the way from this bedroom, you see another bathroom. This one does not have a normal toilet in it--it has a squaty potty (google it). Because of this fact, you find a clothes washing machine sitting where you would do your "business" (but not a dryer, because they do not sell them nor need them in Cambodia). The exiting water tube is sticking into the squaty potty hole--I say, "because we are resourceful like that (and wink at you again... really need to stop winking at people)." This bathroom also has all of our cleaning supplies on a shelf in it. To the left of the bathroom and also across from the girls' room you find a really cool room. It has fairly tall ceilings and a ceiling fan, a wall mounted fan, and a stand fan--you notice lots of air movement. There are also some glass double doors leading out to an amazing balcony. In this room, you will find our TV mounted on the wall--I explain to you that missionaries watch TV, too. You are amazed, because your assumption was that missionaries just sit around reading their Bible and praying, unless they are sharing the Gospel, of course. You also find all the girls' toys organized and on shelves, and all my recording and music equipment. I explain to It is my favorite room of the house, and not because it has the TV in it (and I wink again...sigh) (It is my favorite room, because I can work on music, and the girls can play, and we can just be together. It is our family room--we didn't have one in our other house). Out onto the balcony you walk, and you find small table with three chairs around it. I explain that there used to be four chairs, but during the move one mysteriously disappeared... I also say that this is where I have my morning coffee and devotional time, but this is a lie, because although I have planned for it to be used for that purpose, I have yet to sit out there in the morning. You find another stairwell. This one goes up to a covered roof. It is as long as the house, which is very long, because that is the Cambodian way--they build tall and long houses. This is where the girls run and ride bikes. There is a wonderful view of the surrounding area, a metal railing around the whole roof. There is also counter space and Cambodian style ceramic coal powered stove tops. I explain that in Cambodia, most people put their kitchen on the roof, and you are stunned and think what a great idea that is because the heat of baking and cooking would just drift with the wind. Kelsi explains that it is not a good idea, because the dust is terrible, and you would have to walk up and down the stairs while you were cooking. You reconsider your previous thought of it being great. And our tour is at an end. You are out of breath, from climbing all the stairs, and you are thankful that our guest bedroom and the kitchen are on the bottom floor, so you don't have to climb stairs to get to your room or eat.
If you can not picture our house, I apologize that you have no imagination... just kidding. I will try to get some pictures up as soon as I get this house in order next week! Praise God for this house, and thank you to everyone who prays for us and supports us financially. You are such a blessing to our lives.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
First imagine that it is very hot, and dusty, and you are riding in the back of a tuk tuk (google it, if you can't picture what a tuk tuk is) You pull up on a rocky road, and on your right is a three story bright green house, on the corner of a side street off the main street. It is not an attractive bright green, but rather an obnoxious t-shirt bright green. You walk in the double doors, which are glass. The front room has really tall ceilings (maybe twenty feet), and there is a window on what seems to be a middle level between the fist floor and the second floor. This first room is empty of everything but some tools and bicycles--you do not know it, but this is usually the parking area, even though it has tile floors. You walk through a door at the end of the room on the left, and you find yourself in a short hallway. On the right, almost immediately is a door. You open it and find a very small room, that has one window that allows you to see into the room from whence you came (the room with the bicycles). There is a bathroom on the left--across from the window. This room has been recently equipped with an air-conditioning (Thanks Wendell!), and I explain that it is our guest room, and possible intern room. At the moment, however, it has a table and chairs in it, because it also doubles as our dinning room, when we have no guests (which is quite frequently... come and visit us!!). We want to make use of that air-con, after all. As you continue down the hallway, you find yourself in the kitchen. It is a modest kitchen. One wall is counter top space in the shape of an L, and there is an electric oven, one two-burner, gas stove top, and a sink at the bottom of the L. There are cabinets along the counter, and a brand new light on the bottom of them to illuminate the stove top (Again, thanks Wendell!) Across from the stove top is the refrigerator and a cabinet of food. Oh, and there is another bathroom in the kitchen--but I have no idea why... Behind the refrigerator is the stairwell, and you can't help but go up the stairs. You find yourself not on the second floor, but on some middle floor. There is a bedroom on the right and on the left--the only thing that separates them is the short turn around to go up the next flight of stairs. The bedroom on the right, is much larger and is our master bedroom. It has a gigantic window that over looks the bicycle room--this is the window you saw when you entered the house the first time. I will not describe to you the lay out of the room's furniture, because it will most likely change. There is also an air-con in this room, and a bathroom. All the bathrooms in the house are equipped with a shower, and a sink--although the sink is not hooked into any pipes for the water to leave in, so the water just pours out all over the floor, but I tell you I still like spitting into a sink after I brush my teeth! Also, the bathroom is not how you would have picture it. The shower and the toilet are not separated by anything. The bathroom is all one room and when you have finished your shower or washed your hands, the floor is soaked. You will most likely get your briefs wet, if you sit down to use the toilet, and you have to remove your shoes every time you enter, so as to not track mud all through the house and get the bathroom floor dirty--I explain that this is all part of living in Cambodia. All of the baby things are in this master bedroom room--the crib, changing table, ect... Across the "hall" is the room on the left, and it is really small, with no bathroom. I tell you that it is meant to be the sewing/craft room, because my wife is crafty (I wink and nudge you) (However, at the moment, it is the room that I previously mentioned that has not changed since we moved... full of boxes and a lonely sewing machine in the corner). You notice that this room has two windows that create a great breeze through the room. You go up the stairs to the second floor. On the right you see a room that is oddly shaped and has a random square support pole in the middle of it, which is really inconveniently placed, and is also attached to an L shaped rise in the floor... like six inches tall! I tell you that this is the girls room. (Side note: it has mosquito netted slides over the windows on the inside, on both the windows, because there were only two tracks in the window. Wendell paid to have them put in, thanks Wendell! I realize that was not a very vivid description, but they are awesome and worth mentioning, as they keep my beloved daughters from getting dengue fever). You notice the girls' bunk bed, and that it barely fits in their narrow room. They also have a reading nook on the L shaped lifted floor area. I tell you that it was all Kelsi's idea. You also notice that the girls have no toys in this room. Across the way from this bedroom, you see another bathroom. This one does not have a normal toilet in it--it has a squaty potty (google it). Because of this fact, you find a clothes washing machine sitting where you would do your "business" (but not a dryer, because they do not sell them nor need them in Cambodia). The exiting water tube is sticking into the squaty potty hole--I say, "because we are resourceful like that (and wink at you again... really need to stop winking at people)." This bathroom also has all of our cleaning supplies on a shelf in it. To the left of the bathroom and also across from the girls' room you find a really cool room. It has fairly tall ceilings and a ceiling fan, a wall mounted fan, and a stand fan--you notice lots of air movement. There are also some glass double doors leading out to an amazing balcony. In this room, you will find our TV mounted on the wall--I explain to you that missionaries watch TV, too. You are amazed, because your assumption was that missionaries just sit around reading their Bible and praying, unless they are sharing the Gospel, of course. You also find all the girls' toys organized and on shelves, and all my recording and music equipment. I explain to It is my favorite room of the house, and not because it has the TV in it (and I wink again...sigh) (It is my favorite room, because I can work on music, and the girls can play, and we can just be together. It is our family room--we didn't have one in our other house). Out onto the balcony you walk, and you find small table with three chairs around it. I explain that there used to be four chairs, but during the move one mysteriously disappeared... I also say that this is where I have my morning coffee and devotional time, but this is a lie, because although I have planned for it to be used for that purpose, I have yet to sit out there in the morning. You find another stairwell. This one goes up to a covered roof. It is as long as the house, which is very long, because that is the Cambodian way--they build tall and long houses. This is where the girls run and ride bikes. There is a wonderful view of the surrounding area, a metal railing around the whole roof. There is also counter space and Cambodian style ceramic coal powered stove tops. I explain that in Cambodia, most people put their kitchen on the roof, and you are stunned and think what a great idea that is because the heat of baking and cooking would just drift with the wind. Kelsi explains that it is not a good idea, because the dust is terrible, and you would have to walk up and down the stairs while you were cooking. You reconsider your previous thought of it being great. And our tour is at an end. You are out of breath, from climbing all the stairs, and you are thankful that our guest bedroom and the kitchen are on the bottom floor, so you don't have to climb stairs to get to your room or eat.
If you can not picture our house, I apologize that you have no imagination... just kidding. I will try to get some pictures up as soon as I get this house in order next week! Praise God for this house, and thank you to everyone who prays for us and supports us financially. You are such a blessing to our lives.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.
April 1, 2014
Always be Joyful? Moto Accident
After Kelsi had Meldoy, our daily routine changed a bit. As most of you know, I ride a bike to school, with two child seats on it for Abby and Lily. Before, I would ride my bike in the morning, and then we would all have lunch at school. We would return home at the end of the day (4:00 PM)--Two trips a day. A friend mentioned that she felt she was playing the numbers, and expected to eventually get hit while riding her bike. I completely agree with that. Recently, I doubled my chances of getting hit, because I now ride to school in the morning, come home for lunch, then go back to school at one, and then return at four-and our new house is a little bit further away. I am enjoying the exercise and the time on the bike.
The other day, I wrote a new memory verse song for the kids at School of the Nations (we will have a a memory verse song album out eventually). I introduced it, and it was catchy. It is based on Philippians 4:4 "Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful." I made a point to the kids that even when bad things happen to us, we can still be joyful, because joy and hope are based not on our emotions or things that happen around us, but on the truth of God's word and His promises. So it is the afternoon, I have already brought the girls home from pre-school and lunch--they are safe at home taking a nap. I get on my bike and start singing, "Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord! I will say it again, I will say it again! Be JOYFUL! Be Joyful, my friend! And when you're sad, you should pray, and when you're glad, sing songs of praise. And know that, one day He will come back, and all wrongs will be right again!" BAM! At this point, as I am thinking and meditating on how God works in all situations and that I don't have to worry or lose hope, because He can use any situation for my benefit, I get hit by a moto flying down the road, while the rest of traffic was completely stopped. I being on a bike am able to weave in and out of the stopped cars, and so is this moto. As I am crossing the street, he side swiped my back tire, after passing a stopped car. I saw him coming in my peripheral, and braced myself. Because I did not have the girls with me, I ditched my bike and let it slide out from under me, and then I slid for a couple feet. As I am standing up and dragging my bike out of traffic (the back tire was completely bent), I just began praising God and saying, "Thank you God that the girls were not with me." I ended up with a few scrapes and a sore ankle, but I am already fully recovered. And I now am even more careful on my bike than before. I am also reminded that we have a choice in bad times to either praise God for being good, or to lay our burdens on Him in prayer. Did God hit me with that moto? No, of course not. He allowed it, to grow my faith and maybe, just maybe, it was my fault that I got hit. In the manual for riding a bike in Phnom Penh, it says to get off your bike to cross busy streets, and I ignored that commandment, so of course, I faced the consequence. Is it God's fault when we are hurt after we disobey Him? In either case, we all have a choice, when bad thigns happen to either pray or praise God for the good in the situation. In my case, I chose to sing songs of praise, but if you are in a place in which that is difficult, the Bible is clear on what to do: "Is anyone sad among you, let him pray" - James 5:13. Lay it on God and take up the joy that His promises never fail, and one day, all things will be made right again.
And that is the story of how I got hit by a moto for the first time... I am sure that it will probably happen again, so please continue to pray for the protection of my girls and our family, as we navigate the craziness that is the Cambodian roadway :)
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
March 14, 2014
Update - March 14, 2014
Hey Everyone!
I am going to keep this short. Life has been (as my mom would say) crazazy (that is cru-zay-zy). Having a baby changes things. When God brought Abby and Lily into our lives, it was a change, but nothing compared to a new born. Kelsi has been writing about her experience as a stay at home mom on her blog (check it out at the Family Matters Blog tab), and I would encourage you to follow her blog--as she updates it much more frequently than Mission Cambodia has been the last couple of months. We had a wonderful time of transition with the team that was here from January-February. They allowed me to only come in for half days to school, so I was able to go home early and take care of the house and such. Kelsi has been on pretty much hourly feedings for the last seven weeks, and that tends to exhaust a person. When the team left, I began to work my normal hours again, and it has been tough. Kelsi is taking care of the house now, mostly. I definitely got spoiled. I am not complaining about working a normal day, because I work much less than most of our supporters, and the business that I feel is usually my own fault--I take on more than I should, and work on projects that are not important. What I miss the most is spending my whole day with Kelsi. We have been pretty well inseparable since we came to Cambodia, and now I spend half my day away from her. It is definitely an adjustment. Basically what I am saying is that when I get home from school, and we get dinner on the table, and the girls bathed, and do our bed time routine, I sit down next to my wife and newborn baby, and I don't feel like doing anything but sitting with them. Yes, I have projects that I want to work on (music, reading, studying physics and math, writing a book, ect...), but whatever it is, I want to do it sitting next to my wife. Anyways, this is supposed to be an update, so I guess I should tell you that we signed on a new apartment ;) We will most likely be moving sometime next week. We were weary about moving into a new place, because we weren't sure if our support would cover it, but we found a house that has three floors, four bedrooms, big living room, and most importantly, a covered roof! We have been dying to have a place for the girls to play and run and be noisy. Our current rent for one floor of a ptalavein, two bedrooms, is $140/month. This new place which is like four times bigger is $230/month. Most four bedroom apartments run $300-$400 (with no roof access), so we were super blessed to find this place. We are pretty sure with our budget that we can afford the increase of $90. We have been blessed by one time gifts lately, and they have saved us on the months when our monthly support was short of what we needed. Like I always say, God provides all that we need, and even though our monthly support has taken a recent decline, we have not been in need--we were even able to cover the cost of Melody's American citizenship and passport this last month. Now that was an adventure! Paper work, paper work, translated paper work, and picture after corrected picture, until finally they said everything was all right. Kelsi will be making her trip to the states in the beginning of April after all! As far as monthly support goes, we really appreciate everyone who has been faithful to us and obedient to God in giving. I know times are tough in the States, and it is a big sacrifice for everyone. If anyone feels led to cover the monthly cost (whether a portion or the whole thing) on our new apartment, just go on over to our Support Us tab and follow the directions! Thanks so much for your prayer! Continue to pray for us that God would give us strength, wisdom, and energy--it is hot season now, so life is sucked from you every time you go outside :) That is all for now!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
P.S. I was riding my bike home from school (by myself) the other day and got sideswiped by a moto going full speed. That hurt. I will write about that in another blog. I am ok, and no hospital :) I'll tell you the whole story later.
I am going to keep this short. Life has been (as my mom would say) crazazy (that is cru-zay-zy). Having a baby changes things. When God brought Abby and Lily into our lives, it was a change, but nothing compared to a new born. Kelsi has been writing about her experience as a stay at home mom on her blog (check it out at the Family Matters Blog tab), and I would encourage you to follow her blog--as she updates it much more frequently than Mission Cambodia has been the last couple of months. We had a wonderful time of transition with the team that was here from January-February. They allowed me to only come in for half days to school, so I was able to go home early and take care of the house and such. Kelsi has been on pretty much hourly feedings for the last seven weeks, and that tends to exhaust a person. When the team left, I began to work my normal hours again, and it has been tough. Kelsi is taking care of the house now, mostly. I definitely got spoiled. I am not complaining about working a normal day, because I work much less than most of our supporters, and the business that I feel is usually my own fault--I take on more than I should, and work on projects that are not important. What I miss the most is spending my whole day with Kelsi. We have been pretty well inseparable since we came to Cambodia, and now I spend half my day away from her. It is definitely an adjustment. Basically what I am saying is that when I get home from school, and we get dinner on the table, and the girls bathed, and do our bed time routine, I sit down next to my wife and newborn baby, and I don't feel like doing anything but sitting with them. Yes, I have projects that I want to work on (music, reading, studying physics and math, writing a book, ect...), but whatever it is, I want to do it sitting next to my wife. Anyways, this is supposed to be an update, so I guess I should tell you that we signed on a new apartment ;) We will most likely be moving sometime next week. We were weary about moving into a new place, because we weren't sure if our support would cover it, but we found a house that has three floors, four bedrooms, big living room, and most importantly, a covered roof! We have been dying to have a place for the girls to play and run and be noisy. Our current rent for one floor of a ptalavein, two bedrooms, is $140/month. This new place which is like four times bigger is $230/month. Most four bedroom apartments run $300-$400 (with no roof access), so we were super blessed to find this place. We are pretty sure with our budget that we can afford the increase of $90. We have been blessed by one time gifts lately, and they have saved us on the months when our monthly support was short of what we needed. Like I always say, God provides all that we need, and even though our monthly support has taken a recent decline, we have not been in need--we were even able to cover the cost of Melody's American citizenship and passport this last month. Now that was an adventure! Paper work, paper work, translated paper work, and picture after corrected picture, until finally they said everything was all right. Kelsi will be making her trip to the states in the beginning of April after all! As far as monthly support goes, we really appreciate everyone who has been faithful to us and obedient to God in giving. I know times are tough in the States, and it is a big sacrifice for everyone. If anyone feels led to cover the monthly cost (whether a portion or the whole thing) on our new apartment, just go on over to our Support Us tab and follow the directions! Thanks so much for your prayer! Continue to pray for us that God would give us strength, wisdom, and energy--it is hot season now, so life is sucked from you every time you go outside :) That is all for now!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
P.S. I was riding my bike home from school (by myself) the other day and got sideswiped by a moto going full speed. That hurt. I will write about that in another blog. I am ok, and no hospital :) I'll tell you the whole story later.
February 10, 2014
God Will Take Care of It
Hey everyone,
This blog popped into my head this morning as I was getting ready for school. I wanted to talk about what this phrase means to me: "God will take care of it." I use this phrase all the time, not only when talking about finances. I have written plenty on finances and how each month God provides exactly what we need (maybe not what we want, but always what we need). This time I want to talk about how God provides for us in way of taking care of problems that we think are big problems. Most of the time when we worry about some distant problem, after God has taken care of it, we don't remember that it was a problem we were worried about, and thus never thank Him for fixing it in His perfect way. I have two things that have been taken care of in the past months that I would like to remember and give thanks to God for. The first is Melody's birth. A few months ago, I began to go through the night when Kelsi's water would break--I assumed it would be at night for some reason. I kept going through the scenarios and thinking about how we would have to call a tuk tuk, and make sure someone was able to watch the girls, and the hospital was a little bit further than I was comfortable with... all these things that were my responsibility as the husband. I worried. All the things that could go wrong... you can lose a lot of sleep thinking about all the things that could go wrong, because there are a whole lot of things that could go wrong. I could stop breathing in the middle of this post... I could get hit by a car on the way home from school today... there are a lot of things that could go wrong on a daily basis, but in these cases I have the trust in God to know that He will maintain my breathing and protecting me from getting hit by a car. I even have the trust to say that if I got hit by a car that God would use that in some way in my life and I can trust Him in that, also. But with this whole birth thing, I was freaking out. I kept saying, "God will take care of it." As most of you know from reading the post about Melody's birth, God did take care of it. I do not find it a coincidence at all that Kelsi and I had a get away weekend at a hotel that was closer to the hospital, or that our daughters had baby sitters that night, or that Boo found his way to the hotel even with my terrible directions in Khmer, or that Melody was born almost a month premature and still had no complications other than low blood sugar, or that the delivery was only an hour long and Kelsi had no complications. I understand that we could have had a terrible birthing experience, but through this whole pregnancy, I have seen that God does take care of us, when we place our trust in Him. There have been times when things were difficult, and we placed our trust in Him, and He has shown Himself faithful. Now, the second thing that God took care of actually started in January, when I had to fly to America. I don't know how familiar you are with my position at BYKOTA House, but I am the School Administrator--which basically means that I handle all things English school related. Over the last year, I have created a rotation system to effectively teach our vastly different middle school class, and Kelsi and I were in the process of developing a system for the new Elementary/High School class. I am not trying to brag, I am just trying to convey that for me to up and leave for three weeks and immediately leave after Melody being born was not an easy thing for our school. I have written this before, and I will write it again. I am not too proud to admit that I am replaceable, and God has shown me on multiple occasions that I am not as important as I think I am. When I made the school calendar, I left about 220 school days, because I was planning to take off for a couple weeks when Melody was born. I did not, however, make room for my trip to America. I remember being so worried when I was making the school calendar about what we were going to do about school, and how Mark and Rhonda were going to handle all the BYKOTA Kids without us being there for school time. We talked about it at multiple team meetings. But God took care of it. We have had a team here for two months. We started having World Race teams come around November, I think. We had one come in January, and they completely took over school while I was gone. Kelsi supervised, but she said that they pretty much handled everything. When I got back from America, this team was given the choice to stay in Cambodia and work with us for another month, and they chose it! Even now as I type this, they are maintaining the school. You see what I mean. Six months ago, I was so worried about this time period, but I kept praying and knew that God would take care of it. Now seeing that He has, I want to stop and say "Thank You, Lord, for being faithful." In the Old Testament, God constantly reminded His people of what He had done for them. I think that we need the same thing. I would encourage everyone to take some time and remember all the things that God has done. Take time to remember all the things that God has taken care of... and then thank Him for it.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
This blog popped into my head this morning as I was getting ready for school. I wanted to talk about what this phrase means to me: "God will take care of it." I use this phrase all the time, not only when talking about finances. I have written plenty on finances and how each month God provides exactly what we need (maybe not what we want, but always what we need). This time I want to talk about how God provides for us in way of taking care of problems that we think are big problems. Most of the time when we worry about some distant problem, after God has taken care of it, we don't remember that it was a problem we were worried about, and thus never thank Him for fixing it in His perfect way. I have two things that have been taken care of in the past months that I would like to remember and give thanks to God for. The first is Melody's birth. A few months ago, I began to go through the night when Kelsi's water would break--I assumed it would be at night for some reason. I kept going through the scenarios and thinking about how we would have to call a tuk tuk, and make sure someone was able to watch the girls, and the hospital was a little bit further than I was comfortable with... all these things that were my responsibility as the husband. I worried. All the things that could go wrong... you can lose a lot of sleep thinking about all the things that could go wrong, because there are a whole lot of things that could go wrong. I could stop breathing in the middle of this post... I could get hit by a car on the way home from school today... there are a lot of things that could go wrong on a daily basis, but in these cases I have the trust in God to know that He will maintain my breathing and protecting me from getting hit by a car. I even have the trust to say that if I got hit by a car that God would use that in some way in my life and I can trust Him in that, also. But with this whole birth thing, I was freaking out. I kept saying, "God will take care of it." As most of you know from reading the post about Melody's birth, God did take care of it. I do not find it a coincidence at all that Kelsi and I had a get away weekend at a hotel that was closer to the hospital, or that our daughters had baby sitters that night, or that Boo found his way to the hotel even with my terrible directions in Khmer, or that Melody was born almost a month premature and still had no complications other than low blood sugar, or that the delivery was only an hour long and Kelsi had no complications. I understand that we could have had a terrible birthing experience, but through this whole pregnancy, I have seen that God does take care of us, when we place our trust in Him. There have been times when things were difficult, and we placed our trust in Him, and He has shown Himself faithful. Now, the second thing that God took care of actually started in January, when I had to fly to America. I don't know how familiar you are with my position at BYKOTA House, but I am the School Administrator--which basically means that I handle all things English school related. Over the last year, I have created a rotation system to effectively teach our vastly different middle school class, and Kelsi and I were in the process of developing a system for the new Elementary/High School class. I am not trying to brag, I am just trying to convey that for me to up and leave for three weeks and immediately leave after Melody being born was not an easy thing for our school. I have written this before, and I will write it again. I am not too proud to admit that I am replaceable, and God has shown me on multiple occasions that I am not as important as I think I am. When I made the school calendar, I left about 220 school days, because I was planning to take off for a couple weeks when Melody was born. I did not, however, make room for my trip to America. I remember being so worried when I was making the school calendar about what we were going to do about school, and how Mark and Rhonda were going to handle all the BYKOTA Kids without us being there for school time. We talked about it at multiple team meetings. But God took care of it. We have had a team here for two months. We started having World Race teams come around November, I think. We had one come in January, and they completely took over school while I was gone. Kelsi supervised, but she said that they pretty much handled everything. When I got back from America, this team was given the choice to stay in Cambodia and work with us for another month, and they chose it! Even now as I type this, they are maintaining the school. You see what I mean. Six months ago, I was so worried about this time period, but I kept praying and knew that God would take care of it. Now seeing that He has, I want to stop and say "Thank You, Lord, for being faithful." In the Old Testament, God constantly reminded His people of what He had done for them. I think that we need the same thing. I would encourage everyone to take some time and remember all the things that God has done. Take time to remember all the things that God has taken care of... and then thank Him for it.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
February 6, 2014
Family Matters: Abby Went to the Dentist
About a week ago, we had a dentist appoint for one of the BYKOTA kids that fell through, because the boy that was supposed to go, went to Khmer school instead. So that we would not lose the time and appoint, Mark offered to have Abby go in his place. So, I picked Abby up from pre-school and we went to the dentist. I had thought that Abby had been to the dentist before, but when we arrived at the office I found out that this was her first visit... ever. She had come with Kelsi before but only played in the play place while BYKOTA kids got work done. After I found out this was her first experience with the dentist, I began the work of calming her down. I could tell that she was not comfortable, so after we got the paper work filled out, we played on the play place for a while, and she seemed better. She did really well, up until the nurse asked her to lay down in the chair... that is when the crying began. I told her in the prep time that if she was good and obeyed that she would get ice cream afterwards (yes, I bribe my children... he who has not sinned may cast the first stone). The dentist took the little mirror on a stick and went to put it into her mouth, and she bawled, but as soon as I said, "Abby, you need to open your mouth big" she did. We had one of our kids who wouldn't even open her mouth for the dentist, so I consider my daughter to be very brave for an almost five year old. The dentist just looked into her mouth and said, "No cavities and no need to clean. She needs to keep brushing her teeth." Abby's face was so relieved when I finally got her calmed down enough to hear me saying that she was done. Best part was that the whole visit was free! Good experience all around. As we walked out, Abby just looked up at me and said, "Can we go get ice-cream now." Yes, yes we can. I love my Abby-girl. She is always so energetic, and that is difficult sometimes, but we always have fun together, and that is something that I hope and pray continues long into her life.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
Family Matters: Melody Roem Likes to Dance
Hello Everyone!
It has been a while since I last posted. I promise to get back into the groove of everything soon. A lot of you are friends with Kelsi and I on Facebook and are already aware of this news, but on January 25th at 2:30 AM, Melody Roem decided to come early! Here is a picture:
Rather than re-write the story, I am going to share with you a link to my wife's blog. In case you are unaware, Kelsi writes a blog that is more focused on the family and life. It is a fantastic blog and her reader count is already almost surpassing Mission Cambodia's. She described how Melody Roem was born and how God had a hand in it all.
http://athomewherever.blogspot.com/2014/02/melody-roem-bergen-is-here.html
In case you are wondering, Roem is Khmer for dance and is pronounced "Row-um." Two syllables. We wanted her to have a Khmer middle name like her big sisters who love her to death.
I just want to thank God for this precious gift and for His plans that give us hope and protection. I also want to thank everyone who supports us both in prayer and financially. You are a huge blessing to our family!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
It has been a while since I last posted. I promise to get back into the groove of everything soon. A lot of you are friends with Kelsi and I on Facebook and are already aware of this news, but on January 25th at 2:30 AM, Melody Roem decided to come early! Here is a picture:
Rather than re-write the story, I am going to share with you a link to my wife's blog. In case you are unaware, Kelsi writes a blog that is more focused on the family and life. It is a fantastic blog and her reader count is already almost surpassing Mission Cambodia's. She described how Melody Roem was born and how God had a hand in it all.
http://athomewherever.blogspot.com/2014/02/melody-roem-bergen-is-here.html
In case you are wondering, Roem is Khmer for dance and is pronounced "Row-um." Two syllables. We wanted her to have a Khmer middle name like her big sisters who love her to death.
I just want to thank God for this precious gift and for His plans that give us hope and protection. I also want to thank everyone who supports us both in prayer and financially. You are a huge blessing to our family!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
January 20, 2014
Family Matters: Trip to America
Hello everyone,
This is Micah writing. My wife has done a great job of keeping everyone posted while I was away. Even so, I am sure that there are a lot of questions about why I flew all the way to America on such short notice. I am afraid that most will go unanswered. I will tell you as much as I think needs to be said without infringing on other's privacy and respecting their confidence. Most of you know that my father was missing for two days, and that the search party was called off. I think that my brother Joshua posted on Facebook "He made contact." I saw that and felt relieved that he was ok. The next day, my mom Skyped with me and explained that my dad had tried to kill himself and was in critical condition in ICU. This is where details stop and the questions go unanswered. I will not explain why he tried to kill himself. I will simply say that I went to America because I thought that my dad was going to die. He did not, and he is recovering now. When I got to America details came out, and for personal reasons my family cut off contact with my dad. My time in America was mostly spent supporting my family through a difficult situation. It is difficult to be in the situation of always sharing details about your life, and having something happen that I am not at liberty to share. I hope that this has cleared up some of the questions, and I really appreciate everyone who came along side us during this time. We had so much support when I found out. My plane ticket was purchased and my return ticket vouched for within two days. It feels great to know that we have people in our lives who are behind us. I think that is all I am able to say for now. I will get to posting another blog and videos shortly. I am still a little jet lagged right now. Thank you again.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
This is Micah writing. My wife has done a great job of keeping everyone posted while I was away. Even so, I am sure that there are a lot of questions about why I flew all the way to America on such short notice. I am afraid that most will go unanswered. I will tell you as much as I think needs to be said without infringing on other's privacy and respecting their confidence. Most of you know that my father was missing for two days, and that the search party was called off. I think that my brother Joshua posted on Facebook "He made contact." I saw that and felt relieved that he was ok. The next day, my mom Skyped with me and explained that my dad had tried to kill himself and was in critical condition in ICU. This is where details stop and the questions go unanswered. I will not explain why he tried to kill himself. I will simply say that I went to America because I thought that my dad was going to die. He did not, and he is recovering now. When I got to America details came out, and for personal reasons my family cut off contact with my dad. My time in America was mostly spent supporting my family through a difficult situation. It is difficult to be in the situation of always sharing details about your life, and having something happen that I am not at liberty to share. I hope that this has cleared up some of the questions, and I really appreciate everyone who came along side us during this time. We had so much support when I found out. My plane ticket was purchased and my return ticket vouched for within two days. It feels great to know that we have people in our lives who are behind us. I think that is all I am able to say for now. I will get to posting another blog and videos shortly. I am still a little jet lagged right now. Thank you again.
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
January 7, 2014
Fully Funded!!!
I just wanted to write a small note to say THANK YOU! Micah's plane ticket is fully funded! We had lots of people praying for him and once again God provided! Thank you so much for your support in this time.
A small update of Micah's time in America: Stephen (his dad) is out of ICU but Micah and his family are still going through difficulties. It is not my place to give more explanation so at this time I would like to just ask you to continue to lift his family in prayer. Thanks again!
BecauseHeLives,
Kelsi
January 3, 2014
Happy New Year! (It's Been a While!)
Hello friends! It has been a while! I am sorry for not posting in a while but things here have been a little crazy! Christmas at BYKOTA house gets a little nuts. First of all we have to buy and/or make Christmas gifts for everyone (23 children at this point in time.) Each child gets three gifts each. Then there is all the Christmas festivities that go along with it. This year we went caroling at another children's home, had many game day's and school related activity days, and had a Christmas Carnival/Christmas store for the children to "buy" something for each other. To top it all of we have a big Christmas Eve party for the children to open their gifts and eat some yummy food. :) Thankfully we have had World Race teams here to help us with it all. :)
If you want to know more about World Race you can go to http://www.theworldrace.org/ . It is a pretty awesome opportunity!
Then we had our own Christmas as a family. You can read more about it at my blog: http://athomewherever.blogspot.com/
After Christmas things were just starting to calm down a little and we were getting ready for what I like to call "Birthday Season." (All of our Birthday's fall in the next two months: Micah 12/31, Lily 1/20, Me 1/23, Abby 2/14, and Melody will be here shortly after that) We got a call from Micah's mother saying that his dad was critically ill and in the hospital, so Micah rushed home (just got there yesterday) to be with and support his family in this time. Please pray that God will give peace and wisdom to his family in this time. Also, pray that God will provide the funds for Micah to get back. Because of such short notice we were only able to get one way tickets and are trusting God for the funds to get him back. I know that some of you have already given for this and are praying for it and I thank you greatly for that. I am sorry for lack of details, but at this point I don't have a lot to share.
So here we are. Starting 2014. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your prayers and support for the past two years. God has been providing for us non-stop and it is because of your obedience and your prayers that we are able to be here and we are so so blessed. I am excited to see what God has in store for us this year. What challenges He has and what blessings He will bring from them. Please know that as much as you pray for us, we are also praying and thanking God for you!
BecauseHeLives,
Kelsi
If you want to know more about World Race you can go to http://www.theworldrace.org/ . It is a pretty awesome opportunity!
Then we had our own Christmas as a family. You can read more about it at my blog: http://athomewherever.blogspot.com/
After Christmas things were just starting to calm down a little and we were getting ready for what I like to call "Birthday Season." (All of our Birthday's fall in the next two months: Micah 12/31, Lily 1/20, Me 1/23, Abby 2/14, and Melody will be here shortly after that) We got a call from Micah's mother saying that his dad was critically ill and in the hospital, so Micah rushed home (just got there yesterday) to be with and support his family in this time. Please pray that God will give peace and wisdom to his family in this time. Also, pray that God will provide the funds for Micah to get back. Because of such short notice we were only able to get one way tickets and are trusting God for the funds to get him back. I know that some of you have already given for this and are praying for it and I thank you greatly for that. I am sorry for lack of details, but at this point I don't have a lot to share.
So here we are. Starting 2014. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your prayers and support for the past two years. God has been providing for us non-stop and it is because of your obedience and your prayers that we are able to be here and we are so so blessed. I am excited to see what God has in store for us this year. What challenges He has and what blessings He will bring from them. Please know that as much as you pray for us, we are also praying and thanking God for you!
BecauseHeLives,
Kelsi
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