Bible Study Corner: Trials (Older Boys)

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

Ratana
Seth
Savorn
Ta
Visoth
Chantee

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

What Is It!? Episode Four - Timothy

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

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

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

Khmer Phrases: Consonants 1-5

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

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

Family Matters: Muggy

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

Water Festival

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

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

I Am Homesick

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

BecauseHeLives,

Micah.  

What Is It!? Used for Edition!

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

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

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

Bible Study Corner: Wisdom (Middle Aged)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Family Matters: What's in a name?

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

Family Matters: Baby Names and Such

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

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

BecauseHeLives,

The Bergens.

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