Foster Care, Passports, and Visas Oh My!

I am in complete astonishment. Can I just tell you about our amazing God!? Months ago, Kelsi said that she was praying and just felt like God told her that we would get to go home for Christmas this year, and I said, "Awesome. We got a lot to do, but if it is God's will, we will get it done." As I said this, I was thinking, "I hope she doesn't get her hopes up too much..." We have had so many things that we got excited about and then didn't happen, and I just didn't want Kelsi to get burned again. Really, I was questioning whether Kelsi actually heard from God or not, because I didn't have that sense... But I also know that my wife is an amazing, godly, wise women, and so I trusted her. At this time, we had no foster care, and we had not even started to work on it. I began to pray this simple prayer over and over again: "God, I believe, please help my unbelief."  Kelsi went to America for a month, and I got busy on the paperwork... two months later, we got foster care, but it was getting close to those dates Kelsi had said. We immediately applied for travel permissions and passports, and within the month, got both. With passports in hand, we had just to apply for visas. I had mentioned that October 20th was our appointment date, and it was killing me that I had to wait until then, because it is so hard to get prepared to go with that little bit of uncertainty. I prayed like crazy, "God, I know that it doesn't really matter, but can we please go in for our interview sooner than that?" I sent an email to the Embassy with questions about various paper work things and included a query about possibly moving our appointment up, even though we didn't really have a good reason. I got a response that said if I had technical difficulties, I could call the helpline for help... I decided to let it rest, because I didn't really have a reason to move the appointment to an earlier date, other than just wanting to get it done as soon as possible! I prayed again, "God, I can wait. I know that you will work it out in Your timing. I'm not worried about it, please help me to be patient." About an hour later, I check my email again, and there is a new email from the Embassy stating that there are openings for appointments tomorrow... I just shook my head and muttered under my breath, "Nice one, God." I am so blessed to be here... by here, I mean in the midst of God's will. Since Kels and I have been in Cambodia, it has been hard, but I just continue to say... Our God is faithful! He is trustworthy! Even in the pain and difficulties, He shows Himself good! Why do we doubt, brothers and sisters, when He constantly proves Himself to be a great and good God?

Please pray for us for tomorrow. Our interview is scheduled for 7:00 AM, but most of the time it takes all day of waiting for your turn, so I don't know exactly when we will have our interview--by "we" and "our" I am referring to Abby, Lily, and I. If you would like to be on your knees at the right time, we are twelve hours ahead, so on Monday night at 7:00 PM, just pray for us. Pray for favor and wisdom, and that the girls are able to wait patiently for the interview, since we are not aloud to bring anything in other than paperwork for the interview. Even pray that we do not have to wait for very long for our interview. And most of all, remember to thank God for His goodness, thus far.

I was telling Abby the other night, during our prayer time, that she needed to pray for passports, and she said, "But we already have passports," and I said, "So we need to thank God for them." Don't be too distracted by new needs or the enjoyment of the blessing to remember and praise God for what He has already done! All glory to God!

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Bible Study Corner: Commandments

Last week we had a Khmer holiday. Because of this, half of our students were away at province. We decided for this week to do a combined class of elementary and youth, and then have the afternoon off. Because we had been doing different Bible studies for these two groups (the youth are going verse by verse through Mark and the Elementary are going through the whole Bible as a story overview), we decided to do a topical study for this week on God's commandments. We have been doing a back to the basics focus on Tuesday night small group (using the verses from the Navigator's Topical Memory Verse System and teaching our way through them), and we just finished John 14:22 and Romans 12:1. Both these verses speak on being obedient to God. We focused on the first verse (John 14:22), and spent five days on it. Here is how our days worked out:

Day 1: Why does God have commandments?
We discussed the purpose of God's laws. I started by talking about why I have rules in our classroom. I asked, "Why do we raise our hands to speak?" and the kids came up with great answers. I had them all tell me their favorite colors at the same time, and then asked Varee if she could tell me what Linda said... no. Of course, because they both spoke at the same time. We have the rules for a purpose so that everyone feels heard and so that we can show respect to one another. I also asked why we had the rule of not going to the internet cafe, and they all know that it is for their protection. That is why God has laws and commandments, so that we know how to live in unity with each other and so that we can stay away from those things that bring us harm.

Day 2: What does it mean to love God?
On this day we discussed what it means to love God. Jesus said that if we loved Him then we would obey Him. This seems obvious to me, because for me to say that I love my mom but then to be rebellious is to speak with my words love and speak hate with my actions. So that is what we talked about: loving God with our actions and obedience. To love God is more than to just simply have good feelings towards God. To love God is to follow Him and do what He says, and not out of some robotic response, but out of trust in Him as our Father. He knows what is best for us, and we trust that He does what He says, and does everything in our best interest, and that is why we obey Him.

Day 3: How do we obey God's Commandments?
On this day, we talked about the importance of Jesus' work on the cross to free us from the bondage of sin, and the necessity of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and leading us in holiness. I gave the analogy of being locked in prison. You can not get your chains off or escape by yourself, and you aren't even really sure you want to. Jesus comes and opens the door to your cell and unlocks your chains. You are free to leave, but you still have to make the choice to leave. When you decide to leave, you find that you are completely lost in the prison. There are so many halls and doors, but the Holy Spirit comes and leads you step by step through it all, until you finally reach the exit. In this picture, Jesus has done the work on the cross so that we are no longer trapped by sin in our life. We are able to leave it behind. The Holy Spirit teaches us to walk according to God's ways, and He will continue to work in our lives showing us sin that needs to be dealt with, until that glorious day we see God face to face, and we will finally be made perfect, but we must continue to walk with Him, listening to His guidance, or else we may stop in another cell and decide to stay, because of the luxuries in that place. We must continue to follow until we finally exit this wretched prison of our own wills and flesh and are given new bodies of immortal glory. Ultimately, the answer to the question is that we can not obey God's commandments on our own. It is only by the Holy Spirit and through Jesus' work on the cross that we are able to obey God.

Day 4: How do we learn/know God's Commandments?
On this day, we talked about the importance of being in God's word. We believe that God's word is the instructional manual for our lives, and so to learn to have life to the fullest, we need to be studying it daily, and memorizing it. But not only reading God's word, asking Him to reveal to us areas in which we fall short and allowing it to change our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We learn God's commandments by reading His word and also listening to the Holy Spirit's still small voice in our daily lives. Obedience to God starts with knowing what He expects of us.

Day 5: What happens when we disobey God's Commandments?
I decided to use an analogy on this day that I have used before but, this time, I added something to it. Here is the analogy, and I know that it is not perfect, but I hope that it is helpful:
Pretend that you have just received a brand new toy. It is fantastic. It has movable parts. It lights up and flashes, and walks across the room without you having to touch it. The person who gave you this toy also gave you three rules: 1. Do not touch the button on the back of the toy, because it will shock you. 2. Keep this toy dry. 3. Keep this toy away from small children. So the first thing you do is turn the toy around and push the button on the back, right? I mean come on... "It will shock me"? That just doesn't make any sense. And BUZZ!! You get shocked. The next day, all your friends are going to the pool, and you really wanna go, but you also don't want to leave your new favorite toy behind, so you decide to put it in a plastic bag... that will keep it safe. But inevitably, the bag breaks and the toy is ruined. All the lights stop working. It doesn't move on its own anymore. But at least it still has the cool pieces that come off and on, so you still think it is fun to play with. The next day, you decide to let your little sister play with the toy. She picks up one of the small pieces, eats it, and chokes to death.
So what happens when we disobey God's commandments?
1. We get hurt.
2. We ruin things that God gave to us for our enjoyment.
3. We hurt others.
Why do we disobey God's commandments? Or How do not take God's commandments seriously?
1. Because we do not trust that the consequences are real or that we will face judgement
(Just as Eve believed the lie of the serpent when he told her that she would not surely die).
2. We decide that if we are careful that we can get as close to sinning as possible and still not feel the consequences. We think, "Just one time won't hurt" or "I will be careful" and then everything is ruined and we are trapped in habitual sin.
3. We just simply do not care about others. If something does not effect me, then I do not care if hurts someone else. This is the core of our selfish nature that God is trying to root out of us. The truth is that no sin is contained to just myself. This is why there is evil in the world, and why God allows it (we have the choice to obey or disobey Him--so that we can have genuine love--and when we disobey, our sin hurts others around us).

So that is what we have been studying at School of the Nations. I'm not sure if this is at all interesting for anyone to read, but I hope that it helps all you Bible teachers out there. I appreciate all the prayer for our kids and for myself. It gets difficult sometimes to teach the Bible every single day, but God is good and He is always providing great lessons not just for the kids but also for me. Please continue to pray for us, as we teach. Pray that God would speak through us, and that His word would penetrate the hearts of the kids. Pray that we would not just teach with our lips, but also with our lives. Pray that the kids would not just be hearers of His word, but also doers of it. Thanks in advance for those prayers!

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Fly Us Home [UPDATE 10/29/2014]

Here is how it works: 

Each person chooses one of the squares to fill. You fill in a square by donating the money that is equal to the numerical value of that square. So for instance, I could donate $10. Now, the ten dollars could fill the 10 slot or it could fill the 1,2,3, and 4 slots. The number doesn't matter too much; it could be your age, or your birthday. It is also nice because not everyone can donate $100, but you can pray and as God leads, donate what you are able to give. As people donate, I will fill in the squares and re-post the picture. After all the squares are filled, we will be fully funded for our plane tickets!

You can donate one of these two ways:

The first is to give online through NTNI. Follow the link, fill out the information, and make sure to select Bergen Micah and Kelsi under the "Please Direct My Donation To." If you have any questions, feel free to email me at micah.kelsi@gmail.com
The website is https://secure.qgiv.com/for/?key=MRLA8TFTN6BQB2XMUFK2

If you prefer to donate with a check, simply make the check out to Nation to Nation International (NTNI), write 777-Cambodia in the memo line, and mail it to Nation to Nation International PO Box 1607 Joplin, MO 64802. 

Please email us at micah.kelsi@gmail.com with the amount you donated.

You may think that this could no where near cover the cost of plane tickets for an entire family, but it amounts to $5,050, which is about the costs we have been seeing as we begin searching for flights.  

Although we have plane tickets purchased to get to the U.S. we are still needing to buy tickets to come back to Cambodia. We would also very much like to ease the burden of the Loyd family, who have shouldered our one way tickets to the States, so that we could get the best deal on them. 

BecauseHeLives,

The Bergens.

Family Matters: Our Little Princesses

After receiving the letter of approval for foster care, we decided to celebrate. Kelsi had brought back some princess dress up clothes from Mema Bergen (my mom), and Kelsi thought that they were the perfect way to celebrate. Here is a video of the girls trying them on for the first time. They absolutely love them, and at home, they have worn nothing else but these dresses, since Monday. Enjoy!

They will always be our princesses, and we are so grateful God brought them into our lives.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

Family Matters: Our Budget

Kelsi and I attended a Financial Peace class, before we got married. In this class, we learned the importance of a budget, and it has been a blessing ever since. Kelsi is very keen on the envelope system, and so each month, we pull out all of our money and separate it into envelopes, and then put those into our safe (please don't steal our safe). I will explain each item at the bottom of the list. This is our budget for one month.  

Admin Fee: 10%

Tithe: 10%  

Rent: $230

Electric/Water: $150

Transportation/Ice and Drinking Water: $170

Khmer Lessons: $32

Uin: $50 

Groceries: Remaining money divided by four 

Admin Fee: This is the money that our organization takes out of our donations to cover their costs. They are the ones who deposit our money into our account each month, and make sure our tax forms are ready each year.

Tithe: This is given to our home church here in Phnom Penh--International Christian Fellowship--where I lead worship each Sunday. Kelsi and I believe that it is a commandment from God to tithe, and so even though we do not receive a pay check, we still feel like we should tithe off of what God has given us (even the Levites were told to tithe off of the gifts that were given to them). We usually tithe off of what we actually receive in our bank account (after the admin fee has been taken out)

Transportaion: The cost of tuk tuks varies each month, but we have found that on average, we spend about $150 on tuk tuks. We have to buy water jugs for drinking water, and also ice, but the cost is minimal and $20 usually covers it.

Uin is a dear friend of both the Benz family and ours. She comes three times a week and helps us keep up on keeping the floors cleaned (a feat in Cambodia with doors and windows always open and with all the dust) and really anything else around the house. She does dishes, if they need to be done, and also hangs laundry. She is a wonderful sister in Christ, and a huge blessing to us, and you should pray for her. 

Groceries: We take the remaining money and divide it by four (weeks), and then that is our spending money for each week for the month for food, doctor visits, and any other costs that pop up.

To give a more numerical value to these, I will give you an example of a typical month. We usually receive about $1,200. That means that what is placed into our account is $1,080. 

Admin Fee: $120

Tithe: $110

Rent: $230

Electric/Water: $150

Transportation/Ice and Drinking Water: $170

Khmer Lessons: $32

Uin: $50 

Groceries: $85 per week

This month, we had something not great happen. Our home church gave us $1000 for foster care (that WAS great), but it also meant that the 10% admin fee was $100 more this month than usual--we have $970 for this month. Kelsi and I are in a pretty tight place, since we also have some extra costs for preparations to make a visit back to the States. We have said before that our lives would be more comfortable with closer to $1,600 coming in before the admin fee (which would give us about $150 per week for our grocery/every other non-budget cost). We have been stretching pretty thin the last couple months. I know those of you who read our blog are already supporting us financially, and we would rather not have those people already giving to give more, because we know that it is hard financially for everyone. We would just ask that you would pray about what God would have you do. Maybe pass along our information to a friend? I don't know really what to do, other than continue to thank God for providing and pray that He would continue to give us exactly what we need. It seems lately that He thinks we need a lot less than we think we need, but maybe that is a lesson we need to learn. Please pray for us to be wise with the funds entrusted to us, and that God really would provide for all our needs.

If you would like to support us one time specifically for this month, please follow the steps in the "Support Us" tab and then send us an email at micah.kelsi@gmail.com letting us know that you have given, so that we can have our admin place that money into our account as soon as possible. 

Thank you to everyone who has been blessing Kelsi and I with support. Kelsi pointed out that over the last two years we have only lost a handful of supporters. Your loyalty to us and obedience to God is an encouragement to us.

BecauseHeLives,

The Bergens.

Foster Care: God Provides [UPDATED: 10/4/2014]

Thank you for everyone who has been fasting and praying with us for our foster care to be approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Today I received a call. After submitting our paper work, and being told that I needed to wait to be called, it seemed that I had some random number calling every single day--wrong numbers, mostly. Each time my phone rang, my heart would jump. This morning, I got THE call. My phone rang, and I didn't recognize the number:
Me: Hello, this is Micah.
Them: Yes, is this the Micah who is married to Kelsi?
Me: Yes.
Them: And you have two girls named Roet and Niet that you are trying to get foster care for?
Me: Yes, that is correct.
Them: This is Dina, at the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Minister has approved your application, and given you a letter of approval for foster care of Roet and Niet.
Me: SERIOUSLY!? When can I come pick up the letter?
Dina: Today before 11:30 or after 2.
Me: I will be there as soon as possible. THANK YOU!!!!

And just like that, Abby and Lily are legally in our care. We have a few steps to take, but Kelsi and I's hope is to be home for Thanksgiving and stay through January. Let me take you through the steps we need to take, for this to be a possibility.

1. Foster care (Check)

2.Passports (Check)

I had pictures of the girls' passports, but then realized that that is probably not a good choice...Exciting though!

3. Travel Permission (Check)

4. Tourist Visas: This will be working with the U.S. Embassy and will just be simply applying for tourist visas for the girls. I have to be honest, the U.S. Embassy has given us more trouble than any other office, so we will see how they handle this.

[UPDATE: 10/4/2014]
We have made our appointment for October 20th. Although we would like to have it sooner, it is in God's hands, and we are trusting His timing. Please pray for favor and that the process of actually receiving the visa is a quick one.

After that, we are on a plane to America with our whole family, and how much better will that visit be!?
If you would like to help in this process, the most important thing you can do is pray for us.
Kelsi and I are also in a bit of a financial crunch right now. Although the passports and foster care have already been provided for by our home church (Open Door), everything on this list will cost money. Although God is always providing for our needs,our giving in the last couple of months has declined. I will be writing a little bit more on this in another blog, but it would be great if we had people pledge the cost of these items:

Visas: $320
Translated Copies for Embassy Interview: $52

Just let us know if you would like to sponsor one of these items, and it will be a huge blessing to us!

There is the road ahead. We are very excited to see God work all of this out, and it is fantastic to see His mighty hand at work. Please continue to pray for us! We love you guys!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Foster Care Need (Passports) [UPDATED: 9/1/2014]

In the waiting game currently with foster care. I called the Ministry of Social Affairs today and they said that our paper work was still in the Admins office (they look over it and make sure we have everything and the correct forms). Our contact at the ministry said that she would call me when it was all finished. Whilst in the waiting game, our directors got news that it might be easier, if you know a relative of the child, to get the passport before you achieve foster care. So on Monday, hopefully, Abby and Lily will be going in with their aunt to apply for passports. This should take about a week. Kelsi and I have been secretly praying and hoping (ok maybe not so secretly) that we will get to travel with the girls to the States, and our biggest hope would be to come back from November through January (three months is the longest visa we have heard of coming from the U.S. Embassy with travel papers and foster care). Obviously, these are our plans, and God has His own, but we have been praying that this might happen, ever since we heard that we might be able to get travel visas to the U.S. with foster care. We also found out that if we waited to apply for passports until after foster care was completed, our passport application could take up to six months. This seems like nice timing that our directors got this information, and we have decided to go with it, but we need help. First of all, foster care all together, after it is completed is going to be $400. The passport fee which we will need to pay soon (like maybe at the end of next week), will cost us $600 for both girls. So, we are looking at possibly an extra $1,000 this month--that we do not have. We are confident that God will take care of this, and we are just asking everyone to pray about whether He wants to use you to accomplish it. I know it is a lot of money, but I also know that my God is trustworthy, and I am not worried about it. Again, please pray about this, and be obedient to what God is telling you to do (even if it is to do nothing). Thank you to everyone who has been fasting with us for foster care, and also for the countless hours spent in prayer for us. We feel so blessed to be here, and we miss all of you so much.
BecauseHeLives,
The Bergens.

UPDATE:
We had the $1000 come in, because our God is a provider and because our friends and church family at Open Door are awesome! We were unable to get passports, because the girls' original birth certificates are at the Ministry of Social Affairs, but our contact there said that, even after foster care, the aunt can take them in and get them a passport, and it won't be any more difficult. At the moment we are still in the waiting game. Our foster care could be approved or declined any day now. We have been told that it will be at least a month, which is tomorrow... We are still praying and fasting for it to be completed. As soon as it is approved, we will be going in to get passports for the girls and applying for travel permits and visas. The time is beginning to slip away for us to be home for Christmas, but I know that God can still accomplish this, if it is according to His will. Sometimes we pray really hard for things, and God says no. Why? I don't know, but I know that I trust in Him. He knows my whole days and sees my whole life continuously before His all knowing eyes. He knows what is best, and if I truly believe that, then when things don't go my way, I am certainly not going to throw a tantrum about it. Keep praying and we really appreciate all the support from everyone and especially the prayers!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

UPDATE:
On the 1st of September, we received a call from the ministry, and our foster care was approved. Read about it in the post entitled "Foster Care: God Provides"

School of the Nations: Translation and Worship

Every Tuesday night, we have what we call Small Group. Everyone in Bykota House comes to the center, and we worship together in song and have a devotion in God's Word. Our praise has been primarily in English, but the staff and some of the lower level children have been struggling to enter into worship, because of the language gap. I have been trying to learn to sing the songs in Khmer, but it is a slow process. Mark had the idea to have the songs on the slides in English and Khmer, so that even if I am singing in English, they could follow in Khmer (if it is a familiar song) or at least know what we are singing and meditate on the lyrics. The idea came to mind, what if the older boys translated the lyrics? That way it is practice in their translating and also in their Khmer typing skills. So, after two days, we now have six songs in Khmer and English, and I am excited to worship this Tuesday and hear the response from the kids and staff. Here are some pictures of the boys working on the songs. They are using youtube, and also just a dictionary and the original song (that is work right there!)

Just another reason we are blessed to have sponsors. These computers were donated by Liberty church even before Kelsi and I came. There is also a projector. Our Tuesday nights benefit so much from these tools, and I thank God everyday that we have them, and also that we have such bright, godly, young men here at Bykota House.

BecauseHeLives,

The Bergens. 

Bible Study Corner: All Ages

Elementary:
In the elementary, we have been going through the whole Bible telling every story that comes up. We just finished Moses meets with God on Mount Sinai, and the Israelites build the tabernacle. We are moving into Leviticus, which begins with Aaron's two sons dying because they did not obey God, and God instituting the Levites as the chosen group to maintain the Tabernacle. I have been enjoying teaching through the Bible in this way. The kids love it. We start our day every day with a story from the Bible and how it applies to us. With the building of the Tabernacle it was that God had given certain people talents and they were able to use them, and everyone else joyfully gave to the work. In the same way, God gives us each of us talents too and calls us to work for His Kingdom. On Mount Sinai we talked about the fact that God showed Moses and the Israelites how to live, and He does the same for us today with His word. It has been fun telling those stories that are normally skimmed over, and just flipping through my Bible every day to see what story comes next.

Middle School:
In the middle school, we have begun a study through the book of Mark. I asked the kids if they wanted to be treated like the older boys, cause they have been asking to switch to the High School class. One morning, I said, "Who wants to be in the High School class?" and everyone raised their hand. So then I continued, "All right. This is the new High School class, but I expect you to act like it." From that moment on, we began a Bible study the way grown-ups study the Bible--verse by verse through a book. I chose Mark to start, and we have been working our way through Mark day by day. I love it, because we go around in the circle and everyone takes a turn reading a verse (Varee or Odom reads the Khmer) and then we discuss what it means and how it can change our lives and attitudes. Recently, we discussed how the Pharisees took God's law and expounded on it, and then began to follow and instruct their man made teachings as if they were God's law. We also talked about how Jesus was able to create bread and fish from just five loaves and two fishes, but then His disciples were frightened when their was a storm later that evening. Jesus is Master and Wonderful Lord, when you are on land and safe, and He is providing for your needs, but when you are on the raging sea, is He still the same Master and Lord? Can not the same Jesus who made bread multiply also make the sea calm?

Older Boys (High School):
The older boys and I have finished our study on James. It concludes with the idea of confessing your sins to one another and this concept of sin. We decided to go ahead and study 1 John to further this study on sin in our lives. We just finished discussing chapter three where John explains that those who "practice righteousness are righteous" This does not imply that we are perfectly holy, but it also does imply that we are to be practicing righteousness. We are like babes learning to walk, and every time we fall down, God picks us up with His grace and allows us to try again. We also discussed the work of the Holy Spirit inside of us, convicting us of our sin, so that we are unable to just continue walking in sin flippantly, but have sorrow and repentant hearts, when we have rebelled against our Lord.

So that is a wrap-up of what we have been talking about in our Bible studies at school. Kelsi, Abby, Lily, Melody, and I have been reading through the Bible together at night during our bed time routine, and we just finished reading Leviticus (and "Chronicles of Narnia: A Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis, or "the horsey book" as Abby calls it). Please continue to pray for us, as we try to live out what we teach in every area. Pray that the Lord would open the kids minds to understand His word, and that we would all be changed by it, as we study it, and make it a part of our daily lives.

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.

Weddings in Cambodia and Update on Foster Care

I don't think that you have lived in Cambodia, until you have had a wedding party set up right outside your bedroom window. I saw it about three days ago. First they came in with the medal frames to make the big tent that stretches about fifty feet long and twenty feet wide. I knew exactly what it was as soon as I saw it. The tent roof could be reached from our bedroom window. The next morning, I noticed the trucks coming with all the tables and chairs. I thought it would happen that evening for sure, but it did not. God allowed us a night's rest for Sunday Church. But then, as we were leaving for church, I saw that the tables had table clothes and they had brought the generators. There was also a large beer delivery truck parked in front of our house. I knew that by the time we got back from church, the party would already be in progress... and it was. If you have never experienced a Cambodian Wedding party, there are two words to describe it. Loud. Really Loud. Kels and I have been to one before (our tuk tuk driver's daughter). And the music is so loud you can not even speak to the person sitting next to you. And then, as people leave, they leave the music playing at top volume... there could be one person sitting at a table, and the music would still be blaring. I think that is odd, but I am sure there are many things that I do that my Cambodian neighbors must think is crazy. It is currently ten o'clock. The party goes on outside our window. The bass guitar and shrill singing will probably continue late into the night. I think Kelsi says it best, whenever something happens and she is just thinking about how crazy something is she just throws her arms in the air and says, "Oh Cambodia..." There are a lot of things that I let bother me, but I have to say, I am not going to let this one get to me. I found myself praying for the newlywed couple, and feeling excited for them, even though I don't even know them! I think it is crazy when God changes an attitude in your heart like that. Kelsi has always said, "Choose joy." I have been working on rewriting hymns. One in particular that is in progress is called, "Joy in Sorrow." I have added a refrain to it that says, "You choose joy, when you choose to trust in the One who overcomes." I think we Christians get silly sometimes over the things that we allow to ruin our attitudes. Joy is not some emotional high or happiness as some would suggest, but instead is knowing that through every circumstance, my faith is firmly planted on the One who overcomes in the end, and has already won the victory. So I can be sour about this, or I can choose to just throw my hands in the air and say, "Oh Cambodia..." I might not sleep tonight, but the Bible says to rejoice with those who are rejoicing. There is a huge party going on outside. Celebrating the marriage of two people. I know nothing about them, but I think God likes parties, and I am gonna use this opportunity to pray for something that we have been fasting over for almost twenty days now.

Update:
We have found out that the Ministry is accepting applications for foster care, but they are not processing them. I contacted Channa, our contact and fellow servant in Christ, and he said he will help us turn our paper work in, even though they are not processing at the moment (just to get our stuff in the door), but he has been very busy because he is the director of an NGO, and summer months are always when we have the most volunteers. Our prayers lately have been that God will give him a free moment so we can get our paper work into the ministry. And then we can pray for a miracle that they will decide to process it. I will be calling Channa again in the morning to see how this week looks for him. I realize that many of you have been coming alongside us in our fast for foster care, and I have to say, I have been praying pretty hard lately, because I keep seeing pop left and right and thinking how badly I want a pop. Thank you for all of you who have decided to do this with us, and I hope to give you good news in the recent future! Keep up the praying!

UPDATE: 7/17/2014
We have turned our paper work into the ministry, and now we are just waiting to see if we are going to be approved or not. At this point, we just pray like crazy. Now more than ever, it is in God's hands. Please pray for favor with the minister and a quick response. Thank you for your prayers.

BecauseHeLives,
Micah.