my turn to update some....

Hey everyone! alls well. i know we havent updated as much as we'd like to. we've been so busy, and emailing in that light doesnt take on that much of a priority...mostly cuz i know whether or not you hear from us i am certain of all your prayers! that gives me much encouragement. so tonight, is the first time since we got here that we have some down time.

what can i say but that God is good, all the time, God is good. thru Him do all things exist, He causes it to rain on rich and poor alike, the sun to shine on believers and nonbelievers...that God gives, and God takes away, blessed be his name!

tomorrow we will make our way to Poipet, a 3-5 hour drive (depending on our driver, and the weather) (haha, which reminds me, i fell off the moto on our way to the rice fields, it was so muddy, the moto spinned slightly, and i tried to balance myself (bad move, i should have just swayed with the moto) so it turned and i fell, haha, it was hilarious, emily's moto man behind me was cracking up really bad, he made emily walk that small distance. ) anyways, back on track...oh, but emily got burned from the moto's exhaust pipe, it blistered, she's ok now, but it was a lil painful, and that was only at the start of our hike to the rice fields! the khmai bought us toothpaste to apply to the burn (i got alil burned too from myfall, nothing like emily's though) it was soothing. the mud was soothing too, nothing like mud between your toes, and up to your knees! hahah, a part of it was like quick sand, emily got stuck for a while in the mud up to her knees, it was hilarious trying to help each other out. but we're ok, really. :p

like i was saying, tomorrow we'll go to Poipet. Please do read the updates cindy has sent regarding the issues in poipet! there are alot of critical things going on, that will determine so much!

ok, English camp was amazing! it is not often that short termers get to see the fruit of some labor! we got to see how our students from last year have grown so much! in the Lord. many of the students we had prayed for and kept in contact with are serving the Lord, growing in His word and in ministering to other youth! remind me to tell you more of that in specifics!
Youth Conference was, very draining. i'll admit it was very difficult, and each night when we'd go to our rooms to pray and debrief, we'd be really tired, often times i did not want to debrief but just go to sleep. but we have found prayer to be our best asset. and praying as a team, has really kept us united, amidst the tiredness.
we met other wonderful STMers, one older couple, very wise, and obvious was their love for the Lord, i was very blessed to be on her team. another leader shared his passion for missions with us, and it was good to share together things the Lord has been doing with each of us, i was very encouraged. just to pray with them, and be prayed for!
but specifically what we did at english camp: every night we'd organize the material we'd be teaching. we taught from a book, but we tailored it to meet the groups english level. we taught games, stories, songs. very very interactive, once the kids lost the shyness. oh and guess what. yea, whether you believe it or not, i'm pretty good at the game boom chica boom boom boom! (youth summer retreat people might know the significance of that!).
we would stayed til late at the church thus getting to know the khmai students assigned to other STM teams as well. haha, they'd surround us with dance, singing and laughter! (and just for your info: emily does dance!!!) alain shared his testimony during one day session, and the rest of us had a very informal time of sharing our testimonies during the night sessions when it was just our team and the youth that would crash at the church.
also, one of our students from last year with whom we've maintained contact thru out the year, was very ill. some of the youth arranged for us to go visit and surprise him. we rode a tuck tuck to his house out in a nearby village. this whole trip we've been able to roam about and see the country side, the allies, the markets,the villages with no problems and with the total approval of the director who warned the teams in general from roaming about. anyways, we arrived and the family had heard about us, they greeted us, and he was so surprised and happy to see us. he was gonna climb a palm tree to cut coconuts for us, we didnt allow it, another of the youth climbed it instead, and right there with a machette they prepared us coconut drinksf! i dislike coconut drink very much!!! intensely. but this was so so sweet and delicious! the real thing! the next morning he came to us with rice plantain cakes from his mother that she made herself for us. this family is buddhist. and we pray our visit to them would open their hearts to hearing the gospel.
i must say our khmai has improved since last year. i can say and pick up a few certain words and phrases. if i start out with a new group and say my intro phrases, they go off in khmai thinking i speak it fluently. until they see the puzzled look on my face. haha. oh, and the khmai think i am indian for some reason, unanimously.
carrying currency and paying ourselves has not been much of an issue, we've gotten better at that too! (haha, thanks to our math person here too! ((sometimes)) )
in battambang with Dave and Doris after youth conference:
we went to the rice fields with dave and a group of khmai (woa! one of which happened to be one of our students at Youth conference! so cool to see him again!). it was a long long muddy walk! so awesome! the only thing i couldnt do was ride a water buffalo! so close!
these rice fields have an amazing story, i'll leave that to jon and emily to explain in the official update they're writing. jon had a leech attach itself to him for a second. that was cool.
we also visited a marengo orchard, which leaves they process to use as nutrition for the AIDs infected, amazing results have been seen already! we saw the living example!
tonight was our last night with the strongs: we've visited 4 churches today!!! yeah! pastor paul, i think we've fulfilled our spiritual quota for this month!! NAW!!!! it was err, wow, it was so grand to fellowship and brake bread, worship, pray to the same Father together! and you know what was really cool!? we got to see (without knowing it beforehand) many of our students that attended the youth conference! yeah! they totally recognized us (we'll i guess they would wouldnt they?) and it was good to see them in their natural state: in their homes, church, the way life really is for them. we also got to visit a family whose baby 7 months Lisa, is sick with dengue fever. dave and doris, with sharon (from AIDs ministry) brought them some hydration formula, and we were able to pray for the baby. dear friends from my heart, please please pray for this baby. the father has been so faithful iin ministry, when he could of taken a better paying offer. i know for that God will bless him. pray for healing in this baby, that through this illness, God's name be praised.

please pray for our next experience in Poipet: the missionaries there are going thru some difficult times. that we might be an encouragement to them and not a burden. that we can be learners, prayer warriors, as we are all of the same body.
i do not know when the next time to email will be. from what we know, we will be busy in the O.R. again, there were many medical supplies brought in from other STMers, so we have our first task set before us.
please pray:
--my stomach seems to disagree with the american food i've eaten here. go figure!
--protection from dengue and malaria, seems to be a dengue epidemic with many infant deaths.
--for baby Lisa
--there were a large number of youth from poipet that went to Youth conference, one who we got to know closely. that when we see them again in poipet, for good conversations and time toghther.
--fatigue. not good, that we can find time to rest as well.
--more state of the church specifics prayer requests we'll talk about when we return

oh and chris: thanks for your note! emily didnt quite pay any attention to it though! not my fault! she's the one who asked!!
mom! heehee, love ya!
babe: if you eat alot in colombia dont worry, you'll fit into the skirt i bought you! maybe not into anything else, but who needs more than one skirt right??
joel: please forward this please, i dont have your brothers' emails at hand.
mario: i'll never forgive you for not sending me any encouragement notes! good thing i dont depend on them huh? haha, ouch! happy bday by the way! :)
mom: can you water my plants?? haha, some werent alive to begin with, so dont worry too much!
babe: you better behave!
grandma ,grandpa y familia: los quiero mucho y se que estan orando por mi. que Dios me prepare, que me purifique para serle util. que me mantega humilde, obediente, raizes firmes en su palabra. que su espiritu y no mis emociones sea lo que me dirije.
Big E: keep it holy alright!
jacky: big hug, what u give, that God can return it to you double.
mom: can u forward this to Josue (hna lourdes's son??) thnks. ore para lo que me toca hacer cuando yo regrese a casa porfa!

ok, wow, this took up two hours!, there's a line behind us waiting to use the internet, its 1020 pm. k, love ya all, thanks for your love in Christ, your prayers,
love, rocio

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Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deut 6:4-5