Hello friends. Sorry that posts have been few and far between...I needed to take a little break with illness and such. But now I am back online and ready to share some stories with you.

Since I have no access to television here, one of the ways I keep up with what's happening in the world is by reading news online. I have to say that I read the stories from around the world a little more closely now than I did before. (And I also like to check on the weather back in Ohio - and give thanks that I am not in it:) Anyway, I was reading news on the CNN website when a story about Cambodia caught my eye. They are doing a program about genocides throughout history and the people who tried to speak up about what was happening. Anytime I see anything about Cambodia, I read it.

If you have read my blog at all, you have seen the details about what happened when the Khmer Rouge took over the country in the 70's. More than 2 million Cambodians were killed when this communist regime took over and moved everyone out of the city to work in the fields in the countryside.

A little while ago, a man my age was telling me the story of what happened to his family during this time. His father was a wealthy man who was in the military. He tried to send his wife and two children out of the country right before the regime took over, but she would not leave her husband.

When everyone was forced to leave Phnom Penh, the family moved to the wife's home village. Unfortunately, under this regime, anyone with education, wealth, government ties, relationships with foreigners, or a religious background was targeted for execution. And one day, they came for his father. He had also been a boxer, and so fought off the men until at one point, they told him that if he did not come with them, they would kill his wife and children. And so he went. He sacrificed his life for that of his family.

As this man was telling me the story, we both had tears in our eyes. And then he told me that he knows that one of the men who killed his father is still alive...and he wants to be able to meet with him someday and share the love of Jesus with him.

This country was at one time the most beautiful of all of Southeast Asia. It's so hard to believe when you see what it has become. It was literally destroyed under the Khmer Rouge and is still struggling to recover. Every day, I am faced with the corruption, hopelessness, and depravity that are ever-present.

Sometimes, it's hard to imagine that things here will change. And then I meet people like this man. And I spend time with the orphans. They are the ones who are going to make a difference here.

The joy that these kids have really is a stark contrast to the darkness around them. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for me as I minister to them and for the growth and development of the orphans. Below are a few pictures of the kids at school this week.

(I love it when I can catch action shots:)

Hula hoops were popular this day. This is my favorite video of one of the little girls from the Vista orphanage. I just love her laugh!