Our connection to the Internet has not been great, so we have not been able to get a blog out till now. Here are some recent stories.

March 21-24. The 4 of us get on a boat and travel 2.5 hrs off the coast of Sihanoukville to an island called Koah Rung Saloem, where an English gentleman has bought a stretch of beach and built 10 huts on it. There is also a restaurant area. We spent 3days/3nights at the Lazy Beach tropical getaway, and it was the best vacation I have ever had. For a set of pics click -->HERE<--.

We arived back in Phnom Penh on the 24th and spent some time with the Holbeche's, who left today. Tomorrow we resume our teaching at New Hope School, and New Hope English School. The demand for foreigners has increased seeing as that Jenny & I are the only whities around now. So that means there is many classes that we will be helping with, with over 300 students!! What an opportunity. I have also had to sacrifice teaching my Bible Study in order to help out with the English school, so starting tomorrow, Jenny will be teaching a combined Bible Study. I may do a guest appearance now and then?

The Cambodian New Year is fast approaching (Apr13), and that means that Jenny & I will have a week off. We are excited for this because we really want to get into Vietnam and check that country out. So, we are trying to arrange a 5 or 6 day bus tour that would take us around southern Vietnam.

Anyways, that's what's we been up to. The photo below is of my favoritest preschooler in the world...........Contea (or Googles, as I affectionately call her).

This is our last night in Sihanoukville. Tomorrow, the Holbeche's and us are on a 2.5 hr boat ride to the island of Koh Rong Saloem. There, we will stay for 2 days/3 nights at the Lazy Beach private tropical hideaway. This is a chance for us all to get away from internet, cell phones, tv, etc etc, and just spend some good ole quality time reading, reflecting, and spending time with God, without the everday distractions that hinder those events. It will be a time to process what we have seen and learned here. The more you delve into the Cambodian culture, the more depth you see which needs to be explored before any of it can be truly understood. It is a culture that is so far removed, or foreign, to what we are content with, that it is difficult to grasp even the simplest things about it. History has been the great ally, and worst enemy, of these people.

On the 24th we return to Phnom Penh, and on the 25th we attend a seminar on the sex trade and young boys. Then we will round off the week with the Holbeche's, and start our teaching schedule back up on the 30th.

We have been in Sihanoukville for almost a week, and the time spent here cannot be overstated! We've spent much time swimming in the Gulf of Thailand, and resting on Serendipity Beach, chatting with the scores of kids who try their best to sell you bracelets and such. There are also scores of ladies who want to sell you a back massage, or pedicure, or manicure, or etc etc etc. The distinction between 1st World and 3rd World is shocking. The kids, ladies, and beggars try in every way, to get the rich westerners to give them anything. Some things we see are disturbing.

We talk to many young girls, who testify that they've been approached by older western men, for sex. The temptation to be lured into this type of employment is great.

We try as much as possible, to befriend these innocents, and learn their stories. Complacence is destroyed by the stories we hear. On Serendipity Beach, ignorance and inaction go hand in hand. Many here do not want the responsibility of knowing the truth about what this place is notorious for. Ignorance seems the far better option. Last year over 2 million tourists visited cambodia, and it is estimated that 22% of these tourists came for the sex. !. That`s crazy.

So, we continue our time here with The Mission Worldwide. It is a time of rest, but also of advancement. We seek God's will for the future of this troubled place. Your prayers are welcomed.

The last week was pretty intense. Besides the demand of our current work schedule, we were able to travel 15km outside Phnom Penh to the infamous Killing Fields where many people were brutally slaughtered under the Pol Pot regime. There were over 300 'killing field' sites around Cambodia in the late 70's. It was a strangely serene place, which was impossible to grasp, in it's totality. For Killing Field pictures, click -->HERE<--.

After that we went to S21, the torture prison in Phnom Penh were the Khmer Rouge tortured and obtained "confessions" from the people who would then be taken to the Killing Fields for execution. S21 was a terrible, horrifying place. I cant even start to describe the feeling of being there, and seeing hundreds of photographs (some extremely explicit) of the victims, and methods the Khmer Rouge used to obtain the "confessions". It was absolute madness. For S21 pictures, click -->HERE<--.

Jenny and I also got to sit in on some meetings the Holbeche's had with various NGO's who are working with children at risk in Phnom Penh. We went to the city dump a couple days ago, and were able to see a school which has been set up by People Improvement Organization. We also were able to meet with APLE, who do amazing work investigating and prosecuting pedophiles. The facts are more than disturbing, and the pictures I seen were a grim reminder of the depravity of man. But, there are people who are fighting this disgusting trade, and with the help of God, it can be stopped. If you are interested, you can make a donation to Jason & Kellie Holbeche's work -->HERE<--.

Yesterday, we hopped in a taxi with them and cruised 3 hours out of Phnom Penh to the coastal town of Sihanoukville. We will be here for a couple weeks gathering more info on the sex trade, and also just getting a feel for the place. Sihanoukville is the child sex capital of Cambodia. While we are here, Jenny & I will also use some time to learn more about Cambodia. We recently bought 3 books: Sex Slaves; Cambodia Now (about the country post war); and The Tears Of My Soul (about the Khmer Rouge regime). I am reading Tears Of My Soul, and it is a crazily powerful book that I strongly suggest you aquire and read. Very powerful.

This should be a powerful season of disturbance, and rest.

Indeed! We picked up Jason & Kellie at the airport saturday evening. They will be in Cambodia for about 4 weeks, aquiring loads more information on the awful sex trade that is happening here. Their goal is to establish a long term ministry here that involves rescuing people from this awful reality. They have meetings with some groups who are doing similiar work, and then they hear from God as to how to proceed.

On saturday morning, we will relocate to Sihanoukville for 3 weeks or so, and have a time of information gathering, prayer, and relaxation!! Jenny & I have been quite tired lately. Our demanding work schedule, and the ridiculous heat, is a nasty combination. It will definitely be nice to get down to the coast and see how things are there.

Sihanoukville is the major area in Cambodia for child prostitution. The stories about this activity are shocking. Pray for us, even more intensely, as we push ahead into this area. Many, many children have had their innocence robbed of them, with little or no hope for their future. Jesus died for such as these.