Cambodia

Dear Reader,
The following blog is simply all of my updates from our time in Cambodia this summer, cut and pasted together...hopefully I'll get my act together and add pictures
soon...but with school starting...don't hold your breath:)

Thank you for reading and thank you for praying

"They looked to Him and were radiant.." Psalm 34:5

Today is our third day in Cambodia. We got up early ....mostly because we have a newborn to take care of :) (I took the 4am shift after Katherine had been up all night) and then got ready to go to the dump. The dump is where all the trash goes including body parts, sharps...everything. It's also where people live and "work". They have a medical clinic there every Friday to care for the people at the dump. We were able to share Jesus with those who had never heard His name, pray for them and help meet a physical need. Afterward we walked out onto the trash where the people live and work.... words cannot describe. The children were sweet, starving for real love and the spiritual battle was intense.


Everyone keeps asking me "why are you so quiet?" honestly, there is so much to take in and process I can hardly make a full sentence. But I see the hand of the Lord here in such a real way, the people are very open to the gospel and the opportunities to minister are endless. All I keep thinking is "I have so much, what more can I do?"


The sights and the culture are familiar, much like when I was in Bosnia... no personal space, very loud and bold people. The streets are crowded, the houses vary from one side of the street to the other... you look to the left its as though you are in the slums, you look to the right you see a mansion.


The weather is incredible! It is sooooo oooooo hot! I feel like I'm on fire! :) Then in the afternoon, dark clouds roll in, the winds kick up, thunder, lightening and rain like I've never seen before! I love it!


We are staying with Katherine and it has been an incredible blessing to see all the relationships she has built and the immeasurable ways God is using her here. She is an extension of God's love and grace to so many, please keep her in prayer.


I will write more soon.


Sunday we leave for the jungle so you will probably not hear from me until we return.


May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Psalm 10


Jen Cecil

Cambodia 2
"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14.... why would we attempt to do anything for the Lord apart from prayer?

God has been drawing me to my knees not only for the nation of Cambodia but for the world. We are so quick to do anything but pray and yet this is the place where the battle is won. The enemy isn't even phased by our service for God when it is not accompanied by prayer, prayer that is seeking Him with a repentant and humble heart.

We are a broken people and we need Jesus to heal us, but dare we not even step out in His name without first seeking His face.
It is His work, by His Spirit, we are to be completely dependent upon Him.

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit," says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6.... He.... The Lord of heaven and earth will move mountains, He will accomplish that which He said He would do.

I am continually blessed during my time here, my heart is truly broken for that which breaks His heart. I am thankful that I can come to Him freely and ask Him to move mountains.

God bless you,
more soon

Jen Cecil

Cambodia 3
Dear friends and family,
We didn't get to the jungle because the doctors wife is very sick, but God has been keeping us busy with many other blessings especially this precious newborn baby :)
Today we went the relocation housing, a place where they moved people out of the city so they could develop and they have to live in these basically concrete cells, they have nothing at all, all the kids have lice, most of them are very sick and cannot be treated only given something to dull the pain a bit. A small family (2 sisters and a brother) took to me and I held them and played with them while we where there.... I fell in love. The oldest was maybe 6 and she was taking care of the younger two, after sitting with me for about an hour she picked up the youngest and led the two home by herself, it took everything in me not to run after them. This is the norm here in Cambodia, children are not valued and given very little care if at all. Those that are not wanted are sold which is what would've happened to Joshua had Katherine not taken him. Yet we know that God sees and He is moving on the hearts of His children to act and be His hands and His feet to this lost and dying world.

"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise," says the Lord. "I will place him in the safety for which he longs." Psalm 12:5

I am so thankful that I am here to be reminded, my heart is being brought back to all of the things God has shown me before. I really feel refreshed and encouraged while at the same time so heavily burdened, yet knowing that the burden is the Lord's. He is a good God and He is love and I see it daily here.

We are otherwise busy trying to orchestrate Joshua's visit home with Katherine at the end of this month, please pray for this...this is no easy task...yet I believe God can do it.... so we seek His will and press on with much paperwork and several visits to government offices.

The nearby Hope orphanage also occupies our time and is a place that desparately needs your prayers. They are in need of more willing hands to provide strong Christian leadership. The children left to themselves find a great deal of sin to act out in and it is so hard to watch and do nothing. Many of the children are very sweet and want to do well and truly love the Lord, but there are those who are in the midst who seek to lead the others astray and we pray that God would grab a hold of their hearts and lead them in His ways. There are so many culturally accepted practices of abuse here and it is hard to break them, only by His spirit. We need to come to Him in humility and prayer, recognizing that the Holy Spirit has the power to set people free. There are two men and one amazing woman of God (Katherine!) who do love the Lord who serve there Sothea and Tal....yet they are too few. Pray that God would strengthen and equip them and add to their number.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. Jacqueline and I are doing well, staying healthy and being blessed!

More soon,

In Him,
Jen Cecil

Cambodia 4
Today we visited the Killing Fields, one of the places in Cambodia set apart to remeber the genocide that took place under the regime of Pol Pot. While I had studied what I was able and felt I knew quite a bit nothing could have prepared my heart for what I saw today. We saw mass graves in which bones are still being unearthed as the rain loosens the ground, we saw a tower filled with skulls of the victims, it was an incredibly sobering sight. We prayed all morning it seemed, and we were thankful that we could and felt again that this is indeed a land desparate for God's healing.

This afternoon we took Guila one of the orphans on a trip to a local shopping center. This is a very special event. Each week Katherine selects one of the orphans to accompany her to town where they get to select the DVD for the movie night and have ice cream with her and some much needed quality time, it is a very sweet time. He was so excited! It was his very first time on an elevator and he was gripping the sides but he enjoyed it :)

Katherine and Jacqueline went to the orphanage to watch the movie with the kids (Guila picked out Tom and Jerry!) while I stayed back with Joshua who stayed awake the whole time! We had fun together, he is growing so much and is such a sweet blessing from the Lord to all of us.

We are staying with Katherine in a very large home where many missionaries stay and some just passing through, also a lot of young Khmer men and women (mostly men...just one woman!) who are being discipled in the Lord live here. The ministry is called Water of Life and they have a music school here amongst the many other ministries they do throughout Cambodia. Every night those who live here and anyone who is here have a time of worship and Bible study. It is a very sweet time. The young men are learning to study and share God's Word and to be His witnesses, it is a sweet blessing to see! There seems to be a new face here everyday, a missionary from another country shows or returns, it's truly a blessed home and we are so privileged to be here and to get to know all these sweet saints.

Yesterday we spent the day traveling to different government offices in the hopes of finding a way to bring Joshua home with Katherine when she comes at the end of this month but unfortunately we were met with a very closed door. They did give us hope for future visits though. Please pray for Katherine as she decides what to do concerning her trip.

Tomorrow we will go back to the dump clinic again and then I have been asked to teach an English class in the evening at the orphanage.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers,

In His Grace,
Jen

Cambodia 5
"Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harrass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamitites. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

Truly God has been revealing great things to my heart during our time here, He has been doing great things and I want to boast in Him all day long.
I thank Him for this time of weakness that He has allowed knowing that He is glorified in all things and when I am weak then I am strong.

Yesterday all three of us realized we were suffering from sickness of some form. Soon after sickness came discouragement and many other weaknesses. We spent much of the day in prayer, I often was in tears and feeling defeated in many areas, the attack was strong. But the Lord reminded me, "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world".
We continued in prayer and seeking the Lord and rested our physical bodies. God truly met us.

Last night despite our weaknesses Jesus allowed us to minister to all of the girls from the orphanage, they all came over to our home and we had a girls night. We watched movies and just loved on the girls, prayed over them and it was truly a very sweet time. Truly His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

This morning during church (which is all in Khmer) God ministered the above verse to my heart... so blessed!

Please keep us in prayer that God would heal us from whatever is causing this sickness.... it is not so fun, but its not terrible....hahah praise the Lord!
Please pray for how we will spend our remaining time here, we have two full days left, may we redeem the time, may God be glorified in all things, may be be a blessing to the saints here and may we truly see Jesus in all things.

God bless you and thank you so much for praying,
Jen

Praise the Lord for all that He has done!


Goodbye Cambodia (for now!)
Hello Dear Family,

We landed back on CA soil yesterday afternoon and my heart is so full! I am so blessed to come home to such a wonderful family and yet so broken hearted to leave all those behind who I grew to love so quickly in Cambodia.

The day we left about 6 girls and a couple of the older boys from the oprhanage came with us to the airport to see us off. We could've stayed and hugged and kissed and exchanged "I love yous" all day :)
I fell in love with an eleven year old girl named Srey Oun and she came with us to say goodbye, it was very hard to let go of her, but I know that Jesus has her and Lord willing He will let me come to her and so many other dear ones again someday.

Our time with Katherine and Joshua was priceless, a gift I will never be able to thank Jesus enough for. How awesome is our God to have brought us on the exact day of Joshua's arrival ...only He could've have arranged such a divine appoinment! God began our trip by showing off and He kept doing just that, as Katherine would say "blessing our socks off" daily!

We were able to visit many of the places Katherine regularly does ministry and meet many of the hearts she touches daily. These same lives touched our hearts in ways we couldn't have imagined and we will never be the same. God is so good.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and encouragement, please continue to pray for:
* Katherine's visit to the states this next week
* Jacqueline and I as we re-enter life in America and take time to process all that God has done
*Cambodia- the nation needs our prayers; pray for healing, pray that God would send many workers into the field, pray that God would break the chains that Satan has used to bind the people especially the religion of Buddhism and the sexual bondage
*Katherine and Joshua- for God's will to be done and for Him to lead at every step
Remember 2 Chronicles 7:14

God bless you all and thank you so much! He is always good and always faithful. We are so thankful to be His hands and His feet and to get another glimpse of His heart for the world, what an incredible privilege.

With Love,
Jen Cecil
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psalm 23;1-3