Angkor

Instead of a history lesson I thought I would just provide some pictures of what our family has seen so far in regards to the thousand year old ruins of Angkor in Cambodia. This place is amazing!
Our family is doing great and really enjoying just being together again more than anything. We will spend 2 more nights here in Siem Reap and then leave Wednesday morning back to Poi Pet, Cambodia to spend 24 hours with the ministry of Cambodia Hope Organization.
-Kurt

Moving on and looking back

Sri Lanka 2011

Please click the picture above to view the our photos!!!!!

Well we are happy to be in Bangkok and reunited safely with Jessica! We have spent the day revisitng favorite places from our last trip and enjoying the more "relaxed" pace of Bangkok. We will leave in the morning for Cambodia. We will spend a few days exploring the temples of Angkor Wat then spend some time with CHO ministries.

The kids took some time to write down a couple reflections of their time and experiences in Sri Lanka

My time in Sri Lanka was an amain experience that I will never forget. Probably my favorite spots were Jaffa, Nerwu Eliya, ad Vavuniya. I loved to see the very town that Selina grew up in along with her homes, school and even her Aunt and Uncle. It was neat to put her stories together with what I saw out my window. Nerwu Eliya, which is unlike Jaffna and Vavuniya , has a very pleasant and cool climate. I enjoyed seeing all the tea plantations and scenery out my window. It was neat to see how poeple live differetly in the various areas of Sri Lanka and all of them live so differently from me.

I also really liked going to Vvuniya beacuse I enjoyed hearing the stories of everyone who World Concern helped even though they were all heartbreaking. The story of the young women who was married to the man in the wheelchair was really hard to hear. To know that they were doing well before the war and that they have a whole future planned out and lots of hopes and dreams that will never be realized because they were innocent victims in the war. Their living conditions were so poor and unimaginable. I was happy to see their family receive the cow and witness how much joy and hope this brought to them. All in all, my journey in Sri Lanka was a wonderful experience. ..Meghan

Sri Lanka is an amazing place with just about everythig in it but cold weather. I saw amazing things, and heard heartbreaking stories. It is definatly something I will not forget. As my Dad says we couldn't do more in the time we had. We had amazing drivers that put up with us for hours on end. We had an amazing trip planner in Selina. I couldn't have asked for a better trip....Cole

Hope Prevails

Boy meets girl. They wed and soon have a baby. A typical story that can be found around the world, but when it is played out in the middle of a violent war it often takes a turn for the worse. Such is the case of Chris & Teri and their daughter Dori growing up in northern Sri Lanka.

Government soldiers one day came to their village and took Chris away to a military prison on suspicion of aiding the enemy. This left Teri and their little daughter alone in the middle of a war. It wouldn’t be long before they both joined several hundred thousand others in one of the war refugee camps.

When the war came to a close this family was reunited, but much had changed. Chris had suffered physical abuse while in prison and was left paralyzed from the waist down. To compound their problems they had no livelihood with the disappearance of their 16 cows, yet despite all this they were cared for by their neighbors and some special people at World Concern.

Recently World Concern began meeting with people from the area to develop a livelihood program that would help the community sustain itself in the future. It was agreed upon that creating a ‘milk chilling station’ co-op would be a great place to start. The co-op started by selecting 10 of the most vulnerable people in the community that could benefit from a gifted milking cow by World Concern. One of those selected by the community was Teri.

Teri then attended a 5 day workshop hosted by World Concern that helped train the community on best practices in dairy farming.

Today Chris & Teri and their 8 year old daughter have access to a balanced diet and a source of income that will help them build on a brighter future, and their community will shortly have a milk chilling station that will allow every dairy farmer an opportunity to sell their milk.



-Kurt

Names have been changed to protect the family.

Just a few thoughts and more pictures

Sunday night here in Kandy, Sri Lanka as I write this...We are enjoying some just plain tourist time at the end of a hectic week visiting World Concern projects. So much to see in this little country and so much to process and take in. My impression is that it is a country with so much potential to be more then it is.

So sad to see the toll of so many years of not only civil war but natural disasters such as the tsunami and the more recent floods. We have had many many hours staring out car windows as we drive from place to place and I can't really describe the scene. So chaotic, high energy, colorful places and busy people and really crazy drivers swerving around the people, cars, buses and scared cows that are everywhere!

Really stunningly beautiful scenery and really heartbreaking conditions of some of the people. I am so glad we got to visit some of the many beneficiaries of World Concern projects because we were also able to see hope as well; one situation at a time.Hope of a better life because of a new cow, the money to insure an education or an icemaker for fisherman to help earn a living.

We will continue to sight see through Wednesday then will move on to Bangkok and to be reunited with Jessica! The kids are well and are taking everything in stride and taking everything in. Please enjoy the pictures because they say more then my inadequate words ever could.
~Cari

A Mixed Bag

Our time in Sri Lanka has really had us physically and spiritually all over the map, literally. We have been to the south of the island all the way to the most northern point and from the west coast to the east and several places in between. We have experienced all types of road conditions (except anything that resembles a US Highway) while traveling in a Mitsubishi Montero with 6 people and their gear. Let me stop and say “thank you Lord for safe travel and air conditioning”. Our lodging has ranged from top of the line beach hotels, thanks’ to Prem & Selina’s generosity, to places that had cockroaches the size of a small birds. We have been hot and often tired due to arriving at some of our destinations late into the night after 10 to 12 hours in the car.

Spiritually and mentally I felt totally out of it the first 3 days. My only real prayer was that God would soften my heart and allow me to see through His eyes. That prayer was answered when I met a young man World Concern has been working with who lost both his legs during the final days of the war. He sat before my family and shared some of his hopes in regards to finishing his education and hopefully one day earning an income that would allow him the ability to sustain himself. Then before I knew it he was off on his 2 artificial legs to receive physical therapy and I was left weeping. I never saw it coming as a flood of emotions swept over me and it was then I realized God was sharing with me how He feels when he sees us suffering. I personally believe the worst form of human suffering is when it is inflected by another intentionally and no where does that show itself more evident than the aftermath of a war.

I am happy to say that God did not stop sharing with me and went on to show me the great joy He feels when His children work on behalf of their brothers and sisters to bring healing and reconciliation to the brokenness around us. I saw this not only in the way that this young man was being cared for but also in the villages where World Concern was providing milking calves to the most vulnerable. It was here that saw eight women receiving a young cow that would secure their families with a balanced diet and a source of income through the selling of the milk. I will present one of these stories in a later blog post and for now just say that these women are receiving hope in a life that has been filled with unbelievable grief.

These have been just a few things in a list of many that our family has experienced while in Sri Lanka, and of course Jessica being in Japan has kept us all on high alert throughout this portion of our travels. We are happy to say that within 24 hours she will be on an overnight bus heading south in order to put more distance between her and those nuclear reactors and thanks to her Uncle Craig she will be flying out a day earlier from the 'south' of Japan.

I sit here writing this blog feeling blessed beyond belief.
-Kurt

Pictures from Japan to Sri Lanka

We are currently in a beautiful resort hotel on the South Eastern side of Sri Lanka where we are enjoying the second half of a very nice 24 hour stay. Selina's husband Prem is a Hotel manager and has spoiled us with this 24 hour side trip.Considering the heat and humidity I can't think of a better place to spend our time.
Before arriving at this hotel we were able to take a drive further south to the city of Galle and walk along the old fort walls that date back nearly 400 years when the Dutch built it.
We are all healthy, happy and thankful.
With breakfast and the beach calling I will wrap up this small blog entry. We hope you enjoy the pictures.
-Kurt

What a Diference a Day Makes

Well we have been on the run and not finding much opportunity to catch up on the blog!!!

First things first.....We left Japan the day before the big earthquake, I imagine we would still be there if it was a difference of a day!! I can't imagine what it was like, I know all the trains and buildings were evacuated and that in itself must have been something to see!! So thankful we were able to talk to Jessica immediatly afterwards and heard from her she was safe and didn't have to catch the earthquake news on CNN and be wondering how she was!!! She was evacuated from her dorm, but able to be let in shortly afterwards, she has electricity and is safe and secure. The aftershocks are unsettling however!!!

A quick update on us. We ended our time in Japan traveling back to Tokyo from Takayama via Matsumoto, had a really nice time traveling and a great couple days in Tokyo before flying out. We were able to connect with our former exchange student, Sumika on the last day. We took her to Tokyo Disneyland as a high school graduation present and that was quite a day!!nWe all had a great time reconnecting and she had never been to Disneyland. There was also an earthquake that day that shut down all the big rides but it didn't matter, the true entertainment was just people watching!! and there were LOTS of people!!! I wanted a fast pass option for the restroom!!

We had a surreal day yesterday...arrived in Sri Lanka at 1:30 am. Picked up by Selina and we were able to get a few hours of sleep at her lovely home. We spent the day doing drive by sight seeing. Most of the sights in Columbo-government buildings, parliment etc... are still closed to visitors since the end of the war.

The two countries of Japan and Sri Lanka couldn't be more different. Comparing the quiet, orderly Japan with the loud, noisy, colorful HOT Sri Lanka was amazing. Columbo is a city of lots of traffi and people, some very modern buildings and stores and also lots of poverty, run down areas and vacant buildings yet since the end of the war. Downtown is a scene of business men, walking with buddist monks, men in traditional sarong skirts, women in burkkas, saris, jeans and business suits and of course soldiers everywhere. Mopeds,crazy buses, three-wheeled taxis and high end cars all driving crazy and dodging pedestrians and the occasional bull in the road...just wild and fun to see!!!!

We head today to Galle and the beach overnight. Looking forward to some downtime!! Next week will be busy traveling with Selina and seeing World Concern's work around the country. Will head to north to Jaffna on Monday. Hope to get some pictures posted soon!!

Thanks for all your prayers and concern! Continue to pray for Jessica in Tokyo!!