We have primarily been settling in the last few days. Our apartment comes furnished which is wonderful but there were still things needed. To name a few: dishes (cool Vietnamese ones from the market), a rice cooker, a water cooler, pots and pans (from Australia) and a few lamps (I am becoming friends with this kind and excellent Cambodian business woman about my age who has a lamp store in the market). 

On Sunday we went to IHSI's church plant in the Saang Province. It was incredible to join Cambodians worshipping in their language. We took communion together which reminded me that the core practices of Christianity bypass any culture and go straight to the heart. A few girls I had connected with last year were still attending and it was fun to see them again. I look forward to our future chats. 

This is getting long so I will close with ten of my favorite thoughts thus far:

1. One of the homes across the street stores mannequins on their porch. It is weird and creepy in the middle of the night.

2. A pack of dogs like to fight outside our bedroom window in the middle of the night. Fun.

3. It is HOT. My ankles are the size of canteloupes and many of the Cambodians stare at them and seem very concerned. I am concerned as well.

4. We can buy a 5 gallon jug of water for $1. Cool.

5. I LOVE shopping in the market. We will go every day to buy food. Today I bought potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, onions and mushrooms for less than $1. So great.

6. I can count to 6 in Khmer already and tell someone that I don't need a tuk-tuk because I have a car. (Except that I don't have a car but someday that phrase may be helpful.)

7. Today I saw what appeared to be a cart of car-sick chickens (or should I say cart-sick?). I found out that wasn't quite accurate...more on that in a later blog.

8. We just bought our first illegal movie. It has every movie Denzel Washington has ever made -- about 20. Awesome!

9. I bought the cutest loose leaf tea pot for $2. It's like a french press for tea.

10. Ginny updated me today on a family we have been praying for out in Saang province. The dad sold his 12 year old daughter into slave labor at a mattress factory, sold his house piece by piece to feed his alcohol addiction and has disappeared with his youngest girl. The daughter escaped the factory and is moving house to house in her village. All of his other kids are in foster care with Cambodian families in their village. Hearing this broke my heart and made me want to take her in. Before long you will probably hear us talk about a safehouse that we will be raising funds for in order to help children like Srei Poa. My restorative heart has found its home. There is much to be done.

Much love to you all! Please keep in touch and let us know how we can be praying for you.

Noelle

It was so much fun visiting the Market these past couple of days.  We bought practically everything we need for our kitchen, bathroom, etc.  Most of the prices are reasonable, but thanks to Ginny Hanson (In His Steps), she helped us around and even provided some bargaining assistance.  

Anyways, I thought I'd start off with a couple of photos from my phone.  We went out for lunch today at a place along the river and ate Pho. All I can say is YUMMY!  If you come visit, this is a required place to visit.  It's a soup full of vegetables and you can seasoning to taste and herbs.  I usually get chicken.  

Notice the sweat pouring from our faces.  I know I was whining about the cold...well, now I'm whining about the heat.

Some of the beautiful dishes in the market.

Hard at work.

I loved how the light was coming through the roof on this one.

Bright fresh red onions.  Tons of fresh vegetables at the Market.

More dishes

I asked this guy if I could take a picture of him.  I wish I could have got what he was doing in the whole frame, but I wasn't able to.  Anyways, he's making jewelry and it was super hot.

I'm telling ya what...the ladies in Cambodia know how to work hard. :)

Shot from the hip.

Trash. Lots of it.

I thought this door was cool.

Another guy making jewelry.

Outside of the market.

I write this from the living room of our new apartment in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  We both walked in and felt such a whirlwind of emotions.  It will take time to adjust to the reality of living here long-term, but I know God will meet us where we are at.  In fact, I know that to be true.

Our flight was quick - only a 3hr lay over in Seattle and then a 12hr flight to Incheon, South Korea followed by another 5hr flight into Phnom Penh.  Our wonderful friends, Eric and Ginny Hanson greeted us along with Emily from New York.  It's so good to see familiar faces when embarking on such an unfamiliar journey.

Anyways, I should get some sleep...it's 1:15am and I'm wide awake (thanks, jet lag).  Here are a few snaps from our apartment in the RAW.  We haven't take showers yet and our stuff is everywhere. Ha!  Noelle will probably be dreaming of ways she can decorate.  It will be so much fun.

Also, attached is our newsletter in case you didn't get a chance to read it.  Click HERE to read it.

Love you all, Jacob

Noelle modeling our kitchen.  

The master bedroom.

Our guest bedroom...

Noelle working hard at 1:30am.  The clothes washer is behind her, then the stove, water heater, sink.

While thankful for our friends, family and church here in the U.S., something has been weighing heavy on my heart this past month which brings me to the topic of this blog. Social media.  In my opinion, social media is simply defined as informing, giving feedback and receiving feedback.

Twitter & Facebook are powerful tools and ways to connect with not only friends, but classmates from your kindergarten class. Maybe you heard a sermon recently on forgiveness and by chance remembered that kid from 6th grade you constantly bullied.  I have a solution. Just look him up on Facebook and ask for forgiveness. Ha! I actually wouldn't recommend that, but Facebook is a place to start.  As Facebook evolved it became the norm for most teenagers, Moms & Dads, Uncles & Aunts, Grandpas & Grandmas.  It allows anyone to connect with anybody in a virtual world.  It's been amazing how easy it is to type someone's name in and see what their world looks like...on a daily basis.  As Facebook becomes the way in which you connect with people, be warned.  It can create this false sense of "knowing" someone and can even introduce a torpidness in your relationships. It's sad really. Don't get me wrong, Facebook makes it possible for me to keep up with friends all over the world, and for that, I am thankful.  But however great you think Facebook is, don't get lazy and substitute a "Happy Birthday" on Facebook for a genuine birthday card.  Remember what those are? 

Twitter.  I think of Twitter as a stream of thoughts, messages or informational tid bits.  You can choose who to follow, choose who can follow you and then stare at people's streams all day.  It's great!  Actually, Twitter is a powerful addition to the social media world.  I use Twitter to see what my friends have to say in short messages (140 characters or less).  I also read news streams so I can stay updated on what's happening in the world. Interested in technology?  Check out Twitter!  There are 1,000's of Tweeters out there tweeting about technology.  If you are reading this blog, chances are, you've heard of Facebook and Twitter.  In fact, there's a good chance you are my Facebook friend or I'm following you on Twitter.  At any rate, like I've said, Facebook and Twitter are wonderful and if you are so inclined, you should check them both out.  

Because social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter can be all-consuming, we are taking a break.  This is the heart of my message.

When we move to Cambodia, we will be establishing a new community.  We are truly looking forward to that, but there will be many challenges.  We will be homesick, trying to press through culture shock, learning a new language and dealing with transition.  It will be difficult and normally when we go through hard times, we look to our friends and family.  Thanks to technology that will be possible, but it's important for us to endure the hardships and persevere.  The Internet is practically everywhere which means Facebook and Twtter are too.  This also means we could stay in this stagnant state of "in-between."  It would be easy always looking to Facebook in search of a feeling of belonging or something familiar.  There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but I think it will be easier for us if we disconnect.  I feel the Lord has been telling me to be fully engaged - meaning establishing our new home, loving my wife, making new friends, learning about In His Steps, looking to God for vision, purpose etc. (Read Matthew 19:16-30 -- passage of inspiration)  I feel like giving up Facebook and Twitter is a testament of sacrifice - a symbolic way of to saying to Jesus, I am fully yours.

The good news is that we are taking a temporary break :)  And because we feel it's super important to keep everyone updated on our progress and lives in Cambodia, we will continue to update and check our blog, so if you would like to leave us a little comment, we'd love to hear from you. 

Also, it's you'd like to follow us on Twitter, you can follow Noelle at twitter.com/Noelle_G or Jacob at twitter.com/JacobusM.

Lastly, I know some are experiencing difficulty in establishing boundaries with how often to spend on Facebook.  A good friend and pastor wrote this: Time for a Facebook Diet? You can also check out another blog by Glenn Packiam on his perspective on why Twitter is better than Facebook.  

P.S. Our Facebook/Twitter Break is for 2-3 weeks and it starts once we hit the ground in Cambodia...so be looking for that "arrived safely" tweet!

This video is like a moving infomercial gone bad!

Enjoy :)

T-Minus 20 from Jacob and Noelle Goodlin on Vimeo.

So we had the fortunate opportunity to replicate our presentation that we shared at our fundraiser event.  It's so much fun working with my wife on these things. I guess that's a good thing since we will be working together on the field.

To watch our presentation, just click on the box below.  Obviously, you won't have our beautiful voices to accompany the slides, but you will get the gist.  Have questions?  Give us a shout.

Jacobg@ihsiONLINE.org

Noelleg@ihsionline.org

Cambodia Presentation from Jacob and Noelle Goodlin on Vimeo.

Well, this blog isn't about Saturday, but it happens to be that day of the week, so I found myself reminiscing. Noelle is at an all day women's event at church today, so I decided to spend my day at the coffee shop catching up on photography and to start the day off right...reading the Word.  I haven't made it to photography yet. God caught me by surprise. Does that ever happen to you? Everyday, I read the Proverb that corresponds with the date, so today I read Proverbs 23.  A common theme that Proverbs communicates is listening to God's instruction.  

Proverbs 23:12

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

I asked myself a few questions this morning.  Are you paying attention to God's instruction? Is your mind and heart available for God's wisdom and teachings? Interesting.  I wouldn't pride myself in being an open-minded individual.  I like to make decisions, try things on my own, activate and then move on.  I think it's ok to be a driver, but I'm reminded it's critical to sit and listen. God longs to have community with us, speak words of wisdom, teach us something new about Him, His character or maybe discipline us.  But if we are going at a pace where our minds become closed off and God becomes a routine, well, your life will become routine. That's not the way I want to live.

I'm also reading through Matthew...again, probably not that uncommon and I'm sure I've read through Matthew a few times.  But today, this time, I'm reminded of God's love, truth and perseverance.  Through Jesus' temptation in the wilderness to Jesus calling his first disciples to teaching the very truth to his followers, Jesus began His journey at a very young age.  Knowing He came to the earth fully man is something I have a difficult time comprehending.  Knowing He could have avoided the whole experience of coming to earth, dying on the cross and saving mankind boggles my mind.  But resting in the truth that He loves me unconditionally speaks to why He did all of that.

So about this journey.  God's love and truth is what I rest in when I become fearful or doubt in the decision of moving overseas. God has called us - no doubt, but with that, there are many questions to answer.  Are we moving to the right place? Do we have enough money? Are we ready? Do we have enough faith? Are we really hearing from God? These types of questions often plague my mind, but I have to remember that I ignored that still small voice for too long. Now I'm listening. God said to go. God said to trust Him. God said to have faith. As of today, we have 39 days till we leave for Cambodia. Noelle and I are embarking on a mission that is certainly unknown and there is a mystery about it all that is fascinating.  My heart swells more and more for the Cambodian people, the young child that has been sold into slavery, the boy that struggles with his identity because of the matriarchal society or educating the poor on conquering poverty - there is no doubt we are being called to Cambodia. God give us faith.

Speaking of faith, I am reading a book called, Bruchko, an extraordinary story of a 19yr old man that literally leaps out in faith and begins working with a murderous Indian tribe on the border of Colombia and Venezuela.  I am only on page 50, but this book is certainly speaking to my level of faith.  Faith is being sure of the unseen as told in Hebrews 11:1. Young Bruce had no idea what he was leaping into, but he LISTENED to God's call and left the U.S. with a one-way ticket and $70.  What a journey.

Noelle and I are going on a journey. We are applying faith, like Bruce, but I believe there is a balance. I constantly struggle with that balance. In my human mind, I'd rather err on the side of practicality, ensuring my mindmaps are in order, our plans are well tested, the numbers are researched, etc.  I could go on and on about how logistics play a role in moving our lives overseas, but where is the evidence of faith? I am, again, reminded of the amount of faith I need to have to move a mountain.  

Matthew 17:20

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

I know there will be opportunity to practice faith once we are living in the midst of poverty, a culture rooted in Buddhism, and a sexual heaviness that clouds the eyes of many. Maybe that's it, but I think there is more, and I'm never going to stop discovering what faith looks like.

Would love to hear what you think and I'm really excited to send one of these from Cambodia to your mailbox.

Jacob

Photo of us was shot by Audrey Hannah Brooks. Thanks, Hannah for making us look so beautiful :)

 This is the front 

And the back

So, watch our moving day...almost live!

Moving Day #500 from Jacob and Noelle Goodlin on Vimeo.

We decided to do a little video of our moving experience from my Dad's to Noelle's Dad's house. Enjoy :)