Wowza! That was some awesome buying and selling this morning (and all the way into the afternoon). Thanks to everyone who bought stuff to bless Cambodia and Thailand! As promised, I have a second round of goods for my friends who can’t get to the computer during the work day (you don’t have to have a 9 to 5 job to participate though).

Here’s a quick repeat of the scoop:

Super-excited today to share some goodies from Cambodia and Thailand with you (at a deliciously reasonable cost). If you’ve bought stuff from me before, you know how it goes. Leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail telling me what you want, and the first offer gets the worm (or the scarf, as it were). Make sure you keep refreshing the blog, because I’ll update what’s sold.

Some of the items are from two amazing organization called Daughters of Cambodia and Kingdom Kreations. They help women leave the sex trade and find honorable work making bags/jewelry, giving manicures, running a cafe/coffee shop. The Daughters/KK (fair trade) merchandise is priced according to how much I bought it for, and I’ll just pay myself back when you buy it from me.

The rest of the items are from various markets in Phnom Penh and Chiang Mai (Thailand). These items are not necessarily fair trade, but hopefully they helped the merchants I bought them from in at least a small way. For these items, I’m marking up the price a bit and giving the proceeds to some of my favorite ministries in Cambodia and Thailand (I’ll be sharing more about those in the weeks to come).

After seeing firsthand what God is doing in SE Asia, it’s such a privilege to be able to give to those who are sharing the gospel and loving the poor.

I’ll figure out shipping based on what you order. FREE shipping on orders over $30.

SOLD OUT. Set #1: Fabulous printed scarves from Chiang Mai Night Market. $10 each. Super-soft scarves (also from Chiang Mai) $12 each.

I posted a few of these this morning, and they sold out in about a minute.

SOLD OUT. Set #2: 100% Cotton Hand-Woven Scarves from Chiang Mai Night Market. $6 each.

These aren’t as soft as the super-soft ones in the first set, but they’re not scratchy, and they are soooo pretty. The colors are amazing (and thanks to Gabe’s awesome photography, they look just like they do in the picture) and vibrant. You should probably get 2 or 3.

SOLD OUT. Set #3: Elephant Zippy Pouches from Russian Market, Phnom Penh. $4 each.

These little cuties are about 3 x 4 inches big and bright, colorful, and whimsical. (The two in the middle are more 3D.) LOVE.

Set #4: Burlap Flower Pouches and Fish Purses. $6 each. Fish purses SOLD OUT. Red/pink pouch SOLD.

The flower ones are about 4×8 inches, and the stinkin’ cute fish are a little smaller.

SOLD OUT. Set #5: Wooden beaded bracelets from Russian Market in Phnom Penh. $4 each. EDIT: 5 bracelets left.

Love these. So pretty. Each one is different.

SOLD OUT. Set #6: More! 100% Cotton Hand-Woven Scarves from Chiang Mai Night Market. $6 each. EDIT: Only one left. Top row, 2nd from right.

SOLD OUT. Set #7: Patterned ID Wallets from Kingdom Creations, Phnom Penh. $5 each.

I really, really, really like these. Made of very durable material and so bright and colorful. There’s a separate pouch with a clear window for your ID to show through, and then you can keep cash/coins in the back pocket. (They’re about 3×4 inches big.) 

Set #8: Washer earrings from Daughters. $5. SOLD. Washer bracelets from Daughters. $6. Love the World bracelet. $5. SOLD.

These are sooo cool, and we got to watch the girls making them. Talk about talent!

SOLD OUT. Set #9: Traditional Cambodian Scarves from Rajana Crafts (another fair trade shop). $5 each. EDIT: first 4 SOLD.

You’ll see this kind of scarf everywhere in Cambodia. And people wear them in all sorts of ways–for decoration, for practical purposes, even as curtains and bed decor. Versatile.

Set #10: Wallets from Kingdom Creations (on left). $6 each. Wallets SOLD OUT. Cell phone cases. $4 each. Gecko pouch from Rajana. $6.

Set #11: Sweet banners from Daughters. Red/white banner. $10 each. One red/white banner left. Yellow/white banner. $7.

The red/white banner is about 10 feet long, and the triangles are about 6 inches tall. The yellow/white one is about 7 feet long and 2 inches tall.

There you go! Let the fun begin!

Don’t forget. Leave a comment or e-mail me if you’re interested in something, and I’ll update frequently as things are sold. Free shipping on orders over $30.

Thanks for blessing some awesome folks serving Jesus (and the poor) in Cambodia and Thailand!

Super-excited today to share some goodies from Cambodia and Thailand with you (at a deliciously reasonable cost). If you’ve bought stuff from me before, you know how it goes. Leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail telling me what you want, and the first offer gets the worm (or the scarf, as it were).

Here’s today’s scoop: some of the items are from an amazing organization called Daughters of Cambodia. Daughters helps women leave the sex trade and find honorable work making bags/jewelry, giving manicures, running a cafe/coffee shop. The Daughters (fair trade) merchandise is priced according to how much I bought it for, and I’ll just pay myself back when you buy it from me.

The rest of the items are from various markets in Phnom Penh and Chiang Mai (Thailand). These items are not necessarily fair trade, but hopefully they helped the merchants I bought them from in at least a small way. For these items, I’m marking up the price a bit and giving the proceeds to some of my favorite ministries in Cambodia and Thailand (I’ll be sharing more about those in the weeks to come).

After seeing firsthand what God is doing in SE Asia, it’s such a privilege to be able to give to those who are sharing the gospel and loving the poor.

I’ll figure out shipping based on what you order. FREE shipping on orders over $30.

Got it? Here we go! (in order from most expensive to least expensive)

SOLD OUT. Set #1: Super-Duper Soft (and Gorgeous) Scarves from the Chiang Mai Night Market. $12 each.

Each scarf is taller (longer) than me and about 12 in. wide. They’re warm enough to be a “coat” scarf and light enough to be a “shirt” scarf. And I, who rarely (okay never) wear a decorative scarf have worn mine (I have a gray one but with the little thingies hanging off like the blue one in the middle) at least six times since we’ve been back from Cambodia. 

SOLD OUT. Set #2: Fabulous printed scarves from Chiang Mai Night Market. $10 each.

These are also as tall as me, but considerably wider than the ones above. I’m not a good eye-measurer, but maybe 18 in. wide? Very, very pretty. And in case you can’t tell, the one on the left is dark brown/cream, the middle one is black/cream, and the last one is cream with black/gray accents.

SOLD OUT. Set #3: Shoulder bags from the Russian Market in Phnom Penh. $7 each.

These two-sided bags are super-versatile with 5 separate pockets. The shoulder straps are adjustable, and the bags are approximately 8 in. wide and 10 in. tall. The one on the bottom right is a little bit smaller than the rest. EDIT: Elephant bag (top left) & polka-dot bag & flowered bag SOLD.

SOLD OUT. Set #4: 100% Cotton Hand-Woven Scarves from Chiang Mai Night Market. $6 each.

These aren’t as soft as the super-soft ones in the first set, but they’re not scratchy, and they are soooo pretty. The colors are amazing (and thanks to Gabe’s awesome photography, they look just like they do in the picture) and vibrant. You should probably get 2 or 3.

Set #5: Pretty pencil pouches from Daughters. $6.50 each. EDIT: Gray pencil pouch SOLD. Top 2 left. COIN PURSES SOLD OUT. Cute coin purse keychains from Daughters. $3 each.

I got the girls each a pencil pouch on our last trip to Cambodia, and they use them anytime we go anywhere to keep all their pens, pencils, and markers in. They’re also great for carrying “feminine products” (you know, like gum and money). And the coin purses are just plain fun. Perfect to keep a quarter in for a cart at ALDI.

SOLD OUT. Set #6: Super-Trendy Recycled Rice Bag Zipper Pouches from Russian Market, Phnom Penh. $6 each.

These might be my favorite souvenir from our trip. I love that they’re made from recycled rice bags, and I love the 2 pockets, and I love the colors, and I love the size (a teensy bit smaller than 4x6in). 

SOLD OUT. Set #7: “Love the World” bracelets from Daughters. $5 each.

These are not really called “Love the World” bracelets, but I like to pretend that those beautiful turquoise beads are actually globes. The round buttons are made of coconut shells–cool, no? And I think they’d make a beautiful, practical reminder to pray for people around the world. Oh, and I have FIVE of them. Woot!

Set #8: Panda over-the-shoulder pouches from Chiang Mai. $4 each. Panda Bags SOLD OUT. Little Zippies from Chiang Mai Night Market. $3 each.

The panda bags are a little touristy-looking for me, but I think they’d be fun for kids. They’re about 4×6 inches. And I love the little zippies with all their different colors and patterns. They’re probably 3×4 inches. Some are a little smaller, some a little bigger.

There you go! Let the fun begin! (And to be fair to my work-during-the-day friends, I’ll be posting a similar sale next week sometime in the evening.)

Don’t forget. Leave a comment or e-mail me if you’re interested in something, and I’ll update frequently as things are sold. Free shipping on orders over $30.

Thanks for blessing some awesome folks serving Jesus (and the poor) in Cambodia and Thailand!

Long before I ever birthed a child, I used to imagine I’d have about five or six of them someday. And I can’t remember exactly, but I don’t think there were many (if any) little girls in my imaginary future brood. I’ve always been a tomboy, not a girly girl, and before I started hanging out exclusively with my hub-a-dubs, I had way more guy friends than girl ones.

It seemed only fitting that God would give me boys. But what the heck do I know about what’s fitting for my life? (my prophetic track record is dismal)

I am pleased to announce that he made the absolute most perfect choice by giving me three beautiful (but not-too-girly–thank you, Jesus!) GIRLS. I couldn’t imagine life without them. And I couldn’t imagine them as anything but girls.

But I’ve still got a special place in my heart for little boys, even if there aren’t any in my home on a daily basis. And hanging out at the Boys’ Center while we were in Cambodia? Super-tiring and absolutely awesome.

I can’t show you their gorgeous faces, because sadly, nauseatingly, horrifically, there are pedophiles on the internet prowling around this very minute looking for some precious little boys to devour. There are men who’ve succumbed to the devil’s sickest form of evil perversion, preying on innocent children and using and abusing their sweet little bodies in search of satisfying some unquenchable, unimaginable bloodthirst.

And then there are those who, in their twisted, screwed-up minds, have realized there is money and power to be had just by capitalizing on other people’s ghastly, perverted lusts.

And selling humans–many of them just babies, really–becomes as commonplace as selling fruits and vegetables.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia is just one of the many, many hotbeds of this unspeakable horror.  A place where men from all parts of the globe can come in relative obscurity with relative ease and spend very little money to make their wicked fantasies–and these children’s worst nightmares–come true.

I wish I were exaggerating, friends. I wish I was just playing the drama card and cuing the sad music, so I could massage your vulnerable heartstrings and get you to pull out your credit card and donate hundreds of dollars URGENTLY and IMMEDIATELY to some little pet cause of mine.

But I don’t want your money. Not yet anyway. I just want you to picture these boys’ faces in your mind. (And come on over to my house anytime, and I’ll show you a thousand pictures of their precious smiles.) And I want you to imagine what it would be like if your little boy (or a little boy you love very dearly) was living in poverty and barely scraping by and maybe selling recycled bottles to earn money for his family and then getting sold some night to a foreigner to do whatever he wants with him.

Imagine his physical pain as his little body endures things his Creator never, ever intended for him to endure. Imagine the emotional pain, the shame, the confusion, the devastation. Imagine this happening to him once, or many, many, many times.

Then imagine if there was something we could do to stop this. Imagine if there were glimmers of hope in the midst of this crippling darkness. Imagine if God’s love were big enough to stamp out evil, so that innocence and beauty and justice could thrive.

God’s love IS big enough, friends. And there IS hope. And you can absolutely be a real, vital part of it. And I can’t wait to tell you more.

Thank you so, so much for praying for Ava. If you hadn’t heard, she had a trampoline accident Sunday night. Had a baby tooth knocked out, and two of her front teeth were pushed back and up into the roof of her mouth. Her gums were purple and bloody and mangled and swollen, and oh goodness, it was a hard night. My heart just hurt so badly for her. We were so scared that there would be no fixing her once-beautiful smile.

Long story short, I asked for prayer for a healing miracle, and we’re well on our way. Our amazing dentist, Dr. Larry Devese, who loves God and our family, had us come in right away yesterday morning and spent 90 minutes giving Ava lots of novocaine and moving her teeth back in place as best he could. We have a long way to go, but we’re filled with hope. And gratitude. (Please keep praying for her. She’s in a lot of pain.)

I’ll be honest. When we first got the call about Ava (we weren’t with her, but thankfully the rest of Gabe’s family was there to comfort her), I’ll admit that I wasn’t very happy with God’s timing. First Gabe has a heart attack, and just when we’re finally getting used to our new routine, we up and leave for 5 weeks in Cambodia. And then we’ve got jet lag times five, and just when we’re finally getting over the hump, more trauma, this time for our little girl.

And then the money. We paid off both cars this year and were excited to tackle our last debt besides our house (Gabe’s school bill), and then the heart attack bills start flooding in (our homecoming mail on January 13 was a delightful mixture of 4-week-old Christmas cards and 2nd and 3rd notices from the hospital). And now, hello orthodontist.

And then God gently reminded me that, “Hey, you know I’m with you, right? Your husband shouldn’t have survived his Widow Maker artery being 100% blocked. I saved his life. And made him whole. And you remember when Cambodia was just a dream? Remember when you had $340 in the Cambodia Fund and wondered when on earth you’d ever get there? And your baby girl? She could’ve had a brain injury or paralysis, but instead she just has a couple teeth we need to fix, and I created little mouths to heal so quickly.”

And I just cried. Because I did remember. I do remember. And I remember something that happened on December 21, something we never shared because, after seeing how Gabe’s heart attack affected his poor mama in Africa, we didn’t want to scare any of our family while we were all the way on the other side of the world.

But I can tell you now. Because there’s some glory in it for our God.

It was the morning of December 21, 2011. We were so excited (especially me), because we were heading to the Phnom Penh International Airport to meet my friend, Keri, her husband, Scot, and their boys, Garrett and Nathan. We had only ever met online (+ 1 phone chat & 1 skype chat), and now they were flying in from Singapore to spend eight days with our family in Cambodia.

We got to the airport early, and their flight was late, so we were standing up for a long, long time. We were a little restless but having fun people-watching, until Gabe told me he wasn’t feeling well. “Are you sweaty?” he asked me. “No,” I said. The weather was a gorgeous 80 degrees, and we were in the shade with a breeze.

“I’m sweaty.” And he was. Very. His head was sweaty, his feet were sweaty, his whole body was sweaty. And it was a cold, clammy sweat. Exactly the same kind of sweat he’d been sweating on the night of October 29. While he was having a heart attack.

I tried not to panic. I could tell he was worried. He put his hand on his heart (my least favorite thing that he does these days).

“I think it’s my heart.”

And mine sank.

“This is how I felt when I was having a heart attack.”

And then a fog. Scot and Keri got off the plane. We hugged. Gabe hung back. We were going to split up into guys and girls tuk-tuks, so Keri and I could get to know each other on the 30-minute ride back to the guesthouse. But Gabe wouldn’t let me leave him. I don’t blame him. A 30-minute tuk-tuk ride with complete strangers while you’re about to pass out and afraid you’re having a heart attack?

I briefly explained to Keri. She understood. It was a long, long ride. I prayed hard.

We got back, dumped Keri and her family and their luggage and our children, and pulled away in our pastor friend Narin’s van (he owns the guesthouse and was, thankfully, home when we got there). He asked us if we wanted Western care or Khmer. He told us that Western doctors could cost us hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars but with Khmer care there was no guarantee that anything would be clean or safe or fill-in-the-blank-with-comforting-adjectives. Gabe said Western.

Then Narin said, “Or I have a Khmer friend I could call. He’s a believer, and he’s very good at what he does. Do you want me to go back and get his number?”

We said yes. While he was getting the number, Gabe said. “It’s definitely my heart. And we need to hurry. Like we need to get there NOW.”

All I could do was beg God for mercy. Visions of taking my husband’s corpse back to the States while I comforted our daughters filled my head. Cambodia has no real Western hospitals, no way at all of helping someone who is having a heart attack. We had been told he’d need to be care-flighted to Bangkok if anything happened with his heart. We did have the name of one Christian doctor who we could go to. His name was in an e-mail on Gabe’s laptop back at the guesthouse.

The storyteller in me would love to drag out the drama, but I’m going to cut to the chase. We got to the clinic, there was no wait, they took us back for Gabe to get an EKG on very antiquated equipment (that did the job). It was all so surreal. I just took deep breaths and tried to rest in knowing that God was in control, that he was with us even in Cambodia.

The EKG came back normal. His heart rate was low. The blood sugar test showed that he needed food. We had missed lunch, standing and waiting at the airport. He wasn’t having a heart attack. He just needed to eat.

I wanted to kiss the doctor’s feet. Dr. Modich. The same doctor, as we discovered a few days later, that friends had recommended to us in that e-mail.

I went up to the counter to pay the bill, still shaking from everything that had happened. When the receptionist handed me the bill, I gasped. She looked at me, concerned.

Thirty-six dollars.

THIRTY-SIX DOLLARS.

Seeing the doctor = $30. EKG = $10. Blood sugar test = $1. Missionary discount = -$5.

Thirty-six freaking dollars.

Gabe ate lunch on time the rest of our trip, threw in some regular morning exercise for good measure, and that was that.

God has our backs, friends. On these dreary Ohio winter days when I’m tired of blending milkshakes and making chicken noodle soup for my hurting little girl, and piles of stuff are glaring at me, and I have writer’s block out the ying-yang, and God is whispering, “Wait,” when I ask him for hints about our future, I’m going to remember.

To God be the glory. Great things he has done.

It probably goes without saying that I have a LOT to write about our trip to Cambodia. And like most things that go without saying, I go ahead and say things about them anyway.

Here’s the deal. (one of my mom’s favorite phrases of mine) I have many, many posts to write. And I think I’m getting really close to being emotionally ready to write them. But they need pictures to go with them. And all of our pictures from our trip are on an external hard drive. And I’ll be darned if I know how to get them off of there an onto this laptop without accidentally deleting all of them.

So.

Until my darling husband is at a place where he can help me without wanting to kill me, we (and by we, I mean you and me) will wait patiently. Because, while I’ve spent my last few days bouncing back and forth between wandering around my house feeling lost and actually accomplishing things like laundry and grocery shopping and buying cute winter coats for my freezing daughters at the thrift store, Gabe has had to go back to work.

And it’s been rough on him.

The poor guy. We’ve kind of just gone from HEART ATTACK! to CAMBODIA AND THAILAND! to GET BACK IN THE GROOVE OF EARNING MONEY FOR MY FAMILY!

Okay, so maybe only the heart attack needed the caps, but heck, they’re free. Might as well use ‘em.

Here’s a post from my dear friend Keri though while you wait. The funny thing is that while she was busy putting the finishing touches on this post, I was actually dreaming in blog posts. About the Boys’ Center, the very thing she wrote about. She and I both have a burning in our hearts to help raise funds for the amazing people that run this amazing place. Seriously, when you hear some of these stories, your heart will break. And when you realize just how little money it will take to make a huge difference in the lives of some incredible people, you’ll just want to shake your head with your eyes wide and your mouth open.

Or maybe that’s just me.

And I’m dying to tell you about the little girl who said we made her feel valuable.

And I’m dying to tell you about a gal who has overcome all odds to serve God in a foreign land.

And I’m dying to tell you about some things God has whispered in our ears about our future.

And I will.

But for now I’ll work on getting back in the groove of homeschooling. Yesterday? Hideous. Today? Redemption. And I’ll work on drying my oldest daughter’s tears, talking her through her angst and sadness, and convincing her to go back to school tomorrow even though it was really, really hard yesterday and I let her skip today. And I’ll work on organizing my home and my life and getting my newest e-book (about the zoo trip) into the hands of anyone who cares to read it. And I’ll take one day at a time, no, one minute at a time, and do my best to be still and listen for God’s voice.

And I’ll pray. A lot a lot a lot. About our future, for people in Cambodia, for all the wonderful people who commented/e-mailed after yesterday’s post, for my sweet family.

And I’ll try to spend at least as much time thanking as I do asking.

Because I’m so blessed.