One year! Six kids….maybe 7

It has offically been one full school year! We are so glad its over and so amazed to see the work that God has done in all of our lives! There have been so many miracles, 3 baptisms, 1 baby and a very small house. This year has been a huge learning and growing experience for everyone in our house, learning how to co-exist with everyone, fighting and bickering, anger and happiness, and moments of love and hate. All in all it has been a great year full of ups and downs. Year number one is in the books and I can’t wait until we start year number 2!

Isiaiah 46:4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Year number 2 will be a little bit different, we will lose our oldest, Ice, she will head to college at Asia-Pacific International University (APIU). We will transition transition Kartun and Noi into our house along with us having our new baby Evangeleen. So, we will level up from 6 kids to 8 kids. Our growth this year will not be as big as it has been the last two years but we will start supporting one girl from our village to go to CAA this year.

Sop is an 8 year old girl from our village. Preaw in her service to our community met Sop and started teaching her about the Bible, teaching her bible stories and songs. Sop introduced Preaw to her mom, Kwan. Kwan is a drug addict and is hated by most of ou community. About 2 years ago Kwan’s husband(Sop’s dad), who was aso a drug addict decided that life wasn’t worth living and took his own life in the back of their small family home. When Kwan came home she found him and lost it. She went and got help but since they were both on drugs and fought all the time the people in the village say that Kwan killed her husband. There is no proof and if there was she would be in jail, but older people in villages like the one we live in gossip and that gossip becomes truth to them. As Preaw got closer to Kwan and Sop, Kwan started to open up and reveal more and more of her story. she was jealous of Preaw because she thought that Preaw was a good girl who had never experienced anything like she had been though. Preaw blew Kwan’s mind when she told her, her testimony. She was able to show Kwan the powe of God in her life and started studying the Bible with Kwan. Kwan had been getting sober and was trying to be a good mom. She had been sobr for about 4 months when last week she started using again. Before she relapsed she said it would be ok if Sop went to CAA. Preaw made the decision that the money that she will earn while selling books she would use to support Sop. Knowing that will not be enough money she has been praying that God will provide the rest for her.

It has been amazing to see Sop coming to church with us for the last few weeks. But I took a 3 day break in writing this and Kwan was caught with drugs and is in jail and we are not sure how long she will be in jail. Sop has gone to live with her grandmother and we are not sure if she will be able to attend CAA this year. Very sad news for us! Please pray for Kwan and pray for Sop! Pray that she will be able to go to CAA!

Prayer List

  • Sop will be able to go to CAA
  • Kwan will stop doing drugs
  • God will provide for Ice to go to college
  • Evangeleen’s hip dysplasia
  • Our house construction
  • my wife’s recovery from her C-Section
  • RAIN!!!!! The smoke is horrible here! We cant take the baby outside!
  • The hearts of all of our kids!

5 Comments

  • Love you all and imagine Raquel is still with you all. Love to her too!

    Such a beautiful group of kids and will be praying that those who have been off the grid will come on and God will truly bless them when they do
    Love hearing from you Josh and Critty and baby Evangeleen so adorable!
    So Dan is in Bhutan as of March 17 and Dad too for safe hiking!
    Just remember you are being lifted up in prayer you 7 or more!?:o)
    God is good all the time!

    • joshuabauder

      Kwan was recently released from jail but because of Evangeleen and her reaction from living in the house in their village, we had to move. Kwan’s oldest daughter Chia(14 yrs) just had a baby, we stop by once every 2 weeks to check on them. Sop didn’t come to live with us, she went with her grandmother and came back to our old village when her mom was released. Kwan seems to be doing well and staying clean. Preaw still wants to help them but Preaw has been really busy because we found her brother and sister. Our life is just calming down now, so Lord willing we will be able to give this story a happy ending.

      • Benton Davis

        Thanks so much for the update. I do a prayer journaling so that I can follow the answers to the prayers that I intercede with God concerning. Will continue to pray.
        Ben

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