God Answered my prayer and sent me a brother!

I was having one of the roughest days of my life. I was exhausted and had already had a few breakdowns during the day. I came back to my house to begin to fix a BBQ for some coaches that were coming from Washington that night. I was excited because some of them were from a church back in Washington. I was talking with one of the other coaches and we were talking about a mutual friend Sy. We were sharing stories and laughing about him. I went up to my room and had my back to the door when all of the sudden I heard this deep voice I couldn't mistake...Sy Reeves! I have known him since diapers as our families grew up together. We played together and he would always pass down his soccer cleats to me. We embraced and I let out a sob. It was amazing, on this day, to be hugged by my brother, my dear brother in Christ. After we got our emotions back in check we spent the next 36 hours together sharing about our families, our hopes, hurts, and dreams. I got to show him the cafe and showed him all around Battambang. I also got to spend some real special time doing ministry with him. He was here coaching soccer and so I was able to pray with him over some of the girls that he had developed a heart for and was also able to translate for him so he could communicate on a deeper level. We also got to watch this film together about a young girl who was caught up in the child labor industry in Thailand and how God had changed her life through soccer. The original movie had been done in German and when it was being translated into English Sy was asked to do the voiceover. So, it was extra special because he was able to meet this girl in real life and I was able to experience part of my life in America being connected to my life and ministry and the things I work with here in Asia. It was a wonderful day and a half! It was so neat to see how God orchestrated all this as Sy came at a time when I really needed some family around. Two funny notes: 1) One morning he woke up and went downstairs to get coffee where my friend Rachel gave him a cup that was made with some coffee I had given her. He asked what kind of coffee it was and she said, "Ah D and something." He flipped out and said, "D&M?!!!" D&M is a Washington coffee! It was a special moment of bringing our worlds together. 2) He brought me a gift from his brother Gage, their first CD from his band called, "Keep Your Fork, There's Pie." It was fun listening to the CD with Sy picking out Gage's voice knowing that in a couple of months I would be playing that CD in my cafe in Cambodia.

Mr. Switzerland!

I recently got a surprise visit from Raphael, a guy I studied my DTS with in 2001. He and I both went to India together on outreach. Here in Cambodia I work with another one of his really good friends from our DTS who runs a soccer ministry. It was a lot of fun getting to see him. He very politely told me, "Anna, you look just the same, the only thing you changed is your hair!" I quietly laughed as I know that is not true as I am 9 years older...and many things have changed! I found out that he has recently been voted "Mr. Switzerland." I asked him if it was a body building contest or if it was more like the Miss America pagent. Again, I giggled to myself as he told me it was based on "popularity and beauty." That evening my friend Rachel and I had been preparing a meal for him and a bunch of other coaches who were here doing ministry here and I let my mouth loose and started sharing funny stories about him and our DTS. In one of these stories I admitted that whenever we played soccer I always made sure he was on the team that had to take off their shirts....lets just say, he was made Mr. Switzerland for a good reason!

Earl

Another blessing from God came in the form of a man named Earl from Australia. I had never met him before but he was able to give me some good advice and help fix some holes in my roof. God is good!

I thought kids were supposed to work for their parents!

Right from the start I put my parents to work...and they almost never stopped! I loved watching them work together, it was so sweet to see them love and serve each other and me. And it was great to have people to dream and create and plan with me. But almost daily I had to remind my mom that we are in Cambodia and things don't happen that fast, or we can't buy that here! One day there was a down pour and things started to fall apart. Rain began to pour through the leaks and down the walls. Mom told me to come look at the sink that I had made because it was bubbling. As I looked into the sink water began to shoot out of it like a fountain! Mom grabbed the camera thinking it was a great photo op, but I didn't feel quite the same as there was water shooting in my face. I went up to my room, cried a bit, and then called my landlord and asked him to come over right away. To which he responded, "I can't come, I don't have a rain jacket!" Pop asked where the landlord was and when I told him what he had said, he responded, "well then I will buy him one!" I rarely see Pops angry, but his protective Fathers heart was upset. Eventually my landlord did come over and I asked my Father to please be nice, as I have been working on building a relationship with him. Of course Pops was kind, because he always is, and we were all able to talk. I was able to share honestly how frustrated I was and he showed me real compassion. At one point my Father and him were able to talk privately (he speaks good English) and Pops shared with him his fathers heart for me and how he wants to provide for me and protect me. He asked my landlord if he could help do that and he said "yes, I will try to help protect her." It was wonderful for me, at age 30, to still be my dads little girl. I was also reminded that my heavenly Father fights for me daily. It ended up being a really special time.

Family away from home

Ever since I first started coming to Cambodia 8 years ago, God has placed a special people in my life that has become my family away from home. God knew how important family is to me and so he brought a special family into my life to be my Grandma and Grandpa, my mom and dad. My parents were very excited to get to meet these people! They got to meet Pastor Keypun, who we call Lotah, which means grandpa, and his wife and daughter, Rachena, who has also been an important part of my life. We spent an evening together and it was extremely special to hear Lotah's family history and how rooted he and his wife have been in doing the Lord's work. At an early age he became an orphan, but was then raised by missionaries, one of whom was the very first missionary to Cambodia--he was with the CMA church! (He is pictured in the middle photo.) It was really special for my parents to be able to express their gratitude for embracing me and taking me in as family. As we talked both sides of the table were filled with tears of joy and tears of love.

Mom & Pop Milligan come to Cambodia!

I have been blessed with extremely faithful and Godly parents. They have poured into me, supported me and loved me. And they are constantly pointing me to Jesus in every situation of my life. Needless to say, I was quite stoaked to have them come at this significant time in my life and ministry here. They definately didn't come to Cambodia for a vacation and I was super proud of them for how fast they jumped into Cambodian life and culture. We went everywhere on local transportation, aka my moto, which was always quite the procedure: I get on, mom gets on, dad gets on, I start to drive, I stand up, mom scoots forward, dad scoots forward, I sit down on moms lap and off we go! Most of their time here was spent working on the cafe, but we did have time for some fun. We went to visit the capitol, Phnom Penh, and the hotspot tourist destination of Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat. The best part of our time there was the Milligan family staying in an Irish Pub Guest House in the middle of Cambodia! We stayed up late to watch the world cup and even toasted with a Guinness, where I realized I'm really not that Irish, because I really didn't like it too much!

We were also able to go to Thailand and meet up with long time missionary and family friend Debbie Vik who we have known since our families time in Indonesia. We were also able to stay at the CMA Guest House which was really special and also brought back a lot of memories of our time in Indonesia. It was such a blessing to have them with me during this time of my life.

Laborers in the Cafe

God knew in advance all the challenges that I would face in getting the cafe up and running. From the beginning he has continually brought teams here that have been able to partner with me and help get things started. Some people came and physically worked while others came and worked in the spirit by praying in and over this place. As people would walk through the building I would ask them to pray and ask for specific words, pictures and messages from the Lord. I was able to write down the things that the Lord spoke through them. Sometimes they would actually write the words right on the walls...eventually to be painted over, but forever to be seen in the spirit! It's been amazing to see the transformation taking place. I am so thankful for each person that has entered the doors of the cafe to lend a helping hand. When the dance team arrived they asked if they could come and dance in the cafe. These are a few images that were caught as they prayed with passion and danced over this place. I am so thankful for the creative ways that God uses people!

Dancing with Purpose

Heather, a friend of mine who was on staff here with us had a passion for bringing life and healing to this country through dance. She worked with girls who had been effected by abuse, rape, prostitution, and other difficult situations and taught them through dance how to control their bodies, how to view themselves as something beautiful, how to use their bodies to praise God, that they were created with a purpose, and to take back what was stolen from them. So often we forget about the arts and using it as a ministry. But Heather saw dance as part of this culture and she was able to reach deeper into the hearts of these little girls than most people could reach. A dance team recently came to Battambang from the School of Dance in Montana. This team was filled with people from all different nations and because of Heathers previous obedience to start dance ministries here, this team was really able to flourish and do a lot of fruitful ministry. Every time I saw them dance I felt the Holy Spirit rain in this place.

Running Faithful DTS'

We've just finished running our 4th Discipleship Training School here in Battambang. Each year it continues to grow and many people that finish have been called to return to join YWAM staff full time. Each year God has been sending the teams out to more nations. It is super exciting to see God using Cambodians to reach out to their own country and also the nations surrounding them. Especially because for many of them just coming to Battambang for DTS is a big step as they have never really left their home. We believe God will continue to use DTS to disciple this nation and to reach the nations around Cambodia for him.

Jeevit's House

One of my friends, Laura, has started a ministry in Battambang called Jeevit's House. She has a heart for reaching out to orphans and those that are sick, specifically those effected by HIV/AIDS. Her vision was to start a home, not an orphanage, so that she could provide a temporary home for children who are sick, help them get well, help their families get back on their feet, and then place the children back in their parents home. She also works in the slums and helps give scholarships to children that need food, medical, and school assistance. Depending on their situation they can apply for one, two or all three of these things. She started out with one baby named Rain, who she got at 7 months old, but was very sick. Thankfully he has gotten healthy, but he is still underdeveloped. Recently his 7 year old brother, Ruen has come to live with them too, and he has been able to start school for the first time. It has been beautiful to see how the base and our community embrace these boys and show them love and affection--especially the men, since there is such a lack of father love, affection and role-models in this culture. There is one full time Khmer staff the runs the house with her, Thera and two part time staff, one of them is also Khmer that help take care of the kids and run all the various ministries that they provide to the community. Please pray for more full time staff, for them to know who to minister to, and for continued funds for this ministry.

WE FINALLY FOUND A PLACE!!!

As we went out looking at different locations we had a list of places to go visit over the course of a few days. We had gone to all of them but one and as we came to the last one I instantly knew that it was the one...the unicorn belief that the one really does exist (don't worry, I'm still believing for my unicorn)! To the untrained eye it was a mess, but God was already giving me a vision for what could be. As we walked through each room I began to get a picture for what God wanted to use this place for. And as the months went by waiting for all the paperwork to go through I was continually decorating in my mind and creating a vision for Cafe Eden! Also, as the leadership team prayed about this location we realized it was very strategic as it will be the first cafe on the busy "river road." (Please look at the video on the right to see some before and after pictures. I will post some photo collages' soon!)

It's A Blessing to Have Friends!

This year I was blessed to have a family that I love very much come to see all of YWAM's ministry in Cambodia. They were on my outreach team in 2005 when we went to help with the Tsunami in Indonesia. They wanted to come see what was going on here and why we have such a big heart for Cambodia. They invited me to meet them in Vietnam and spend a week with them...which was incredible as I have been living here for a while now and haven't really ventured out to see the surrounding countries. David is a business man, so he was able to spend time with me and help me refine my vision for the cafe. Lise brought much joy by using her nursing skills to reach out to many of the children and community around her. And their daughter Jasmine turned 16 while here! She was a delight to be around. It was such an encouragement to me to have a family here with me as I am away from home...it felt like having a mom and dad and sister here for a time. They also helped push me into the action steps of getting the cafe started! Through their help it is no longer just a dream and vision but a reality. I am so grateful that they continue to pour into my life.

Update on Nong

Since I have returned to Cambodia things with Nong have been mostly good,but there have been a few problems. Unfortunately, a few months ago he was kicked out of the orphanage. At that point he came to me for some help and I was able to give him some money to get his teeth fixed in order to help him get a job. As I was driving him back on my moto and he was resting his head on my back, he was a bit drugged up from getting his teeth fixed, he said thank you to me. In that moment God spoke very clearly to me and said, "Anna, this is a changed life!" He did get some work and we were able to spend some quality time discipling him. He heard a lot about Jesus and has begun reading his Bible. The work, however didn't pay well and was very hard labor. We talked and he decided to go to Thailand to work there for a while. It is still very hard for him, as he is not treated well because he is Khmer, but he is making more money and is able to save. He calls me regularly and has recently told me that whenever he reads his Bible or prays he feels peace and that he has come to the decision that the God that I believe in is the true God. He is hoping to come back from Thailand soon to work in my cafe! Please pray for Nong, that he would reach out and fully receive Jesus and his salvation.