The Lucky Burger Boys

Heartache

2010-09-05T05:02:00.000-07:00

Heartache.

Tonight I saw a dead person. A 23-year-old girl who hung herself with an extension cord. It rocked me to my core. Over and over that vision has come back into my mind. From that vision so many words scream in my head; hopeless, lost, suffering for eternity, un-reached, too late, separated from God, lost opportunity…

I watched as those around walked over to look at the still hanging body. Some had sad faces, but many looked unfazed. Children peered into the house and then ran away talking excitedly about what they had seen. Death is a way of life. It is just another cold body. And without Christ, that is exactly what you have. Another cold body. There is nothing to look forward to, nothing to console or comfort, simply another person who departed from the earth.

That image keeps replaying in my head. In a way, I hope the immense feelings I got after seeing that total stranger dead stays with me for the rest of my life. What I saw today was not just one person hanging there, but a whole nation hopelessly going to hell unless we tell them about Christ. I hope that image stays with me for a long time. Not in a morbid way, but to push reality into my thinking.

Far too often we think about the lost, but simply stop there. We think, “there are lost people in the world, I hope they find Christ”. But that is not enough. The thought has to move from our heads, to our hearts.

Look at the words of Paul in Romans 9,

¹ I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— ²that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

Paul had moved from thinking about the lost, to hurting for the lost. “Great sorrow and unceasing anguish” - have you ever felt that for a lost person? Have you ever spent hours on your knees pouring out your broken heart before God, requesting He bring one of His children safely home? Ever spent hours investing in a person, showing them the love of Christ and sharing with them how they can have that same love? Ever walked across the room and shared with a complete stranger the one cure for their fatal disease of sin? Ever witnessed to that relative who everyone else saw as a lost cause, but who’s soul was still searching for the one thing that can truly bring him peace?

Heartache. Tonight I felt genuine heartache. The intense, visible image that I will never forget stirred in me a desire to live my life helping as many as I can end their lives with the hope that 23-year-old girl didn’t have. I pray that God will give me an incurable heartache for the lost. That like Paul, I would have such great sorrow in my heart that I would be willing to change places with those who don’t know Christ.

People of God, pray that God would break your heart for the lost…and then do something about it.

Words.

2010-09-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

“Let no unwholesome words come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up....”

“Let no unwholesome words come out of your mouths, but only such...”

“Let no unwholesome words come out…”

My fingers are getting really sore. I have written the same verse 22 times already and still have 18 more to go. At this rate I figure my thumb and index finger are done for, I will probably lose the use of both of them soon.

I had made a fatal mistake. The thoughts in my head were accidentally verbalized.

To my mom.

She basically made me say it. She kept bugging me about cleaning my room, even though the trails I had blazed through it were still perfectly usable.

Her request came at a bad time for me, I was right in the middle of a G.I. Joe war scene. Things were getting intense and it was clearly no time to stop and clean up.

After she asked me, a million thoughts rushed through my little head,

“Who does she think she is? She doesn’t have the right to tell me to do that. Can’t she see I am busy? How dare she ask me to stop what I am doing! This is so annoying! I am not in a good mood right now. WHATEVER! I don’t feel like it, if you want it cleaned do it yourself…”

Oh snap. Those last three were out loud. Please hand over that death certificate, I can sign it myself if you would like.

WORDS.

They wield a great deal of power. The power of life or death. Love or hate. Kindness or rudeness. Forgiveness or bitterness. Acceptance or denial. Encouragement or despair. Wisdom or foolishness.

WORDS.

Ever said the wrong thing at the wrong time? Or the wrong thing at the right time - just when it hurt the most? Ever slammed someone with a “zinger” and immediately regretted it? Ever had to eat your own words after finding out your assumption was false? Ever been “that guy” who made the room go silent with your hurtful comment? Ever trashed someone behind their back?

WORDS.

We’ve all done it - said that stupid thing we wish we could take back.

I am the king of eating my own words. Better yet, if words could be cooked and eaten, I would be the head chef of a five-star restaurant. If you can relate, we could both learn a lesson from the wise words of King Solomon:

“The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”

“If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and his shame.”

“Whoever restrains his words has knowledge; and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”

Wait. Put your mouth on hold and let your brain catch up. No matter what the situation, give some thought to your answers first. Bring the car to a complete stop, then go through the intersection. Too often we spout out words with no thought to the hurt they will bring. We verbally explode and the damage is enormous and far-reaching. Once words are out there though, they are out there. You can put water back into a kitchen faucet about as easily as you can put words back into your mouth.

So take a lesson from Solomon and ask God to help you process your thoughts before you say them. As believers in Christ we are His chosen representatives here on earth, so let’s give Him a good name through what we say to others.

And NEVER say whatever to your mom. She hates that.

Laffy Taffy

2010-08-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

“I will trade you one Laffy Taffy for one Star Wars Lightsaber, deal?”

The nine year old and his five year old brother are standing in a sunlit, messy upstairs room. Mom is downstairs; negotiations are safe.

The crafty older brother clearly knows the Laffy Taffy is no fair trade for the Lightsaber. But in the secrecy of the upstairs playroom he also knows he can mold the young mind of his gullible younger brother into thinking he is getting the deal of a lifetime.

The five year old is not a complete idiot. He has a feeling something is up, but Laffy Taffy, with its funny jokes and its stretchy, sugary goodness is just calling his name! I mean yeah, the Lightsaber will last longer, and is a cooler toy, but he needs some sugar now and he could chew on that Lightsaber all night long and get nothing.

So, to fulfill his need for instant sugary gratification, the five year old hands over the Lightsaber, they shake hands and the deal is done.

Ever been on the wrong end of a trade? Realized too late the thing you craved would melt into nothingness in your mouth? Ever traded something of great value for something cheap and unsatisfying?

The Israelites were masters of the bad deal. Moses, God’s chosen leader of this often confused crowd, was on a mountain meeting with God. The people of Israel felt homeless and unsure of their future. So, instead of turning to the one true God, they made a golden calf and worshipped it instead.

Referring to this, David cuts right to the heart of their sin in Psalm 106:20-21;

“They exchanged the glory of God, for the image of an ox that eats grass.

They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt.”

The glory of God! That is big. What could possibly be better than the glory of God? The people of Israel had already seen God’s glory. What could be more fantastic than seeing plagues, Pharoah defeated, the parting of the Red Sea, a pillar of fire by night and a cloud during the day; delivery out of slavery and being led by God every step of the way?

Yet they traded that…for a few moments of worship to a cow. To the image of an animal that eats the very grass the One True God created. They forgot their God and Savior.

What a vivid picture of how we can easily fall into Satan’s lies. There is no other way to explain why an entire nation would choose an image of a cow over such an amazing God. But they did, and so very often, we do as well.

As God’s children we can experience a taste of God’s glory on earth. By sharing our faith, seeing Him change lives, seeing new truths in His Word, intimately praying to Him, enjoying His creation, there are so many ways we experience His glory. One day we will be in His presence and will realize to the fullest the incredible glory of our King. We are entitled to a personal relationship with the One True God if we believe in Him. That is an amazing gift only available to us by His grace and the death of His Son.

Like the five year old boy and the people of Israel, you have a choice. You can lust over the things in this world that give you instant gratification and empty results, or, live your life experiencing the glory of God. Satan will offer you some amazing “cows”, but remember; it is never as good or as lasting as it appears.

Hold on to your lightsaber, Laffy Taffy jokes are cheesy anyway.

Known.

2010-08-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

The sun is filtering through the trees, the air is crisp, leaves are falling, it is the perfect evening to just sit on a bench and soak it all in. The old man reaches over slowly and slips his wrinkly fingers into the hand of the woman he has loved for over 60 years. She glances at him through her thick-rimmed glasses and lets a simple smile curl up on her lips.

No need to talk, no need to explain further, he knows. With that simple smile a million feelings and emotions were conveyed. With that smile his heart is filled with joy that could only be expressed by that perfect setting God had planned for him and the love of his life that night.

Ever seen that cute old couple before? You know the one I’m talking about, the one you just want to pick up and squeeze together? The one that you wish you had a camera to capture? The couple that makes girls want to be married and 60 instantly?

I love that old couple! There is just something about them that portrays intimacy and long lasting commitment in a time when that is so rare. It is such a great picture of genuine love and affection. It is a great picture of being deeply known by someone.

They have spent sixty years figuring each other out, living life together, going through the good times and the difficult times together, making mistakes and forgiving each other, learning to trust each other, and growing more and more in love. And all of that culminates into a simple smile that instantly brings immense joy into an old heart.

Oddly, the picture of this committed couple in some ways looks very similar to the relationship between King David and God. In Psalm 139 we see this,

1O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

2You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

3You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

4Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O LORD, you know it altogether…

7 …Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

13For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I am still with you.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

24And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

Okay, let me just put this out there: God and David did not have an old-person-wrinkly-love going on. That is not what I am trying to point out here. Honestly, my first thought was about how older couples often finish each other’s sentences. Ever heard them do that? And as I read David talking about God knowing his thoughts before he said them I began to see some of the sweet similarities these two relationships shared. I began to think about how great it is to be so intimately known by someone. Ever wanted to have someone like that? Think about that relationship, maybe even now you have a relationship like that.

What a freedom to be yourself with that person. What a joy it would be to spend time with them. What a comfort and encouragement it would be just having them near.

But think for a second about how much time it took for that couple to know each other that intimately. Sixty years is a long time. We spend our earthly lives trying to know and be known by someone, when the whole time we’ve had someone who knew us even as we were being formed in our mother’s womb. God already intimately knows you!

You are deeply known. Feel good?

God knows your thoughts, your steps, your words, your ways, your body, your heart, your soul, and your mind. You are deeply known.

And He loves you with an unchangeable, unstoppable, unfathomable, everlasting love. Feel good?

So like David, turn to the One who knows you the best. Live your life trying to know Him as well as He already knows you. David was keenly aware of how well God knew him. David had an intimacy with God that few people experience, but not because it’s not available, but because most people are too busy seeking to be known by others and neglecting the One who knows them already.

So the next time you are walking through the park and see that old couple sitting side by side; think about your loving Heavenly Father and remember that you too, are intimately known. And with that knowledge, live a life of freedom and joy and intimacy with Him. Get to know God so well that a simple prayer, a simple passage, a simple reminder from Him will flood your heart with a million feelings and emotions that only a perfect setting in a park could portray.

Through the Smoke

2010-08-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

The smoke is getting thicker now, my lungs are gasping for clean air. My vision is getting a little blurry; I’m getting a little lightheaded. Knowing if I pass out I might die, I keep going, I push through and try to get to the place where I can finally escape the smoke.

My mind is filled with many thoughts, many questions.

Why me? How did I get in this situation? What did I do to deserve this? Does God not see me down here? Does He not know that I am struggling right now?

I put the emergency brake on and get out of the smoke-filled 1988 Ford Bronco II.

My clothes have the fresh scent of anti-freeze thanks to the leaky heater core and my first twenty minutes or so of school will be a daze as my head clears from the smoke intake. Walking across the parking lot I am assaulted by the sound of a very powerful engine revving. A powerful engine attached to a very expensive car I might add. The guy driving it is a jerk. No really, he’s a jerk. He doesn’t know or walk with God, he treats girls like with no respect, he has a dirtier mouth than any sailor I’ve ever known…which is none, but you get the point. The guy is a jerk.

And again my mind is filled with all these questions.

Why me? Why do I have a smoking car and this jerk gets a Lexus? What did I do to be the lowest guy on the totem pole? I’ve tried to walk with God, is this how I get repaid? Doesn’t God see what I do for Him? Doesn’t He know it’s tough to smell like anti-freeze all day when you’re trying to get a high school girlfriend?

Ever felt like this before? In Psalm 4 we see David dealing with people who had some of the same feelings…

¹Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

²O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
Selah

³But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.

⁴ Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Selah

⁵Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the LORD.

⁶There are many who say, "Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!"
⁷You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

God is so good. It’s almost as if in His sovereignty He put tailor-made examples in the Scripture to teach us personally through the struggles of those who have gone before us. He has an perfect understanding of human nature and the issues we face…because He created us in the first place!

A perfect example is in Psalm 4 where King David was dealing with the same problem I was addressing earlier. He was crying out to God about the “men of rank” who were around him. He was asking God to please give him an answer, please hear his prayer.

Now I don’t know all that was going on when this was written. But it appears the “men of rank” were seeking after worldly things and David was teaching them the same lesson that I needed to learn in my smoke-filled Bronco.

He says, “How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?” Lies such as a nice car is what you need to live a happy life. Or maybe it’s a different lie for you. Maybe it’s your friends are getting married before you - so their lives must be so much fuller than yours. Maybe it’s that other guy who has the successful job - his financial worries must be over. Maybe it’s that other girl’s personality or looks - she must have an easy life, people probably love her, how could they not? Any of these sound familiar? Ever believed these lies? Are you believing them now?

How long will you love these vain words and seek after these lies? They alone will never bring you true joy or fulfillment. “But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself, the Lord hears when I call to Him.”

Read verse 3 again. The Lord has set you apart for Himself if you walk in obedience with Him! You are different; you don’t need those things to have joy!

You will be set apart for Christ, something that is of infinitely more value than a nice car, beautiful wife, or good job. He will use you to bring Him glory! What an incredible privilege.

And by the way, He hears you, of course He hears you! If He doesn’t give you something it’s not because He didn’t hear, but because He has a different plan than you at the moment.

Now don’t take this all too far. I am not saying those things are bad. I am saying the lie that they bring true happiness is bad, and will blind you from something much greater.

David then says in verses 4-5, to paraphrase: don’t get mad and sin because of this, don’t do anything stupid, but work this out in your heart. Offer the right sacrifices-your life, your money, your rights and then trust God. Simple enough right?

But many will still say, who is going to help me get these things? Who will show me some good? God look at me! Pay attention to my needs! (vs6)

I love this part of the passage, David begins speaking to God in prayer: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.”

You see? If we will stop seeking lies, walk with God in obedience, offer right sacrifices, and put our trust in God, He will put more joy in our hearts than any of those things we think we need!

So when you are trying to push through the smoke, with your mind full of questions for God, I pray you will decide to trust God and focus more on Him and His plan to use you for His glory, than dwelling on the things you think you lack.

Then like David you can say, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety”.

Trip To Indo!

2010-07-31T06:44:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from my recent trip to Indonesia to visit a friend. I went to many exciting places and also got to visit a good friend and see his work there. Enjoy!

So, It's Been Awhile...A Little Bit of Everything...

2010-05-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it has been a long time since I last put up pics, and I am so sorry about that! Well, I am going to put up some pictures from my parent's trip here in February and our trip to an orphanage with the students. Hopefully within the next few weeks there will be more...

I had a great time with my parents here. They got to go to my classes, eat a traditional meal with our landlord's family, tour Angkor Wat, visit my favorite coffee place, and even get our feet cleaned by fish!

New Year Trip

2010-04-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

We went on a short trip outside the city for a day to visit our friend's family. We went to his relative's house, ate lunch, played games, and hung out. Then we went and climbed a hill. It was fun.

Some fruit you could buy on the side of the road

Our friend who's family we visited. These are his father's, grandfather's, and cousin's graves.

Roasted frogs that you could buy on the side of the road.

Fruit

We climbed this hill near our friend's house. It was the middle of the afternoon during the hot season, so it was definitely hot.

Nice hat, Deb.

Our friend's little cousin

Getting some small fruit out of a tree

A couple friends

Our friend's uncle and younger brother

His grandma, cousins, and another younger brother

New Year!

2010-04-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since we've updated the blog. Here are some pictures from our Khmer New Year party on Saturday. We played lots of games. Below: 1. One game involved blindfolding someone and then they tried to break pots hanging above them filled with candy. It was quite fun. 2. Musical chairs. 3. People throw powder at each other. It was entertaining. 4. A random game with balloons. 5. In this game the guys line up on one side and the girls on the other. Each person is assigned a number. Someone calls out the number and the guy and girl run to the middle and try to grab the branch and make it back to their side without being tagged by the other person. Lots of fun!

The Fire

2010-01-27T06:37:00.001-08:00

About a week and a half ago, on a Saturday morning, I was awakened by someone frantically pounding on our front door. I got up and as soon as I opened the door, I saw that the house across the street was on fire. The lady who works downstairs excitedly told me something that I didn't understand, but I just repeated it like I understood and she ran upstairs to tell them too. I called my friend to see what she had said. He said that she had told me to turn off the electricity. So I did that and then watched the fire. It was interesting but sad. Some observations: The fire trucks showed up just in time... The first house started on fire somehow (I've heard a couple different reasons), but then it started the one next to it on fire. This second house is a place that sells wood (as you can see in the pictures). The wood had caught on fire and would have been quite a blaze if the fire trucks hadn't shown up just in time. There aren't fire hydrants here that I have ever seen. I'd never thought about it until they were necessary. They were pumping water from some trucks into ones that were closer to the fire. Even when the firemen showed up, civilians and firemen just worked alongside each other to fight the fire. I think they must have just handed the hose up to the guy who is putting out the fire from the pulled back roof. I could feel the heat from the fire, even across the street. (Sorry, the pictures are kind of out of order.)

I'm Dreaming of a "Hot" Christmas

2009-12-25T07:48:00.001-08:00

One of the worst ideas we've ever had

2009-11-29T05:33:00.000-08:00

There were a couple of lights out in our house and they are too tall for us to change. To change them you have to have a pretty high ladder. Our landlord (who lives one floor below us) had taken care of one light like this before without too much difficulty. So, we decided to ask him to fix a couple more. That has proven to be one of the worst ideas we ever had. We have survived without those lights just fine, but figured it would be nice if they worked. We thought it would simply mean he brings his ladder and changes out the bulbs. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. We think the reason the light wasn't working before was because there wasn't enough power going to it. He sort of fixed that by re-routing power from somewhere else. Unfortunately the result was that if we took a shower, the combination of the water heater plus bathroom light flipped the breaker for the bathroom and you were suddenly showering in the dark in cold water. This was never a problem before. Also, a new development in the problem is that the kitchen socket can no longer provide enough energy to run the fridge plus any other appliance at the same time. We have burnt out 2 power strips to discover this. The kitchen was never a problem before. We told him that there was a new problem and he sort of came to fix it some more. Now the outlet for our water cooler no longer works. This was never a problem before. Overall, asking him to fix our lights is one of the worst ideas we have ever had as it has resulted in problems that never existed before. Here is a picture of the new fuse box. I was going to post more pictures, but they won't post for some reason.

Waterfall

2009-11-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from our trip to the waterfall. It was a really gorgeous place and it was nice to be out of the city and away from the noise and pollution from all the traffic. The picture of our group setting out on the hike does not do the trail justice. It got a lot rockier and a bit steeper a while later. (Mom, check out the UCLA hat on that student! I have no idea where he got that.)

Sleepover

2009-11-03T04:59:00.000-08:00

We just finished a 3 day holiday here. For one of the nights we invited some friends over to all make dinner together and then spend the night. We cooked and ate and then played games for a few hours. Then Dave and I went to bed sometime after 1:30am and they continued playing video games until about 4am (or so I was told) and were back on the PlayStation2 before 8am. We all had fun.

Family, thanks for visiting!

2009-10-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a few months now, but my mom and sister came to this side of the world in August. We all traveled together on a tour in China and then they came and saw where I live and work. We had a great time. Here's a few pictures.

Friends, thanks for visiting!

2009-10-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

Last month, a couple friends came all the way from America just to visit and encourage us. It was a real blessing. Here's a few pictures.

Annoying Cambo Sounds #3

2009-09-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

Annoying Cambo Sounds #2

2009-08-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

The dog next door must be part hound...It usually starts up barking in the early morning and goes all night and into the day. It takes a break sometimes in the afternoon because of the heat, so that is nice!

Morning Wake Up Chant

2009-08-01T23:37:00.000-07:00

Driving To Work

2009-06-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

I took a little video of me driving to the university where I teach. It's a little wobbly and windy, but it gives a little taste of Cambo traffic! - Note to Matt's family, he would never do this, so don't worry!

Ride That Ostrich!

2009-06-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

Trip to Vietnam!

2009-05-28T08:03:00.001-07:00

Hey friends,
A couple of weeks ago we took advantage of a holiday here and no classes and took a trip to Vietnam! Here are some pics of our trip, we went to three different cities in a week and took 8 different modes of transportation, including an ostrich!

Trip to the countryside!

2009-05-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! Here are some pics from my 3 day trip last week to the countryside. I drove me and one of my national friends 4 hours on my moto to get there! Then the next day we got in a crowded van and rode another 4 hrs into the countryside. It was a long trip! We had a really fun time though and I had a host of new and exciting experiences. I enjoyed what you could call a legit village experience sleeping on a front porch with bats over head, seeing pigs slaughtered at 4am, cramming in a van with 34 people plus all their stuff, taking a "bath" in front of a whole family and village, digging a hole for a bathroom wherever I pleased and lots of water buffaloes! It was so much fun and a very eye opening trip!

Stopped for a little coconut break!

The vans we rode in for 4hrs!

This is what we think of "swine flu"!

What a day!

2009-04-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

The back door of our apartment is glass. I (Matt) think the landlord replaced this glass shortly before Dave and I moved in. However, either right before we moved in or sometime shortly after (without us knowing when), the glass had cracked again. There has been a crack that went from the handle to the top of the door for as long as we can remember. Well, today the door was open, but a strong wind slammed it closed and a large piece of glass fell out and broke. I did my best to sweep that up and then Dave suggested that we take out the rest of the glass so that it did not fall out and break. It was in maybe 4 pretty large pieces. Dave was holding one and I began to remove another and just touching it, it slipped. I had one hand underneath so it didn't fall straight down to the ground or down on me. However, it was falling sideways toward Dave at what probably seemed to him like a very fast rate. I moved my left hand and stopped it from potentially doing much damage to Dave (the most dramatic way this has been stated is that I 'saved his life'), but got a pretty deep cut on the back side of my hand that is maybe a couple inches long and pretty deep. I dripped some blood on the floor and then moved to the sink to clean up a bit and saw that it was pretty deep. I told Dave that I would probably have to get stitches. We called the girls and Christine came over in the car. My boss said he would meet us at the clinic. He went to get paper work started so there would be no delay in care. We wrapped the wound in a clean sponge and applied pressure, which was the only thing that stopped the bleeding.

The car was necessary because Dave and I both have motos, so it would not be convenient for him to try to take me on his. Plus a downpour had begun outside. It rained the whole way to the clinic and was just finishing when we left. A major problem in the city is that it is not really built to drain off the rain. Some streets flood here really easily and pretty high.

The clinic was an experience in itself. (Don't worry mom, it was sanitary and there were trained professionals who handled everything well.) The odd part of the experience was the personality of my doctor. A nurse had removed the sponge we had used to cover the wound to look at it. She had then replaced the sponge with some gauze and medical tape and said that the doctor would be in shortly to look at it and stitch it up. When the doctor came by he introduced himself and then asked me to remove the tape and gauze so he could look at the wound. I said he could do it, but he sort of insisted that I do it myself. That was a bit strange. Later, Dave did not help the situation by commenting to the doctor, "...you are British right?" To which the doc replied that he was actually Australian and that Dave was close, but yet so far. (There was also an expletive in his response that will not be printed here. It was not said in a mean way towards Dave or anything, just your casual swearing.) The doctor cleaned and looked at the wound and tested to see whether there was any tendon damage and it was determined that there wasn't any. I was given the option of stitches or glue to close the wound and opted for glue. So, they glued it shut and I paid and we all left.

I mentioned the heavy rain and flooding problems before. When we left the clinic, the water was up to the middle of Dave's calf and when a car drove by and created a small wave that splashed up to Dave's knee. There was doubt in our minds whether the girls' Camry was going to be able to handle the flooding. Yet hearing that it would take a couple hours for the water on the street to go down and seeing some other small cars managing to navigate the street, we decided to go. We did make it out to the main road which had less water. However, we quickly found ourselves in a horrible traffic jam. We went only a few blocks in the matter of over 2 hours. Over that time, each of us had time to get out of the car for different reasons at times. Dave had only had a light lunch and so he got out and waded over to grab a snack at KFC. A little later, Christine got out and bought a drink and also found a bathroom. I also had to get out and answer nature's call. We were all able to take care of these errands without worrying about not being able to find the car when we came back because it was in basically the same place as when we left. We eventually decided to turn around and find a side road that led over to a mall where we ate pizza because it was now the dinner hour.

Dinner provided its own small piece of abnormality as a young man came and sat at our table while we were eating and sort of talked to us for a minute or two. He had a small mental problem and had his brother or friend with him, so we weren't worried, but it was just a bit weird on a day that had already seen its share of strange occurrences. Yet the adventure was not over yet.

After dinner, we got back in the car and continued home. There was still plenty of traffic, but we were moving, which was good and an improvement from before. We were moving in the direction of home, when there was a startling bump - someone had rear-ended us in the traffic. They were not going too fast. We got out to look at the damage. The bumper was a bit dented. The driver of the other car spoke some English and suggested that we pull over to the side of the road to look at it more closely and presumably to discuss how much money he would give us to cover some of the damage. However, he used the opportunity of Christine moving her car out of the way of his car to completely turn around and drive off the other way as Dave gave a short, but vain pursuit. We continued on the way home and finally made it. I had cut my hand and we headed to the clinic around 3:30 pm and left the clinic at approximately 4:45pm. We did not arrive home until 9pm! [A good portion of that time just sitting in traffic.] The cut on my hand was just the beginning of a series of interesting events.

Overall, it was not so bad as there was plenty of time for conversations and now a story to tell - what a day!

Never Offer A Howler Monkey A Coconut...

2009-04-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the video of the infamous howler monkey attack at the zoo here! Thanks Debby for taking it!

A Crazy Week!!! Wedding, Zoo, Monkey Attack, Hit by a Car,

2009-04-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

Well friends, it's been a crazy couple of weeks! We have had a lot of fun though and had some wild experiences. The first couple of pics are from a friend's sister's wedding in one of the provinces out in the countryside. It was really cool to see a traditional wedding and get to experience all that entails! Weddings here are typically held in a tent that is set up in front of the bride's house. It was a good time!
Then the next day we went about an hour away to a zoo that was out in the countryside. There were plenty of monkeys and other animals just roaming freely throughout the zoo. I wouldn't say they worry about attacks or rabies quite as much as we do! Since I am an idiot (Dave typing here) I decided it would be fun to offer a howler monkey a coconut to drink. Mistake #1! Mistake #2 was when I took my eyes off the monkey and turned to get a straw, the monkey reached through the cage about a foot and a half away and grabbed my arm and pulled me to the cage trying to get the coconut! Needless to say it scared me quite a bit! And it was then I decided the coconut game was over for that day. I had to go get a rabies shot shortly after just to make sure I didn't start foaming at the mouth or anything. The pic is of my scratch the nice monkey gave.
After going to a clinic here in the city to get my shot, a beer delivery car pulled out and hit me on my moto! It was a pretty shocking deal and I must say I was a little shaken up. He hit my right side and basically smashed my right foot! I was okay, but am pretty sure I broke my little toe. The guy felt so bad he took me to get my moto fixed and bought me some iodine and poured it all over my toe! Those last shots are of the damage! Don't worry though, I am okay!

Aaaarrrreee Yyyyoooouuu Rrrreeaaadddyyy Tooo Sssttudddyyyy!!!

2009-04-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know if you can tell or not by my last few posts, but I occasionally get a little bored in language study and feel the need to mix things up...The latest was teaching my tutor how to do a wrestling announcer voice. Wrestling is big here for some reason and the other day he asked me if I could do an announcer voice. It was a big hit and so we have been working on his too! So every day now he comes in and says Aaaaarrreeee yyyoooouuuuu rrrrrreeeeaaaadddyyy tooooo sstttuuuudddyyyy? It is hilarious! Here is a clip of one of our language sessions where we conversed in the language in the wrestler voice.

Bike RIDE!

2009-03-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

Sorry it has been so long since we have published anything, its been a little crazy around here as you can imagine! Here is a video of a 2 1/2 hour bike ride we took with a few of the students one morning around the city. It was a crazy, tiring, fun experience! I'll tell you one thing, if you haven't ever eaten coagulated pig's blood and then gone on a two hour bike ride you are missing out!

Taught my tutor a new way to encourage me...

2009-02-11T06:54:00.000-08:00

My language tutor, who is fast becoming one of my good friends, learned a cheer to encourage me when I do something well in language study. It is the cheer "G-Double-O-D, J-O-B, Good Job, Good Job" I learned when I worked at Kanakuk in college. We both had a great laugh over his attempts to learn it, I think it is still going to need a little work!

A Little Trip to the Countryside

2009-01-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

Hey! Last Sunday Matt and I were invited to eat Sunday lunch with our landlord and his family for Chinese New Year. It was a huge meal where we ate (or were force fed more like it) until we nearly lost it all! The most interesting thing I was given to eat were these 3 pieces of fat that were cut into squares and about a 1/3inch thick. I prayed, "Lord I will put it down if you will keep it down" and He did! We had a great time though and are really excited about the relationship that we have begun to develop with that family.

At lunch the landlord's oldest son, we'll call him Go, asked us if we wanted to go to his wife's house out in the Province with him and eat corn. So we said, "sure, why not!" He then said, "You can follow me on your moto and then come back here whenever you want." That's a great idea except three minor details: 1) It is 35 minutes away by moto 2) We don't have any maps or directions to get back 3) I had been driving a moto for 2 days at this point!

We made it up and back and had a great time! We played some games (which you will see in this video) ate some corn, and played volleyball. It was a great time and hopefully we have begun a relationship with Go that will result in him knowing the One who can truly give him joy and happiness. Hope you enjoy the video, sorry its a little shaky!

Living The "Dream"

2009-01-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hey,

So for about three weeks now I have been either riding with some of my other teammates everywhere or taking a motodope (moped taxi). Well that all changed three days ago when my supervisor found me a 2003, 125cc Honda "Dream"! It is quite the sweet ride, despite the fact that I look like the Jolly Green Giant riding around on a kids bike. (I don't know if you've noticed but I am slightly larger than the average person here and the avg. vehicle as well). I love this thing. My supervisor taught me how to shift etc. and then after a few trips up and down the street and around his neighborhood I was off and in the thick of traffic. It was crazy! There are traffic laws here, but there aren't. If you get my drift...
Today I decided to take my moto out for a spin around the city to get a better understanding of the roads and also to take some pictures. It was really fun and I found my way around okay. On the way back though, all the sudden I felt the front wheel start to wobble and I knew something wasn't right with the old Dream! I pulled over and a very excited man came over and began pointing at my tire and raising his eyebrows. Okay, gotcha, I have a flat. What to do now? (Just so you know, there are no Jiffy Lube's or Firestone places just sitting around here!) But luckily the guy pointed just up the road and there was a lady who could fix my tire in about 15 minutes for about $3! So I wobbled over and got it fixed, as her and her friends laughed at how funny it was and how this big ole boy probably forced the air out of the tire simply by sitting on it! Anyway, here are some pictures.

Tour of Our Apartment!

2009-01-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

Part TWO:

Me and Matt Goofing Around

2008-12-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

Well, we are both back at home and spending some time with our families and friends before we head off January 1st! Our time of training was incredible and we both feel like we have gotten some good tools to use in ministry overseas. Father taught us both quite a bit and really challenged us in many areas. We also developed some close friendships with the other people in training and are going to miss them greatly! These are some pics we took during our "photo shoot" for our prayer card.

A Historic Turkey Day

2008-11-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

I know that most of you, while digging into your delicious feasts, stopped for a second and thought, "I wonder how Dave and Matt's Thanksgivings are going?". Well, since we knew you probably did that, we figured we would upload this little video to show you that we did in fact have a Thanksgiving meal and it was in fact delicious! We were able to go to another Jgirl's parent's house about 2hrs. away and eat a Thanksgiving "Lupper" with her family. Then, we went to her aunt's house and had desserts! It was a great time of relaxing and enjoying a substitute family atmosphere over the holiday. We miss you guys, but know that we "ate through the pain" just as if we were at home!

"Shot Day"

2008-11-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we received our second round of shots, I am up to 7 now and Matt has had about 5 or so! We also gave you a little tour of our "Quad" that we share with one other guy named Blake. On the couch is our Laotian friend, Boauasy, who is a hoot! Anyway, I know it is hard to see, but enjoy!

(ps. I cut off the top part of my face at the end on purpose!)

Life in Glorious VA

2008-10-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

(The view from me and Matt's back porch)

Well friends, we made to Virginia!

After a somewhat laid back orientation the first week things are definitely kicking into high gear! Each day we typically sit in some type of meeting from about 8am to 3 or 4 in the afternoon. After dinner in the cafeteria we usually do some homework, hangout, do more assignments, and do some sort of physical activity. Weekends are more relaxed, but this weekend we will be spending from 9-5 in a ESL certification class! And next weekend too! Wow. But, this is something that we both know we need and will help us with our ultimate goal, so its alright. The Father has been so good to provide us with some great training even in these first two weeks. We can both approach our time in Southeast Asia with a new confidence having the tools we will get here over the next two months.

Please be lifting up our time here, that both Matt and I would glorify the Father in everything we say and do. Also, that we would soak up all the knowledge and training that He has to teach us during this time. From here on, "to whom much is given, much is required" so also lift up for us the obedience to put all this training into practice when we get on the field.

Thanks again for your support and thoughts. We sent our first update newsletter last night, so if you did not get it today and thought you should have, please email us at daveelliff@gmail.com and we will put you on the list.

One Week!

2008-10-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Just a little update to let you know that Matt and I will be going to VA for training in one week! Please be praying for safe travel as I drive 15 hours from Arkansas and Matt flies from New Mexico. We are looking forward to this time and are excited to see all that the Father has for us to learn during training. You can also pray that Matt and I are humble and teachable during our time in VA and that when we leave we will be in the best physical, emotional, and spiritual shape we can be to do the Father's work.

If you have not sent us your email address yet for our e-newsletter, please send it to daveelliff@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Why the LuckyBurgerBoys?

2008-08-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I bet you are wondering about the weird name for our blog. I could just say, "It's a SE Asia thing, you wouldn't understand" like those old Jeep stickers. But since I hate those stickers, I will explain it to you.

Lucky Burger is a popular fast food chain in SE Asia, it is kind of like McDonald's Asian style. It is also one of the only fast food chains in the city we are going to be living in. As you know, a lack of competition can lead to complacency in menu and quality. That being said, I happen to really like Lucky Burger. When my team was overseas a couple of summers ago, we hit up Lucky Burger when we needed to have something resembling a Big Mac and it served us well.

So, that is the reason for the blog name, and because it kind of rolls of your tongue when you say it. One piece of advice though: stay away from the chili dogs...(not many people eat chili in 100% humidity, thus old chili tends to be served)