Square Two: The Cima Family Website

Praising God at Kampong Seila Lutheran Church.

The visit to Kampong Seila Lutheran Church was capped by a lunch with Pastor Son Suong's family.

Part of the visit to Kampong Seila Lutheran Church was to deliver items that they had received as a part of the Cambodia Lutheran Church's (CLC) microgrant project, funded by LCMS. This church had asked for a bookcase, more chairs for worship, and a speaker. While the first two requests could be purchased locally, the third was delivered by our visitation team. What a joy to help this congregation in a small way that can have a big impact in their worship life!

It was a great visit!

We sure did miss this crew! What a joy to meet with the youth group again this past Saturday night. It was a joyful reunion after a summer apart. We played a new game we brought from the USA (Flip 7), ate delicious phở made by Aimee, and enjoyed time in God's Word. We are starting a new series, looking at episodes in the life of Abraham as a way to learn about faith and God's faithfulness. This week we looked at Genesis 12:1-9, where God calls Abram to leave all that was known and familiar for an unknown land. Abram responds by taking his entire household on this crazy journey, erecting altars to God along the way.

First day of school for Bella (grade 12) and Isaac (grade 4) at Logos International School. Celeste will also start her second year at VCU in a couple weeks. We thank God for these kids, their school, and the intellectual, physical, and spiritual growth coming over this next year!

While our faces don't show a lot of excitement about the 27-hour itinerary ahead of us, don't be fooled. We are THRILLED to be heading back home to Phnom Penh after a refreshing time in the USA with family. We have missed our friends and ministry dearly. Thanks for your prayers for our travel!

While living in Phnom Penh has countless upsides, one downside is a lack of green space. So, while in the United States, one of our favorite things to do is to take hikes. Fortunately, Virginia is full of hikes of all kinds. We lost count of how many kilometers we logged this summer enjoying the James River Park System and York River State Park, among others. One highlight was our 11km hike around the James River in Richmond--which Isaac completed for the second time. Another highlight was Celeste getting some time off of work to join us for a hike.

Goodbyes are hard. Time to say goodbye to Nana and Celeste and head back to Cambodia.

We are very thankful for a "respite" grant from LCMS, which made our time at MTI possible. It was an impactful time--emotionally, physically, and spiritually--for our whole family. Thank you, LCMS!

As if that wasn't enough, it just so happened that Pastor Chris Asbury (of Grace Lutheran in Norfork, NE) was nearby, and drove over to hang out for the evening. It was a joy to connect with these lifelong friends, who are engaged

It is a rare treat for our kids to spend time with their cousins. This summer we took the opportunity to go to Busch Gardens with J.P.'s brother and family. Isaac always has a blast with their two kids, and this time at Busch Gardens was no exception. They rode rides, drank icees, and were quite tuckered out by the end of the day. Isaac was very excited ride a big-kid roller coaster this year, taking a chance on the Big Bad Wolf.

We are a game-playing family, and one of our favorite new games from the summer is Flip 7. Even Nana loved playing this one! We can't wait to take it back to Cambodia and introduce it to youth group.

Happy birthday, America! We are thankful to celebrate Huly 4th in Richmond, VA, with J.P.'s mom.

It's hard to believe Bella is heading into her senior year! Since that means college is just around the corner, we took some time while in the USA to visit a few universities. When visiting the University of Virginia (UVA), the tour guide said, "If you love UVA after this tour, then that is a successful tour. But even if you decide today that UVA is not for you, that is also a successful tour." Indeed, UVA was at the top of Bella's list, but after, visiting, she was less enthusiastic. Meanwhile, James Madison University (JMU; Aimee's alma mater, pictured here) was not on her radar, but after visiting, and much to Aimee's delight, Bella was very interested. She also got a curated tour of Virginia Commonwealth University by Celeste, who just finished her first year there and is pushing hard for Bella to join her. We all have a lot of praying and discerning to do! In the meantime, Bella will take the SAT's again soon. Prayers appreciated!

We are back in Richmond, VA, our home town, and loving it. Within a few days we were at Belle Isle, a family favorite for swimming in the James River (and also the site of J.P.'s marriage proposal to Aimee!).

Some shots from our couple of days in Berlin following the Asia team gathering.