At home, I am an extreme extrovert. I love being with people 24/7. In fact, the only time I am really ever alone is to sleep… any other time, I am surrounding myself with friends and family.
But, since coming on the race, I have these moments where I just want to be alone. I was having one of those days today.
Ryan, Thomas, and I went out to ministry with one of the teams… a day full of things I love to do… visit kids and go to the IDP camp (Internally Displaced People…a place I have wanted to visit since being here in 2009). I wasn’t having a bad day by any means. I was actually really excited about the day ahead. It was just one of those times I wanted to be alone. So, I walked along in the back of the group, taking time to stop and say hello to the people I passed on the small dirt path.
As we approached the school, I stopped and looked through the bushes and fence at all of the kids playing. I just stood there a minute and watched our group go in… the kids were excited. Wazungus (white people) to play with and cameras to pose for. The team spread out across the playground playing with different groups of kids and doing different activities.
Then I saw them… a precious group of girls sitting on the steps. Just sitting and watching everyone else.
So, as I walked in the gate, I slowly headed that way, playing with the small children along the way.
I sat with this beautiful group of girls… asked them questions and learned each of their names.
Until it started to rain… so we all ran for shelter.
The girls got their lunch and headed to their classroom. Earlier when we were talking, the girls had mentioned that they wanted me to eat lunch with them… Ugali and beans (definitely not my favorite thing to eat!). I really didn’t want to. Not only because I did not like it, but also because we had just ate right before going to the school. So, I avoided their classroom. Instead, I found lots of other kids to talk to until I felt like the girls had finished their lunch.
That is when I met Charles.
(Charles and Joel)
Unlike the other children who were wearing uniforms, Charles was wearing jeans and a purple t-shirt. I started a conversation with him… talking about what class he was in and what he wanted to do when he grew up…
And, that is when I asked the wrong question…
“Charles… do you wear a uniform to school?”
“Yes,” he replied, not realizing I was asking about him and not the kids that go to the school.
“So, you have a uniform you wear to school, but you do not have it on today?”
Charles’ eyes went straight to the ground and he started shuffling his feet uncomfortably.
“Charles… do you wear a uniform to school?”
Still starring at the ground, he shook his head no.
Then he whispered quietly… “I don’t have a uniform.”
He was so ashamed. It was obvious. It was written all over his darling face.
God broke my heart for this amazing young boy. I honestly wanted to cry. Here I was wanting to love on this child, and instead, I had him starring at the ground feeling so ashamed.
How can I fix this? How can I make him feel better?
So, what happened next? I straight up lied to him. You know, one of those lies that is actually the truth, just not the whole truth.
I told him…
“Guess what Charles… When I was in school, I did not have a uniform to wear to school either. Lots of my friends wore them, but I did not have one.”
(The truth: My friends who wore uniforms went to a different school; my school did not wear them.)
It worked. He smiled a little and we continued talking. He told me about his family and introduced me to his friend Joel, who also was not wearing a uniform (they were the only kids I saw there not wearing one), and then they hurried off to get some lunch.
By now, I figured the girls were done eating, so I headed into their classroom… Class 3.
Class 3 is the equivilant to third grade. This class had 30 students in it… most being in the age range of 8-10, but many of the kids were older. There was even an 18 year old in the room. The older kids are off the streets, so they started school a lot later than normal.
As I walked in, I spotted my girls across the room. Oops… came to soon. I ended up sitting down and eating out ugali and beans out of one of the girl’s bowls. I think she honestly just wanted to see if I would eat it haha….
We finished up at the school, and then headed to the IDP camp.
Here is a summary of how this camp came to be…
“Due to a national upset caused by the 2007 Kenyan elections, particular tribes were targeted in clashes and forced from their homes, villages and businesses resulting in 180 to 250 thousand displaced people and an estimated 5000 killed with many other wounded.
Thousands of families journeyed to the city of Nakuru and were placed in temporary camps by the government. In 2008 each family were given a small financial compensation to assist in rebuilding their lives. A particular group of around 900 families pulled together to stretch their money to buy 16 acres of land in the nearby area known as Pipeline.
This resulted in what is now known as the Pipeline IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp, where around 6000 inhabitants live in tents and other temporary structures donated by aid organisations four years ago.”
(This information is from the website of an organization called So They Can. We had the privilege of meeting a few guys who work with this charity here in Nakuru. Click here to learn more about them.)
I saw this camp in 2009 from a distance when I was in Nakuru. I always wanted to do ministry to the people in the camp. I could not even imagine being in their shoes… forced to leave their homes and lives behind because of a political election. The camp looks a lot smaller now than it did in 2009… But, the conditions these people have to live in break my heart.
Here are some pics from the camp…
Today was amazing! Probably in my top 3 days in Kenya so far. I love this culture... love spending time with people... love the children...
Kenya…
There is something about this place, these people, this culture…
It has my heart.
It has had a big place in my heart ever since I came here three years ago.
I spent six short weeks here that flew by way too quickly… just as the world race is flying by now.
I remember crying on the way to the airport to head home…
It wasn’t time to go home yet.
I wasn’t ready.
All I could think about were the faces of the hundreds of children I had met in those short weeks.
Their smiles.
Their love.
How much God broke my heart for them.
The faces of children who don’t have families… and even if they do have families, the families don’t care for them or don’t have the ability to.
The faces of children needing LOVE.
Honestly, the reason I came on the race at the time I did was because of Africa. By leaving last October, I knew I would get to finish out my last four months in Africa. And while I have loved every country and opportunity leading up to this point, these last four months have been what I have been waiting for.
Children in every country have stolen my heart…
I have always talked about adopting a child form Africa someday, but I now want to adopt children from all over the world.
Kids are what bring my joy.
They are my passion.
The eyes of children longing to know what a family is.
And while I have loved on children all over the world, African children hold a special place.
We have been approached my so many kids over the past seven months, asking for food, money, clothes, milk… And every time I have trouble saying no. Shoot, I even bought 16 bracelets from different children at one time in Cambodia because I could not say no to any of them.
After a few days on being in Kenya, Ryan, Thomas, and I went to stay with Robyn, the lovely lady who hosted me when I was here three years ago.
We went out walking one day to run to the grocery store. Along the way there were many kids asking for money to help with school in some way… either school trips, uniforms… But, you never know if it is legit or not. You don’t really know where the money will go.
We passed two boys named Brain and Charles on that walk. And as we continued walking and talking with them, Brian walked right beside me. He kept asking for food. I was wishing I had some to give him. I couldn’t say no knowing that we were going to get milkshakes, so I said nothing.
(Brian)
There are too many kids needing food in this world. I just walked along looking down at the dirt path as tears formed. Every once in a while I would glace over at those sweet eyes of his.
Finally, I couldn’t do it anymore. With Thomas walking in front of me, and Ryan walking behind me, I turned to Ryan and whispered a… help me… plead.
As I turned, Brian moved up to talk with Thomas. They talked for a while and Thomas told him we would meet him the next day and bring him some sandwiches.
As Brain left us and we continued on, I walked behind the boys trying to get myself back together.
What is it about these kids that they are so different than any other kids I have met along this journey?
Their skin color?
They are just as hungry and beautiful as any of the other kids I have met. But, for some reason, God has placed a special place in my heart for African children.
I tried to do something a little different this time and make a video to give you a tour of my home for the month, but now that I am in Africa... I can't load it.
So, I hope you enjoy these pictures that give you just a glimpse into my month
This is what it looks like when B Squad arrives somewhere (Photo by Ash Garcia)
This month was Manistry month where the men were off doing their own ministry, and us girls had our own. So, I joined the lovely ladies of team Wellspring for the entire month.
Here are 5 of the 6 Wellspring girls. They are all amazing women! It was a blessing to be with them. Malaysia is the closest to the US I have seen on this trip... That is a huge mall behind us. We would go there for internet on our days off (Photo by Ash Garcia)
It was Easter time when we arrived... so we painted about 150 eggs to hand out to the church members.
Easter Sunday
One Day Without Shoes (A day by a shoe company called TOMS... you go barefoot for the entire day to raise awareness for children around the world who can't afford shoes. To learn more about it,click here) Ash and I walked to the grocery store barefoot just like I would have if I was home.
Check out this little guy we found in our room :)
The church we worked is an Indian church outside of Kuala Lumpur. They are starting a new church inside the city... this is where we spent most of our weekdays... painting and cleaning to get it ready.
We also had the opportunity to work with the kids! This was, by far, by favorite part of the month! The kids brought me so much JOY. Most of them are staying in a children's home (Which is actually just a two bedroom apartment with all of the kids and the staff living there). We got to have their first ever sleep-over with them! It was my favorite day time with them!
We watched Happy Feet!
Played games
Had a lesson about Daniel in the Lion's Den... made masks!
This is the Wellspring Band... We sang a few times this month. I am still overcoming my fears of playing the guitar and singing in front of people, so I played the guitar one of the times.
This is apple juice we bought at a street stand... Best apple juice I have ever had!!!!
I wore a sari to church one Sunday
These are some of the guys we met. Sam is on the left... He led worship at church and worked with us at the new church quite often. Then there is Stephen and Matthews... they lived in the upstairs of the church, where we also lived... So, I was able to spend a lot of time talking with them and learning about the Indian culture.
More dress up... Loved wearing these (Photo by Ash Garcia)
The beautiful girls of Wellspring! (Photo by Ash Garcia)
This is the church... Tabernacle of Glory. This is where we lived. The door to enter is the one with the white bars just to the right of the car wash... the church was on the second floor of the building and then the offices and room we lived in were on the thrid.
This is our room... 7 girls squeezed in. And we actually had AC in there!!! What a blessing!
(Photo by Ash Garcia)
We went the beach for our last couple days here... It was beautiful!
Fried Tarantula! I was only brave enough to try a leg... not too bad... tasted like beef jerky.
Packed up and headed to AFRICA!!!!
We arrived in Africa early Monday morning! I am so so so so so happy to be back in Kenya!!!! My heart is so full of joy right now and excited for this month and the month to come finishing out in Africa.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, support, and encouragement... I am here only because of YOU making this possible! Know that I do appreciate each one of you and daily think about the privilege it is to be serving in all of these amazing countires! What a blessing this is, and what a blessing you all.
This month, I have had the opportunity to join the beautiful girls of team Wellspring!
On a night off, we hit a nearby Karaoke place for some fun...
Hope you enjoy this lovely performance :)
PS... I apologize for my lack of blogs lately. I am currently working on a blog that will show you my month here in Malaysia. Hopefully I will have it up within the next week.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
-Isaiah 43:19
Searching for the water in the desert… looking for it everywhere and not finding it… looking in the wrong places…
That can basically sum up my time in Vietnam. I’ll be honest and tell you that it was definitely not my favorite month. In fact, it was the hardest month of the Race for me so far. But, it was not because of anything specific… not because I did not like the work we were doing… or the people…
It was because I wandered into the desert and could not find my way out.
Spiritually, it was a dry month for me. And because of that, I was also exhausted emotionally and physically most days. I felt like I was pouring out everything I had, but not finding the “water” to fill my own cup. The water that only Christ can give me.
The desert is not a fun place to be. As I was walking through it, one of the girls on the squad, in a conversation with one of her teammates, said something along these lines…
It is easy to spend time with the Lord and praise Him when everything is going good… But, what about those times when we don’t feel so good? When we feel distant from God? When we just don’t feel like spending time with Him? How much more does it show our love for God when we seek Him even when we do not want to.
I felt more empty this month than I can ever remember feeling. But, I think God was teaching me a lot through it. He was teaching me about perseverance, leaning on Him for wisdom, and how important it is to go to Him for that “water” I was searching all month for.
While Nam was not my favorite month, I did have some good times there!
Here are some pictures from our month…
Traffic is crazy there… motos everywhere!
We used sleeper buses for transportation to visit a couple of our teams. We had a couple long rides in these “beds.” Our first trip was 21 hours and the second was 23 hours.
Most of our teams spent their month helping Vietnamese practice their English. We would go to the local coffee shops and sit with a group of Vietnamese and simply talk…. Talk about whatever.
Top two conversations that always seemed to come up for me…
-What are my thoughts on Vietnam: Did I like it here? What did I think of the traffic? The food?
-Dating: Am I dating anyone? Why not? Why do I not try to find a boyfriend in Vietnam? Am I attracted to Vietnamese men? What is dating like in the States?
I actually loved these coffee chats. I learned a lot from them and had a lot of fun visiting with university students around my age.
The boys and I enjoyed a lot of street food this month…
Our favorites:
Fried noodles with pork and egg
and Doner Kebabs
This is District 7 of Ho Chi Minh City… looks like the United States!
And a few more pics...
PS... Happy Easter :)
The team I am with this month had a lovely Easter... Party for the children yesterday... decorafed about 150 eggs to give to the congregation this morning... Had a 5 hour long church service today... and then a big Indian potluck with the church... Now a team dinner at Chili's!
Not quite the same as an Easter at home... But it was a perfect Easter in Malaysia :)
Disclaimer: If you choose to watch the video above, you are making the choice to open your heart and ask yourself, "What can I do to help?" This may require a little sacrifice and we have no way of keeping you accountable but we ask that you give generously.. Thank-you and Enjoy!
Half way has come and gone...
Adventures have been lived...
Relationships have given us purpose...
The Spirit has sent us for whirlwinds...
The Father has prepared the way for us...
Worship has left us undignified before God...
BUT...
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
This is a cry out for support!!!
B-Squad has stood together through so much and we know that we are to finish this journey together. Every member serves as a piece to the Kingdom Bringing, Life Altering, Spirit Breathing, Love Giving and Good News Preaching that this journey and our squad have to offer.
We have had the opportunity to play with toothless kids, witness miracles, see people come to know Jesus, help each other become closer in our own walks, offer our bodies to grueling physical labor, laugh with people we have come to love but the following people need your help to continue and finish the Race...
Read their blogs and choose to support and fight for them! The amount is how much they have left to raise.
Every little bit helps and everyone has to be funded by April 1st!
Partner with us in making sure we all FINISH STRONG..
Romans 11:36
BASEBALLS, BABIES, BLIMPS and BEES
ALL THESE GOOD THINGS START WITH B's
WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!
To all of my supporters,
I am so blessed to be one of the people fully funded on my squad! I cannot thank you enough for making this opportunity possible for me! The experiences I have had, the people I have been able to meet, the lives I have been able to impact, the ways I have seen God move, and the ministries I have been able to work with have all changed my life! God is doing some BIG work in me over the course of this year. I honestly can't wait to see where I go from here. This has all been possible because of you! Thank you for blessing me with generous support, prayers, and encouragement.
If God puts it on your heart, please help my squad. Our support deadline is coming quickly. We started this journey together and we want to finish it together! We appreciate any and all donations. In order to donate, go to their blog and select the "support me" on the left side. So, please prayerfully consider helping B-Squad out! Thanks!
I cannot even begin to tell you the number of times this past week I have talked about my future…
Even though I still have 6 months left on the Race before I need to worry about that.
But, why have I been thinking so much about my future lately?
Even just one year ago, I was dead set on graduating, finding a job, and having stability. Establishing myself in an area and being happy living there the rest of my life.
But, what if that is not what the rest of my life holds?
It is funny to look back on that person I was a year ago compared to who I have become today. I don’t even recognize myself.
I have spent my last 5 months living in 5 different countries, about 17 different cities, and sleeping in about 31 different places.
How is that for stability?
Not to say that the rest of my life will look like this…
But, I have become comfortable with the idea that a stable life of comfort may not be what God has for me.
It actually excites me to think about my future now and what it may hold.
I have a desire for God to use my life in BIG ways to impact the WORLD!
I ask Him to give me a PASSION and a DREAM to pursue with my life!
So…
If that life requires me to live a life that knows no stability…
To live in another country for the rest of my life…
Living in the United States …
On the front lines impacting lives myself …
In an office to make it possible for someone else to be on the front lines...
Married with a family…
Single…
Honestly, some of these things are hard to swallow.
I want to have a family and be on the front lines to impact the world… whether that be in the US or somewhere else.
(God, if that place is somewhere else… please make sure I am located close to an ice cream shop and one of these nice smoothie ladies who only charge $1 for a fresh fruit smoothie…)
The future is exciting…
I know that God will use me in BIG ways if I live my life in COMPLETE surrender to Him and the things He puts on my HEART.
So God… please give me that DREAM to chase… and make it BIGGER than any plan I could ever IMAGINE for MYSELF.
Koy, the Teen Challenge director in Cambodia said…
“When we step out to do the ridiculous, God will perform the miraculous.”
That is what I want of my future... Something RIDICULOUS, where God performs the MIRACULOUS!
Check out these videos that one of our teams made this month in Cambodia. They worked with Teen Challenge at a Women's center...
The first video (made by Caitlyn Rogers) is about the women's testimonies... very POWERFUL video!
And the second (made by Kenra Murdock) is the vision of the director of the program and about the program itself.
Please take the time to watch these... they will wreck you for this society and the women here...
-A society where it is ok for a married man to go visit a prostitute every night.
-For fathers to sleep with their daughters.
-Where if a woman is raped and loses her virginity, she is no longer desireable as a wife... she then usually become a prostitute by societies pressure that she is already ruined.
-A society where people sell their babies... or take their daughters and sell them to brothels at young ages.
There are so many things about this society that I do not understand... that break my heart...
These are women who are being rescued from their pasts and learning to heal by the only way possible... JESUS!
I had a long bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. As I looked out the window, it really hit me this time… I am on a bus in Cambodia!
This month, I have been living in a heart of thankfulness.
Cambodia has been my favorite month so far and I don’t want to take any of this experience for granted.
My last blog talked the things that seem normal now. But it’s not just that those things seem “normal”…
There is something about it being a “PRIVILEGE” to live like I am living now.
I could be having a lovely hot shower every day with clean water… but instead, I have the PRIVILEGE of bathing the dirty water of Cambodia.
I could be sitting in air-conditioning… but it is a PRIVILEGE to feel the heat of Cambodia and not be able to escape it.
I could be sleeping in a comfy bed all cozy at night… but instead I have the PRIVILEGE of sleeping on my sleeping pad and using my compressable sleeping bag as a pillow, under a huge mosquito net with three other girls all lined up side by side, in Cambodia.
It is a PRIVILEGE because… I AM IN CAMBODIA!
There is something so sweet about this month…
(Thank you Leanna for taking this beautiful photo!)
Something so sweet about riding in a tuk tuk for 45 minutes to get from the city to where you are living and praying with a friend through the entire ride for the things God is doing in this country, for the people you have met here, for the ministries here, for Cambodia in general.
There is something sweet about just looking around me every day and thinking… Wow I am in Cambodia.
There is something sweet about going to play with the village kids and hearing them say my name…
It actually reminds me a lot of being back home and working with my two year old class at a daycare. The way they would scream my name and come running for hugs every morning…
Now I have Cambodian kids yelling my name, wanting me to come play with them.
There is something sweet about waking up every morning and thanking him for where I am and the opportunities He gives me.
I challenge you all to try this… Walk through today in complete thankfulness to God for everything. And acknowledge Him for it… verbally thank Him! Even the things that may seem negative… think of how you can turn them into a praise.
Even as I write this… my head is itching. Who knows… it could be just mosquito bites… or it is pretty likely that I may have lice (It is very common here in the villages). If it is lice…
Oh well... its just lice…
Thank you God for the PRIVILEGE to play with and love on those sweet village kids today who probably gave it to me.
Everything about this is a PRIVILEGE…
I AM IN CAMBODIA!!!!
Side note: I scored my first ever soccer goal this week! This has been my goal ever since my first soccer game back in Honduras. I felt so special playing soccer with these kids… They would pass me the ball constantly even though most of the times they did, I would end up turning it over to the other team… I am seriously terrible at this sport.
A sweet boy named Darro would pass me the ball even when he had an open shot himself… and because of him, I scored my first goal!
Here is a video from our time in Siem Reap… Thomas, Ryan, and I loved it there. If you read my blog “The Desires of my Heart,” it talks about our time in Siem Reap. This is a video Thomas made about Ryan’s birthday…
It’s just another “there is something sweet about…” time in Cambodia. A day I will never forget.
