Kratie

Our time at the resort is coming to a close and I’m feeling more and more ready to go to the children’s center. I found out I will be going to Kratie! I am sad that I won’t be able to go with the Barbosa family to Poipet, but God has a bigger plan. There are older and more kids at the Kratie children’s center that need my teaching.

From what Pat, Dee Dee, Tom and Dennie talk about, it seems like the couples are being transparent in their incredible testimonies and also with their spouse. The women have especially been astonishing because they become very vibrant and eager to share their stories because they don’t get to very often. Pat mentioned that he has a hard time hearing and understanding some of the accents, but he has thought that maybe the Spirit has made it so that he could hear every word! I heard a couple of the stories through our team and in most cases, you can really see how the Khmer Rouge and demonic forces affected them. Very devastating. It makes me wonder if God allowed the genocide to happen so that people would turn to Jesus in their time of desperation?

The kids have been fun and we’ve really enjoyed bonding with them! Ayu(3), Daniel and Aline’s daughter said my name yesterday, even though she only speaks Portuguese!! We’ve both started communicating less with words and more with gestures. It’s a breakthrough I wasn’t expecting. I’ve also started to learn a few words in Portuguese so that I can know what she wants while her parents are away and I can say hello when I see her around the resort. There’s also Rene (4), who doesn’t do very much with the other kids, but we’ve discovered that he loves to color in the coloring books I brought! He is such a great artist and has filled the entire book of dinosaur pictures! Pearl(17months), Steve and Noit’s daughter, is the sweetest thing to watch and interact with. She knows exactly what she wants and unless you distract her with something else, she makes a funny frown/angry glare. Yesterday, I knew she was getting tired, so I walked along the beach as I held her and she fell asleep effortlessly. It reminded me of the poem with Jesus and a man walking along the beach. The man sees two sets of footprints turn into one and Jesus responds with, “It was then that I carried you.” There are also two babies and two other kids, but they aren’t around as much because they have a hard time leaving their parents.

Micah and I are overwhelmingly grateful to have had the help of the singles that came along to the resort! We couldn’t have entertained and cared for so many small children, all under the age of 5, while also keeping them on close watch with the ocean so close. I am also thankful to have received wisdom from my mom, Anna, and Sam in packing stuff for the kids to do. Without the coloring books, bubbles, etc. we probably would have gone insane. God is good and gracious!

Tonight, our team presented the couples a promise certificate that they sign along with a gift bag! After signing the certificate, the couples were peer pressured by their Cambodian friends to kiss. This is no small thing to do. Cambodians do not show public displays of affection. It was funny and shocking to see married couples be awkward with kissing one another in front of us! The last couple, John and his wife, were hysterical because they were laughing and on the floor and acted as if there was an electric fence between them! Finally, John barely kissed her on the cheek and received overwhelming applause and laughter from the group! Such a fun night.

When I got back to my room, Kunthea was sitting on her bed and asked me, “If you lost something, what would you do?” I told her that I’d probably say, “Oh well,” if I had no power over trying to find it. Curiosity struck and I asked her why she was questioning me about that. She explained that she got a call from her roommate saying that her apartment was broken in to! Kunthea was laughing and shrugging it off but the Spirit nudged me to pray for her. When I finished praying, I noticed she was crying so we hugged for a little while. It’s hard for some Cambodians to show emotion and she felt embarrassed but I let her know that it was safe to cry in front of me. I felt privileged to have bonded with her, but I wish it wasn’t under those circumstances… What made her feel better was the hope that the thief really needed the belongings/money and would use it to benefit their life.

God has gifted us with a great team that is able to work together with ease and I am grateful to be able to feel comfortable around them. We head back to Phenom Penh tomorrow and stay with Steve and Noit.

Thank you for your prayers! Our team feels them.

Blessings,
Katie

Spoiled by God

End of really long day #1

Culture Shock

Cambodia is a lot to take in! It hasn’t sunk in yet and it probably won’t until my team leaves next Saturday.

The climate isn’t too terrible; Missouri definitely prepared me for the humidity and heat combination.

The food has been a fun experience so far, mixing Cambodian food with more familiar dishes. We’ve had rice noodles, fried noodles, pancakes, coca-cola ribs, french fries, and pizza. We have arrived on a holiday which, as I understand it, is like an independence celebration. There were boat races in the river that runs through Phenom Penh with thousands of people all crammed into one area!! So crazy! With the holiday in mind, that changes the operations of the country with the extreme amount of people.

The smells aren’t bad until a lot of people are all crammed against me and the fish smells are so strong, most of our team gets very disgusted by it. It makes me feel nauseas.

So far, the most shocking and unsettling thing has been seeing the trash all along the streets and put into the river, as if it’s a garbage disposal. Heart breaking to witness so much filth.

Right now we’ve made it to the marriage retreat after having spent the night in Phenom Penh at Steve Hyde’s gorgeous, mahogany covered, 6 stories high, 10 suites for guests, home. The beach is at our back door in Sihanoukville, SW of Phenom Penh 3-4 hours drive. Some single people were invited by Steve so my roommates are Lomsa (26 – single) and Kunthea (25 – engaged). Both speak English but Lomsa has a little harder time with it. Kunthea is fluent and got free English lessons from a church and that was where she heard about Jesus! Steve has said that there is “Cambodia Buddhism” (their own version) but the people are very open to Christianity because of the current and past struggles everyone is affected by. The Christian church here is the fastest growing church in the world!

I’ve been really connecting with a family from Brasil, Daniel, Alene (pronounced Aliinii), and their 4 or 5 year old daughter. They speak good English but complain that it’s not good and only occasionally we stumble when we talk to each other. Alene tells me she has a hard time teaching English to the kids because of her accent, so she uses lots of videos. The daughter does not know any English. They have built a small house in the children’s center in Poipet. I am waiting to make my decision on where I will be stationed (Poipet or Krachet) because there are two that I must choose from. I haven’t felt as strong of a pull and connection toward Krachet as I have for Poipet. When I talk with Steve, I’ll see where he wants me and then decide from there. Poipet also has Cambodia’s only Women’s Crisis Center. Cambodia is 3rd highest in abortion rates with more than 60,000 operations every year that are known. Vietnam is #1. Thailand is #2 even though it is illegal there. I really hope to visit the crisis center.

God is so good in protection, guidance, friendship, and everything in between that I don’t notice. I am seeing the Spirit work through our team and our fellow travelers and pastors. God is going strong and using me! I can feel it! It makes me feel very excited and humbled. I am learning so much about many different cultures all at once and seeing Jesus come alongside us all to connect us and worship Him! Praise Jesus!

Today:
– 1st squatty potty
– 1st experience with haggling for a shirt (Alene pretty much did it for me, thank goodness!)
– 1st Cambodian roadtrip (white nuckles the whole way)

7 Days!

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With takeoff quickly approaching, things have been changing drastically since I sent out my support letter. God has been pulling my itinerary together and I now know a rough sketch of how I will be serving and learning while I am there! I have also been receiving so much financial and emotional support as I prepare for this life-altering trip! Praise to God for being able to pay off the expenses of travels with my team, airlines, supplies, and being able to stay for an extended time period! Thank you to those that have been able to contribute in prayers and/or finances!

I will be traveling with my team of 2 couples, Pat & DeeDee and Tom & Dennie and Micah who is a senior in high school. With six in total, we will be going from Phoenix to LA to Taiwan to Phenom Penh, Cambodia. From there we will take a bus to Poipet which is where we will be administering a four day marriage retreat for 8-9 Cambodian pastors and their wives that are in close ties with Steve Hyde. Sam and I have been helping put together the retreat with Pat, DeeDee, Tom and Dennie, but while I am there, Micah and I will be taking care of the 2-4 year olds of the pastors and their wives.  The retreat will consist of discussing what the bible has to say about topics like communication and forgiveness inside marriage and what that looks like for the couples that live in Cambodia. Once the retreat starts to wrap up, each couple will be presented a certificate that establishes in writing what they’ve completed and will also act as a promise toward their spouse to work harder at being a child of God within their marriage! This will be such an awesome opportunity for God to minister to these pastors so that they may spread it amongst their congregation! After the retreat, we will make our way back to Phenom Penh and make a few stops along the way. Our final stop will be the airport, which is where I will say my goodbyes to my team and be picked up to go to my next destination.

My stay in Cambodia has changed from two months to one because of many reasons that God has revealed to me. Plus, there’s always the opportunity to return with Sam in the future! As for the remaining three weeks, I now know I will be teaching conversational english to students at Imparting Smiles Center in Kracheh! You can follow the link here ( http://www.impartingsmiles.com ) to find out more information about this organization. I am very excited to use my classroom management skills that have been cultivating over time through my job at camp as an Outdoor Education teacher. My bosses and  co-workers are such a blessing because I have learned so much through their expertise and experiences. I feel much more prepared to teach the students in Kracheh knowing that God has been shaping me for this purpose. I plan to create a fun classroom environment for learning and getting to know one another through conversation, singing, role playing, reading, and writing. I’ve talked with Steve’s secretary via email and she’s been able to answer many of my questions about what I will be doing, but she’s only mentioned that the students have basic english under their belts. It has been difficult trying to prepare for a curriculum when I don’t know how many students I will have and exactly what level of english they are at. They already have a curriculum, but she’s not sure its user-friendly for me, so I will hopefully be bringing a kindle and website (  http://esl.about.com/od/beginningenglish/  ) where teaching ideas can be easily accessed.

Overall, preparations have been going smoothly and I am putting everything together with the immense help of my friend who is a missionary, Anna, and also Sam. Both are incredible and fantastic support through such an emotional time. My emotions are all over the place and it doesn’t help when someone asks something that I have no idea what the answer would be in terms of my travels. For example, my family will ask a question about my classroom or living quarters and I’ll have to answer with, “I don’t know,” or, “I won’t know until I get there.” Hopefully some of their questions will be calmed when they meet my team and their families on Thursday at our team leader’s house. Thank you for checking out my blog in order to keep up with my travels and I appreciate the blessings you pour out to me! I pray that in some way, this blog provides peace and comfort to those that read it, through The Spirit, and that they are moved. May this provide motivation to do what God is calling you to do: step out, jump, and serve.

Blessings, Katie

Carpe Diem

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Today I am fasting from food. I have become aware of my need to listen more to what God has to say and today is the day that I am stepping forward and being intentional about being open to him. Today. There will always be tomorrow. But today is here. Today is now. Carpe diem.

Visions*

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*God speaks to me through visions.

Recently, as I’ve been worshipping God, he gives me an image of a woman and a young boy. I’m not sure if they come together or even know one another, but they seem unemotional as they stand before me.

The first time I received this vision, Jesus appeared between the woman and I and placed our hands together so that we may worship Him as one. Slowly, hundreds of other women gathered around the three of us and joined in the celebration! Such a beautiful picture.

The second time, the Spirit moved through me to advance toward the woman and embrace her, revealing Christ’s love. There was no language barrier because we didn’t need words to share love.

The third time, I was at Calavera church with my boyfriend Sam when I received the final vision of her and the boy. The difference between this one and previous encounters was that I physically felt the emotion that she was experiencing–emotion consisting of heartbreak, deep sadness, and longing. This exposure was so intense that I couldn’t help but have a meltdown in the middle of worship. Sam and I went off to a corner and prayed for the woman and boy, allowing the Holy Spirit to take over because only He truly knows what their needs are. Later in the service, God showed me a vision of myself baptizing the woman and her finally finding True Love. I then felt a sense of peace melt me into my chair.

I don’t know if I’ll ever meet this woman or the boy, but I do know that God is good. If I have been given insight into something that is currently happening and she has already been saved, praises to God! The main thing is that I have reassurance that I am doing what God has called me to do and I will be helping this nation, regardless of obstacles like language.

Thank you, Jesus, for using me for your greater purpose.
You must increase, I must decrease.