Ministry…
Thailand: Wongen
Kafe
Malaysia: SIB
Church
Cambodia: Light of
Hope Church
Location in
country…
Thailand: Chiang
Mai
Malaysia: Kuala
Lumpur
Cambodia: Toch Village, Kampot Province
Ministry Contact…
Thailand: Emmi (is on the left, and teammate Kayla Jobe on the right)
Malaysia: Pastor
Joe (pictured) and Pastor Edwin
Cambodia: Vuthy
What we did…
Thailand: Worked
in the coffee shop 4 days a week for 4 hour shifts each day. Our main ministry
was to the college students across the street at Chiang Mai University. We had
one on one conversation partners where we sat and helped them with their
English. A couple days a week we would go to the University and sit with
students at lunchtime.
Malaysia: Worked
in partnership with the SIB church and all of their church activities. We
helped with worship, leading the youth Bible study, and the prayer services on
Wednesday and Friday. We worked alongside the YMCA and assisted one of their
classes to deaf children. We had the opportunity to get tours of different
facilities from a blind massage parlor to a blind community center.
Cambodia: Shared
Jesus with the village people, which really meant we went and talked about
their families. Taught English in a village 40 minutes away from the church. I
taught a class of 15-25 students ages 5-8 with my teammate Rebecca. On days
where I was at home I assisted with preparing the meals and leading the youth
in a Bible study.
Living Conditions…
Thailand: Lived
above the coffee shop in a room with two other girls.
Malaysia: First
week we lived in a hostel with 8 bunk beds to a room, but then we moved to live
at the SIB church. At the church I stayed in the sanctuary where I had to
move/remake my bed 5+ times a week.
Cambodia: Lived in
our contacts parents’ house for two nights, but then moved to a room with 6
bunk beds.
Bathroom Situation…
Thailand: 2
western toilets and 2 showers
Malaysia: 1
western toilet and 1 squatty potty. We took bucket showers in the same room
that we washed dishes
Cambodia: 2
squatty potties and 2 showers per gender
Who I Worked with…
Thailand: Our
month in Thailand was “manistry” month where all the men worked together and
the women were split into three different teams. Our team at Wongen Kafe had a
team name of “Victoriously Smiling Pandas,” which fit well into the Thai
culture of smiles and pandas everywhere.
Malaysia: My new
team, Beloved Daughters, was alone during the month.
Cambodia: We
worked with Team Spirit Reign and Team Spirit Roar
Off Day Adventures…
Thailand: Rode an
elephant and went bamboo rafting one day. Other days I would go to visit the
mall or just spend time resting at home.
Malaysia: Spent
off days mainly resting. Some days I went around the city on a free bus to
check out some of the malls. We visited the Batu Caves just outside of Kuala
Lumpur which is a famous temple in the mountain. A family from the church took
us to a remote “Crab Island” that was literally on stilts and the only mode of
transportation was bicycle or motorbike.
Cambodia: Went to
the lake on my first off day and every other day off I spent resting, playing
cards, or hammocking.
What God Taught Me…
Thailand: He
fulfills His promises to his children and He has my family in the palm of His
hands.
Malaysia: The
living breathing word of God lives inside of me. I don’t have to perform for
anyone.
Cambodia: Ministry
is more than your living situation and what you do, it’s about who He is.
My Favorite Part of
Ministry…
Thailand: Being
able to tutor my English student, Kung from the university and seeing her
English improve in three short weeks.
Malaysia:
Encouraging the youth to step up in their calling that the Lord has for their
lives.
Cambodia: Spending
time with the children outside of class whether it was chasing them around,
tickling them, or playing volleyball with them.
The One That Stole
My Heart…
Thailand: Kuhn (pictured above with me)
Malaysia: Piou
Cambodia: Ka Ka Da
Mode of
Transportation…
Thailand: Tuk
Tuk’s
Malaysia: Cable
car/subway/train, ferry, and van
Cambodia: Van,
motorbike, bicycle, tuk tuk
Food…
Thailand: Food
choices were up to what I wanted to buy with the budget money allotted to me. I
generally ate at the café where we lived and worked. My typical meals during a
day were sweet and sour chicken and a chicken fajita burrito. I also enjoyed
the caramel coffee blended with a scoop of cookies and crème ice cream on top.
At night I would sometimes go to the night market and try banana waffles,
banana and chocolate roti, or meat on a stick. Pork ramen was a good 2 am snack
of choice from the 7/11 down the street.
Malaysia: Just
like Malaysia, we had the choice of what we wanted our food to be daily. I
picked up groceries several times throughout the month and ate salads
frequently. American food was at our fingertips if we wanted it, anything from
Starbucks to Burger King to McDonald’s to Subway. Other times I opted for roti
or sweet and sour chicken.
Cambodia: Breakfast
was generally an orange and a muffin. For lunch we pretty much ate pork, rice,
and vegetables daily. For dinner we would have anything from pork with pumpkin
and potatoes, to rice and vegetable with pork, to tomatoes and pork with rice,
to ramen noodles with pork and vegetables.
Length of Ministry
Daily…
Thailand: 4-6
hours daily
Malaysia: 2-8
hours daily
Cambodia: 2 hours
of evangelism, 1 hour of teaching, but we stayed in the village for 8 hours
daily.
Currency Exchange
Rate…
Thailand: 30 Baht
to 1 USD
Malaysia: 3
Ringgit to 1 USD
Cambodia: 4,000
Riel to 1 USD
World Race
Favorites…
My favorite Central American country
would be…Nicaragua!
My favorite European country would
be…Bulgaria!
My favorite Asian country would
be…Cambodia!
My favorite country overall would be… CAMBODIA!
