Asia Recap!
I would like to apologize for my lack of blogging. It isn’t something that comes naturally to me, but I realize that there are so many of you who have supported me either financially or through prayer that deserve to hear more about my experiences and what the Lord is doing! It is an honor to be able to share this experience with you all! I am going to be more intentional in this last leg of my Race to blog with more consistency! So you can be looking forward to that! 🙂
I am writing this blog from a cute pink bakery/coffee shop in Planeta Rica, Colombia. But before I jump into what I am doing this month, I want to give a little a recap of my last 3 months in Asia!
The Philippines:
Man, I loved The Philippines. The people, the food, the scenery, the access to 7-11, I loved it all. We were living in Bulacan. It was a decent size town, but they were not used to having Americans there! We were treated like celebrities- like that was probably the closest I will ever get to feeling like Taylor Swift. It brought great opportunities for ministry though because we got to talk to so many people and share what we were doing in Bulacan, our beliefs, etc. Our biggest ministry that month was running a VBS, and equipping the youth of the church with the ability to run their own VBS when we left. So we got to plan a three day VBS that we put on in a small village called Libis, where the youth of the church shadowed and assisted us. In the afternoon we would debrief the morning with the youth and then do some training to further teach how plan and implement a VBS. The next week we let the youth take the reigns and run a VBS at their church while we shadowed and assisted them. It was so amazing to see the growth and commitment that they had while we were there. The kids at the VBS were so adorable. They LOVED selfies! We were also were able to run some youth groups at night where we could pour into the youth, play some games, eat some food, and learn from each other. This was really the first month where I was really sad to leave. I built real connections with girls in that church. I got to share my story and hear theirs. I got to teach them, but they probably taught me more. Their commitment to the church and their community was so admirable!
Thailand:
Thailand was a hot, strange, beautiful month. My team and I were in the city of Rayong, which was about two hours south of Bangkok. We were partnered with a church, so we were there to aid in whatever they needed from us that month. We preached or shared our testimony every Sunday because we would go to three services that day! I preached a sermon on grace which was really great! That was the first time I had preached since month 1. We also did a lot of evangelism where we would go to different villages and hand out tracks to the people there. They took a ton of pictures of us, like a ton! Just like in the Philippines, they were not used to having Americans there. We stood out a lot there, especially me with my light hair and abnormally tall stature, but this brought curiosity to the people which was great. It made them more open to hear more of what we had to say. Our team got to work at a juvenile center for two days where we played games, sang songs, danced, and shared the Gospel. It was a unique experience that was challenging but rewarding. We also had the opportunity to run a VBS style kids service in a nearby village. We sang songs, danced, played games, and shared a Bible story and testimony. Something that I have learned since being on the Race is that kids pretty much like the same things all around the world. You can’t go wrong with songs and games! On our off days we travelled to Pattaya, Thailand. Pattaya is a beautiful city right on the coast. It was there that I went to an Elephant Village and rode elephants, went to a floating market, got a fish pedicure, and went to a giant mall. However, it was also in Pattaya that I visited ‘The Walking Street’. This is one of largest red light districts in the world. While there, I was able to pray over the place. I prayed for the women and that they would find their worth in the Lord. That they would realize the bigger plan that the Lord had for them. I prayed for the men there! That they could see these women as more than just property. That the hole that they were trying to fill with things of the world would be filled by the Spirit. Pattaya was not an easy place to be. It was heavy and dark. But something that I was reminded of that month was that I carry the Holy Spirit! Wherever I go, I bring the light of Him with me. So by entering the dark places, like The Walking Street, I carried the ability to shift atmospheres because OF HIM and for HIS GLORY! Thailand is referred to as the land of smiles, but many of those smiles are empty. So many people don’t know the truth. They don’t know the love of Jesus Christ. While that was hard at times, it was incredible to be apart of sharing the light and love of Jesus in a country that so desperately needs Him!
Cambodia:
Month 6- our half way mark in the Race. In Cambodia my team and I were living in Siem Reap. We were working with Agape Schools and got to teach all month! This was something that I had been praying for the opportunity to do since the beginning of the Race, so I was really excited! The days were so long but so good. We split into pairs and taught english from 7 am to 5pm. Like I said, the days were long. I was teaching Second grade in the morning and Fourth grade in the afternoons. Most of the kids only knew a few english words and we didn’t have a translator while teaching. This made teaching english pretty challenging at times, but we made it work! You would be surprised how far laughter, tickling, smiling and high fives go when being around children. They also LOVED Disney and Pixar movies (in english). We would play a lot of movies as rewards for them throughout the month. I think it was a reward for me and them… We would also teach a Bible story everyday and reinforce how much Jesus loved them and cared for them. Agape was the only Christian school in the area, and there is definitely not a strong Christian presence in that country. We worked hard to be a light for those kids and the community. There were some students who lived at the school in a room of bunk beds. Every night they did a devotional with worship, prayer, and a teaching. We were able to attend and run some of the devotions and that was really fun. I would always sit by one of my fourth graders, Cheeva, where we often held hands or she would just relax with her head on my shoulder. I love that girl. While in Cambodia we also got to visit Angkor Wat, one of 7 Wonders of the World. It definitely lived up to the hype! Cambodia was still recovering from an awful genocide that happened 40 years ago, that many people don’t even know about! There was a lot of darkness and sadness there, but also much beauty and joy! The Lord is working there, and it was incredible to see and be apart of.
Overall, Asia was an incredible experience. I saw things that I never thought I would see. Experienced things that I never dreamed of experiencing. Ate things that I never thought I would eat, (yes, I am talking about bugs…) and got to meet people doing HUGE things for the sake of the Gospel. I was sad to leave, but so thankful for the experience! It wasn’t a goodbye, just a see ya later.
To everyone that has supported me either financially or through prayer or you just took the time to read this blog, THANK YOU! It really does mean so much! I am sorry my updates haven’t been as frequent, but I hope this helps in getting a better look into what I have been doing, and how God has been working through me. If you ever have any questions regarding the Race or anything at all, please don’t hesitate to comment or shoot me an email!
I am also just $283 short of being FULLY FUNDED! I would love love love to have your support and have you as a partner as I continue my journey for 4 and half more months in South America!
Be looking forward to more blogs and some vlogs (video blogs) soon!!
Love you all!
Emily
