I realize that “adios” is Spanish, and thus not used in Asia, but I could not for the life of me remember how to say “goodbye” from any Asian language that we’ve been exposed to. Languages really aren’t my thing. The only thing that I really mastered saying was “bawt s’dam” (turn right) and “bawt shway” (turn left) in Khmer (the Cambodian language).
Here’s what I’m trying to get at: we’re leaving Asia tomorrow! After 5 months of adventures on this continent, we are moving on to our final leg of the Race, Latin America.
Asia has been amazing, breathtaking, heartbreaking. It has been full of laughter with new friends, tears from questioning hearts, and unknown adventures. Here’s a Top 10 list from Asia in no particular order.
- Hiking the Great Wall of China
- Exploring Angkor Wat temple ruins in Cambodia
- Living near the beach in Phuket, Thailand and ministering in the bars
- Eating a tarantula in Cambodia (yum!)
- Shopping in Hong Kong (well, window shopping at least)
- Touring Saigon, Vietnam and seeing the aftermath of the War
- “Importing” the Word into China (I’ll tell you about this when I get home!)
- Having a Christmas eve bonfire on a beach in the Philippines
- Watching hundreds of fireworks across the Manila skyline on New Years Eve
- Snorkeling in Phi Phi Islands (Thailand) and Puerto Galera (Philippines)
- Meeting new friends in China and continuing those relationships via e-mail
- Riding an elephant in Thailand
- Sailing to Myanmar in stormy seas
As you can see from the list, I really liked Asia. I can’t possibly narrow it down to 10. Sorry.
We embark tomorrow with a flight to L.A. with a layover in Tokyo. We are in L.A. for 48 hours (eesh! mini-culture shock is bound to ensue), then we fly to Miami and finally end up in Managua, Nicaragua. Four solid days of traveling. I’m tired just thinking about it.
The majority of us will be doing hurricane Felix relief work in Puerto Cabezas on the Gulf coast. The rest will be in Grenada helping a missionary family do set up work. I’ve started hearing rumors that we will have no internet access for the whole time we are there. Hopefully we will be able to find a connection somewhere. So if you don’t hear from me for awhile, that’s why. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers. Pray that we stay focused on the present and don’t become weary in doing good. I love you all!
Oh, one more thing. I wanted to thank my supporters for all of the blessings that they have poured out onto me. I am now 100% supported! Praise the Lord! I can’t believe how generous all of you have been! If you are contributing monthly, please continue to do so, as those are calculated into my grand total. However, I still have a little more than $1,200 in expenses such as vaccinations, airfare home, medical insurance, and other costs that I can raise support to be reimbursed for. If would like to donate, please click here to support me. Thank you all!
