The next morning, I got to skype with my best friend, Kelly, who has been my best friend for the better part of a decade. The incredible thing is that while Jesus is doing a work in my life here on the Race, he has also been working in and through her life in amazing ways. He has restored and redeemed our friendship in ways that we didn’t even anticipate or wouldn’t have allowed Him to before we were separated. In our friendship, absence has absolutely made the heart grow fonder, and I feel closer to her than I ever have. A good and perfect gift from the Lord!
After the Kelly date, I took a cold shower (the electrical pump for the water heater wasn’t working on our end of the hallway, but it was a SHOWER and not a bucket, so I was grateful), shaved my legs, and put on makeup for the first time in days. It was glorious! I took this selfie, and thanked anyone and everyone who had prayed for me, and then Recovery/Therapy Day began.
We first visited Daughters of Cambodia, which is an organization that employs dozens of formerly trafficked prostitutes (both male and female). BJ and I GEEKED OUT at all of the girly odds and ends in the shop as we walked through, but then we decided that we needed to eat before we explored the shop because we were hungry. Basically, Recovery/Therapy Day consisted of a lot of familiar foods and a $10 pedicure. Daughters of Cambodia is a café/store/spa combo that somehow manages to be RIDICULOUSLY adorable and not completely emasculating. Luckily, while the pedicures were happening, Jeff occupied his time upstairs in the café with two or three varieties of desserts, and BJ and I hand a grand ol’ girly time.
After our feet were thoroughly scrubbed clean (you accumulate a LOT of dirt and other gross things on your feet on the Race), polished and moisturized, and we felt like princesses, we decided to walk around until dinner. We found a couple of cute, little boutiques and made Jeff (bless him, he possesses a heart of pure, unadulterated patience, that one) wait around while we tried on a few fabulous, if expensive, dresses.
We arrived at Freebird for dinner, but I was still moderately full from lunch, so I just ordered the brownie. You know me, eyes on the prize. It was exactly as wonderful as it was imagined to be, and I was really, really grateful to be alive and well and digesting like a pro. Our waitress, Anna, who had recognized us from the night before, was really happy to see us and was equally as sweet and accommodating. She gave us each a small origami shaped dollar, and told us to add her on facebook. We obliged.
After dinner, BJ decided that she’d like to approach the owner and tell him that we would continue to recommend his place to future racers. He was a really nice, down to earth American guy who thought the Race sounded cool and blessed us with free t-shirts and a coffee mug. I’ve mentioned this in earlier blogs, but it always catches me off guard how much more frequently you get blessed than you can possibly bless. People are always kind and hospitable beyond your expectations. The night at Freebird was no exception.
We headed back to the hostel, our hearts and bellies full, thankful for a day of God-ordained appointments and kindnesses.
On Friday, we took it easy. We checked out of the hostel at 12 and made our way to a coffee shop that we discovered only after we arrived was owned by Christians and was a center for ministry. We asked the owner, who came to speak with us, whether he’d heard of the Race. He laughed and said, “Actually, yes, just about two hours ago, two women came in to talk about partnering with us in the future.” We figured out that the women were in fact our squad mates from our Unsung Heroes Team, Audrey and Christina. God is really cool like that. Pastor Mop picked us up at the hospital around 3pm, and we made the trek back to Teen Challenge.
The entire three days of recovery, looking back, feels a little like a dream. When BJ, J, and I talk about it, we try not to feel guilty in front of our teammates, but then BJ and I remind ourselves that relaxing time, while it was a good gift from our Heavenly Father, was hard earned on both of our parts. I think about all of those times I laid in my hammock, ready to vomit, and just prayed that Jesus would be with me, by my side, and that he would heal me in his time so he would get the most glory from whatever came of my story. It’s funny, though, this relationship with Jesus. I give my whole life to him, because that’s all I really have to give him, but he is the one who gives it back to me and weaves together beautiful (and hilarious) recovery stories. At the end of it all, the only thing to say is that he is good. He gave me recovery, but he also gave me a closeness with my teammates that couldn’t have been gained any other way, and definitely wasn’t gained the way I would have wanted, but brought it about when I was convinced I could keep people at an arm’s length.
Stay tuned to read about actual ministry this month. Admittedly, I threw up more days than I didn’t this month, but I did get to participate some. So that blog is coming, too.
Thanks for reading! I hope my story has encouraged you or made you laugh, or at least made you think about how good God is.
Grace and peace,
Sarah
