Day 1 – Sooo
yeah… this is going to be a month for wearing the thankful/joyful pants.
Let’s see… God, I’m thankful that neither of our buses broke down and our 18
hour travel day went well. I’m thankful that all of us made it to Cambodia and
that we didn’t have to spend even more time at the border. Thank You for
keeping me safe spiritually there, but also letting me feel all the turmoil and
horror that I was walking into and through. Thank You for bringing me back to a
time where I’m more dependant on You. Thank You SO MUCH!!!!! for the hotel that
we got to stay in that night that had air conditioning, big beds, and hot
showers (I may have taken two…)!
Day 2 – What can I
be thankful for today? Cold, juicy, delicious fresh fruit for breakfast and
some free wifi at the hotel! Thanks that we got to ride in the open-air
tuk-tuks to the ministry site and that the seats in them were super cushy.
Thank You that in the compound we’re staying in, we get our own building with
three rooms and a bathroom and that we have electricity (most of the time). Thanks for mosquito
nets and repellant cuz those have proved to be extremely helpful right away.
Thank You that I got to take a nap and that the food here is delicious. Ooh,
and thanks for letting my squadmate give me a package of hot chili peppers
before we left so that I can make it spicy! Thank you for our contact’s young
son Daniel who is helping teach me Khmer while I teach him English and for the
kids being friendly and enjoying Frisbee.
Day 3 – God, thank
You so much for allowing me NOT to have to help teach the seven little
tornadoes that are the Khmer preschool students in the compound! Ok, well, I
guess two of them listen and behave well but the other five… I’ll just say
thanks again cuz I dunno if I’d have had the patience for that. Thanks for the
Aussie team that’s here! Thank You for letting the guys trust me and see that I
can do more than my size belies, and that they let me get on the roof and help
them put up the grass roofing and finish the new building and the kids’
play-set instead of just digging a drainage ditch (even though that took me
most of the morning) and helping paint things around the compound. Hmm… Thanks
that the tutoring session with Daniel go well thank You that the Aussies stayed
for dinner and that I got to hang out and get to know them even more. Thanks
for a FANTABULOUS dinner of fried rice, chicken curry, and sweet oranges! And
thank You that I’m not sick yet from bathing in the tepid pond water that has
been provided for our bathing.
Day 4 – Thank You that I was able to walk
around outside the compound today and explore a bit. Thanks that I got to hang
out and help the Aussie team finish up their projects before they left this
afternoon. Thank You that we got our breakfast even though it was late cuz I
was afraid we wouldn’t even get it. Um… thanks that the food they give us has
plenty of vegetables to make up for the fact that my body seems to not want to
digest red meat very well anymore. Thank You for giving me more love and
patience for the kids and enjoying playing with them and for having the chance
to make an epic kite from a big plastic bag, some string, and bamboo with
Daniel this afternoon during tutoring. Ooh, thanks a ton for Godzilla, our
giant wild lizard who lives in our building and eats a ton of the mosquitoes!
Thanks that our contact brought us an internet stick so we have internet here at the compound now! And a HUGE thank You that I’m still healthy even though I’ve bathed every day
in that dirty pond water! 😀
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Weeellll… I was going to link the Thankful Song from Madame Blueberry but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. So you’re just gonna have to go watch VeggieTales and listen to it! Oh WAIT! This guy is pretty good 🙂
