Sorry for the months of no information. It has been busy and I still haven't mastered the art of writing out my thoughts. But here is a quick update on our last few months and some thoughts on the upcoming months.
Mozambique (December)- Our team was with another team in the capital city of Maputo. We were at a young boys home while they were out for the Christmas holiday so we were suppose to help get things ready for the coming school year, like paint, weed, build a fence, ect. But one thing after another just didn't go according to plan. First our contact was American and was coming back at the beginning of the month from a furlow but something went terribly wrong with her visa and she wasn't able to get in to the country. Then we needed to get our visas for India and that was a PROCESS! Also, the bank wouldn't let the ministry get any money so we couldn't get the funds to do any of the planned projects besides weeding. So needless to say we learned the definition of resting in the Lord. We were able to spend a lot time reading the word and the numerous English books they had there. Joe did a lot of processing, reading and writing, which is where a recent blog came from. We also bonded as a team a lot during the month through our team hammock tree, good team time and our trip to a nearby island. It was my first time snorkeling and I LOVED it!.
Nepal (January)- We started the New Year on a new continent! We got to be with two other teams this month, which was wonderful! We started and ended the month with a few days in the capitol city, Kathmandu. It is a big city filled with warm people, surrounded by beautiful hills and far off mountains and a constant smog of pollution. Here we got to stock up on warm clothes (it was about 40-50 degrees all month), fly around Mt. Everest (something on Joe's bucket list and was really amazing), play with some neighbor kids and prayer walk through a Hindu temple. Our second week we went to a small town where Rueben, our contact, is building an orphanage. We helped where we could in this project and when we couldn't help any more we got to hang out with the neighborhood kids and tried to stay warm. This was the first country where most everyone we met was not Christian or had even heard of Jesus. Our next week we hiked for three hours, crossing the river 14 times, to get to a remote village where we helped move in cinder blocks to build a school for the children. It was all hard work but one of the most rewarding weeks because of the sense of accomplishment after all the hard physical labor! We had no electricity, cooked most of our food over a fire and bathed in the river. It was epic and Joe thrived in the camping environment! We finished off the month by going on an elephant safari! We blessed by the Parsons to go on this adventure and it was really amazing. We got to stay at a hotel (with heat, a bed, shower and tv. All things we have lacked often!), ride an elephant through the jungle, pet a baby elephant, see a rhino and just be together! We are SOO blessed by all our friends and family that have supported us to go on this adventure of the world race!
India (February)- Coming on the race India was one of the countries I was most excited for, mostly because my cousin Krista lived there for a couple years with her husband and daughter. Our team got the privilege of working with Indian Gospel Mission (IGM) in Chennai! We lived at their girls home so we got to hang out with the sweet girls when we weren't busy painting. We painted their church sanctuary and the new dinning hall at the boys home! The highlight of the month getting to take all the kids to the zoo one of our Saturdays! India was also an amazing month for our team! It was our last month together after five months together and we all gave it everything we had to get every last thing out of being together!
Thailand (March)- Thailand started with a week long squad debrief in Bangkok. Joe was asked to share a word with the squad for one of the morning devos and I couldn't have been more proud of him! Then we were separated into six teams of girls and all the boys are together for the month. I was asked to be a leader and couldn't be happier with the girls God gave me to lead! Both Joe and I are working with the same ministry in Phuket (Pu*ket) but we are about a half hour apart and trying to focus as much as possible one what God has for us individually this month. My girls and I are helping the ministry move and making relationships with people involved with the red light district while Joe and the other men on our squad are doing construction on the new site for our ministry. Phuket is in of the most beautiful places I have ever been, with endless options of awesome things to do if you have the money to do it.
Our next two months will be with a new team in Malaysia and then Cambodia. We fly into Omaha on May 29th and we arrive in MN on the 5th or 6th of June! We are sooo excited to get home and to see everyone but also thrilled with what God has left for us on the race!
