MONTH ELEVEN- HOW DID YOU GET HERE SO FAST?!!
In starting to think about returning home, I have been thinking back and rejoicing in my time spent in Asia.
These 10 photos are little pieces of my time and some of my very favorites!
Yasmine ordering us “Malaysian Burgers”
Yasmine was one of our co-workers at the hostel we were working in during our time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was kind, soft-spoken, loved games, adventurous, thoughtful, and welcoming. We got to spend a lot of time with Yasmine and the other workers while we were there. She was one of my favorites to talk with- her stories were told intentionally and with such a sweet perspective.
THIS IS ME AND MY GR8 FRIEND ALEXIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so much excitement that this photo exists as a result of us getting to cross paths across the world 🙂
Alexis Sills– ladies, and gentleman. She is/has been one of the people who consistently encourages me and indulges in my usual spontaneous way of life. We both attended Mississippi State University and we were each involved in YoungLife during our time there, but in reality, I owe the summer of 2016 for our friendship. Living in California working at Woodleaf (a YoungLife camp) with a fellow Mississippian was THE BEST. I am forever thankful for this summer for SO MANY REASONS, one of the TOP being my friendship with this gal right here. The summer after our junior year of college, I said goodbye to Alexis as she was about to leave for 11 months to go on the World Race. THANKFULLY, I was able to stay up with her ALL NIGHT LONG the night she got home from the race and hear all about it! She has just finished her time back out on the field as an alumni squad leader for a Gap Year squad (they traveled to Thailand, Swaziland, Myanmar, and Guatemala). We were each in Bangkok, Thailand for a few overlapping hours this past March- and PRAISE THE LORD we got to see each other!! The chance to actually hug and sit and catch up for a few hours was such a sweet gift, and an answer to prayer!
ME SEEING MY FAVORITE HUMANS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME (8 months lol)!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is, of COURSE, one of my favorites. Getting to see these two in Thailand will be one of my most treasured memories. They came and spent a week with me in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I am more and more thankful for my parents each day. If you ask any of my squadmates, they will tell you that the topic I talk about more than any other- is my family, and specifically my parents. I am BEYOND thankful for the way they love me relentlessly and for the friends they are to me!!
Hey hi, the air quality is actually worse than anywhere else in the world here- put on a mask, or don’t.
Chiang Mai’s air quality was like, WAY BAD. Like- the worse air pollution in the WORLD. The pollution ranking was anywhere from 101-300 (yikes) while we were there. So naturally, they gave us face masks to wear to prevent illness/respiratory issues. Walking outside was like entering a haze some days, and others it was less of a problem. Mostly, we wore the masks for this photo.. and then we just took on the air without the filter. This picture is one of my favorites because it includes some of my favorite gals! Tori (far right) left the race about a week after this was taken due to an injury that was refusing to heal itself. We spent a lot of the race together, and I learned SO much about spirituality from this one. 🙂
Hope, a friend and a perfect picture of her namesake.
Hope works in Bella Goose, a coffee shop set up to create a Jesus centered community while fighting for freedom. They work with women in human trafficking providing safety, jobs, and a sense of belonging to those rescued. Hope has a story that paints a picture of hope in its purest form. She works with joy, kindness, and intention. We got to hang out a lot in her off time, and this picture was taken in a park where we sat and chatted over chips and soda before going to dinner, the market, and a nail salon together. Hope is a picture of redemption and a really sweet friend.
My favorite afternoon greeting.
During the afternoons we were not teaching English, we would walk the dirt roads of Toch Village. The walks were never lacking in smiles and waves, but our favorite part of the walk was unanimously declared to be the curve where we would get waves and kisses blown to us from the sweetest kids! This little boy would wave and jump up and down with fits of giggles upon seeing us! We would stand and wave and high five and communicate through hand motions, as English was most definitely not understood. The day this photo was taken, we were walking and upon approaching our beloved curve and the boys were playing with something long and skinny- throwing it, jumping over it, hitting each other with it. When we got closer, we immediately identified the “toy” as a dead snake- oh the innovation of these kids.. It’s the simple things- taking what you have and turning it into fun.
Daily playmates and our transportation.
Afternoons in Cambodia are HOTTTT, especially during this time of year. We would lounge on our cabana during the hottest part of the day, and more times than not, we would have village kiddos joining us! They enjoyed chatting (with no comprehension on either side- that language barrier..), playing in the water hose, water coloring (sometimes using us as a canvas), and playing on our means of transportation.
University friends and fooooodddd!
These are university students in Ho Chi Minh (also known as Saigon). My parents visited Vietnam before coming to see me in Thailand, and they went on a food tour with two university students, Tom and Dennis. While we were in Ho Chi Minh, my dad set us up to hang out with them and their friends while trying ALLL of the best local foods! We explored the city and ate so much, while also getting to know these university students! Many Vietnamese university students desire to practice English, so we had lots of fun conversations with people!
Da Nang beach & the fishing boats
I took this photo while sitting on the beach in Da Nang, Vietnam. We got to watch as a whole team of people pulled in fishing nets and boats from the ocean. It took about 30 minutes and quite a few people pulling the nets for them to come ashore. The way of life here is slow and intentional- a contrast to the rapid “get as much done in a day” culture of the States.
Albert guiding us up to an active volcano in Tomohon, Indonesia.
This is our friend Albert! He translated the New Testament in his mother tongue here in North Sulawesi. He also has gardens (farms) all around the village and cooked us corn from his garden last night! He is part of the group we are teaching this month and has become a fast friend!
This month in Indonesia, we are partnering with Wycliffe Bible Translators! I am so excited to be a part of this organization for the few weeks we are here! God is doing AMAZING WORK here in Indonesia through Bible translation. This video was taken of the specific team we are working with here in Tomohon!
And AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH after this month, I am headed back HOME!!!!! I fly into NYC June 24th, and I will fly into Little Rock, AR June 30th! I CANNOT WAIT to see all of my peeps so soon!!!! ESPECIALLY YOU if you made it this far in supporting me by reading these little updates and you made it all the way to the bottom of this guy!
PLEASE PLEASE feel free to contact me to hang out when I get home! If you have any questions or just want to catch up- I am so excited to be able to do so!
XOXO AND SEE YOU SO SOON!!!!
-ABIGAIL
