For the past year or so, it’s felt like I’ve been living my life three months at a time. Whether it’s school, camp, or missions, my life has been taking place in three month increments. As someone who loves change and is always craving something new, I have actually really enjoyed this inconsistency. However, it’s no secret that having definitive starts and ends to seasons of life can be exhausting. It’s filled with goodbyes and reflection at the end of each one. Literally everything in my life changes at the end of each three months — the people, the place, the memories, etc. With all of that said, my mind is completely blown that this season of missions with the World Race has come to a close. As I sit in the Atlanta airport getting ready for the final leg of this journey, I can’t help but feel like I was literally just here leaving for Cambodia. These past three months have been the fastest ones yet, but also the most beautiful, challenging, fruitful, and impactful. I’ve seen myself grow in areas I didn’t even know needed growing. I’ve seen God and His kingdom in the smiles of the most precious children I’ve ever met. I’ve made relationships with my team that will last my whole life. I don’t know what expectations I had coming into this, but I do know that God blew every single one of them out of the water.
Truth be told, I’m not really sure how to process coming back from this journey. I’m not ready to hear “How was it?” every time I run into someone I know. How do I sum up the craziest three months of my life into small talk? Southeast Asia has been such a huge blessing to me in my walk with the Lord, and I don’t want to forget a single thing that I learned or anything that happened in this past season. Because of that, I made a small list of the things I will/ won’t miss about my experience:
For starters, here are 15 things that I most definitely will NOT miss:
1. Playing the game “Whats running down my neck? Bug or sweat?”
2. Thinking I am tan and then realizing it’s just dirt that comes off with a baby wipe
3. Squatty potties and bucket showers
4. Waking up with dead birds in my room
5. Waking up with a strange film on my face
6. Hearing battles between the mice and lizards in the walls every morning
7. Showering in the dark with frogs and spiders larger than my hand
8. Bones in alllll my food
9. Having to wear a mask over my face due to being in the worst pollution levels in the WORLD
10. Making a pros and cons list in my head at 4 am of whether its worth it to walk to the bathroom or not
11. Roosters waking me up at disgustingly early hours
12. Biting into a rolled up pancake to find out its filled with fish, hot dog, mayonnaise, or a spicy liquid
13. Ridiculous ATM fees
14. Rice. every. single. meal.
15. The heartache and tears of having to say goodbye to the sweetest kiddos
While those are some things I will not be missing, there are so many more things that I WILL miss, so here’s a few of those:
1. Endless hugs … alllll the time
2. Watching the kids worship and praise
3. My middle school class screaming “Harry Potter” while running to greet me
4. Mountains in our back and front yard
5. Bike rides to different temples
6. FOOD!! Street vendors, hosts’ homemade meals, the best fruit I’ve ever had, and of course the glorious inventions of roti and mango sticky rice
7. Talking with the locals as much as the language barrier would allow
8. Riding in tuk tuks and the back of trucks into town
9. Teaching English and listening to the kids trying to say any word with an “L” in it
10. Witnessing love in its most pure form
11. Getting to know the kids’ stories and backgrounds
12. Our amazing ministry hosts (s/o to Vandy and Peace!!)
13. Riding bikes to the “green drink lady” to get a concoction of lime and sugar cane
14. Learning worship songs in Khmer/ Thai
15. Being constantly surrounded by 9 ladies who are serving and chasing after the Lord so beautifully
I want to just give a BIG thank you to everyone who has been supporting, reading blogs, and praying for me in this last season. It was an amazing one for sure, which makes the end of it so difficult to process. While saying goodbye is hard, I’m confident that this next season will bear just as much fruit because our God never fails to show up whether I’m in Illinois or at an orphanage in Cambodia.
Thanks again for following along on this journey with me 🙂
