It’s time to let you all in on my final few months and to let go of the past year. I still hold onto the lessons and the moments that caught my breath from the beauty and the pain. These are the stories of Cambodia, Malaysia, China and what Papa has been doing since I landed home in ‘Merica.
Cambodia was a great month of watching the Lord work in and through those around me. I loved hanging out with the crazy kids from Bykota children’s home. Our team did well to try and spend extra time at the children’s home.
We saw the impact of our time as many children opened up and let us love on them well. A couple of team members were really swept up and enraptured with some of the young children there. When Hope, a child with cerebral palsy, fell ill with dengue and we were not able to say a full goodbye because she was hospitalized, we were given a small glimpse of how quickly these kids had worked their way into our hearts. [Hope was later released from the hospital and Hailey, my team member, definitely left a piece of her own heart with Hope in Phnom Penh]. I think of the Benz kids often and loved being able to spend time with them in the evenings playing board games. I also appreciate and am so grateful for the time I was able to have in the classroom with the elementary and middle school kids. Teaching was okay, but it was the time spent speaking life over them and being real with them that I love and miss the most.
Emily and I worked in the classroom most days with them and we had the privilege of coming alongside Micah and sharing God’s heart with the kids. God loves them. And He sees them and knows them. They are better than lying and deception. They are worth sharing their hearts and emotions. They are capable of much. They are leaders. They are kind and smart. I was able to spend the month seeing this and sharing it with them.
At the end of the month, we were able to take all of the kids (Around 29) and some of the missionaries we joined that month to a local children’s science and discovery museum. We posted a call for help on social media sites and our friends and families responded beyond our hopes to fund the day. We were able to get tuk tuk rides for everyone, buy closed toed shoes for all of the older kids (Sandals are the go to footwear in Cambodia), treat everyone with snacks/lunch and hang out at Kid City for the day.
The elementary schoolers were able to enjoy a massive indoor playground and loved the science room. The preschoolers bounced around a bounce house floor and climbed on a playground. The middle schoolers and high schoolers were able to rock climb, play laser tag and run around the science floor, testing things out like electrical connections, static electricity and bikes on tight ropes.
We didn’t tell the kids where we were going ahead of time but as we pulled up to the building, smiles stretched across faces and their excitement for the day grew. They all loved the day and most of the kids agreed that the science room was great fun. The middle schoolers all seemed to love the rock climbing. It was my favorite part of the day as well because it put so many of the normally ‘cool’ kids out of their comfort zone. Their minor freak outs on top of the walls or jumping platforms were hilarious. It was also really amazing to see them encouraging one another and them overcoming their fears of heights.
We were able to buy extra foods for the birthday party we threw in the evening for the April and May birthdays. The main event for the day was the trip to Kid City, but the birthday party was made complete with the entire kids home and Benz family present for homemade cupcakes and a slideshow of pictures from the day.
Thank you to those that shared their prayers and support for the day. It was a blessing to be a part of it and to share it with the kids. They stole a bit of my heart that month and I am so grateful to have the memories from such a fun experience.
And without further ado – some pictures from the hottest month of my race.
Be sure to check out Kelsey’s blog – she’s posted some great photos as well and an excellent summary to our month with the Bykota family.
Photos stolen from Emily Zion, Lacey O’Donnell, and probably Rene Mycorn or Kelsey Graydon. Thanks #SetAFireSC for letting me hang out with you for the month. And for sometimes pushing me to join excercise nights on the roof… and for letting me skip out on them too.
