I asked people to come up with some questions for me, so here they are!
What will the food be in Cambodia?
The food in Cambodia has been my favorite so far. Not spicy, simple things that I can identify most ingredients by sight. We have had fried rice, fried noodles, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, Hawaiian chicken (chicken, pineapple, onions, peppers), and a local dish called chicken lok lak which is a pile of chicken on a few veggies in a sweet sauce served with rice and a pepper sauce (I just don’t add that part). Picture below is Lok Lak.
How many friends have you made in the location?
I guess I hadn’t stopped to count. I have my team of 6 from my first few months, my new team of 6- these people are probably my closest friends. There is also the whole squad of 50 that I would consider my friends. But if you are asking about the locals in each country I have visited, I would say only a few in each place. In Cote d’Ivoire we worked with the youth, and Shamma and Nisi especially were great to us. In Ghana I got to work in the school and so I had a whole class, the teachers, as well as our hosts Autumn, Johnbull, and Stacy. In Nepal we worked with Agape ministries and got to know their family, and I really enjoyed spending time with a couple originally from India-Bobby and Veronica. In India we moved around a lot so it was hard to really get to know people in such a short amount of time, except our translator Maunibab and her wife Bobland who traveled with us the whole month. Now here in Cambodia we have our hosts Anna, Emma, Scott, and Christina, the staff working here who we get to teach English- So Pip, Bite, Mom, and a few others I have trouble figuring out their names (I know I spelled the other names wrong as well…).
My first team
My new team
Friends from Cote d’Ivoire
My class in Ghana
Translator Maunibab
How long of travel to get to Cambodia?
From India to Cambodia we took two planes, each about 3 hours, with a layover in Malaysia about 6 hours.
Are you or have you gotten homesick?
A bit. Especially right now around Christmas when I should be home celebrating with my family. We are keeping pretty busy and that helps keep my mind off it, and we are having fun so I’m not constantly wishing I was somewhere else. But being away from home now nearly 5 months and looking at 6 more month to go until I can go home is hard sometimes.
What experience has had the most impact on your faith?
Evangelism in Cote d’Ivoire (read the blog: http://amylarson.theworldrace.org/post/street-evangelism ), Going to the dance bar in Nepal and being totally heartbroken for the women who are forced to work there, hearing the children’s stories of poverty in India, and most recently the testimony of a young lady in church of how she used to work in the bars, but how God rescued her and now she is going to church (blog coming soon).
Have hearts been open to the gospel? How many have come to the Lord?
Most are open to the gospel. I have rarely encountered people who don’t want to listen when we share. Most don’t decide right then with us, but we know we have planted seeds or watered them. I got to pray with a few to accept Christ, and I know as a squad we have participated in many coming to Christ. God is active in the world. I pray every time we go out that the Holy Spirit will prepare hearts to hear the good news.
Which places made you notice the Spirit of God moving the most?
I noticed it most in Cote d’Ivoire and in Nepal. In Cote d’Ivoire I was so desperately dependent on God for everything. Especially during street evangelism when I knew I couldn’t do it on my own, so I asked the Holy Spirit to take over and he did. In Nepal we did a LOT of faith exercises. That whole month seemed to be focused on teaching us about the Holy Spirit. We did “treasure hunts” where we asked the Holy Spirit to give us a list of clues to find our “treasure” the person who He wanted us to share the gospel with. We also did faith days where we went out with literally nothing and relied on God to provide our meals, places to sleep for the night, transportation, everything. It was scary knowing there was nothing we could do to make it work on our own. But those seem to be the times where God is most tangibly present. Those moments when we surrender control and let Him take over. When we try to do it on our own God lets us try. But when we ask Him for help, He does in a powerful way.
Wondering what kind of places you sleep, hardest to the softest beds?
I have been pretty lucky in the sleeping department. So far of the 5 months there have been actual beds in every country. However in India we only had the beds in the base, and while we traveled to the villages we had to bring our sleeping pads. I also used my sleeping pad in Nepal because there were not quite enough beds so I volunteered for the floor. I personally think my sleeping pad is pretty comfy, so it wasn’t that bad. Also, most of the world seems to think firm beds are the way to go.
Would you recommend this adventure for the weak at heart or the more rough and tough person?
I would recommend it for anyone. I am a country girl, I can be covered in dust and sweat for days on end and it won’t bug me too much, but there are also girls on my squad who know how to look beautiful despite the conditions. It will stretch even the most rough and tough person, but those weak at heart will also come away stronger for it. The best thing about the World Race is community. You are living with a team of about 6 people who are going through the same struggles as you. They come beside you and help you through the hard stuff, both the physical and spiritual struggles. We have had people who got sick enough to need the hospital and it was amazing to see how we all came together to help them out. Or when someone is heartbroken after seeing how some people live around the world, we are there to comfort and pray with them. It is definitely a challenge for anyone who goes, but if you aren’t sure, apply anyway. The staff at Adventures in Missions really know what they are doing. They pray long and hard about it before they accept you. They really do care about you and will only send you if they think you are in a good place for this journey.
