We spent September in Cambodia we were teaching English to students aged 12-25. We had two informal classes during the day and two formal classes at night. We felt instantly connected to the students and always had a blast hanging out with them. One time we even acted out an American Wedding to teach them about our culture. The students were always so full and joy and so willing to help us. They were eager to learn and also loved teaching us their language.
In Cambodia we cooked for ourselves. However we didn’t really get to “cook” as we didn’t have a stove, an oven, or even a refrigerator to store our food. So we pretty much lived off of peanut butter and jelly (with a side of ants) and whatever other random food we could store in our rooms that didn’t need to be kept cold. Sometimes we treated ourselves to a hot meal which consisted of street noodles for $1! The couple that sold them on the street were so sweet and we knew they must be selling some delicious noodles because their cart was always busy.
Last month we’re in the hot Australian Outback working at Christian Outreach Center. It’s a hostel that provides accommodations to the aboriginals to stay when they come to Darwin for hospital appointments. We been helping with a lot of odd jobs around the site including:
Housekeeping-lot’s of toilets to be scrubbed, beds to be made, crumbs infested with ants to be swept up.
Kitchen duty-helping prepare and serve meals.
Office work- ring ring “Christian Outreach Center, this is Andrea”
Pig Food- sorting rotten food that will be fed to the pigs at the farm.
Yard work and Laundry.
But it’s all fun and games when we get to drive the buggy (golf cart)!! It’s like riding a roller coaster when Rachael’s driving.

We also got to spend a couple adventurous days on the farm in the outback with Pastor Merv (the head honcho). It was so much fun. It was refreshing being out in the middle of the hot outback with all the animals and being surrounded by nature. I love moments where I’m reminded how much I love being in the country away from the business of the city. We spent our time at the farm feeding pigs, cows, and horses. We also got to help tear down a fence and untangle the wire and then help slam new stakes into the ground. We also got to drive the pickup truck and sit in the bed with our legs hanging off the edge enjoying the sunset and kangaroos as we drove. Pastor Merv also took us crocodile hunting by a river and it was a successful trip as we saw a few crocks relaxing on the shore and in the water.

Our month in Australia was full of hard work but it turned out to be a very refreshing month full of rejuvenation and rest in God. I always thought that the last few months of the race would be hard because I would be so ready to go home but as the end approaches I see that it is only the beginning. All of the sudden I only have 1 month left and I want to take it all in and learn as much as I possibly can; to finish this journey strong and be ready and willing for whatever God has planned next for me.