I am sipping my coffee (from a 3-1 instant packet) out of a plastic cup in my room in Cambodia. I am not sure which is hotter: the coffee or the air in the room. On this particular day, I'm thinking the air is. I bought a few of these packets to use up the last of my Thai money, hoping it would bring some normalcy to my day to day life in Cambodia. Unfortunately it just conjures up weird nostalgic feelings that I make me miss home a little bit more today. Also when buying these coffee packets, I didn't know it would be Cambodia's hottest month of their year.
I'm at the point on the race where I am grasping for anything that could give me a glimpse of normal life because going back to "normal" is looming in my future. But most glimpse quickly dissipate to remind me that life is just normal right now. My teammate lays sleeping on the other side of the room trying to pass the afternoon heat. The midday sun streaming in through the window is not helping the situation for either of us. I consider the fan spinning wildly above me, blowing my whispies, as a true blessing from Jesus this month.
My bug net lays tangled up behind me. I've never dealt with so many bugs in one month. Flies, lizards, grasshoppers, scorpions, gigantic spiders. You name it, we've killed it. Cambodia is a tropical version of India in my book, but with less preaching and [a little] less rice, so I like it. The six rambunctious boys we live with are laughing outside our door just waiting for a chance to play Temple Run on my iPad. They used to live on the streets, most of whom were addicted to sniffing glue to suppress their hunger pains. Now they get 3 fantastic meals a day [I'm pretty sure the house mom is a professional chef] and live with house parents who care for them like their own children. We have the privilege of teaching them English, doing work around the home, and just simply loving on them.
I'm stick in the limbo of trying to process going home in less than 80 days and staying present during these next 80 days, knowing I will never get time like this back. It's a balance I'm not sure will ever equal out.
My team this month is an almost an entirely new team compared to the last 8 months. I have one teammate, Brette, that has been with me since since training camp (bless her for walking with me through so much! Seriously). Kara has been with me and Brette since month five. Us 3 have been through some really tough and wonderful things together and I am grateful for their constant friendship [The race wouldn't be the same without them]. And we've added 4 incredible ladies to the mix–Logan, Julie, Sam, and Lauren. I am extremely blessed and humbled to be leading 6 women of God whom I highly highly respect and care for. What a group to finish the race out with.
