It’s Month 8, and I’m in Malaysia. What is time?!?!
I remember, before my Race, reading a packing blog written by a Racer who had been on the field for 8 months. At the time, Month 8 seemed so far away. And now here I am sitting in it.
But anyway.
We had one change in our team coming into this month. Jocelyn was moved to another team to fill in some gaps due to a couple of our squadmates going home. She is now on Talitha Kuom. That leaves me, Kris, James, Shannon, Alex, and Dylan. We had to choose a new name, and went with the United Saints of Adventures (aka, Team USA). Which gives you a pretty good feel for the sense of humor of my team! Even though we were together for Nepal and Cambodia, I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to blog about these wonderful teammates of mine. So, here’s a little more detail about each member:
Kris and James Fraser are a married couple from North Dakota. They are both 27 years old. The first thing you notice about them is that they are very tall. The second thing you notice is Kris’s cool trendy haircut and that James is super pale. James is serving as our Team Leader. He is kind, soft-spoken, sarcastic, musical, and wise. At home, he worked as an engineer. Kris is also sarcastic and musical, and funny, honest, open, smart, and strong. She has a degree in marketing and worked for a non-profit at home.
Shannon Connolley is 26 years old. She’s originally from Long Island, New York, and she says “coffee” funny. For the past seven years, she’s lived in Florida, working as a preschool teacher for kids who have autism. Our similar backgrounds as teachers make it easy to relate to one other! Shannon also has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is a martial arts teacher. Shannon is calm in stressful situations, always has a positive attitude, and is generous, kind, and helpful.
Alex Gwidt just turned 25 years old. He’s from Wisconsin. Alex is passionate about a lot of things, including playing the guitar (he is the best guitar player I’ve ever known personally), helping kids feel safe and loved, hiking the Appalachain Trail, and reading. He loves to spend time in solitude but also to make meaningful connections with people. Alex is smart, humble, hard-working, and deep.
Dylan Ledford is 22 years old and is from Georgia, 10 minutes away from the Adventures in Missions headquarters. He is honestly one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. He’s an artist and a musician. He plays guitar and sings, but his true passion is the piano. Some of my favorite moments of the Race have been watching Dylan play the piano. He is also deeply spiritual, very funny, and can be the loudest and craziest person in the room when he feels like it!
So there they are in a nutshell, Team USA. We’re all praying for God to let us be a part of some strange and amazing things this month. Will you pray with us?
Our ministry this month is called Dignity for Children. It is a school, but also more than a school. Their goal is to reach the impoverished and change the course of their futures through education. Pastor Elisha and his wife, Petrina, began working in the area in 1998. They opened a Montessori Preschool in 2004. By 2010, primary and secondary programs had been added, and the entire project became known as the Dignity for Children Foundation. The classrooms are Montessori classrooms, which basically means that the kids get to choose what they want to learn about during the day. Dignity also has classes in sewing, wood-working, and hairdressing. One of their coolest projects is Project B, which is a cafe where students practice cooking, baking, and serving. There is also a garden next to Project B where students grow many of the ingredients used in the dishes at the cafe.
This has been the most organized ministry to date as far as assigning tasks to us. From 8:00-8:30 each day, our team meets with Beant, administrative assistant extraordinare, and pray for Dignity. At 8:30, Shannon, Kris, and I go to help in the primary classrooms (Kris and I are together in one room, Shannon in another.) The kids are ages 7-9. We work under a trained teacher. There is a morning class from 8:00-12:00 and an afternoon class from 12:30-4:30. We help kids with worksheets, guide them to make constructive choices, read books, and explore classroom materials together. Some of the kids are wild and crazy, others much more calm and focused. We’re right in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city, so it comes as no surprise that there are kids here from all over the world – Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, and China, as well as kids born here in Malaysia.
Dignity is a Christian foundation, but the kids come from many different religious backgrounds. Religion isn’t taught in the school, but it is a favorite topic of conversation among the kids. I have been asked “Are you Christian?” by students in my classroom more in the past week than I have been in the rest of my life up until now. Unfortunately, religion is also often the source of many fights among students. Pray with me that we are able to wisely navigate sticky conversations about religion. Pray that we are able to share Jesus and his love while also teaching the students the importance of being respectful of others and the importance of living in peace.
To learn more about Dignity, you can visit their website: www.dignityforchildren.org
Shannon, Kris, and I in front of the Petronas Towers, which were lit up blue for autism awareness.
PS:
The Chhan children from Cambodia started school this week! Thanks again to our sponsors!! (See blog “The Kids from the Park” for their story!)
