October 20th is a very special day for me- its my day of birth!!!
This year I was incredibly blessed to be able to spend my 19th birthday in Cambodia-what a cool story I will share in the future!
My team made this day so special though and I just wanted to let all my supporters in on what my birthday celebrations brought me and showed me!
So I started my day off with some friends brining me coffee and donuts and singing to me first thing. I was definitely not all there mentally because I had just woken up, but it was the best.
My team and I had school though so after a breakfast of sugar and my whole squad singing to me and making me feel very loved but also extremely awkward we headed to school. –and there is actually a really funny story with this; so all through public school at home my birthday fell on fall break and I was never able to spend it at school with my friends and that, as a kid, was something I always wanted. But this birthday I was able to spend it at school with my kids and I think that is so cool! God knows what He is doing when blessing me in the little things!
We get to school and our ministry host and my teacher/translator are gone, so we went on teaching class. Then about 5 minutes before our first break started they came in with the whole school and a cake singing to me. I was then surrounded my all my students with a million birthday cards, little gifts, and lots of candy. In that moment I felt more joy than I have since being in Cambodia.
It wasn’t about the stuff I was getting or anything, but just seeing how much my students and the people at New Hope love me and it has only been less than 2 months working with them.
Then we spent the rest of class ditching and going to the near rice fields just playing, talking, and enjoying the view.
The rest of the day was spent just enjoying my students and my team. In that day though I realized how much love I have for these kids and how hard it is going to be to leave them in 2 weeks. I cry when I think about it, because to me I feel like I need to stay and continue my work here. I don’t have a desire to move to the next ministry because I am so attached here, but I know God chose the race for me for a reason and though I love these kids and people so much, He loves them more and He has a plan through all the heartache and pain.
I just think its amazing how far He has brought me from the first week of being here and being homesick and not feeling needed to now and I don’t want to leave. He is so Good.
What my supporters can be praying for:
The last 2 weeks of class and just transitioning out of this country and ministry well.
Upcoming travel days, because they are hard for me.
And my team! They are amazing and soon I will introduce them!
Now here are some pictures of my students for you all to enjoy because they are my light!
