November is the month of thanksgiving. So, what better way to express the things I am thankful for by writing a thankful blog?
I am thankful for:
NOVEMBER 1: Debrief morning worship; strawberry orange smoothie date with Jessie; Michael being announced he is on Ascend the Hill; communion worship; forgiveness of past hurts on team and of myself.
NOVEMBER 2: Dates with squad mates throughout the day (Toni and Becky); creating a Pocahontas and Creed skit for Joel and Melina’s farewell; oblong chicken burger wrapped in egg and cheese; dressing up as Pocahontas using clothes from the Free Table; Anointing Tunnel.
NOVEMBER 3: Crazy and adventurous travel day: Walk with packs, ride a ferry for 30 minutes and watch the sunrise, walk with packs to bus station, ride a bus for 4 hours, walk with packs to the airport check-in, fly for 2 hours, walk with packs to van, drive for 45 minutes, walk into hotel; a real bed; prayer time with team over Cambodia, sleep, not to become comfortable with this life but to receive our inheritance of the nations; exploring and eating delicious Cambodian food; conversations about what God’s been doing in our lives with squad mates.
NOVEMBER 4: Exploring Phnom Penh with team mates and getting lost; grocery store surprise (as good, if not better, than American grocery stores); arriving at ministry location in Kampong Cham and meeting our contacts; excitement growing more and more as we hear about our ministry: teaching, prayer walking and bicycling, evangelism, Bible class, churches; beds and toilets at ministry location.
NOVEMBER 5: Birthday day!; birthday sign from Amanda and Alison; touring Kampong Cham temples and learning more about the culture of this city; birthday surprises from team and contact; team speaking life over me.
NOVEMBER 6: Muslim and Buddhist village prayer walk; Bible class and the students’ interest and questions; feedback on being BOLD; Bucket Lists memories with team; constant state of talking with my Father.
NOVEMBER 7: Biking to ministry; instant love from the children at the village; loving on a child as he sat on my lap for an hour; Maricel (ministry contact) and her love for our Father; reading about God’s promises throughout the Bible.
NOVEMBER 8: Psalm 33; Be Thou My Vision; bicycle ministry memories and leaving banners of prayer throughout the villages in Kampong Cham; team community is getting hard but is a blessing; my identity in Christ is being revealed more and more each day.
NOVEMBER 9: Job 38, Psalm 34 and reading more about God’s characteristics and being overwhelmed by His infinite goodness; ministry adventure of prayer bicycling and riding across the Mekong River on a “raft”; playing with children on the Buddhist temple steps; homemade meals; Amanda and her love for me.
NOVEMBER 10: Morning run at 6:30; day of rest and visiting coffee shops; spending time uploading blogs, sending emails, talking to family back home and time on fast and free wifi; teaching computer class using Mario Teaches Typing from when I was a child and continuing to strengthen relationships with my Beginner English boys; revelations about my heart.
NOVEMBER 11: Learning to walk in daughtership; quick and crazy heavy monsoon showers; worship throughout the day; visiting churches all day; God’s unconditional love and learning to wake up every morning hearing my Father tell me: “Don’t worry that you don’t have everything together, that’s OK. I don’t expect you to get it perfect. I love you so much just the way you are. You are the daughter I love and in whom I am well pleased.”
NOVEMBER 12: Beautiful joyful children smiling all the time; Kim Sreoun and her devotion to not only the team but also to her Buddhist family; the gospel and looking to Jesus daily; being able to be myself and that is good enough; Silent Football.
NOVEMBER 13: Seeing more of the heart of Kim Sreoun and her love for others; meeting my friend sister in the 42 Building Village; teammates constantly making my personal bubble non-existent; having to hide my weenus constantly and covered up so that it isn’t grabbed by “sleeping” teammates; goldfish.
NOVEMBER 14: 5am bike ride to watch the sun rise over the Mekong River; going to 42 Building Village not once, but twice!; teaching English to children in 42 Building Village; coffee; resting in the Lord and finding joy, strength and energy in Him as I get to love on His children today.
NOVEMBER 15: Children grabbing my arm and petting it, holding my weenus, poking my sides trying to tickle me, running into my arms and shaking my hands all while I try to teach English; having Khmer Lesson One lessons while I teach Beginner’s English; hand sanitizer; time of worship while cleaning; fresh rainfall.
NOVEMBER 16: Morning worship by the Mekong River; cool rainy day; children with runny noses and dirty hands needing some hugs and to have their hair braided over and over; sermon and Jesus time on the porch as the rain pours down; grace and patience.
NOVEMBER 17: Sunrise service of just Jesus, the Word and me; 2nd best coffee in Cambodia; this Saturday morning filled with Friday night Google+ chats with the family; being able to find time to practice my Gangnam Style dance moves when no one was around; Maricel returning to YDC after being gone since the 7th!
NOVEMBER 18: Sleeping in until 6am and taking a nap at 8am, 11am and 1pm; the passion for God that the Church Body has at the Assemblies of God Church in Kampong Cham; Maricel’s cooking and her love for our team; the way our team serves and loves not only one another, but everyone we see; playing Badminton with Michael and the different noises we made each time we tried to hit the birdie.
NOVEMBER 19: Beautiful sunrise from my window; feeling more like Spring than an Autumn day in hot and humid Cambodia; Jesus is coming! Revelation 4 and 22; nothing is far away because it is all within a bike ride away; the laughter and smiles on children’s faces reminds me of how we can all come to the Father, like children.
NOVEMBER 20: Finding a turkey in a nearby village and buying it, killing it and the boys preparing it for Thursday’s Thanksgiving dinner; children racing to the board as they find the correct ABC; having a time of arts and crafts by making Thanksgiving turkey decorations out of toilet paper rolls; teaching English all by myself; playing a game of tag with ants all day long as they find ways to hide in my clothes.
NOVEMBER 21: Dancing to Gangnam Style during our sunrise adventure; spending the morning at 42 Building Village singing songs, dancing and loving on so many children; being able to sit down and talk to Rasmee and letting her know how much she is loved; peanut butter; realizing I am in the middle of an ocean.
NOVEMBER 22: Waking up and singing songs of praise every morning; spending time with Maricel as we bike around town together; time of reflection of God’s goodness and why we are so thankful; God knowing my heart so much better than I do; for God being the Reason that I smile.
NOVEMBER 23: Celebrating Black Friday by buying a latte to talk to the family as they celebrate Thanksgiving; speed bike workouts in order to make it back to devotions on time; learning that God loves me as much as He loves Himself (John 15); all the children we have been blessed by this month of ministry; sitting on the steps and watching the lightning as the rain pours.
NOVEMBER 24: Sunrise; 2nd best coffee in Cambodia followed by a Morning Juice; eating dinner with my family as I eat breakfast; Christmas music; naps and coffee.
NOVEMBER 25: Rest consisting of laying on the floor and singing to Jesus; open windows; supportive parents; worship night with our students; staying up late talking to Ga’Nene.
NOVEMBER 26: Oatmeal, peanut butter AND honey; tearful goodbyes because it means we are so thankful for our contacts; long bus rides and watching Asian karaoke and action movies, and Lord of the Rings until the Fellowship is announced; reaching Siem Reap and going straight to air-con, Western toilets that flush, beds and wifi; having a mini vacation with just Ascend the Hill.
NOVEMBER 27: Sunrise at Angkor Wat and being in awe of God’s art; spending time with Ascend the Hill as we explore; exploring ancient wonders of the world; spending some time with the boys watching LOTR and reading “Hey Girl” pick up lines; Ladies’ Night (dinner, massages and shopping)!
NOVEMBER 28: Muesli, fresh fruit and coffee for lunch; vulnerability with the team; getting new headphones; relaxing and doing nothing all afternoon; date night with Amanda.
NOVEMBER 29: The bus being fixed after breaking down while trying to rock climb; safe travels; making it to Phnom Penh; F and K Squad worship; F squad.
NOVEMBER 30: Sleeping in until 3pm; wonderful squad mates; warm shower; Jesus; squad worship.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
November is not the only time for us to be thankful, we need to be thankful ALL the time, in ALL circumstances. So let’s be thankful everyday!
Love, Kaitlyn Michele
