Well hello there! I am writing this to share some big news: I am fully funded to go to Thailand and Cambodia! I just wanted to send out a huge thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point. There is no way that I could have made this happen by myself. To the friends and family that sent money in the mail, to those who donated online from my posts on social media, to my sweet church family, and to any of you who have been praying for me during this process… thank YOU! I cannot express to you just how thankful I am. Raising almost $6,000 over the span of just a few months, while also being in the middle of a chaotic semester at school and hectic tennis season, was pretty intimidating and daunting to me in the beginning. But again, God has shown me how faithful He is when I just let go and trust that He’s got it. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who so generously gave to me. I am overwhelmed by the village of people who have supported me in this journey.
In other news, I leave in just a little over 2 weeks! It has seemed so far away for so long, so it hasn’t hit until recently what I actually signed myself up for. As it is becoming more real, I can’t help but feel a very weird mix of emotions. I am so excited to get there and jump in to what I feel like God has clearly called me to. However, the nerves are definitely starting to settle in. This is happening though, whether I feel like I am ready or not! The bags are starting to get packed (well, I’m to the point where I am at least thinking about packing), and I am trying to soak up the little time I have left in Ktown for the summer.
I found out a few weeks ago a more detailed rundown of what my time in these countries will look like. My team will be made up of about 9 other college students from all over the country. We will be spending the month of June in Chiang Mai, Thailand working with various local ministry partners. We could jump in to a variety of things while here: teaching English, educating refugees, working with the local churches in leading Bible teaching and worship, and working with children and youth ministries. For the month of July, we will be in Siem Reap, Cambodia working primarily with an organization called New Hope for Orphans. We will be doing things like playing with the kids in the orphanage, teaching some more English, teaching Bible classes, manual labor projects, outreach with the pastor, and prayer walking. I have no idea what any of this will actually look like, but I am excited to jump in and hopefully share the love of Jesus with someone who needs it!
Christianity can sometimes seem so complicated. It can feel like so much to take in, and because of that, for me at least, it seems so hard to ever get it all “right”. As I was reading this week, I was reminded of how simple Jesus made it for us. He knows our hearts and how one track minded we can be. In John 13:34-35, Jesus says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples.” Simple as that. That’s what I am going to try to do on this trip: show people some Jesus kind of love. And thank you, one last time, for showing me this kind of love by reading this blog and helping me make this thing really happen. I really am so excited for this opportunity and cannot believe how close we are to it!
