*This is an excerpt from my most recent update email to my supporters. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to post it to the blog, either 🙂
1. Q. How was it???
A. It was awesome. Harder in some ways than I thought and easier in some ways than I thought. I wouldn’t trade this past year for any other experience.
2. Q. What was your favorite country?
A. There a lot of factors that go into determining how much I like a country: our ministry assignment, our ministry contacts, the people, the physical environment, the weather, the bugs, do we or do we not have internet, how my team is doing, how I’m doing personally…a lot of factors.
That being said, I can only answer this way:
Month 10 in Cambodia was the first time when I didn’t really want to move on the the next country. If they told us that we needed to stay another month in Cambodia, I would have been completely happy with that. (Refer to http://kyliefujimoto.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-time-to-mourn-month-10)
Month 5 in Ukraine and Month 6 in South Africa would not be at the top of my list as I was going through them, but in retrospect, I see how valuable these two months were. These months were characterized by intimacy with God, strengthened trust in God and in myself and in my teammates, awesome teamwork, God providing abundantly for us, and really being all in and going all out in how we served. These months were exhausting, but I felt so close to God and I grew exponentially.
And Month 1 in Ecuador might as well have its own category. Ecuador was the fun, cool, adventurous jungle month. It was a really strong first month to have for our team and our sister team–I think all of us would tell you that it was at the top of our list.
3. Q. What is the weirdest thing you ate?
A. All the “weird” food I ate came in Thailand and Cambodia:
– cricket
– meal worms
– larvae
– live shrimp
– ant omelette
– dog…twice…pasteurized and free-range
– “baloot” – duck fetus
Yum! Out of all of these, I would willingly eat live shrimp again. And maybe the ant omelette.
4. Q. Which countries would you like to visit again?
A. Haha–all of them. Okay. Realistically, I would go back to
Ukraine – I would go back to Kiev to visit my friends Maria and Vanya who just got married this past summer
South Africa – our team was stationed in Port Elizabeth, so I never made it to Cape Town and I would love to go! I’ve only seen pictures, but it’s gorgeous there.
Thailand – it’s affordable, the people are friendly, the food is amazing.
Cambodia – I don’t know how feasible it would be to go back to Cambodia, but I would love to go back and visit Hope Transitions. I miss those kids…
Malaysia – and since travel between the Southeast Asian countries is so affordable, I might as well revisit Penang :).
Heh, again, realistically, I probably won’t be able to make it back to all of these places, but who knows–maybe someday :).
5. Q. Would you go back to serve full-time in any of the countries?
A. As of right now, no. I believe that God is showing me that staying in the U.S. (at least for the time being) is what is best for me. I would definitely take people on short-term trips to any of these countries, but I won’t be living abroad any time soon.
6. Q. So…what are you gonna do now???
A. Well, there are a lot of things up in the air at the moment. I’m seriously considering going on staff with the Navigators campus ministries, and will actually be at a conference this weekend concerning that. I think this very moment is a little too soon to tell, but I will send an email to all of you once things are more solidified.
In the meantime, I have been adjusting to life back home–life that is the same, yet very different than when I left.
