So here I am, a little over a month into the world race! My life has been flipped upside down when I left on September 6th. To sum it up it’s been a tough adjustment but the Lord has shown up in incredible ways! Ministry has been changing a lot and there is little consistency in what I do.
The Race started in Atlanta where my parents and I spent a few days in preparation for the next 9 months. The happiness that came with getting to see my team and the others on my squad was incredible. The goodbye with my parents wasn’t easy but what made it easier knowing that what I’m doing makes them so proud. After saying goodbye to them on a Saturday, when Monday came around it was time to hop on a plane. My squad headed to San Francisco and had a 17 hour layover here which allowed me to get one last American burger at In-N-Out Burger and also see the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge! From here we went to china for a layover and then next thing I know I’m in Phenom Penh, Cambodia. After spending the night in a sketchy hotel and an interesting trip to the store we hopped on a bus to bring us to Battambang which will end up being my new home. It was so nice to finally get to Battambang after an 8 hour bus ride and roughly 3 days of travel.
The adjustment I have made in order to live here has taken a lot of work. Going to sleep at 9pm every night and waking up at 6am to not having air conditioning is nothing like what home is like in the states. Having no choice in the meals placed in front of me or very little freedom in how I spend my time is more examples of my new life. After a little over a month here I can now say that all of this is normal, this is just how I go about my life. Looking back on the changes I’ve made I can say without a doubt, that I didn’t do the change by myself. It required the strength and help that only God could give me. He was with me and present the whole time that allowed me to make the change.
The first blog on the race has been stressing me out a lot lately because life has been so busy. I’ll leave you all with this update for now but I’ll work on short stories of events that have happened.
Thank you everyone for the prayers, it means so much and being covered in prayer is so comforting here. I would like to ask for prayer in having the right attitude about ministry no matter what it is. Prayer for being able to love my team and everyone I encounter in the best way possible would be great. Lastly prayer that the rest of my support funds come in as I still have a good amount to raise.
Love you and miss you all from half way around the world!
