"Don't you EVER read my blog?"

If I feel like something good is coming I generally keep my mouth shut, as if speaking it too soon may keep it from happening.  Occasionally, I’ll tell my closest friends what “may” happen, being ever so careful not to make assumptions or build something up that may never be. However, for the most part, I don’t speak it until its really going to happen. So, when I was asked to travel to Guyana to take Christmas presents to the Tyler Carver Orphanage, I was so excited but I played it cool and told almost no one until the tickets were purchased.  And now the tickets are purchased!!

So, officially:

I’m going to Guyana the first week of December. I’m excited to meet the children and see another International orphanage and I’m honored at the opportunity to share such a special event with them.  I’m also excited because Lonely Planet pointed out that the Kaieteur falls, possibly the highest waterfall in the world, is just a short 1 hour plane flight from Georgetown where we will be.  It is supposed to be 4 times as high as Niagara falls and its in the middle of a jungle so there aren’t all the guard rails and Asian tourists with camera’s around their necks.  After some research, I found what seems to be a reputable company that does a 6 hour expedition to the falls including a 3 hour hike and lunch in the jungle. I’m ridiculously excited.

As I walked out of Customs in Atlanta, a large elderly African American man said”welcome home baby.” I smiled, welcome home indeed.

There were several troops on my flight and there were large thank you and welcome home signs and people cheering outside customs and baggage claim. Im not always the most patriotic person but it made me proud to be an American and that much more thankful to be home. I obviously love traveling and exploring other cultures but at the end of every trip I’m reminded how blessed I am to be from here.

Until we meet again Siem Reap…

Today was filled with goodbyes and see you soons. Naomi, sine and Sina’s daughter, has always been a bit timid around foreign visitors but she really made up for the last 3 years on this trip. She came right to me on the first day and laughed and played every time I saw her.

Everyone is fascinated by bugs. I look at them and walk away. My Cambodian friends catch them, fry them, and eat them.  Same, same, but different. 

My last full day in Cambodia (for now):

I left my hotel at 7:30 am, met with Julie for most of the morning, got my Indian food fix at lunch, tagged along to buy a time clock for the coffee shop, purchased some Khmer/English children’s books including “The girl entering the time of puberty,” tried in vain to answer even one of Piseth’s never ending supply of riddles, had some old fashioned “girl talk” with Heather over latte’s at De La Paix, met the Common Grounds night staff for Korean food, took a quick trip to the night market to purchase one last request and ended the evening at Matt’s after succumbing to peer pressure and agreeing to watch “just one” episode of Andy Griffith (which incidentally turned into two episodes and a discussion of land ownership and orphanage registration in Cambodia).  I may miss it here :)   

korean food with the Common Grounds night staff. There were a lot of plates and I had no idea what was in any of them. 

Chaing Hai asks, “Are we facebook friends?” 

Chloe answers “Yes” 

Chaing Hai responds “Well, maybe that needs to change.” 

Guess who taught him that? 

My blog is about to become a Tarantino movie.  

There will not be gory slow motion samurai sword fights or funky dance numbers brilliantly choreographed, intensely dramatic and scored by “You never can tell” (yeah, I totally dropped a Pulp Fiction reference, aren’t I edgy and cool?)  However, I am about to blow your mind and employ a fractured timeline. I’m skipping to the end of the story and will pick up on the day to day happenings where I left off shortly. I believe my readers are sophisticated enough to handle this.  

I’m having my last breakfast at Common Grounds before I end this trip and head back home.  An American lady just walked in with a group of Asian girls.  She is having a bit of trouble communicating and is trying to overcome this trouble by speaking very loudly. Very, very loudly.   I’ll try to ignore this…

I spent my day yesterday visiting friends here alternating between business and small talk trying to fit everything in on my last full day. I’ve had an incredible trip. I’m proud of how well the camp went. I continuously hear from the students that it was the best one yet and that they learned so much and how much they loved my team. I also loved my team.  They really inspired and encouraged me and I think I made some new friends.  I feel like something more happened on this trip though and I’m struggling to articulate it. There is more processing to do but at this moment (sitting in Common Grounds trying to ignore the woman who has now made a call to the US apparently simply to describe two puppies she saw this morning, one who answered to Justin Bieber) here are the things I feel most significant. 

1-  God hears us.  It never ceases to amaze me when I hear stories of small Cambodian children, sleeping alone in a dark village,  afraid, hopeless, crying out to someone in the night, sure that no one was listening who years later found out that Someone was in fact listening.  Someone who cared deeply about them and was able to move the world to make their dreams come true.  I won’t soon forget the beautiful simplicity of the stories I’ve heard. 

2- Working in a developing country is not for the faint of heart.  Not only do things never ever go as planned (seriously never. Wait until you hear the story of the 7 drunk tuk tuk drivers at Angkor Wat) but you have to learn to be content with and celebrate the small victories.  I teared up a bit at camp when one of our staff actually started a youth camp service 2 minutes early without any prompting from me.  This is the first time we’ve even started an activity on time in 4 years.  I was so proud.

3- Discipleship is not a weekly small group meeting, it is a continuous on-going process.  I’ve been a Christian for as long as I can remember and I see things in myself daily that need to change.  It is unrealistic to expect that the people we work with will just wake up one morning and “get it.” True discipleship happens when we don’t plan it. It literally happens on the road. 

4- Relationships are the single most important thing.  Nothing I’ve ever accomplished would be possible without the amazing cast of characters that have played their part on the stage of my life. In the words of my very favorite song from Wicked, “Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” 

5- Life really is good.  I’ve had my share of angst and restlessness over the past few months and while there are still many questions left unanswered, after the last few weeks I can’t help but conclude that my struggles are minimal in comparison to the blessings in my life.  I’m a very lucky girl who is so thankful for grace that allows me to truly live the life I imagined.  God hears little girls dreams all over the world.