Stacy Utecht - The World Race 2007

World Race 2007

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I woke up this morning to my fifth day back in America. My mind races with memories, pictures and people that are still so vivid in my mind. How do I even begin to wrap up, let alone relay to you what happened in 2007. It is virtually impossible and I am overwhelmed at the task. But here I go.

Misolha, Mexico

Often people ask what my biggest challenge was. I don't hesitate to say, "Well, even though we were found without electricity, food, sleep, normal toilets, language skills, communication(and the list goes on and on) I would have to say the biggest challenge was the community. It was the people I woke up to day in and day out that often challenged me more than any ministry I was a part of because at the end of the day, my love had to reach far beyond the orphans and the widows to my peers. It is easy to love the people you minister TO, but to love on the people you minister WITH is a whole different ball game! Essentially, I lived with the same four people all year long. Team 61 is what we called ourselves. And throughout the course of the year, they taught me how to love and how to listen and how to live with people that sometimes you don't understand! You say you want to know how this year went with my team? Some days were awful! Some days we didn't want to speak to each other. Sometimes we fought and disagreed and got so annoyed with each other. It's life, right? But we stuck it out and that is what I loved about team 61. When we had an issue, we got it out on the table and worked it out. Because of this, we came out stronger and in the end we came out friends. Not many teams can say that. But we truly ended up not only loving each other but liking each other too! I do have to say that though community was my biggest challenge, it was also my biggest delight. Never would I want to go through something like I did last year alone. Paired with the disagreements in my memories are the countless times of belly aching laughter and joy. Painted in my memory forever are the people I ate popcorn with, the people who held me when I cried and the people who knew the exact location of the itchy spot on my back. I remember the people who I prayed with and held orphans with and danced with. Jimmy, Katie, Becca and Hannah will forever be imprinted in my heart as the people I lived with and spent more condensed time with than anyone in my life. And we came out with more refined characters as a result of each other. I will never forget you.

Lomo de Corvina, Peru

Manzini, Swaziland

Hong Kong

Moving right along. The second question I get a lot is, "What was your favorite country?" Ok, people. That is like taking me to Jamba juice and making me pick my favorite flavor. I sit there for probably 10 minutes having a minor crisis while I scan the endless mixtures of flavors and outcomes that my brain just about explodes. My point is, that it is impossible to say just one. Each country has left a different impression and here is the truth: I didn't love every country! Shocking I know. But I did find something that tugged at a different heart string in every country. If you pulled my whole team together and asked them this question, you would get a different answer from everyone. But here is mine. For purely aesthetic reasons, I loved Guatemala. It was a haven of beauty. At the time, our team really needed a beautiful and calm place. I connected with God in amazing ways just staring at his creation. And I will never forget the sun setting behind the volcano we hiked up. It was a precious moment between me and my creator that I will never forget.

San Juan, Guatemala

Volcan Pacaya, Guatemala

For the people, I adored Peru and Cambodia. I created the most meaningful and deep (as deep as you can get in a month) relationships with the people in these places. When I think of these countries, faces flash through my mind at a million miles an hour. I miss these friends dearly and am so blessed to think about how God created the body of Christ. Our brothers and sisters are around the world! And more than any place I went this year, I saw such a raw passion and love for the Lord that brought me to my knees through the people of Peru and Cambodia.

Villa el Salvador, Peru

Phom Penh, Cambodia

New Life Church, Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Thinking back on ministries we were able to be a part of, I would have to say the ones that stuck out to me the most were the ministries in Swaziland and Thailand. In Swaziland we were able to work with a man named Kevin and his wife Helen who are changing their part of the world in Africa. They are setting up homes for orphans to come and be a part of a family. It is an active change that is taking place that will eventually save this dying nation. I was blessed beyond words to go and observe and support this man and his family as they are reaching out to the children of Swaziland who would have been dead by now. But now they are full of life and joy as they have been given a second chance. Also in Swaziland, I spent a short time at a care point in Timbeni. I was with Jon and Eric for about three days but when asked my favorite memory from the trip, I always say it was these days. All I did was hold children all day long. But it was the kind of holding where you could feel the child in your arms and know they needed it more than food or water. It was a life sustaining holding. And these kids don't ever receive it. So I loved on them like there was no tomorrow. And in return it changed me.

Hawane Farm, Swaziland

Timbeni, Swaziland

Thailand was a given if you have been keeping up with my blogs. Anyone who knows me knows I have a heart for men, women and children who are working in the sex industry around the world. And working with Annie and Nightlight in Bangkok gave me a heartbreaking glimpse into a world that was so dark and devastating but so in need of the light of Christ. As I sit and think even now about my time there, I start to cry because my heart is so burdened for the girls I met in the bars. Some of those images are forever burned in my heart and make me feel ill and desperate and angry all at the same time. I so desire hope and love to be showered over them. And I am incredibly thankful for Nightlight, The Well and Rahab ministries who are actually in those battle grounds right now, fighting off the enemy and bringing the love of God to these gals.

Bangkok, Thailand

Clearly, there are more lessons, loves and pains that I couldn't even begin to write about in regards to my experience last year. But I just wanted to give you a taste of what is running through my head right now. China is also a country where I got to see the church that is underground but very much alive. I remember Marcos in Mexico, the single remaining light left in that city and the people of his community that he weeps over daily. I remember Jaco and the orphans of Temane and Pambara in Mozambique who are still feeling the effects of the hurricane. And I remember all the unsung heroes we met along the way; missionaries who you will never hear of, but who are laborers in the vineyard and working with those in need of the love and truth that only Christ can bring.

Communion with the believers (green tea and bread) in China

Marcos and his church in Arroyo Palenque, Mexico

Pambara, Mozambique

I have been reading a lot in Matthew this year because I am intrigued by the life of Christ on earth. What is it that he cared about and how did he do ministry? Now I am not claiming to be able to relate to Christ, but there were a couple points that made me think about his ministry and the ministry we were a part of last year. First, I noticed that he had a traveling ministry. Rarely would he stay in one place very long, but the impression he left lasted. Secondly, he loved people. So many times I felt an overwhelming guilt over having such short times in each country. The World Race is intended to give you merely a glimpse into the church around the world that will end up mobilizing and unearthing passions in my generation. But I was resolved at the beginning of this year to love without reservation. Can one person make a difference? It is the classic question that everyone strains to find an answer to or even to BE the answer to. Without hesitation I say, one person can make a difference to another person. When Jesus was on earth, he touched people and they were healed. He looked in their eyes and their hearts were moved towards him. There is a world out there in need of that kind of love. Even on the streets of America, people are empty and though it is not as much outwardly noticeable it is still there.

Hong Kong

So what did I learn about myself? I am flawed beyond measure but am loved by my creator. There is something about living in community, being stripped of all my masks and who I thought I was that brings me to my lowest point and shows me who I really am. I am a sinner. Truly I am. But I have been plucked out and called forth. Did I deserve this kind of love? Absolutely not. But as a result, all I can do is give it away.

I sit and think about what I learned about the world. Out comes a "Phew!" and a big fat "Sigh." But I do have an answer, get excited. J I think it would be easy to come away from this year just feeling devastated by all the need. This world is desperate and steeped in poverty and hurt. You cannot ignore that. I have never seen such horrible things with my own two eyes. War, tears, burdens and death. It is enough to make one want to crawl in a hole and ignore it because the magnitude is so great. But instead of that, I come away with hope. While this world is dark, there is a light. And I have come away feeling encouraged by the things I saw. At the beginning of the year, my biggest desire was to connect, support, observe and partner with the church around the world. And God blessed my socks off! Wherever there was hurt, there was hope. The church is vibrant and completely sold out for Christ around this globe. And God really does take care of the widows and the orphans. I have seen it over and over again. He provides for his people. And millions are joining the body of Christ every day! So instead of feeling paralyzed, I feel mobilized at the things He is doing worldwide. Be encouraged, Church! We are in a battle for sure, but we come out victorious. Praise God.

I have to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who kept up with me this year. All your comments, love from over the seas, financial support, and PRAYER was felt, appreciated and needed. I cannot express the depths of my gratitude and I just pray that the Lord's favor is all over you as you have blessed me. Thank you.

As for me, I am grateful to have had time with my family in Paupa New Guinea. We had a blast reconnecting.

Ukarumpa, Paupa New Guinea

I got to spend a week with former teammate and friend, Jon in Vancouver (it was my cheapest place to fly into in North America and consequently he lives there so we got to hang for a few days!) Now I am in Arizona visiting my best friend from college, the lovely Ms. Cherie Bradshaw. Tomorrow I head up to New Mexico to spend a few days with some more former teammates: Ginger, Morgan, Spano, Hanson, and Emily. Next week I head up to Kansas to meet my new baby niece, Sophia and hang out with my brother Adam, his wife Jill and Hannah banana. Then, after over a year of tromping around the globe I return home to good old Appleton, WI. You can be sure I will be heading down to Chicago shortly thereafter for some visits. Then after that, I am still praying like crazy to see where the Lord has me! I have several directions in mind but am in the process of receiving clarification. So I would appreciate your prayers alongside me as I make important decisions in the next month. But I will keep you updated!

How do I close this but by saying,

Thank you.

Goodbye world, I will be back soon.

The adventures of Jon, Eric and Stacy: The End.

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well, our crazy little adventure ended a few days ago. I knew the month would go fast but it really breezed by! We got to end our trip together at the beach (our favorite!) We traveled back to an island off Thailand called Phuket. It's actually a large island with numerous different beaches. Our activities included mopeds around the island to the different beaches, a day tour to the Phi Phi islands, getting our nice Christmas tans and lots of chillaxin. It was a fantastic way to end our time together and it was a bittersweet goodbye of course!

Eric, Jon and me on our sweet hogs

...ok, we will

The traveling trio

snorkeling in the phi phi islands

Last day together!! awww...

Pretty much we had a blast and I am so thankful for these guys to buddy up with me and travel a bit before we all parted ways. Jon is home (miss you, buddy!) and Eric has continued on through Thailand (eat more pad thai for me!!)

So in fact, the title of this email is deceptive because while it was the end of Jon, Eric and Stacy's adventures, it certainly wasn't the end of mine! The day we parted ways I headed down to Singapore for two very lonely days. If you know me at all you know I hate being alone and especially traveling alone because I love sharing experiences with people. But in fact I survived. I just walked around Orchard Street for a while which reminded me exactly of Michigan Ave. in Chicago (all lit up for Christmas too!) And I decided to go to church also. It has been a little over four months since I've stepped into an actual church building. For the last part of our trip, we have been in countries that have been closed to the gospel so the church is either underground or non existant. So Sunday morning, I jumped online and googled churches in Singapore and picked the first one that had an address and a map online. All by my lonesome I found my way there. And let me tell you, walking into that church was like a breath of fresh air. I have not felt as refreshed spiritually as I did that day in a long time. And even though I was surrounded by hundreds of people I didn't know, I still felt like I was home. Even before the service started I looked over at a man praying over another man and I just started crying. It was so beautiful to me. THIS is what the body of Christ is for. And it was just awesome for me to be a part of God's family in Singapore for a short while.

Just me and my crazy looking hair in Singapaore...all alone.

Two days ago I boarded a plane for Paupa New Guinea and yesterday I was finally reunited with my parents after one year! Thanks for all who were praying for my mom's health, she arrived with no problems at all!! Praise the Lord! It was a sweet reunion and so surreal that after all my planning, praying and traveling I finally got to meet up with them in PNG.

This morning my sister's husband surprised us at the MAF hanger and flew us all the way to Ukarumpa. For those who don't know, my sister and her husband are missionaries with Summer Insitute of Linguistics (SIL). They have been here for 2 and a half years and had a baby girl this past May. So needless to say I was ecstatic to reunite with them as well. But the flight was incredible. It was in just one of those teeny tiny planes and I got to wear a headset. I looked good. As we flew over Ukarumpa I was filled with joy at being able to visit my sis and see where they have been missionaries these past years. I got to hold my niece, Alyssa for the first time. And it has been such a great reunion with my family. Adam, Jill, Ryan, Hannah and Sophie..wish you could be here too but we are thinking of you.

moms, pops and me getting ready to board the plane to Ukarumpa

niner niner good buddy...

Ukarumpa, the missions base where my sister lives.

***Will update on my Christmas time, but until then I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas filled with the Lord and a great New Year! Party on!***

The Adventures of Jon, Eric and Stacy: Malaysia and 3 backpackers at a Symphony

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

One blissful evening in Malaysia, that is all we had. In less than 24 hours we had to create a memorable experience as we hopped through this part of Asia to another. We arrived downtown Kuala Lumpur around 4pm. We had been planning on going to the Philharmonic Symphony in the tallest building in the world: The Petronas Towers for months. Tickets were outrageously cheap and for one night we wanted to feel civilized after a year of wearing the same outfits, rarely showering and getting dirt under our nails. Problem #1: there was a strict dress code at the symphony. I mean why not, it just makes sense. Problem #2: all we own are old, worn "missionary" clothes. We prayed to the Lord asking him to turn a blind eye to our dress (although we were wearing the nicest things we own!) Truly, we told the Lord that we don't have the money to go out and get new pretty clothes so we needed some help!

We arrived at the symphony excited and a tad nervous about getting in. Jon bought new pants he hated. Eric and I needed to purchase new shoes since all we own are sneakers and flip flops. And we took a deep breath in and got our tickets. Just as soon as we were about to enter, a man in a black suit came up to us. He carried a walkie talkie and had glasses on. He proceeded to tell us (by us, I mean the guys. I looked good...apparently) that they didn't have correct attire on. He told us down by bag check they could pick up suit jackets and shoes to wear for the performance. Jon asked if it would cost us anything and he told us it was free! Phew! Thank you, Lord!

So we went downstairs where Eric and Jon were given suit jackets and shoes. It was all rather comical as the suit jackets under a certain light looked purple, Eric had to change shoes with no socks underneath, and Jons "new" dress shoes actually had a big hole in the bottom. Oh well, outward appearance apparently DOES matter. Wow.

The night was lovely, the music seeped deep in my soul and we spent time afterwards laughing about the whole night as we gazed up at the lovely towers. For anyone who actually wants to know the truth, the towers don't look that tall. I feel like the Sears Tower in Chicago looks taller. But I'm no building height expert either.

Almost Merry Christmas from the East..
J,E&S

The adventures of Jon, Eric and Stacy: Vietnam and a series of unfortunate events

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

If you've ever seen or read about Lemony Snicket's series of unfortunate events, I feel like I lived it in Vietnam. Ha! We arrived in Vietnam after a long two day travel through China and were excited at the traveling adventure before us. Our aim: Halong bay. It is a natural beauty to say the least. And we heard nothing but good things about it! First we arrived in Ha Noi which is another crazy, bustling city. The only difference we found between here and Ho Chi Minh was that there are really no safe places to walk. People cover the sidewalks with their motorbikes and store things so you are forced to walk on the street where potential death is just around the corner. Motos buzzing around you inches from your teeny toes just waiting to bite you. But I just hold on tight, take a deep breath and figure God didn't bring me all the way around the world just to have me die in Vietnam. (really the picture below doesn't do the traffic justice!)

We hung out in Ha Noi for a day but didn't find much in the city besides a lovely lake which offered little solitude as you are haggled by street vendors. So...off we went to Halong Bay! Initially we were going to go with a tour group which offered a package deal. But we decided we wanted more freedom so we found our own way there hoping to save some money. So we caught a 4 hour bus ride and a two hour boat ride across the bay which was absolutely breathtaking! Check out God's creativity:

I mean, there are THOUSANDS of these islands around Halong Bay that stick straight up out of the water. It is quite the sight to behold! We continue to be awed at the creation of this world. PLUS, I got to relive my pirate days as we "sailed" along. Being on the water again reminded me so much of my summer living and working on the sailboat. So that was a joy!

We were fortunate enough to find an AMAZING place to stay! While it was quite a hike up to the seventh floor, we had a huge bay window overlooking the water and all for only $3 a night! If I have to compliment Vietnam on anything, it would be how cheap it is to stay here! This was our room and the view from the window:

Can't beat THAT view for three dollars!
So here we were, on an island off the cost of Northern Vietnam. Things were looking pretty good! And overall, our stay there was quite pleasant. But anyone who travels will know miscommunication (especially over prices of things) is inevitable. And this city was full of people who were just not very nice and we felt like we were being lied to left and right. So after a few days, we decided to head back to the capital. But we couldn't leave without a little kayaking around some of the islands to brighten our spirits. Check it out:

Heading back to Ha Noi, we thought we were in the clear as far as having a hard time with the locals. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were swarmed with taxi drivers wanting us to take their taxi. We asked for the "meter to be runned" (in many countries we have been in, the drivers would rather make a deal on a price but in that you are way overcharged) So we were happy to hear that he would run the meter as he would take us back to our hostel. However, when we got in, we noticed the meter was going very fast and after only being in the cab 3 minutes, it had already charged us over 10 dollars! When we got to our hostel, the lady from the desk came out and started yelling at our driver. Finally we gave him about half which was still way over priced. But she later told us to never take a taxi with a meter. In Vietnam, they are called "jumper taxi's" and are well known for having a skewed meter. Well, so much for all we "learned" about travel this year! ha!

Later that day, we didn't get what we ordered and I almost died of laughter (literally I was choking on my water and couldn't breathe for a good minute after laughing at a joke that I told..sad, I know). So needless to say, each prayer before a meal starts with a sigh and "Lord, we thank you for this day and this food but are wondering what you are trying to teach us through all of this!" We are coming to remember that we do not have any rights. As much as we would like to believe that we do, we do not! And we continue to trust in the Lord as we travel on this journey. Even in the mishaps, we have had the chance to meet other fellow travelers and swap stories. Jon got the chance to have two hour conversation with a gal on the boat tour we were on about faith, the Lord and having a relationship with Him. And even through the common frustrations of travel we remember we are not perfect. We learn forgiveness, compassion and mercy and I am thankful that I continue to be refined in these areas. And at the end of the day, we are STILL in Vietnam and still smiling and having the time of our lives! So despite hard days, I am thankful.

Needless to say, we are excited to trade Vietnam in for Malaysia! We fly out tommorrow and spend one night there before heading back to Thailand. Thank you for your continued prayers. We need them!

Love to all from the East,
J,E&S

Call of a prostitute...It's not over

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Tonight I was sitting at a small table outside our hostel waiting for the boys so we could go to dinner. A girl caught my eye. She was the same girl who had made advances at my guys earlier that day and I knew she wasn't just offering a $5 massage. I watched as she grabbed a hold of another man and she wouldn't let go. You could see the pleading in her eyes. He kept waving his hand at her saying "No" but there must have been something he said that gave her a hope that she held onto tighter than his hand. I watched for a good five minutes before he broke free. Minutes later I looked back and she had another man in her trap. I started to cry and pray over this woman as I realized this isn't over.

Working with the girls in the bars in Thailand was one of the most eye opening and hard things I have done this year. And I would be a fool to believe that it is only a problem there. Even here in Vietnam I see girls prostituting themselves and my heart is broken for them. And I realized tonight that even though I have technically finished the World Race, my life moves on. My ministry is not 9 to 5. It is my life. And I am held responsible for the things I've seen, the people I've touched and the knowledge I have.

My tears tonight were for the world. E'en so Lord Jesus, quickly come.

The adventures of Jon, Eric and Stacy: Back to Chiner!!!

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

As one chapter ends, a new one opens! We somberly followed our sweet teammates to the Hong Kong airport on November 19th to bid them "see you later." It was a tearful goodbye for me. I have come to love my team this year with the affection of a sister and a friend and we have shared an experience that will never quite be understood by anyone else. So parting ways was almost unfathomable after a year of being together 24/7. But the anticipation of a continued journey also put a smile on my face as we took the train out of the airport and back into the heart of Hong Kong.

What a difference it is to not be traveling with 25 other people! All of a sudden we can decide our own pace, our own activities and not have a million opinions to factor in! On the down side, we don't have food, lodging or activities all lined up for us so when we get to a place we are all alone. Plus we are missing our super cool friends and often we look around wondering where everyone else is. But it all adds up to a bit of adventure and a lot of spontaneity!

We spent our first couple of days in Hong Kong just trying to get our chill on. The previous week had been filled with last minute things, stress and spending time with the "family." I especially was forgetting to breathe at points so I was ready to find a section of sand at the beach and relax/process/get some oxygen filling those lungs again. That night we went up to overlook the city...gorgeous!

The next day we were off...back to China!! We had heard great things about a city called Guilin so we thought we would check it out for a few days before heading to Vietnam. Travel was much easier since we were a little familiar with the train system in China. We jumped an overnight train and arrived at a perky 6:45am in Guilin! After seeing not very much in that city we took a 2 hour bus to the more beautiful Yangshou. It was lovely there and we had a great time being full on "backpackers" for the first time! It was a cheap town so we were essentially eating, staying and living for under $10 a day.

In fact, we enjoyed Yangshou so much we decided to extend our stay another couple of days. Our first full day there we rented mopeds and rode them for 10 hours straight! When it came time for lunch, we didn't have our handy Chinese food guide anymore so Jon slapped 30 Yuan (about $4) on the table for the three of us and said, "Just bring us what you got!" So we got a great meal with no communication skills whatsoever.

The day was incredible as we went around the entire city just soaking in the beauty of the unusually shaped mountains and warm sun. We thought we were doing great on time as we watched the sunset about 40 minutes away from home base. But as we started to ride again, we noticed Eric's back tire had blown out. So we went through this crazy ordeal trying to find a pump (which didn't work). Eric ended up pushing his bike about a mile down the road and we thankfully found a guy to fix it for about $1!! We were incredibly thankful at that because we only had a total of $3 in our pockets combined! The Lord was really watching out for us.

The next day we decided to take things a bit slower and Jon and I rode a tandem bike through the city, out to the country and to a cave. We the good part of our day seeing the sites inside the cave and going swimming in a pool of mud! It was initially my idea to do the mud thing but when I finally climbed in I was having second thoughts. But Jon coaxed me in and we got muuuuudddy!!

I am thankful for this time for two reasons. 1. This post Race trip was intended for me so I could meet my family for Christmas in Paupa New Guinea. I am thrilled to death to reunite with my sister, her husband and my new baby niece I haven't held yet. In turn, I am thankful for Jon and Eric who are with me this month because if I was alone I would probably die a thousand deaths (ok, maybe a little over dramatic but maybe also true) 2. It is giving me time to process this past year and is giving me more time to enjoy this great, green earth God has created! I am coming to find that God loves when his people explore and travel and give him the glory for the things they behold! I continue to be astounded at the beauty of the earth and the people he has created so individually in each culture.

We are now in Vietnam...
More to come....
S,J&E

The Great Wall of China...there is a reason they call it great.

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

One of the highlights of this year for me and possibly of my life (I know, that is quite a statement eh?) was getting to visit the Great Wall of China! We had the opportunity to book it up to Beijing for two full days to cram in as much tourism as possible. We visited Tiennamen Square, The Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the silk market. In addition, how could you go to Beijing without seeing the wall? When presented with the chance to go, there were two choices. We could either go to the part of the wall that has been rebuilt so it looks a lot nicer (including MANY tourists) OR we could go to what they called the "Secret Wall." It was a part of the wall that was a little more rugged but untouched. Although it would be a bit more of a hike, we decided to do the secret wall. It was crazy! They dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. I mean it...we were walking down a road with a Chinese guide who didn't speak any English. He lead us up to a path leading up the side of a mountain where we saw part of the wall peeking through. It was about a 45 minute hike up the mountain to where the wall lay. And it was breathtaking!!

This lead to a wonderful day of about 4 hours of hiking up and down the wall where bricks were breaking off, foliage popping through and a spectacular mountain view. Parts of it were difficult but funny as we slid down areas with no steps left. I even fell on my bum once or twice. But we had a laugh and moved on. The day was cool and crisp and sunny. And the craziest part of all was that WE WERE THE ONLY ONES UP THERE! It was unbelievable. Our team of 40 had that part of the wall to ourselves for a day and we were ecstatic. I'll never forget my few hours up there. I felt like I was on top of the world and constantly was wondering if it was actually ME up there on the Great Wall of China. There have been so many points this year where I actually climb out of my flesh for a second and wonder what the heck I am doing. And I love it. Enjoy the picutres:

AND for your viewing pleasure, check out this sweet video of me eating a piece of the Great Wall of China. Please, you can't hike up to the Great Wall of China and not do something out of the ordinary. Plus, I had a piece of that grand wall in my stomach for a couple days. You can't beat that.

And the adventure continues....

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

You might be wondering why I posted this picture of me and these two dapper young gentlemen. Well, the World Race has come to an end. Last night we parted ways tearfully and said goodbye to our teammates who became family. They are all on a plane to America while Jon, Eric and I will be continuing on. I am meeting my parents in Paupa New Guinea for Christmas where my sister, her husband and my darling niece are missionaries. So for the next four weeks, I will be traveling with these fellas back through Southeast Asia. We will venture back to China, Vietnam, Malaysia, back to Thailand and then to Singapore. It is there that we will part ways and I will continue on to Paupa New Guinea. Phew! So I appreciate your continued prayers for our safety, protection and fun! One thing I love about these guys is that they are so committed to following the Spirit with their lives. So we started our time together with prayer and we are going to be ministering as we are now "tourists."

When I have more time to process, I will also be posting a final blog on this site. So stay tuned. Love to all!

Turning 26 Chinese style

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well, I am another year older. And I got to spend my birthday with "family" in China this past month!! And I have the most amazing friends here on the race who put together an amazing day for me that I want to share with you. My day started with my team waking me up with a knock on the door. When I opened it, a sarong was held up to the door that I had to jump through (a Bischoff family tradition) where they had a traditional bautza (warm bread filled with meat) and a candle inside. They sang me happy birthday and that was the start of my wonderful day!

We attended class in the morning and after that my team took me out to the only Western food restaurant in the city: KFC. Good ol' KFC. Ha!

Coincidentally, we sat in the "Birthday section" of the restaurant. Yay! After that, I had a special birthday surprise from Jon...he took me up to the top of the mountain in our city by cable car and it was incredible! It took 45 minutes to ride up to the top where the view was just breathtaking. Katie and Jimmy were also there and what a way to spend my afternoon than up in the crisp, cool mountains with some of my best buds on the team.

Then, Katie gave me the best present a girl could ever wish for...a platter of chocolate. yipeee! And so worth a picture:

We then prepared for a dinner together with all my buddies from the team at a beautiful restaurant:

Over yet? No way! I was then instructed to dress in my best "Office" attire for an Office party. The show, "The Office" is pretty much the funniest tv show known to man. We watch it all the time here and I love it so it was fitting that my birthday theme would include that! Everyone dressed in their best attire (or what we could muster up with all our dingy clothes..haha!) and I entered the "Conference Room" aka..a hostel room. This is where I was presented with a video that Eric put together including many of my teammates telling me things they loved about me, and pretty much being really funny too. It resembled the interview style of The Office and even had re-enacted scenes from episodes I love. It was hilarious!! If you want to see it, just ask and I'll show you when I get home.

After THAT, I went into the "Office" where there were desks set up and a birthday cake waiting for me. They all sang happy birthday to me and I was wowed. I could never asked for a better birthday with people I love so very much.

And what day would be complete without a viewing of an episode of the Office just to top it off! Thanks to all my sweet teammates for making my birthday so far away from home make me feel like I was at home..with you!

My month in China!!

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Phew..so I have to wrap up an entire month in one blog. This will be exciting. Let's get started!

This past month (and our last month of the Race) was both a challange and a blessing all wrapped up into one little chinese package. It was challenging becuase for the first time we were entering a closed country. Internet was cut off, phone calls were cut off and we were and still are unable to report which city we were in, names of missionaries or students we met, etc. We want to protect them from the government finding out why they are there and what they are doing. Therefore, I apologize for continuing to be vague in the details. But I will try to give you a good picture of what our month was like!

We arrived in our first city as "cultural exchange students" wink wink. Therefore, every morning we were in class. This ranged from subjects including Chinese philosophy and history, Mandarin, calligraphy, tea art, music, etc. We got a full scope of what Chinese culture was like and it was very intriguing. I especially enjoyed the classes because I am fascinated by culture. In exchange for them helping us understand the culture, we helped the students at the University with their English. So every day we went for two hours and had English Corners where we sat and chatted with students. This opened doors of opportunity to later have dinner with them and share with them our testimonies. It was a good two weeks!! For me, it was a little more difficult. I am finding more and more that my heart is a shepards heart. I am not built an evangelist but rather enjoy and thrive when I am working with believers. I love discipleship and the growth process and encouraging the body. So I struggled a little more during that time being in an evangelism situation. But I learned a lot about myself during that time and got to meet some great students along the way. We got to go to some school events, learn how to eat cafeteria food with chopsticks and learn how to say, "Please don't make my food spicy!" haha. Well, that's what I learned how to say at least!

Tea art

Calligraphy..I wasn't very good. smiles!

A student who did calligraphy for me..he IS very good! It says, "Happy Birthday" on "October 25, 2007"

After our two weeks doing the cultural exchange program, all our teams broke down again into our smaller teams and spread out among China. Our team traveled by train to a larger city where we partnered with a group of missionaries who are working with a Musilm group of people. This was much different than anything we experienced all year and I loved it. We got to do a variety of things including hanging out with students from the Athletic training school, paint the apartment of one of the missionaries, hear testimonies of Musilm people who came to know the Lord, go to another English corner, and meet with lots of students of a University nearby. Also we ate ALOT! I've probably gained all kinds of pounds eating all those yummy carbs. And many of our meetings were over dinner. But we didn't mind. We love Chinese food! It is also every mothers nightmare because all you do is stick your germy little chopsticks in every dish. No serving spoons!

Athletes

Eating off the street..my favorite!

English corner

Yummy Chinese food..eating family style! Ok, so we ate a lot in China. I can't help it!!

Possibly my favorite memory of China was in the second city where we got to meet with some of the local believers. We met in a small apartment with about 6 of them. There, we each went around and shared our testimonies, prayed together and read Scripture together. I would have to say that one of my favorite things all year has been hearing the Word of God read in another language. It is so beautiful to me that God would give his Word to every tribe and every nation and every tongue. We read Isaiah 61 together in Chinese and in English (the chapter by which our team is named after). Tears came to my eyes as I heard it read, knowing that THAT exact word is changing lives in China. Wow.

After that, we all took communion together and it was such a sweet time. I was in awe as we broke bread and filled our dixie cups with green tea, reading the account of the last supper together and realizing that we are brothers and sisters. I wish I could explain in words how precious a moment it was for me to be with believers in that tiny apartment knowing that their decision to follow Christ was not a decision that was flippant. Often, them coming to know the Lord will ostracize them from their families. And the Bibles they held in their hands were illegal for them to be holding. Who knows what it took for those exact Bibles to cross the border. It just made me realize how freedom of religion is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, we can worship God whenever and wherever we want. But I think in that, we have lost the awe and the seriousness of our committment to our faith. It challenged me to remember why I came to know Christ in the first place and to live like I mean it.

Thanks for all your prayers, emails and love from all over the world this past month. Know I am slow at responding because this is our last week of the Race and I am trying to wrap things up which has been consuming. I will try to respond as much as I can in the next few weeks after we have finished. But continue to pray that we will end well and that God will reveal himself in awesome and unique ways to each one of us.

Love from the East.

Stacy

Going undercover

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We arrived safely in Hong Kong last night and I am already in love with this city even though we won't be here long. Sunday we leave for different areas of China. The reason for this post is to announce that I will be MIA this month. We have to cut off all forms of communication (email, facebook, phone calls). We will be watched very closely and desire to keep the missionaries we are working with safe.

I would appreciate your sweet, encouraging emails however. I will be back in Hong Kong on November 12th where I will be able to read and cry at your wonderfulness and awesomeness and the rest of it.

Pray hard for our team this month that we will have strength, determination and a love for the people we are befriending. I am thrilled beyond belief for the things we will be a part of this month. Unfortunately I can't blog or email about them because this is a closed country. Pray for the communities that we will be a part of that they will see Christ in our actions even though our words will be few. Pray that our perspective will remain on the right things instead of getting caught up in petty things. Pray that a passion wells up in our spirits for not only the UNSAVED but the UNREACHED.

Just want to say in our little month of separation (tear!) that I love you all very much. Your support and love for me have just swept me off my little feet and I will feel your prayers from home.

And my little trumpet tooting moment has come..it's my birthday on October 25th. I turn 26..yay!!! My 25th year has been unbelievable and the best year of my life (no cliche!)

Peace out world. See you in November.

A jaunt to Vietnam, a sweaty day in Angkor Wat and some other shenanigans

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well, this is a random post. Often when I have things on my mind or pictures I want to share, I won't feel relief until I vomit them out on this blog. So, here we go! I got to spend two very long but great days in Vietnam. We had to renew our visas at the border a week before we left and just decided to spend a bit of time in Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon). The first day, we checked out the Vietnam war museum and it was truly horrific. My eyes are continually opened to the kinds of evil that prevail and how devestating war is. The museum definitely had a bent towards a not so favorable opinion of Americans and I tried to hide my accent as I walked around! My heart is saddened for the lives that were lost and unecessary pain that was experienced by both the American side and Vietnam side.

The next day we went on a whole day tour for $7 to the Mekong river. We did everything from holding snakes, drinking honey tea, watching cocunut candy be made and a canoe trip down the river. This was my favorite because I got to wear a traditional pointy hat. And while I look like every other cheesy tourist I didn't care because, well to put it simply, it was awesome. We also ate on the 32nd floor of a hotel one night that had a brilliant view of the city. But let me tell you something about Vietnam. The food portions are tiny. I left Vietnam hungry! But let's walk down memory lane for a sec...

Ok, moving right along. One very hot and sweaty day we went to a beautiful place called Angkor Wat. They are ancient Buddhist temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I think they either are one of the seven wonders of the world or were being considered or something like that. But what I DO know is that Tomb Raider was filmed there with Angelina Jolie. The ruins were both beautiful and sombering as I feel how lost people are in Buddhism. But heeeere they are:

And if THAT weren't enough excitement for one blog, we created a little mini feature film you might want to check out. Now, don't judge us. The acting is improv. The guns aren't real.

Feeling defeated and in need of my 10th wind

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The past week has been a little hard for me. I have been reflecting on my month in Cambodia a lot and the word that keeps coming to mind is "defeated." I don't want this to all end up sounding like a sob st0ry, but I had a hard month. I was sick for almost a whole week and after that it was really hard for me to bounce back. On top of that, I felt like I lost all of my energy. I felt unmotivated, beat down and overall a disappointing person. I was always feeling like I am not doing enough..I am not ministering enough or am not a good enough friends to these kids. I am not involved enough, giving of myself enough or touching enough lives. I constantly felt inadequate and that was a frustrating feeling for me. I feel poured out and like I have nothing more to give. I say all this to beg your prayers. We are heading into out 10th month out here, and I am in a big need of a 1oth wind! We fly to China next week and I don't want to start another month of ministry feeling the way I do right now. And I know satan will take every opportunity he can to get us down. So I am climbing out of this and just ask for you to stand with me and fight against the schemes of the enemy. I refuse to let him have victory because ultimately, it is OURS! But truly, sometimes life can be hard.

I don't feel dismal about our whole month in Cambodia, however! I made some amazing friends in the church with many of the youth. And I am thankful to all of you guys who took us in and loved on us. The night before we left Phnom Penh, I was up until 3am thinking about you guys and wishing I could just take you all with me. I love you sweet folk of New Life Church and you made me smile, even during my hard month:

To: Panna (sorry if that is spelled wrong!) Your smile is Jesus. Thanks for making me and my team feel welcome and for making me laugh!

To: Pisit and your lovely wife...You are an amazing couple and dedicated followers of the Lord. Keep being a light to those youth and thank you for all you did for us.

To: Sweet Danielle and Katie..wish we had more time together! You are both incredibly beautiful, vibrant women with dreams and passions I didn't even have when I was your age. I am excited to see what God will do with both of you as you continue to follow him. Miss you!! Hugs!

To: Everyone who always so graciously gave us rides home on their personal motos. You guys saved the day!

To: All the youth at New Life. You truly are a stellar group of youth and I have NEVER seen a bunch so passionate about following the Lord. You made me laugh so hard, you taught me how to speak Khmer and you hung out with me..I MISS YOU THE MOST and will never forget you.

To: Mark...you are a hilarious guy and I loved talking with you. You are an enthusiastic guy and other people follow you. See you on facebook, my friend! ha!

To: T.R. You are a rock star. From the first day until the last you were a great friend to me and my group and I am so excited about what God has for you. Your musical ability is astounding and I know you will do great things for the Kingdom. And that hair...wow. I love it! Love you, buddy!

To: The girls at the dorm...my night with you all was a highlight in Cambodia for me. Thank you for the delicous food and for loving us. You are all so beautiful!

To: Soria and Hak. I had to save the best for last! ha! You two were like my litle rays of sunshine. I love you and miss you and I have only been gone three days. Thanks for befriending us so quickly and for all the laughs. You are both mighty men of God and just plain cool guys to be around.

Goodbye dear, sweet friends! I won't forget you.

Lil bit of this, Lil bit of that...Cambodia Style

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I have a lot of random things on my mind today including all the things we've been doing in these past couple of weeks, the fact that I came down with a nasty virus in the past couple of days, and that a big old plate of nachos sounds really good right now. But first things first.

Cambodia has really grown on me. At first it was hard to find because it is still such a war-torn country, but I am starting to see beauty here. It is not where you expect. I see it in the smiles of the children, the wrinkles on the faces of the elderly, in the vibrant colors of the country side, and in the sound of the language. I even see it in the many temples and temple gates scattered throughout the city. And though the beliefs are extremely misled, the temples themselves something to behold.

As I have said before, the church is a light on a hill here in Phnom Penh. Last week I went out with their Children at Risk department out to the province. The department sponsors children throughout this side of Cambodia. It is a three year program. Most of the children come from a single parent home where there is no money coming in at all. The families are starving and have no schooling. With the sponsorship, however, they are given school fees, uniforms, and enough food to last for the month (which will usually feed the entire family as well). In the second and third year, the church helps get the family going on a small business so that they can sustain themselves.

Each month, the department at the church goes to check up on the kiddos and last week I went along (with Chris and Anne too!) We played with the kids, taught them a Bible story, played Heads up, 3up (formerly known as heads up 7up...which is basically the best elementary school game ever known.) But since we only had 8 kids, we had to revise it a bit!

Guess who was always the one chosen... :-)

I love that God fulfills his promise to take care of the widowed and orphaned. I see it over and over again this year that he has not abandoned them. I love what the church here is doing becuase they are seeing needs and actually meeting them! It's so awesome!

In other news, I am driving again these days. Last night, we were checking out a celebration of a Chinese holiday (not sure which one) down by the riverfront. So we decided to ride home in "style" on an oh so trendy rickshaw. Well, I made grand friends with my driver and he let me drive him around a little bit when we arrived home! Ok..just about three feet. I could tell he was really nervous that I was "driving." But hey, I can ride a bike real good!

Please pray for my team right now as some of us have come down with an ugly bug. I was a vegetable for about 4 days. I started antobiotics two days ago and have been on the uphill climb since then. I hate being weak and am just anxious to be 100% again along with my team.

As for the nachos, I will have to just wait on those.

Just pictures

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Nia sok sa bai chia te?

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We arrived in Cambodia not a week ago and coming to Phnom Penh was really like entering another world. I thought since Thailand and Cambodia were so close in distance that the cultures would resemble one another. Boy, was I wrong! Loving culture as much as I do, I picked up the differences and similarities pretty fast. But one thing that stands out in my mind are the people. I know I say I love the people in every country I go to, but here more than ever I sense a true genuine spirit amongst the believers here. Their relationship with the Lord is real, raw and passionate and coming around it is not intimidating but inspiring.

This month we are volunteering in a church calle New Life here in the capital city of Phnom Penh. And this church is incredible. I don't just say that. The ministries that come out of that church and the leadership there is solid. They have 3 sister churches in Cambodia along with 70 church plants. They have a street kids outreach that happens every Thursday to kids who don't have a home. They just wander the streets. But you should see this place on Thursday afternoons. It is crawling with hundreds of kids learning about Jesus. It rocks. They also have departments that do outreaches to the slum, medical outings, missions ventures, children at risk, youth, cell groups...you name it, they have it. Their worship team is also phenomenal. Last month they had Joyce Myers here (a famous Christian speaker) along with Delerious and Hillsong UK. Speaking of Hillsong, they love that stuff!

Honestly, I have never been more moved during a worship service than I am here. I have literally come to tears at the way these people worship. It is the most enthusiastic, genuinely joy filled worship I have ever been a part of. And it all comes from a deep passion they have for the Lord. I am constantly challenged here to return to my first love. I think we can come to a point in our walk with the Lord that feels stale and repetitive and performed out of routine to the point where we don't even really know why we do it all. But I really believe that God brought me to Cambodia to break that in me. Ok, that was my little rabbit trail.

So with this church we really get a mixture of everything! I am focusing primarily on the youth and worship. (Surprise, Surprise..I was asked to sing My heart will go on and on...Celine Dion...AT the youth group PLANNING meeting. ha! I laugh.) But during the week I am also going to be involved with Medical missions just helping out wherever I can, going out the the provinces and slum outreach.

I hate talking about the end of this trip, but I know it is coming quickly. So my request to you is to pray that we finish strong and that God lays out a path for each one of us beyond this year. I know that even now God is placing in my heart passions and desires to reach the nations beyond this year. I am just trying to figure out how that all looks! And pray for my team...we have been hitting a lot of rough patches and while community living can be a great joy, it can also be a big, fat difficulty. And pray for our time in Cambodia that we will work hard for the Lord and be blessed by the work that is already taking place here.

Here are some pics from my day out in the province. We went to a village about 3 hours out of the city (on a very bumpy road! But Jimmy and I observed a Leadership training session and got to share our testimonies with them:

Rice fields, the most brilliant green I have ever seen with my own two eyes!

Leadership training school in the Province

Making a beautiful purple garment

Lord Jesus, quickly come

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I don't usually like to cut and paste blogs from other Racers, but I thought Michelle did an stellar job explaining the history of Phnom Phen (our new home for the next month). If you want to check out some more pictures I took on this day, look at my picture link on the left....

While in the Phnom Phen, we were able to tour the city and learn a bit of the history of Cambodia. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that only 30 years ago a genocide occurred here but what is more astonishing is the fact that I had never even heard about it. The Khmer Rouge the Killing Fields 1975-1979 over 2 million Cambodians murdered. In his insanity and drive towards creating a Communist Cambodia, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, killed off anyone in his way - the educated class and their families, doctors, teachers, students, engineers, Buddhist monks, foreigners, etc. He believed that by having an uneducated mass of followers, he could more easily create a working class which would help to establish the Communistic "equal" society that he dreamed of for Cambodia.

It's all just REALLY messed up. We were able to visit the S-21 center where approximately 20,000 Cambodians were imprisoned, tortured, and killed. The statistics say that of the thousands of citizens who entered S-21, only 7 survived. The sick part of it all the center is directly in the center of the city and was once a high school before Pol Pot and his regime transformed it into a killing center. Makeshift wooden and brick cells in the classrooms, cruel torture methods, bar on the windows, barbed wire across the length of the school buildings. It's like a terrible, unbelievable nightmare.

There were rooms and rooms of snapshots of the prisoners killed at S-21. Apparently the center kept incredible records of the men, women, and children who were funneled through there. This included mug shots with their numbers on their chests and the many pages of "confessions" that were extracted out of the innocent prisoners.

We spent several hours at the center. It was all overwhelming to take in. It was hard to understand how we can as human beings continue to do such appalling things. And that we sit thousands of miles distanced from it and don't even know that it is occurring. And that we don't intervene when we DO know it's happening. It all gets really messy, I understand but 2 million people in the span of 4 years is a high price to pay for our ignorance, blind eye and politically "neutral" stance.

After the museum, we visited one of the actual "Killing Fields." The Khmer Rouge would transport truckloads of Cambodians to these locations for either death or burial. The site is currently the location of a monument to the victims. I would ask that you would respectfully read what information that you can from these photographs and consider looking up more information about the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields.

It's hard to let myself be opened up to tragedy and evil of such proportions. To see the things that I have seen just in the past 5 weeks. There's a difference in knowing about issues or events .. and actually seeing and experiencing them first hand. At times it is very difficult to have faith and believe that there really is a God out there somewhere big enough to handle all that I've seen. And while it's hard to grasp, I have honestly come to believe that all of this is for a purpose. Because the Lord does not desire His children's eyes to remain closed. He does not desire His church to remain sheltered. He does not desire His kingdom or His people to remain uninformed, ineffective, or insensitive.

There is a reason that my life has come in contact with all of this and there are reasons that I have the ability to pass on what I have seen to YOU. If the Kingdom of God is to COME, it requires MOVEMENT. It requires action. And I really believe that our role in the Kingdom coming begins with seeing and feeling and experiencing ALL that this world entails. It begins with being informed and letting issues affect us. It begins when hearts are invested. It begins when we REALLY start becoming the hands and feet of God in a world that so desperately needs His touch.

It begins when we can't help but do anything else. Because we can no longer turn our eyes. And we can't forget what we've seen.

And here is a great video Clinton made of S-21 and the Killing fields, check it out:

I'm an Aunt...x3!!

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

One of the hard parts of being on the mission field is what you leave behind. Leaving my almost 2 year old niece, Hannah, was hard enough! But this year, our family has welcomed two new baby girls into the family: Alyssa (my sisters' baby) and now Sophia (my brothers new baby!) On August 29, Sophia came into the world as I was at debrief in Thailand. As I looked at this picture, I started to cry because I hate that I can't hold her in my arms. But I thank God for a healthy delivery and just check out these beautiful families...

Jill, Sophia, Adam (my bro) and Hannah

Travis, Jenny (my sis!) and Alyssa

I love you guys and will see you soon!!!

It's island time

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We just returned from a few days of debrief on the surreal Thailand island of Koh Sumed. It was an amazing week of reflection, rejuvination, fun and sun (well, sunburn..I got the worst!) Our motto was, "It's island time" where clocks weren't read. If you were hungry, you ate. If you were sleepy, you slept. It was an awesome week of reconnecting and just having a little good old fashioned fun with my teammates. I got to go sailing (yipee!!!) and just enjoy God's beautiful creation...

Fellowship with the bretheren...

Enjoying the Sunset...

Aaaand...watch fire dancers at night ;-)

We head out tomorrow for Cambodia. We will be in the capital of Phnom Phen where we will partner with a church along with the Media Team. I will write more about Cambodia in the next blog, but know it is the Sex Trafficking capital of the world (among other horrible atrocities). There, some of us will be working to start a sustainable minsitry reaching out to prostitutes that work right down the street from the church. At present, there is no one working with them. So please pray that God would just go ahead of us (as we know he already is!) and prepare a way for us to assist this church in planning and reaching out to these girls. This whole subject continues to burn in my spirit and I am anxious to meet these girls and share the hope of Christ with them.

And....drum roll please. We are thrilled to have Jimmy back with our team!!! He had to leave for a month as we were in Africa to set up our ministries in Asia but now he is back with Tribe 61 and ready to rock Cambodia for Christ. Here is our classic jump pic...we try to do it in every country. :-)

9 Things about Thailand

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We are getting ready to debrief and leave Thailand so I thought I would share with you some of the things I've learned from living here... I heart Thailand!

1. Thai food is soooo good and soooo cheap. A plate costs between $1 and $2. Thai food lovers, be jealous; I eat Pad Thai and Cashew chicken every day. I can only hope I leave smelling like the food because it is one of the best smells I have ever smelled. And I have smelled a lot.

2. We never have to use lotion because our skin is so well hydrated here! Ok, that whole line was an excuse to tell you that it is HOT and HUMID here!! I am just sizzling in my skin. It is about 90% humidity with lows in the high 90s every day. I know, I am a wimp but I was enjoying our practically perfect weather all year. It is in times like these that I praise God for air conditioning!

3. Ah, the joys of going back to a country where virtually no English is spoken or written. But for the first time, I can't even begin to make out the words on signs or understand what people are saying. Thus, we use a lot of charades that look similar to the phrase we are trying to communicate. :-) Although I must say next to the Peru kiss on the cheek, the Thai hands together like a little prayer and bow is my next favorite greeting!

4. Also, back to a land where flushing your toilet paper is harmful to the pipes. We had an easy run in Africa with nice plumbing so it is difficult to remember sometimes! Also Bonus: squatties! If you have never used one, imagine the joys of going over a small hole with a plastic covering on each side for your feet. Let's just say it's a challenge.

5. Food that is familiar:

And...

Food that is not:

6. The verbal greeting sounds strangely familiar to "sweaty cow." It makes me laugh inside.

7. Street vendors!! It is a beautiful thing to see them all lined up on the sidewalk. You can get everything from mystery meat on a stick to a chunk of fruit for about 20 cents.

8. Widespread committment to Buddhism...

9. Beautiful People, rich culture and a place I would love to return to!!

They love glitter

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

When I think of a prostitute I picture a scantily clad middle aged woman with too much makeup, standing on the corner of the street yelling things at the men who walk past. But the truth is, not all girls who prostitute themselves have that look about them. Most look similar to girls you might know, girls you see at the mall going to the movies or shopping with their friends.

Last night we had the opportunity to take three girls out of the bar. Two of them are 16 year old cousins that came here from the north. They were forced to come by their aunt to make some money. And if you saw them, you would see the shyest, sweetest looking girls, afraid to smile because of what they are involved with now. But you can see that they were once full of life. We took them to a very bohemian/hippie part of town with cool shops, shoes, belts, clothes and sunglasses. As they walked down the street you could see them take off the mask of shame and reveal the "teenage girl" inside. Funny that out of all the options of events for the evening they chose to go dancing! But during that precious time, I could see why they wanted to do it. God really had his hand on that night because we went into the first club and realized they were too young to go in. So, we went to another down the street. When we walked in, there was virtually no one in there. There was a dance floor on the opposite end and no one was on it. The music was loud and fun and I led the girls out to that floor and that is where we stayed for the next hour! There was no threat of any men approaching them or us. It was just the girls. :-)

The girls unleashed and danced their little hearts out. But it wasn't for any man. It made all the difference in the world. It was like they were set free from their prison for a night, and they were safe to be who they really were inside...teenage girls! I smiled all night long because I could visibly see the freedom they felt. Earlier in the night, Hannah put glitter on their arms and they lit up. They loved it and kept asking for more. It made me mad that they are deprived of their youth. Instead of selling their bodies to men, they should be drawing hearts around the pictures of the boys they have crushes on. They should doing their makeup and nails... not for 50 year old foreign men but for themselves. It continues to outrage me that they are imprisioned. They aren't behind actual bars, although sometimes I think that would even be safer. But I long to see them be set free from the life they are entrapped in.

Right now, I am sitting next to Morgan at the Internet Cafe and she just pulled out the receipt we got to buy the girls out of the bar. It feels really weird and tragic that they are only a price. While at work they have to wear numbers, like cattle. They are in bondage and I beg you to pray with me that they would see freedom and truth. For so many of these girls, especially the younger ones, this isn't something they have chosen for themselves! I wish you could have seen the looks on their faces as we dropped them off at the end of the night back to Nana. The smiles were gone. The laughter ceased. Back to darkness.

But there IS hope. I promise.

Financial Update

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello faithful supporters!

I have been so grateful for all of you in these past 8 months (wow, has it already been that long?) You have truly come under me with fire and I love that you have supported me and prayed for me and encouraged me along the way. You give me life out here!

I do want to let you know that financially, I have raised the cost of the trip! Praise the Lord!

However, I still have a need to raise about $700 more to cover the costs of medical insurance, vaccinations, visa costs, and all those little things that make this trip happen. I would be in such gratitude if you would help me reach this goal!

If interested, please click on the Support Me! link to the left of this page to make an online donation. Or you can send a check with a note that it is to support me to this address:

Adventures in Missions

6000 Wellspring Trail

Gainesville, GA 30506

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!

Gwen Stefani in Bangkok!

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Just so you know we actually do take time off work sometimes...yesterday we were about to go to the waterpark for our day off. But we heard Gwen Stefani was in Bangkok, so we couldn't pass up this opportunity to go see her! It was a great night with the girls and so fun to see an American pop star in Thailand. :-) Wind it up!!

I ain't no holla back girl!

Backrow seats..only way to go. Yes, our noses were bleeding ;-)

Just another night on the town

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Last week I went out with Shawna and Michelle from my group who are working with a different organization called The Well. We had a really great night together in a different Red Light district than I have been frequenting called Soi Cowboy. It is just a short street lined with bars and women standing outside beckoning the men to come inside. I got a chance to meet the girls they have been talking with and met a few new friends of my own. I heard they hadn't had the chance to go into the bars with The Well yet, so we decided to pray and ask the Lord where we should go.

We walked down the street and our attention was drawn to a particular one, so we headed inside. It was a bit of a shock for various reasons I won't write about, but I think the thing that made me the most sad was the look on their faces. I was used to being in several bars at Nana (as my teammate Hannah affectionately calls it, "Bar hopping for Jesus") but this one was different. None of the girls seemed to even try to put on a happy face or be entertaining at all. Instead of dancing, they swayed back and forth. Some of them even had their arms crossed over their stomach with their eyes to the ceiling. There was one gal that caught my attention, every time she looked to the ceiling it was like she was trying to force the tears back behind her eyes. She had stretch marks on her stomach which made us believe she may have just given birth. And the other girls expressions on stage weren't too far off from hers. It made me wonder if this particular bar was more strict on them, expecting them to make more money, sleep with more men, show more of their bodies in order to continue to work there.

At one point, Shawna asked me what Jesus would do if he was there at that moment. All I could think of were the countless stories from the Bible where he befriended the prostitutes and others deemed "scum" by the authorities. I think he would sit in the bar, but unlike other men he would actually look in their eyes instead of at their bodies. I think he would touch them in a way that is loving and caring and not violating. I think he would ask their name and talk with them like they were the only person in the room. And his presence would be irresistable..a light in the darkness.

When we left the bar, we had a few hours left before the sky train closed (making it harder for me to get home!) So we decided to take one of the girls out. In the bars, you are able to pay 600 Baht (equivalent to about $20) to take a girl out of the bar. Most men will pay this to take the girl and have sex with her. But we pay the same $20 to get them out and take them to dinner or just walk around town with them. So that is what we did! Shawna found a friend of hers and we paid the bar fee to take her out. She spoke a lot of English which helped a lot as my three words of Thai will only make people laugh and not create any deep or meaningful interactions! So, we sat at dinner and had a great conversation with her, just pouring as much life and truth into her as we could.

Tonight I go back to Nana with Candice to try to take another girl out of the bar. Please pray for us as we try. We already went last week and the Mamasong (the owner of the girls) was not very happy with our presence and didn't want us to take her. So this is try #2. Please pray hard that God would work everything out so we can spend some time with one of the girls. Thanks again for being warriors for us!

peace.

Sex for sale

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

80 girls, 2 stages....XXX Shows....Dancing girls...."Come here, beautiful women!"..."Hello, Hello, Come here for lady boys!"

More than just the neon signs shout at me as I walk past. It is my first night to walk the open bars and I am overwhelmed by a sense of darkness. With each level I climb, I feel more and more heaviness laying on my chest. At points, it is even hard for me to physically breathe. There is really nothing you can do to prepare yourself to see the Red Light district in Thailand. It is even hard to piece together a thought, muchless a prayer for these girls. But I am broken.

Men are scattered inside and outside the bars. Men that look like they could be my father, my grandfather, or even my college buddies. They are there for one reason; to take home a girl to do with them whatever they please. 60% of the men who come to Thailand come for a prostitute. It sickens me even as we pass them by on the street holding the hands of girls who can't be more than 16 years old. I am skeptical of every man I see on the subway, in the restaurant, and walking by. It is true that it is harder to love them than the girls. But they are broken too.

My prayer is continually drowned by the sound of thumping music. The atmosphere leaves me feeling more like a perverted 50 year old man coming to watch a show than a missionary. But my calling is clear. I refuse to believe satans lies that they are simply having fun or that they enjoy their work. I look up and see a girl whose eyes glisten with tears under the red light thrust on her body, exposing her for more than just her skin. She is broken.

I walk past a man, but he is not dressed as a man. Most likely he went under whole or partial surgery to become a woman and is now prostituting himself to men and women. At first glance he is even more beautiful than some of the girls I see there. But inside, he is incredibly broken.

These girls are just babies. I sat and talked with two 16 year old girls that only started about a month ago. They haven't been with a man yet, but they are terrified. I befriended a 14 year old girl who lies about her age and says she is 19. Last night for the first time I witnessed her being devouerd by a group of American men who were drunk and there for a party. I talked with a 23 year old girl who has been separated from her baby girl. She says she is happy there, but I can see the emptiness in her eyes.

Baby bottles. Food. Large wooden sculptures of male genitalia. They are worshipped. They appease Buddha...the bottles for all the babies that have been aborted by the prostitutes that work in the bars. The sculputres and food bring luck to the businesses. Broken. Lost.

Back in Chicago, I was involved with a minsitry that reached out to men in prostitution. In my time of volunteering with them, God really put a fire in me for the sex industry. I have never felt as passionate about something as this. And I really believe God has me and our team here in Bangkok for a purpose. I never thought God would allow my love for missions and being overseas and my love for prostitutes to come together. And it is draining, but so worth it.

These girls and guys are imprisoned. I don't say these things to shock you, but at the same time I do. I am only scratching the surface the evil that lives here. If there is one thing I have observed it is that where there is evil, it abounds. The door has been opened for satan to reign here, and he has taken root. Hosea 4 talks about how God allowed prostitution because of the idol worship and I believe he has allowed this because these people have worshiped another god. We are fighting against more than flesh and blood here (Ephesians 6). And know that this is not a new thing. It happens all around the world...probably even near your home town. It may not look the same, but prostitution is more widespread than you would imagine.

Join us in our battle as we fight for these girls souls. The whole bar won't evacuate in a day, but I believe we can pray for one soul at a time. What Nightlight does is getting the girls out. Pray for them fervently and that God would speak beauty and truth over these girls lives.

Waiting for the 82nd

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We have been in Bangkok now almost 2 weeks working with an organizaiton called Nightlight. It was started by a lady named Annie who saw the astronomical amount of girls working in prostituion on the streets. She knew there had to be something to get them out of that business. So she started with one gal, asking her to make jewelry. Now, it has turned into a major enterprise employing 81 girls off the streets that actually make all the jewelry. Not only do they sell jewelry to people in Bangkok, but worldwide through their website. This is no dinky plastic stuff either. It is beautiful!!

Here is a little blurb on what they do:

"NightLight Design Co. NightLight is a newly formed organization based in Bangkok, Thailand, focused on "Bringing Light to women and children through physical, emotional, and spiritual healing and through economic development."

NightLight strives to provide alternative employment for women who have been, or who are at risk of being, sexually exploited. They offer holistic opportunities for life transformation and social re-integration to women leaving situations of sexual exploitation. They provide emergency relief for sexually exploited women and children. They offer protection for at risk children and an education on danger awareness. And they build awareness among local and international advocates on the issue of women and children in prostitution and on global human trafficking for sexual purposes.

Through NightLight, women are now involved in an economic and vocational training project making jewelry from silver, semi- precios stones and other decorative beads purchased in the markets of Bangkok, Thailand."

Right now, they are recieving hundreds of applications from girls in the bars desperate to leave the life they are leading. However, the problem now is space. Their buildings are bursting at the seams with workers and materials. So, please pray for them as they are looking to relocate. Also, pray for the capacity to welcome in girl number 82..whoever she may be.

While here, our group has been working on various tasks for Nightlight. While I am here, I am focusing mainly on doing a health survey with them in the bars in the afternoon as well as night outreach on the streets of Bangkok. I will be posting very soon on our night ministry, but please for now just pray for me and my team as we venture out on the streets of Bankok. It is the most dark place I have ever been. If you could even just send up a little prayer as you drive to work or school in the morning, that is the exact time we are leaving to do ministry at night here.

Also, check out Nightlight at:

www.nightlightbangkok.com

You can learn more about their organization as well as look at the jewelry they sell. All the money goes to the girls! So, start your Christmas shopping early :-)

Back to the land of charades

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

WE'VE REACHED THAILAND! I forget how much I love and hate traveling at the same time. All that lovely jet lag and drastic temperature changes. But the in-flight entertainment, the really good airplane food (no joke!) and seeing places like Madagascar and Hong Kong from the air...ahhh! I wouldn't trade it for the WORLD. Literally..hehe.

There is a distinct feeling as soon as you enter Asia. It has been 10 years since I was here last. But it was all too familar to me. Everything here is different; the food, the way the people look, the culture and the language (which has its' advantages and disadvantages. #1. Hardly anyone can understand us..back to the land of charades. #2. We can talk about whatever we want and no one will understand us. yay!) I am thrilled beyond belief to be here. We had our briefings this morning on the ministries we would be partnering with in Thailand and Cambodia (September) and I can already tell this trip is far from being over!! There is so much in store and I can't wait to share with you what God is doing in this part of the world!

Please pray for us as we have entered a part of the world that doesn't even claim to be Christian. Thailand alone is 90% Buddhist and very opressed. We know this will flesh itself out as we start working with the people here so please pray for us. Know your prayers are not in vain. We need them more than you know!

More to come...

Bulembu: God's town!!

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We had the great opportunity to visit Bulembu about a week ago. The story is incredible and I really do a bad job articulating things sometimes, so I snagged the story off the website so you can get a clear picture of what God is doing in this city! Check it out:

"With natural beauty and a rich cultural heritage, Bulembu is located in the Highveld of North-West Swaziland. Bulembu - originally a mining town for the Havelock Mine from 1938 and 2001 - was a thriving community of 10,000 people. The community's infrastructure included a broad range of housing, several schools, a hospital, stores, gas stations, social entertainment and recreational clubs - services that offered a high quality of life for the community's citizens.

Abandoned in 2001 and rebirthed in May 2006 by Bulembu Ministries, today the town is beginning to grow again as people move back and jobs are created. Several core economic businesses have been established and many houses have been renovated for the 1000 plus residents, ministries and tourism industry. Yet this is just a start - progress is only possible as the existing infrastructure is revitalize'

www.bulembu.org

So, essentially this city was abandoned. Driving through, it looks like a ghost town. But this city was purchased by Bulembu Ministries and has been given to the Lord. Many of the abandoned homes will be used as homes for previously orphaned children, similar to the ones in Hawane.

There already is a ministry there called Abandoned Babies for Christ. Right now they have 30 something babies growing in a Christ centered home with 17 staff moms and a couple that is truly inspiring.

This is an AMAZING place. Please go and read more about it at; www.abcministry.org.za

Also, I would like to give a shout out to the students and staff at Teen Challenge in Bulembu. They are studying the Word and giving their lives to him in service and we learned so much from them in our short time there. Thank you for serving US and we really miss you guys!!

Also to the craziest and cutest couple in Bulembu...Karen and Randy. We were truly refreshed in our times with you and appreciate when you shared your heart with us (ok, and your chocolate cake too. We still think about that stuff!)

Ciao SWAZILAND!

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello from easy, breezy, beautiful South Africa! Indeed, we left Swaziland yesterday after our longest stay on the World Race yet...two months! And I have just a crazy amount of things I want to share with you. Swaziland was really one of my favorite countries becuase we had people to really teach us about the culture (that is so HUGE for me!) And the ministry we ended up serving under at Hawane Farm was truly the example of something that is really making a difference! (See below for more details)

Leaving Swaziland and saying goodbye once more was bittersweet (as it usually is this year!) We really don't enjoy leaving a place that has become dear to us but we also look forward with great anticipation to the month ahead of us. On Wednesday, we depart for Bangkok, Thailand. Unlike Africa, Asia isn't all together familiar to me. I was in India when I was 15, but the memory is fuzzy. I am especially looking forward to our time in Thailand and Cambodia as we will be working with ministries that actually get on the streets and work with prostitutes. It is a ministry I have felt called to for a while and I am ready to dive in.

Thank you for your continued support and enjoy these pictures from Hawane. Kids and staff from Hawane, I love you all and will take you in my heart as I go!

the gardens the kids take care of

The homes!

A house mom in her house

Pastor Kevin and Helen

the preschool

**go to the 'check out my pictures" link to see more pics!!

Something bigger than myself

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I could start this blog by listing off the "works" we have done since we arrived at Hawane Farm. I have come to find that it brings me a small satisfaction and relief to list out before you, my readers and supporters the things we have " done" here. Mainly because we have been brainwashed into thinking that life and our successes in life (according to what we see in our own lives and subsequently what others see as well) are determined by the amount of good things we do. Even as Christians we fall into this trap. And coming here this year, wanting to do good things for the people, it is not a bad thing. God has really allowed us to come in and do some amazing things. But I am learning in these situations that it is easy to approach missions with a savior complex. How many work projects can I do, or how many children can I save from the depths of depravity?

I have learned first off, that we are a far cry from actually making a dent as short-term missionaries. In a way, I have come to despise the "short term-ness" of our times in these countries because we don't even scratch the surface of the needs and the joys of the people we are surrounded with. I remember spending four months in Kenya and at the end of that barely even starting to see glimpses into the inner depths of the Kenyans. Any long term missionary will tell you that.

So what I am learning this year is that coming into a place like Swaziland or Mexico or Peru or Moazmbique is entering into something much bigger than ourselves. Coming into a culture, I immediately become a student. This is something I have preached up and down this year, but has become a constant challenge for me to put into practice. And I continually see and feel that trap I talked about before. And the way to combat that is not to share with you the little piddly things we have accomplished in our time these past couple of weeks but to tell you instead about this fabulous ministry that is already taking place! And while I come in with my little three week goals, they are working on 25-35 year goals.

It truly is an incredible thing to behold. Kevin Ward is a man with a vision. He turned his life around out of probably becoming one of the most wealthiest men in Swaziland to care for hurting children. Hawane Farm was started only ten years ago, funded by Teen Challenge in the UK, and it is saving lives. If I went into all the details, this blog would become annoyingly long! So I will just give you a peek into what this place is like. There are 37 previously orphaned or taken out of their homesteads that were physically or verbally abusive and brought into a new family here on the farm.

There are six homes here that house 6-15 children. They each have their own Swazi mother that cooks and cares for them. They go to school every day, and get special attention at the clinic here on the farm. Their chores include planting and harvesting their own vegetables that they grow on the grounds to eat in their homes. They also fish out of a catfish pond so they are getting good nutrition. They also are being taught practical life skills so that they can get a good job as an adult. There is a preschool and church on ground with 30 or more precious ones. And there are men and women to come work at the property every day that are honest, hard working and God loving people.

Some of the children came to the farms nearly dead and you would never be able to tell. They look healthy and beautiful and strong now. The thing I probably love the most about this place is that they are being raised with their culture in tact. They are taught traditional Swazi culture, but taught the God of the Universe over ancestral worship and the Bible and prayer over witchcraft. Everything else remains in tact and they will live life to the fullest on a strong Biblical foundation. The farm could take in hundreds, but as means of being more intimate they focus on 37. They are discipled, loved and given affection, and are truly known in their hurts and deep feelings of rejection and pain. They turn into 37 healthy, strong (emotionally and physically) followers of Jesus Christ and Swazi people. In turn, they will have healthy families and children and grandchildren. And THIS will turn the nation around. I am amazed at this place and these people and the passion they have to see Swaziland come out of the devastation and into a marvelous light. Pray for THEM as they continue to do this job unto the Lord!