17. It is the number of days left on this
Race. It is the number of days until I once again step foot on US soil. It is
the number of days that feels like an eternity. 17 is the number that I love
and hate today.
I am laying here on my sleeping pad, in a dirty room,
sweating, swatting ants off of my legs, watching the seconds of time pass on my
watch, longing to be home. Is it ever going to end? Surreal. That is what this
is. The first two months of the Race moved along rather slowly, then fast
forward eight months, now, stop, slow motion. I guess that is the way it always
is when you are looking forward to something, and I am looking forward to home
more than I have ever looked forward to anything else.
In reality I probably should be grateful
that time is eerily creeping along. After all, I still have no idea what I am
doing with my life after the Race, I am currently traveling the world in Jesus
name with a great group of friends who have become my family, and I am
experiencing things that many people only hope to experience. But if this year
has given me one thing, it is a love for home. Not so much for the comforts of
home (although that doesn't hurt) but for my family and friends. And all of the
countries and experiences just don't seem to equate right now.
So I am going to enjoy and soak up today,
because tomorrow, I'm breaking up with 17.
Our first 24 hours here in Malaysia has
been all but dull. We arrived at 1am. Here are the events that transpired from
there:
1:00am - Dropped off at a 'bus station'
i.e. the curb
1:05am - Get picked up by our contact in a
van
1:07am - Stop at the Malaysian Waffle House
(or Stake & Shake) for a midnight snack
1:46am - Get pulled over by the cops (don't
worry, no tickets)
2:03am - Arrive at our home for the month
2:34am - Finally in bed
9:30am - Wake up
10:00am - Ready to go for breakfast
10:30am - Breakfast comes to us
1:00pm - Ready to be picked up for lunch
and a meeting with our contact
1:30pm - We find out our contact is sick
and our host for the month calls his friend to help transport us to lunch
1:34pm - We ride 2 by 2 on
motorcycles/mopeds to a restaurant close by
1:36pm - I am on my first 2-wheeled mode of
transportation in my life and think I am going to die
1:38pm - I'm not dead.
1:45pm - We eat lunch at a Malaysian buffet
2:30pm - Back at the house
6:00pm - Get ready for church
7:15pm - Supposed to be picked up for
church
8:44pm - Actually get picked up for church
9:01pm - Make it to dinner to be assisted
by several locals who are amazed to see foreigners here. We were offered iguana
and a nice gentleman paid for our drinks.
9:45pm - Arrive at church to what we think
is a worship service
9:49pm - Realize this is really band
practice
9:52pm - We are asked to perform at a
wedding. (Yes, we are now wedding singers!)
10:30pm - Practice for the wedding
1:00am - Band practice over
1:33am - Stop for drinks on the way home
despite politely turning down the offer
1:51am - Load up the van to go home
1:53am - Our contact lets us know that he
has lost the keys
1:54am - Look for the keys
2:10am - Give up the search and get a ride
on the 2 motorcycles 2 by 2 back to the house
2:30am - Finally in bed
This month is going to be highly
entertaining!
(Sorry there are no pictures... the internet is too slow here to upload.)
I cannot believe that I am finally in month
11 of The World Race! It seems so surreal. With this final month of ministry,
even though I have done this 10 times before, I am still learning to adapt.
Our ministry schedule this month looks
radically different from any other month I have had on the race. This is
causing my body to go into slight shock but the good news is that I will not
have quite as much jet lag when I get home. Take a look at this and you will
see why:
Malaysian Schedule:
10:00am - Wake up
11:00am - Breakfast (last month this is
when I ate lunch!)
12:00pm - Free time
3:00pm - Lunch
4:00pm - Free time
5:00pm - Run
6:00pm - Get ready
8:00pm - Dinner
9:00pm - Church Activity
1:30am - Hot Drinks
2:30am - Bed
Every day here is going to look different
but this was our schedule on our second day here. Our ministry is at nighttime
and it is pretty typical here to eat dinner at 12 or 1am and be up until 2 or
3am. Hopefully my body will catch up quickly!
The internet is not working so well right now so I will have to add pictures for you all later! Thanks for reading!
Our time in Cambodia flew by! Here is a
recap of the month:
Weather - Hot hot hot! We
just happened to be in Cambodia during their hottest month of the year. During
our last few days their rainy season began and we got caught in the downpour a
time or two.
Nope, he didn't lay in a puddle... that is sweat!
Cultural Food - I didn't experience
much cultural food this month because we were eating on our own from the
grocery store but I did eat their fried rice which was similar to what we would
eat in the States but with a bit of a spicy kick.
Common Transportation - Tuktuks. These are
motorcycles with a carriage or buggy behind them. The locals mainly use
motorcycles or mopeds.
Lindsay, Kelly, and I in our tuktuk!
Housing/Bed - We changed
locations a few times this month but our team was blessed to be able to stay in
hotels and guest houses with air conditioning. Real beds!
Ministry - We worked with
Cambodian Hope Association (CHA) at their orphanage. I taught typing and
English.
I promise I was more excited than I look. :)
Team - Our team came back
from a month apart and had to readjust back into the swing of things. We
figured that back out quickly and focused on enjoying the short time we have
left together.
To add a little fun to our team Kyle took us to karaoke! The creeper in the corner is our squad leader, Nathan. (He's not really that creepy.)
Spiritual Growth - God is showing me
and challenging me to hope. I am learning more of what it means to hope and
have faith.
Greatest Challenge - The beginning of
the month was difficult for me. Because of the holiday here we did not have
ministry for the first week and a half. During that time it was difficult not
to focus too much on home and the future. Once we got into the swing of things
with ministry that challenge was alleviated.
Verse - "Now faith is being
sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
Favorite Moment - Seeing De Barah
walk. For about a week at the orphanage we didn't know that De Barah could walk
at all, then one day the director held her hands up and she moved her feet, one
in front of the other, and walked to me! I'm hoping in faith that one day she
will be able to walk without help.
De Barah
Favorite Adventure - During our few days
in Siem Reap we had the opportunity to visit Angkor Wat. It was a great once
in a lifetime
thing and we even got to go to restricted areas of the temples! Later in the
month we also got to go to the S-21 museum (where people were held and tortured
during the genocide) and to the Killing Fields. It was hard to see but gave
insight to what happened here not long ago.
Our team at Angkor Wat. (Picture 1 on day 1 at the top of the restricted temple. Picture 2 on day 2 in some of the ruins.)
These are several pictures I took at the Killing Fields. The skulls are inside the monument on the R of the 1st picture group. The 2nd group of pictures was taken at a location where women and children were killed and buried. The bracelets are left by people who visit the fields on the fence that surrounds the grave.
Fun Fact - Cambodians can
carry refrigerators on the back of motorcycles and mopeds! (No kidding... I saw
it! Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture because everyone also drives very
fast.)
They're engaged!!! Congratulations to my sister Kristy and her
fiance Mark! They are a stinkin' cute couple and I could not be happier for
them. To commemorate the engagement I decided to write a poem. Bahaha! Enjoy!
Their Story
Red hair, hazel eyes, and freckles that
outnumber the stars in the sky
He has freckles too, dark hair though,
sometimes a fro
When he saw her on facebook he didn't have
to take a second look
He's not as creepy as he sounds, he's
actually enduring and charming all around
From Georgia to Montana long distance it
began, then they drew a line in the sand
August '09 he pulled up, flowers and all in
a pick up truck
He won her over with put-put and scrabble,
she won him without a battle
Creative, competitive, and crafty they are,
these two right brains will go very far
He bought a ring, I'm sure she did scream
She said yes, now it is time for the dres
For better or worse, till death do they
part, love they will paint like a great piece of art
Putting faces to all of the injustice in
the world has been one of the biggest things for me this year. This month has
been no different. Seeing the kids, some abandoned, some in high risk
situations, but everyone with a story, I have been able to put faces on the
orphans of Cambodia and the world. Here are some of their faces:
Cheat Kea
Hin Pireak
Map Srey Tang
De Barah Rose
This is Bun Theurn:
This is his story:
Bun Theurn is a 19-year-old guy who has
been at the orphanage for three years. He came upon an invitation of the
director after his mom died tragically in a traffic accident. He was living
with his grandfather, a farmer, at the time. He also has four younger siblings
who live at home with his father. Bun Theurn has been studying English since he
was in the 6th grade and is very fluent conversationally. He now
lives in a home with the older youth of the orphanage five minutes away. He
spends his time in school, studying, and helping out at the orphanage. Bun
Theurn also leads the worship at church every Sunday. He has hopes of going on
to study either English or business at the local University. He says that if he
studies English he would like to become a tour guide so that he 'can talk to
many people.' If he studies business he hopes to become a business owner. Bun
Theurn gets to see his family 2 or 3 times a year. They are Buddhist. He became
a Christian after coming to the orphanage. Please pray for him to have courage
and his influence with his family so that they may, with him, find "life to the
full!"
Honestly it is getting harder and harder to
find quirks about the bathrooms these days. Nothing really seems that bad
anymore and I have to actively think about what to write sometimes. I would
just stop... BUT... for those of you that know me, you know that is impossible. I
can't stop now with just two more toilet tales!
This month was another multiple bathroom
month:
Toilet #1
Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia, Hostel
Date: April 11 - 15
Number of people sharing: 4
Quirks: The whole open bathroom thing is
starting to grow on me. Again, there was no defined shower, just a showerhead
on the bathroom wall. There weren't too many quirks here just that our door
didn't shut all the way, and because of the bathroom door's location in relation
to the room door's location we couldn't answer the door to the room when anyone
was in the bathroom.
(for some reason I cannot find these pictures... when I do I will post them)
Toilet #2
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Lucky Star
Hotel
Date: April 16 - 25
Number of people sharing: 3
Quirks: This one actually had a tub! (Which
now serves multiple purposes as you can see below.) I think the last time I saw
one of those was in South Africa 5 months ago. And it did have a showerhead,
but it was child sized. There was no curtain and the shower came up to my
stomach... and I'm pretty short. It was a removable showerhead but if you stood
up and raised the nozzle above 5'2" all the pressure would die. So taking
showers was complicated.
The tub for shorties! The rest of the restroom. Tub also served as a place to do laundry!
Toilet #3
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Guest House
Date: April 26 - May 9
Number of people sharing: 4
Quirks: Tiniest bathroom EVER! The entire
room, shower, toilet, and sink, is in an area only slightly bigger than a
standard bathtub in the US. Seriously, the toilet and sink both take a shower
with me every time. But the thing I hate most about this bathroom isn't the
size, it's the mosquitoes... I really wish I knew the purpose for those things.
The shower The whole bathroom pretty much View when you walk in the door
One of the greatest moments of my life thus
far was during a rowing competition my senior year of college. I have replayed
the few minutes of the final 500 meters of that race over and over in my mind
often, remembering the complete joy and contentedness I felt that day. It was
one of those rare moments in life that I will never forget. The sounds, the
smells, the feeling-they are forever ingrained in my memory.
Pre-race huddle.
In this particular race I was not rowing, I
was coxing. The coxswain is the person who sits in the stern of the boat,
steers, makes the calls, and motivates the crew. For this boat, I was also the
coach. These women had been rowing for just over a month and this was the
biggest race of the year. We were up against 30+ boats and were, by far, the underdogs
coming from a club level team at a small school. As we moved through the first
4500 meters of the race, we overtook a handful of crews, gaining momentum and
drive as we cut through the Chattahoochee River.
Our boat just after it passed under the bridge.
When the final 500 meters of the race approached
I became silent. It hit me in that moment that these four women had rowed a
perfect race and I found myself speechless. Struck with awe and pride tears
welled in my eyes.
I quickly realized that the rowers looked
worried. I composed myself and began coaching the boat to finish the race
strong. With each stroke, they pressed their blades through the water,
increasing speed and propelling the boat powerfully across the finish line.
They finished the race in first place.
Caitlin, Sarah, Me, Susanna, and Rachel after receiving our medals.
As their coach, I could not have been
prouder of how they finished that race. They could have easily coasted through
the final stretch, probably finishing better than they anticipated, but they
refused to accept anything less than their best and they found the drive to
finish strong.
The team walking me down to the river for a post race tradition...
Many athletes, especially those in
endurance sports, know the strange shift that happens when the finish line is
in sight. Somehow, regardless of the pain and exhaustion, something inside
kicks in to make the final stretch the best of the race.
The winning crew gets to throw their coxswain in the water... it was cold!
This is what I hope to find in the final
two months of this Race.
With only two months to go, I can see the
finish line. I can smell the Georgia air, taste the southern sweet tea,
envision my sisters' smiles, and feel the embrace of my favorite person in the
world, Molly Grace. Feeling all of that, it is easy to lose site of what God is
doing here, where I am today. But I cannot finish this Race with regret. I
cannot finish knowing that I had more in me to give. I will finish strong.
I want my Coach to be proud of me; I want tears of joy to well in His eyes as I
give all that I have for Him.
Many Blessings,
Kim
Fall 07 Crew: Catch-22 Spring 07 Crew: (with Melanie Scott)
Berry College Viking Crew
A special thank you to the Berry College
Viking Crew and the 2007 Women's Novice 4+ boat, Catch-22: Susanna Brown, Sarah
Conn, Caitlin Ryan, and Rachel Sussenbach. Also to Melanie Scott who's words
encouraged and inspired my mission in life. I am so proud of each of you! Words
will never be enough.
To say this month got off to a slow start
would be an understatement. Due to the Cambodian New Year, organizations were
not ready for us during our first week in the country. Our squad took advantage
of this time and spent it together in Seim Reap resting in preparation of the
final stretch of the Race. We had an amazing opportunity to go and visit Angkor
Wat while we where there.
The 1st day we went we were one of the last groups to leave and the guard asked us if we wanted to go to the top... we said yes and paid a small amount to go to the "No Access" point of the temple. It was amazing!
We left Seim Reap to travel to Phnom Penh as a squad before our teams split up
to go to our ministry sites. Our team was blessed to be able to stay in Phnom
Penh. Unfortunately our ministry fell through at the last minute. Because of
the Cambodian's extensive celebration of the holiday, we had an additional
three days without ministry. But Kyle worked hard with our contact Chris to
find us a new ministry. On Friday we began serving at Cambodian Hope
Association.
The wall outside the orphanage.
This is an orphanage that is home to 31
children. Our team is going to be teaching computer skills (which I will be
doing) and English to the children. On Wednesday we will be moving to a
guesthouse closer to the orphanage.
Two of the girls... Deborah is the one on the right and she has already stolen my heart.
Here is what a typical day at ministry will
look like once we move:
7:30am - Wake up
8:15am - Walk to ministry
8:30am - Play with the kids
9:00am - Teach computers and English
Some of the girls studying English.
11:00am - Go back to guesthouse for lunch
and free time while the kids rest
2:00pm - Teach computers and English
4:00pm - Walk back to guesthouse
4:30pm - Exercise time!
6:00pm - Dinner time ish
7:00pm - Free time
10:00pm - Bed time ish
I am beyond excited about all God is going
to do this month!
Our month in Phuket, Thailand was great!
Here is an overview of what our month in Thailand looked like:
Weather - HOT!!! It was very
humid as well. I remember one of the first days I was there I remembered what a
hot GA summer felt like.
This is what my shirt looked like after working out... although it wasn't that far from just everyday sweat!
Cultural Food - Rice with various
forms of chicken. One common meal for us was fried chicken, rice, and papaya
salad. We also had lots of interesting street food like corn in a cup, chicken
on a stick, and coconut ice cream in a coconut shell.
Me, Ginny, Lindsey, and Kelly eating our coconut ice cream!
Common Transportation - Open buses and the
back of pick up trucks. The open busses were kind of like ex-large pick up
truck beds with 3 benches that they crammed as many people as possible on. Most
of the time we rode in the ministries pick up trucks that also had benches in
the back.
Riding in the back of the truck to work at the land.
Housing/Bed -More bunk beds. This month we lived in
the ministries guest housing. We had 2 large rooms with bunk beds for 19 women.
Ministry - We spent time this
month forming relationships with 'bar girls' who are involved in the commercial
sex industry with the goal of presenting them with a choice to get out. On the
nights we didn't go into the bars we spent hours in prayer for those who were
out.
The bars on Bangla Road.
Team - This month we were
all with entirely new teams. I was honored to lead team 5:17 of 3 other women.
God blessed us with an amazing unity from the beginning and that continued
throughout the month.
Whole team at The Hunger Games Movie. Lindsey's Birthday breakfast. (Kelly was sick. :( )
Spiritual Growth - God continued to
show me more of what His love looks like and I learned more of what it looks
like to choose love regardless of feeling. He also continued growing my passion
for intercessory prayer; something I am excited to take home as a large part of
my ministry in the future.
Greatest Challenge - In the beginning of
the month I didn't 'feel' much. I was lacking in passion and drive in a time
when I was appointed to lead others and I felt inadequate for the job. It was
challenging to be honest about where I was at with my team but once I was God
honored that and began to use that to teach me more of His character.
Verse - "The Sovereign Lord
had given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He
wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught."
Isaiah 50:4
Favorite Moment - On our last day of
ministry Ginny and I were finally able to meet up with 2 of the women we had
formed relationships with in the bars. We took them to Starbucks and talked to
them about life, Thai words, and coffee. While it was challenging to communicate,
God presented an opportunity to tell the women about SHE and let them know that
they have a choice. We believe that God is still working in their hearts and
that one day they will choose to come out of the bars and they will choose a
relationship with Jesus.
Ginny and I with the ladies at Starbucks.
Favorite Adventure - Phi Phi island was
hands down the highlight. We snorkeled, kayaked, saw beautiful beaches, and
enjoyed a night with AC. You can click HERE to see pictures.
Emily, Me, and Annee having dinner at Phi Phi.
Fun Fact - The word for water
is pronounced 'nam' but if you accidentally say 'nom' you will be saying the
equivalent of 'boob.' ...Guilty? Yes! Also, there really are 7-11's on every
street!
Me and Lindsey at the 7-11.
As great as the month in Thailand was I am
looking forward to what is ahead in Cambodia! We will be doing ministry in
Phnom Phen but as of right now all we know is that we will be working with
youth. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
