This past month Team Bling spent our time on Batam Island in Indonesia. We worked with Pastor Johannes and his wife Tia with their church Promised Land Ministries. During our stay in Indonesia we also taught at Elsadai School (a school that offers a Christian education to children of different backgrounds, i.e. Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc).
Please check out the video below created by my teammate Shannon, which highlights fun times as well as ministry opportunities during our time in Indonesia. There is an embarrassing video clip of me on there...lol so enjoy!
As I am sad to say goodbye to Asia, I am excited to finally be heading home! And by heading home...I mean to the MOTHERLAND...lol! June 1st, Team Bling as well as the rest of H squad will be flying to Johannesburg, South Africa from Bangkok, Thailand. We will then take a bus to Vilankulo, Mozambique where we will be ministering for the month of June. More than likely I will not have internet access this month..but if so, I will definitely try to post something to let you know what's going on.
We need your prayers this month. Please pray for safety as we travel and that God will go before us and be behind as we minister. Also, pray for me specifically...that I will keep my eyes on Jesus and I won't stumble will all these beautiful men around me! hehe... I love you guys and thank you for all your support, encouraging words, emails, facebook messages, etc. It is needed and greatly appreciated! Love ya! :)
This blog is dedicated to my mother...and all the mother's on their special day. Team BLING created a video to send a lil love to our mothers...soo mama enjoy!
I love you soo much and know you are appreciated...even many miles away.
Also, I want to give a shout out to my lil sis, Andrea, and wish you a Happy Mother's Day! Give Jada kisses for me.....I love you all!!!
Here is a lil overview of ministry and fun times during my month in Thailand. Tomorrow I am heading on a plane for Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where team BLING will then get on a boat for Indonesia. Please pray for safety and no obstacles getting through immigration. Also, thank you again for all your blog comments....they really mean a lot. Love you guys!
Group picture of Siesta Sisters with SHE
SHE Girls baking cookies with Bekah
Team Victory with Liza
This pic kept uploading sideways..but check out the connect 4 game
Playing Jenga with Jeap
Bowling with the Bangla Girls
Siesta Sisters at dinner
Team Victory
Model show after getting caught in the rain
Taryn and I kayaking during the water festival
Sunset in Phuket
How we got our name!
Sunrise service for Easter Sunday
I had more pics of the girls at SHE and other ministry pics, but the internet won't let me upload anymore! Hope to get some more up soon...
Here's the deal. When we entered Thailand we were only given 15 day visas instead of the usual 30 day visas. As we are crossing the border from Cambodia to Thailand we learn there is a new rule: 30 day visas are only given when you fly into Thailand, not when simply crossing the border.
So what does that mean?
It means visa runs for the entire H squad. While I was in Phuket, the Siesta Sisters, as we like to call ourselves, (Di, Taryn, Holli, Kim, Bekah, Rachel, and I) made a border run to Bur/ma. Here's a lil video about our border run adventure to acquire another 15 day visa for Thailand. Enjoy and love ya!
The spiritual atmosphere at the bars
is thick.The first few nights we went out, I felt the dark spiritual
climate so strongly it brought tears to my eyes, along with a range
of emotions. Walking down Bangla Road we see bars with flashy signs,
loud thumping music, half naked girls dancing on poles on the bar tops,
while others are beckoning for us to come and sit down for a drink at
their establishment. We are harassed by both men and women wanting us
to read their signs listing different options we can choose from to
have our own personal peep show.
Walking the streets, I also see foreign
men locked hand in hand with young Thai women as if they were in love
and married for many years instead of just the girl they bought for
the night or the week. I also see ladyboys (men dressed in drag) who
quite frankly look better than I do on any given night. Seeing young
children (some as young as 2 and 3) out and about with their parents
late into the night, exposed to things some adults have yet to experience
is probably the most disturbing sight.
And with all this said.. we say speak Lord. Lead us where you want us
to go....speak through us to those who are lost. We meet new girls
each night, but we always make sure to stop by our bars where we've
really begun to establish relationships. The girls we've made some leeway
with we've invited to SHE for lunch to check out the digs, fun outings
in town, as well as dinner dates.
A week to the day we started ministry
in the bars, God started shaking things up. As we made our rounds to
our favorite bars, we made our way to Bangla Sexy 69 bar to see some
of our friends. One woman we had been building a relationship with,
Ice, whispered to Holli as we arrived to her bar that she wanted to
come work for SHE. Permanently? was our question. "Yes, I want
to leave here and work at SHE", she said in a hushed voice. Excitement
washed over our faces as the reality of her words set in. ICE IS LEAVING
THIS LIFE FOR A NEW ONE! I wanted to scream this, but refrained until
a more appropriate time. But alas...can I get an Amen anyone? Please
read Holli's blog -an exceptional depiction for a more in depth explanation
of Ice's departure from bar life to SHE life.
(ICE is wearing the red shirt in the pic to the right)
If I haven't already said it, I am not
with my normal girls, TEAM BLING. This month a lot of teams were seperated
to accomodate the different interests in ministries. Before leaving
each other for the month, Blair presented little bracelets to each member
of BLING so each time we looked at it, we would remember to pray for
each other. Each bracelet had a different word on it....i.e....pride,
guts, heart, etc. I chose the Victory bracelet. It seemed fitting for
the type of ministry this month...and how true it is!
Despite Satan's hold over the bars in
Patong beach (section of Phuket), victory is a sure thing for all of
us who are fighting the good fight. The exciting part this month is
that no matter how much darkness seemed to be lurking, we've already
won. We are not fighting for victory, but from victory in Christ Jesus.
There is power in that statement, so let me say it again...there is
VICTORY in Christ Jesus.
God is moving over Patong beach. Over
the past few weeks we have felt a noticeable difference in the
spiritual climate as well as visably...the area just seems to have more
light...and at night! It sounds funny but that's the best way to describe
it.
Tonight was our last night visiting the
bars in Patong. Team Victory (Holli, Di, Taryn, and I), as we like to
call ourselves, are still processing the last few weeks of ministry.
Saying goodbye to our girls was by far the hardest to do this month
since I began the World Race. Not only was I able to participate in
a ministry I was truly passionate about, but prayerfully through I and
the rest of my teammates, we were able to be used as vessels for the
Kingdom. I believe God will continue to move in these girls hearts even
after our departure.
"Thanks be to God! He gives us victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.
Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the
Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
~ 1 Corinthians 15:57-58
SONGKRAN: A nationwide water fight for the Thai New Year.
April is the hottest month in Thailand... So what better way to cool off than to have an all out water fight!
I had a fabulous time participating in Songkran this year. Can you imagine the entire USofA in a water fight, let alone just your town? :)
Lol...well if you can't, check out this video Di Dinnis of Team Spectacle created about our adventures during Songkran this year. It is definitely something I will remember for a very long time. Enjoy!
Amidst the crazy nightlife lights and mayhem, as I approach the bar I see a bubbly young woman, excited to see us. She gives each one of us a big hug, always with a smile on her face, yet sadness underlying in her eyes behind the smile. I then think about what her lifestyle means. It means using her God given beauty to lure men to her place of business. It means being bought by a man for roughly 300 baht ($8.50) to hang out exclusively with her at the bar, or 2000 to 4000 baht ($60 to $115) to have her for the night. Some girls even have "boyfriends" (men who pay a certain amount year round), so when these men visit Phuket, they have exclusive rights to the girl, whenever and however long they please. I then think of the young woman with the laughter and big smile, but sad eyes....and wonder, how hard is it to keep the act up, after giving her body to a man God has not said, "This is the one I've created for you". I wonder if she knows there is One who loves her...for her, nothing more, nothing less. If she would only love HIM and give her all to the Great I AM, and not "him" with the fast money.
For the month of April I am living on an island in Thailand called Phuket (pronounced Poo-ket). Phuket is a touristy town that attracts people from all over, not only for its beaches, but the plethora of "I am here to please you" women. This month, I, as well as 6 other girls from the H squad are working with an organization called SHE (Self Help and Empowerment, www.shethailand.org). SHE offers an outlet for women who want to leave the bars and prostitution. SHE offers free housing to the girls as well as a way to earn income through making jewelry and chocolates. Ninety-eight percent of the women staying at the SHE center have come to know the Lord already. (Chea!)
We are staying at the SHE center to minister to the girls (and help make jewelry), as well as going out each night to the bars to meet new girls and build relationships. Through these relationships we pray God will work through us to get some of these girls out of the bar scene, learn a new trade, and ultimately come to know the Lord.
Prayer requests:
~Please pray for clear communication as we go out each night into the bar scene to meet the girls.
~That the Lord will cover us from any attacks of the enemy and that we put on the armour of God each night.
~That the girl's hearts will be ready and open for us.
~Also, that we will see the men in the bars through God's eyes, and have compassion for them.
"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him (her) all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders." ~Deuteronomy 33:12
These are just a few things I've noticed while in Cambodia...so you know you're in Cambodia when....
-Drinking an ice cold Zenia green tea with pomegranate is delightful.
- You can choose from a delicacy of teriyaki roasted tarantulas, beetles, cockroaches and grasshoppers admist your other groceries in the open market. (I've tried all of these..yum lol)
-When you order a large cambodian pizza...which really is a small in Amercia...confirmation that we are a fat nation.
-When everyone calls you sister....and it has nothing to do with the fact that I am black.
- When the power goes off at the most inopportune times..especially at night when my body wakes me up out of my sleep to keep from suffocating from the thick blanket of heat in my room.
-When someway, somehow I am mistaken for a Cambodian....a really dark Cambodian with crazy hair... or so Ive been told...
- You are able to immediately fall in love with people...both young and old.
-When a squaty potty is the bathroom of choice (a squatty potty consists of squatting over a hole in the ground...and yeah..) Haha think of the antics you can get into if you miss the hole...
- Mystery meat...truly is a mystery. I've eaten a few pieces of meat that I honestly couldn't tell you what animal I thought it came from.
- When I no longer wear a small/medium but a Cambodian large or extra large.
- When you can ride an elephant in the heart of the city...an elephant that is capable of following traffic patterns.
Ok first can I say that I looovee Cambodia. Team Bling arrived in Cambodia on the eve of my birthday (March 7th) :). This past month we lived in Phnom Penh (the capital city) and ministered and lived with Pastor Keat Cove and his wife Sally at New Life in Christ Church (http://cambodiachurch.weebly.com/). Our main ministry was teaching English at Pastor Keat's New Hope School. We alai gave testimonies and performed dramas to the youth group. Pastor Keat has a great way of getting young people plugged into Jesus....if students want to learn English for free they must attend the youth services on Saturday night and/or the church service on Sunday morning. Otherwise...no free teaching!
Team Bling shared responsibilities teaching the English classes throughout the day. Preschool started at 8 in the morning and classes went until 7:30 at night. We also taught a bible class to students who were interested.
3 of my team were able to also work with a great man of God named Randy for half the day each day. As Liz would say Randy is the Mary Poppins of Phnom Penh. He has his hand in any and every type of ministry you can think and he couldn't be more in love or willing to serve God.
Working with Randy was an absolute blast. I was able to meet some incredible people through him and really see another side of Cambodia. Some ministries we did include: every Friday helping with the school and medical clinic by the dump. The dump is the area of town where all the trash is disposed of (food, hospital needles, waste, everything)....mountains and mountains of it. People live on or near the dump and survive by rummaging through the trash all day searching for recyclables to trade in for money.
Water of Life (Randy's organization) School and medical clinic was created to provide medical care to expectant mothers living in the dump as well as a manners school for young children who live in the dump. Many kids who are from the dump are not allowed in regular schools b/c they usually do not have the best of manners. Water of Life School teaches the children about good hygiene (they are given a shower each day), a nutritional meal, lessons about Jesus, as well as
classroom etiquette. Water of life School has been able to transfer 7 kids so far into the regular school system.
On Tuesdays we would attend the Relocation Center. The Relocation Center is located near one of the slums outside of the city. The Cambodian government set up housing for women coming out of prostitution, but after moving them to this area of town, they abandoned them. The Relocation Center is through an organization called YWAM (Youth With a Mission). At the Relocation Center they offer a medical clinic for pregnant and expecant mothers and preschool lessons for young children. I'm not gonna lie, I was hoping to see a birth or two, but sadly it didn't happen...sigh.
We also washed all the children's hair each week with regular shampoo and lice shampoo. After washing their hair we would comb and style for the boys and give cute pigtails to the girls. YWAM specifically wants the young girls to know their body is a temple and to treat it as such. I had a great time loving on the children, holding absolutely adorable babies (at least 3 peed on me) and spreading God's love.
Other days consisted of visiting orphanages. I think my favorite orphanage was the Cambodian Hope Orphanage. These children may have been some of the most well behaved and loving children I've ever met in my entire life. Their faith in God was soo encouraging bc they litterally are never sure when and where their next meal will come from.
These children spend an hour a day praying to God to meet their needs...and He alway does even in the final hour! Forget faith as small as a mustard seed, these kids could literally move mountains with their faith.
One day we were also able to visit a village about 3 hours outside of Phnom Penh and help out with a medical clinic, hand out rice, share the Gospel, and pray for each sick patient. It was great to be in the middle of nowhere and still feel God's presence. Buddhism is Cambodia's main religion and you can only go a few miles before seeing a Buddhist temple. But these people were eager and open to listening about Jesus and some even gave their lives to the Lord!
So what have I learned in Cambodia thus far? My prayer this month was that I would see God's people through His eyes and not my own. I was able to see his beauty in the small things and be utterly amazed at how much He loves me. I am His chosen and He prepared this path for me for such a time as this. So AMEN that we serve a God who is forever worthy of our praise. :)
A week to the day we started ministry
in the bars, God started shaking things up. As we made our rounds to
our favorite bars, we made our way to Bangla Sexy 69 bar to see some
of our friends. One woman we had been building a relationship with,
Ice, whispered to Holli as we arrived to her bar that she wanted to
come work for SHE. Permanently? was our question. "Yes, I want
to leave here and work at SHE", she said in a hushed voice. Excitement
washed over our faces as the reality of her words set in. ICE IS LEAVING
THIS LIFE FOR A NEW ONE! I wanted to scream this, but refrained until
a more appropriate time. But alas...can I get an Amen anyone? Please
read 
On Tuesdays we would attend the Relocation Center. The Relocation Center is located near one of the slums outside of the city. The Cambodian government set up housing for women coming out of prostitution, but after moving them to this area of town, they abandoned them. The Relocation Center is through an organization called YWAM (Youth With a Mission). At the Relocation Center they offer a medical clinic for pregnant and expecant mothers and preschool lessons for young children. I'm not gonna lie, I was hoping to see a birth or two, but sadly it didn't happen...sigh. 
One day we were also able to visit a village about 3 hours outside of Phnom Penh and help out with a medical clinic, hand out rice, share the Gospel, and pray for each sick patient. It was great to be in the middle of nowhere and still feel God's presence. Buddhism is Cambodia's main religion and you can only go a few miles before seeing a Buddhist temple. But these people were eager and open to listening about Jesus and some even gave their lives to the Lord!
