East Asia || Day 15

7/30/12 - 10:00 a.m. - A few days later and I'm finally recovered from jet lag enough to write about how the last day of our trip was. After we got back to our dorms on the 25, I showered, turned in my room keys and shower card and began to pack everything up for our long journey home. I finished packing about midnight and laid down for one last night of sleep in my room. But it seems that even though all week I had been craving just one minute of a lone time, I finally had the room to myself and it was too quiet :) I missed all my girls! When you've been sleeping in a teeny room with three girls (it wasn't that small, but small when you fit 4 people and all their stuff and their beds in there) you just get used to hearing people talking or someone being on their phone. It was lonely, and I missed them! I tried listening to music to help me sleep, but I just couldn't seem to fall asleep until about 3 o clock. I woke up about 6 a.m. to get my stuff together, take one last look around the place I called home for two weeks and then met everyone in the lobby about 6:40 a.m. to get on our bus to the airport!

We rode the bus with several of the other Americans who were leaving that day and we all sang worship songs together as we made our way to the airport. It was so incredibly nice to get to sing those songs freely and openly. The bus driver couldn't speak English so he didn't know what we were saying. It was probably one of the best feelings in the world. We didn't have to see who was around or worry about someone hearing us or change the words to hide what we were really talking/singing about.

Once we got to the airport, it took us a little while to find the right terminal we needed to be at. Eventually we figured it out and waited to check in for our flight (we could only start checking in 90 minutes before boarding time). Then we made our way to the gate and waited for our flight, which was delayed about 40 minutes.

Eventually, we made it to the South Korean airport. HOORAY. Wi-fi! Bathrooms! Food! We had about a 4 hour lay-over so we just got to relax and email our families. It was so nice! What was not nice however is knowing that we only had a 2 hour layover once we got to LAX and that we were going to have to make it through customs, change terminals, get our boarding passes, and go through security... That's a lot of stuff to do in 2 hours. Especially when 30 minutes of that is boarding time for your flight... and then your plane from South Korea gets delayed 40 minutes. So as we left South Korea we were a little nervous, but we figured we could make up most of that time in the air, and worst-case scenario we could just take a later flight to Dallas. At least we would be in the United States. Worst, worst-case scenario, we could just rent a car and drive home or hop on a bus. So we weren't too worried, just not looking forward to running through the airport like crazy people.

Which is exactly what we did. Our flight landed about 30 minutes behind schedule. We all got on a bus that took us to the customs area. Everyone was really nice and welcomed us home. But after we passed through customs we found out that we had to pick up our bags, and then re-check them with American Airlines. So we grabbed our bags and ran - keep in mind that all of us had just gotten off a 12-hour plane (which I will recap in a minute) and had to go to the bathroom pretty badly. I was seriously worried that not only would I be running to get through security, but that I would have to go through security and have to explain to them why I'm 20 years old and just wet my pants.

After a long trek of sprinting through the airport, getting our bags checked, boarding passes printed and trying to get through security with the extremely talkative guy that was taking his time getting everyone through and wanted to talk to each person about how their trip was gonna be, where they were going (or in my case how he came home the night before to his nagging wife telling him to take out the trash) we made it to the gate with 5 minutes to spare! Which we all used to go to the bathroom, wash our face, brush our teeth and get super excited knowing we were only one 3 hour plane ride from going home! It was a crazy hour and half that's for sure. But I feel like now I could definitely win the Amazing Race. At one point there was a moving sidewalk that a lot of people were on. I knew I could get there faster if I just ran on the carpet next to it, so I did. They all stared, but whatever. I beat them.

I'll take a little break from all the chaos to go back and talk about the 12-hour flight. It seemed to go by slightly faster than the one on the way there. This time I wasn't as worried about making sure I got sleep because I knew that I could always sleep when I got home. I watched a few movies and rested for about 15 minute increments here and there. This plane was a little smaller than the one on the way there and my seat was in the middle of the middle aisle, so it was hard to get comfortable. However, I was seated next to a lady from India (surprise, surprise) and she couldn't speak English, so she kept asking me for help whenever the flight attendants came around. I mostly just used motions and she understood what I was saying. Then when it was time to fill out her customs form, she wrote her name on it then handed me her form, passport, and a pen haha. I helped her fill it out to the best of my ability. She didn't have the information for some of it, but I'm assuming that someone else would've helped her at the customs area. She was in a wheelchair though, so I only got up once during the flight, cuz I didn't want to make her move around too much, which is why I made the wetting my pants comment earlier. It seriously might have happened.

Skip forward now to our flight home! It was the shortest flight of the trip, but felt like the longest! I did get to have ice water though which was nice! The flight attendant asked me what I wanted to drink and I said "water". He said "with ice?". "YES!". I'm sure the two ladies next to me thought I was a little nuts. They were really nice, but very businessy. I kept checking my watch to see how much longer we had and then as we got closer I kept smiling and I'm pretty sure once I saw Six Flags out the window I started clapping. At that point I knew that even if the plane crashed, at least I'd be in Texas! So we finally made it to the airport! I think if the pilot had come on and said "looks like were gonna have to wait a while for our gate to be available, we're just gonna sit on the runway" I would have gone out the emergency exit. We all got off the plane and waited for everyone from our group to get through and then we made it down the escalators to our friends and family waiting below! It was so nice! Everyone made signs for us and brought us flowers. My mom made blueberry muffins for everyone (I had told her we were all missing breakfast foods!). It was great to be home!

I miss it so much, but I'm grateful that the Lord brought us home safely and for the opportunities we have here!

1 Thessalonians 3: “6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

East Asia || Day 14

7/25/12 – 11:30 p.m. – Last night here! Wow. I can’t believe it. I am so sad to leave. But I am really eager to get home and tell everyone all about it! Today we had the closing ceremony of camp. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone! I just want to bring them all home with me! But I know many of them will do great things. All of the campers left around lunch time and then the volunteers got to hang out and take naps – or “snaps” as the students would say. They kept mixing up the words “nap”, “snap”, and “snack”.

Tonight, our group plus Janice, Neva, and Allegra went to the nearby town to eat and hang out. It was really neat to see the small-town life and how people actually live day to day rather than just seeing the tourist sites in the larger city. We had some delicious food. I don’t know exactly what all of it was, but it was delicious! Cumin Beef (tasted like tacos J ), Kung Pow Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, mushrooms, noodle soup, rice… all so great! Even the rice was great and restored my hope that I will be able to eat rice again after this trip. I mean, everyone knows I love my rice. But when you have to eat it for every meal, everyday… it wears on you a little bit. But alas, I think it will still be on my list of favorite foods!

After dinner, we walked around a bit, mostly people watching and taking pictures. Then we saw Priscilla and the GE group and joined them for some karaoke at KTV. SO FUN! We had our own little private room and sang mostly Taylor Swift songs, with a little Michael Jackson mixed in! It was really nice to get to hang out with all of the “foreigners” (Americans) one last time! On the way back to the university we stopped at a super market and bought a few last souvenirs!

I will definitely miss it here! Taking my last shower was bittersweet. And turning my shower card and room keys in was just the same! So many mixed emotions. I feel like in the last 5 or so days, I have really adjusted to this way of life. I think it will be hard to go back. Although, I definitely took a double-long shower tonight to get nice and clean before our 20+ hour trip home tomorrow! So surreal. This has by far been the hardest experience of my life so far on every level, but also the most exciting, and more importantly the most rewarding. Can’t wait to see where He leads me next! J

2 Thessalonians 3: "1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. ² And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. ⁴ We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance."

My thoughts exactly. My prayer for the students.

East Asia || Day 13

7/24/12 – 8:14 a.m. – Everyone woke smiling and full of joy this morning! CoCo is wearing hot pink pants and a yellow and orange shirt with flowers all over it because she said she wanted to wear something that shows she is full of joy :) .

7/25/12 – 12:14 a.m. – Last day of camp was today! Yesterday – it’s after midnight. I am going to miss these girls and my group so much! But I must say I am excited to go home, too. I think once I get home I will instantly want to come back! I can already tell that I have started getting used to the culture! I mean, I’m basically a squatty potty pro. Meaning that I don’t fall over :) I am excited for the future of this country! Tonight was really special and everyone got to share their experiences and commitments that they have made at the camp and we had a time of dedication. The speaker today talked a lot about eternal values. It was really neat to hear him preach and use verses from the Bible without actually saying “the Bible says” or mentioning God or Jesus. Both Victor and I got to share with the group that our purpose in life and our eternal values are our faith in God and that is what drives us :). I am so excited for this generation of students. They are going to do something special. Last full day in the country tomorrow! I can’t even believe it!

Acts 16: "34b he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family."

East Asia || Day 12

7/23/12 – 1:10 p.m. – On the way back from camp, a boy not from the camp, but who I assume attends the university came up to me and said “Hello beauty, can I communicate with you?”. I was half startled/nervous and half wanting to laugh, but Grace and Bryan were with me so I was just kind of like “sure…”. He said “let me guess, you are from the United States. How do you feel about the current relationships with our two countries?”. I didn’t really know how to respond and Bryan and Grace said something to him in Chinese and then he said “ok, ok. But before I go, I’ve been looking at U.S. billboard. Number one song Call Me Maybe, so can I have your cell phone number?” HAHA I wanted to laugh so bad but I just said “sorry, I don’t have a phone that works here” and he rode away on his bicycle. It was so funny. But I was also a bit startled. But Grace held my hand and said everything would be fine  J And Bryan said that he just wanted to practice his English with me. Then they told me that now I had a funny story to tell all of my American friends J.

7/23/12 – 11:48 p.m. – I GOT TO SEND AN EMAIL TODAY. It took a long time to get on the internet, but I was so glad when I did. The girls worked so hard to get it to work! But it was also sad when I did, because I briefly saw that there had been some kind of shooting in Colorado. It was just a reminder that this world is not perfect and we need to be on guard even at home. I think I am going to miss the way of life though. Not having much internet (well, absolutely no internet) has been really nice. But I know that is more of a camp thing, and not really a this country thing.

Today was really fun! We had mutual appreciation tonight which is where everyone gets to say something nice that the other person has done for them and then give them a smiley face sticker! Everyone loved that! They all said that they loved my smile and that it made them feel welcome and joyful! J That really encouraged me to smile more at home. I often catch myself not being as joyful as I should be and hopefully after this experience I will J. After the mutual appreciation we all took pictures with the smiley face stickers all over us J THEN we had a dance party J They played some music and everyone made a train and went all around the room. They thought that was so fun! Then Jacob started yeling “one more song” when it was over. Emma and I joined him, and then all the Americans, and then all the students started shouting it, even though I don’t think they quite knew why! But Then they played the Cha-Cha Slide! It was hilarious to see them all doing it. Most of them had never heard/seen that song before! They had a blast!

I am going to miss all these students so much! But now there are only 3 more days. I’ve had that Pat Green song stuck in my head all day! I can’t believe it’s almost over! But also, I am so ready to go home and talk to everyone!

While I have been here I have really been having a passion for India. I was thinking about it a lot before I left, but while I have been here it has become more and more apparent. I think that will be my next stop and I’m excited to see what the future holds!

Also, I just want to mention this so I don’t forget: when they say “smile” it sounds like “smell” J. It’s so cute. They say “Your smell is so bright and white. I love it.” And “ Your smell brings me joy” or “your smell is like sunshine. I am so happy when you smell”. So cute. I’m glad my smile brings them happiness J

^{Acts 16: "40} After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left."

East Asia || Day 11

7/23/12 – 12:00 a.m. – Today (well yesterday, since it’s 12:00 a.m.) we had the effective listening exercise, I was a little nervous that our group would not respect each other while they were talking because many of them enjoy being on their phones J But they all did a great job! Everyone opened up and shared and really encouraged the other members of the group. It was a great experience and I’m glad it went well! I am going to miss this group so much! There are only two days of camp left so I am praying that they are great! However, I am very excited to get home! J hopefully tomorrow I can send an email! Only 4 more days.

Lamentations 3:

"32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love.

33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to the children of men."

East Asia || Day 10

7/21/12 11:19 p.m. – Today was relaxing! We went to a lecture this morning about interpersonal relationships, which was very good! And then in the afternoon we had a dysfunctional tower game where everyone is assigned a certain disability or handicap and the team still has to try and build the tallest, strongest tower. Our team failed miserably – the tower fell over before the judging even started, mainly because we ran out of tape before it was finished. BUT that’s ok, because they all worked so well as a team and made sure that everyone did their part, had their say, and that no one was left out! It was awesome!

After dinner was the talent show! It was a multicultural talent show and it was really awesome J lots of good acts!

I tried to call home, but it didn’t go through. I might have done it wrong, I don’t know. But I will try again tomorrow and also try to email if possible. The days are getting better, I think because I know we only have a few days left. But the whole-not-having-any-communication-with-the-outside-world-whatsoever thing is pretty hard and lonely. I am just so looking forward to that Korean Airport. Wi-fi, western bathrooms, HOORAY! HOORAY! J But I also think the flight will be hard to sit through. Just because I will be so anxious to get home.

I absolutely love it here though! I just wish it wasn’t 20+ hours of plane rides away. I love these girls and these people so much! J And their culture! It has really opened my eyes to how international students must feel when they come to America. SO different!

Today I braided Graces’s hair. She has been admiring the braids I do in my hair all week, so she LOVED having me do her hair! J I also taught them the wobble, how to line dance, and how to do the running man today! It is so hilarious. None of them have ever danced before, and if they have it’s like traditional cultural dance, so they can’t really do any of the moves right but they have so much fun! It is so great!! Also, Today was Sue’s birthday and the day after tomorrow is Karen’s so our group bought a cake and we lit candles and sang to them! The cake was so yummy! Only 5 more days! Can’t believe it!

^{Galatians 6: "9} Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

East Asia || Day 9

7/20/12 8:15 a.m. – At 8:15 this morning we woke up and CoCo said “I am really considering God – I need that”. WOW! How neat!! She asked if I could give her more information and I obviously said yes, so we will see what happens. Praying for her!

7/20/12 11:29 p.m. – Last night was weird. I had several strange dreams – one about red riding hood that was very violent. I was having a lot of worries. I just kept praying and praying. I woke up in the middle of the night and my face wouldn’t move. It was stuck in a weird position. I just prayed and it went away. But when I woke up this morning, Coco wanted to talk about God so I know that’s why the attacks were so heavy last night. I still need to talk to her more about it. We had a lecture this morning and the discussion after went really well. CoCo shared how she had seen the Peace in that I have & that it makes her very happy. Then Bryan shared how happy this camp had made him and how he was sad that it was going to have to end.

After lunch, we had Olympics and we played 5 games. One of which was just for the coaches. It was a balloon relay where the coaches had to carry a balloon between their backs through obstacles. Then the last pair would have to pop the balloon using only their backs. Let me tell you – that was the hardest balloon really I’ve ever been a part of and of course I was in the last pairing, which meant that we had to pop the balloon. That balloon never popped. For 5 minutes we tried so hard and my legs were hurting so bad from trying to push against the balloon against my back! Everyone crowded around us and was taking videos, but the balloon never popped! Finally my partner just took it and poked it with a pen, but even then it didn’t pop right away!

This evening was movie night! We watched a movie called 3 Idiots. It’s a Baliwood movie. It was so good!! Although, there were random outbursts of song, which were a little strange! But it dealt with suicide and the pressures of school and parents which is very similar to the pressure that the students face here. Many of them had seen it before, but I pray that because of this camp they can see it in a different light!

Before the movie started, I was just hanging out with Sunny and Grace and I asked if they could give me a Chinese name J They gave me the name “Ruo Lan” (in characters) which translated means “resembling an orchid” because they said I am a beautiful white flower J haha.

Today was better in terms of homesickness – I think because last night I read a lot about Peter & Paul J But still there is only 6 days left! Very exciting! I pray that I don’t feel homesick tomorrow, but can just take in the greatness of being here J I also talked to Peter today and tried to convince him that He should trust God with his problems first, rather than trying to solve his problems, then follow God, but he said he just is not at a stage where He’s willing to do that yet. So we will see what happens and I pray that the Holy Spirit would give me the right words to say to when I am talking with him.

^{Acts 12: "5} So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."

^"24 But the word of God continued to increase and spread."

East Asia || Day 8

7/19/12 10:56 p.m. – We now have only one week left! I still feel as though I have been gone for like 6 months! Today I listened to music on my ohone for the first time and it really made me miss home. Like just going on drives and breathing in fresh air.

I opened my Bible today and saw the verse “man does not live on bread alone” in Luke 4 & read about the temptation of Jesus! It really made me so thankful for His example and knowing that there is nothing we have to go through alone.

I got to talk to CoCo some more today. She said an American boy was telling her about the same God I had told her about and she thought that was really neat.

The speaker today, showed some movie clips. One was from Les Mis and so we got to talk about the Bishop and why he was so forgiving. It was really great!

I am starting to get to the point where I can’t eat the breakfast anymore. All I am craving is a big bowl of cereal and some scrambled eggs with salt and pepper and cheese! There are no (or very little) dairy products and everything is either very bland or loaded up with crazy spices and peppers and oils. So it is getting very difficult. Today I didn’t go to breakfast and just ate a granola bar I brought from home while I was at the coach’s meeting (we have a coach’s meeting every morning).

Maybe tomorrow will be better, but I am really just so thankful for His reminding me that man does not live on bread alone! 7 more days! I think when people ask me if I had fun I will say yes, but I will also say it was very hard. I really think this is a very difficult task. I am not doubting at all, as He is proving so faithful! But it is just so difficult to live life on guard 24/7/ But I am so thankful because this is what I should be doing everyday & I am glad for that. I am so thankful that He still continues to provide me with joy so that others can see that.

Luke 4:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 

¹⁸     because he has anointed me
    to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

East Asia || Day 7

7/18/12 11:12 p.m. – Today was day 2 of camp! We had a great time & I feel like we are bonding more as a group. We ate ice cream, played hacky-sack (which is called Jient Za and is made of feathers and metal) and our group won 2nd place at the improve activity we had tonight! We got to do our performance on stage! I am really enjoying being with our group!

However, it is becoming very emotionally and physically drainging to be here. I know it is the enemy’s attacks, so I am praying against that. But we are all (Americans) also realizing that this is what it means to live for Him all day everyday, fully & completely. Which is a great thing and such a blessing! Too often we do not put 100% into worship and serving Him. But here we must be on guard 24 hours a day. Meal time, group time, sleeping time. All the time. There are eyes watching and moments that we can share with them. We never have alone time – except the shower, which as previously mentioned is not the most enjoyable part of my day. I love these girls & these times so much, but it is hard. But we must remember that if He can die on a cross for us, surely we can live for Him :).

Also, we are all starting to talk in broken English! Just because that’s all we hear all day long! It’s so funny. None of us can even think of any higher vocabulary words. We’re all wondering if we will come home and say something like “Hi. I had great time on trip. It was so fun and enjoyable”.

Today we played a game where you tape a piece of paper on your back and everyone writes their first impressions of you on it. It’s supposed to tell you how other people perceive you and let you know if there are things you should change about your body language, or your attitude. Then we get a chance to talk as a group and everyone can share if there’s anything else they would like the group to know about them. They all wrote that I was kind, beautiful, gentle, and warm-hearted. But one person wrote that I was Snow White :) That made me so happy :) I think it is hilarious! I kept remembering it all day and laughing to myself!

Lamentations 3:

55 I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit.

56 You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears

    to my cry for relief.”

57 You came near when I called you,

and you said, “Do not fear.”

East Asia || Day 6

7/17/12 1:48 p.m. – Thanks to my Japanese bracelet (it says Make Him Famous), I was able to talk to CoCo about who Jesus was. Not super in depth, but it’s a start J She is very into people’s connections & their spirits so I was glad to get to talk to her. She is in kind of a stressful point in life, so I pray she can find peace here and true joy. In our group this morning, we talked about life maps (where you’ve been in life and where your life is headed). One boy said he worked at an orphanage last summer as a teacher and he discovered that the kids turned out to be more of the teachers because they were so joyful and smiled all the time. We talked about what might’ve caused them to smile so much and eventually he said he thought it was probably because of the nice people from the church who helped to run the orphanage J Then Mike said that last summer he went to Bali. He said that he had never seen such beautiful scenery and that when he looked in the clear water and saw such a beautiful fish, he just instantly had a vision that everything in this world would die, and so it is better to have joy! Wow! I mean how amazing??  I hope that through this experience he can find truth & that God will reveal himself even further to Mike :)

7/17/12 10:36 p.m. – Have you ever used the excess water you ring out from your hair to clean your toilet? I have. For 4 days now. That’s just what you have to do when your toilet and shower are the same thing. Today I had hot water for the first time. It was so nice! Except that it’s kind of weird because this strange smoke comes out of the pipe (we don’t have a shower head in our room) & it spits out in random bursts. I can’t tell if the smoke is just steam from the hot water meeting the air, or if it’s some kind of problem, but either way, I’m showering in it.

I’m really missing home a lot today. It has been one week since we left (almost). We are 12 hours ahead here, so in 12 hours it will be one week. The days seem to go by very slow. I think the hardest part is having absolutely no contact whatsoever with people back home. I am reading through text messages on my phone that people sent before I left to keep my spirits up and I am so encouraged and blessed by all my dear friends and their words of encouragement. However, I am having a great time! And I am so excited to see how the rest of the week goes! It is so exciting to see all of the curiosity that they have! Today was the first day I have not really wanted to eat any of the food, but I think most of the Americans are down to the “rice only” phase, as everything else is a little different! J Also, my chacos tan is becoming very apparent since those are the only shoes I have worn since I’ve got here. And I still can’t get enough of the students singing about Joy!

^{John 16: "22} So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

"³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

East Asia || Day 5

7/16/12 4:10 p.m. - All of the Campers have come and I am so excited! We have a total of 5 campers in our room, plus me, Misty, and Karen, so it’s a full room. Some of them are not used to the heat, so they are struggling a little bit, but I pray it would not hold them back. I am very excited and I think they are eager to learn! One of my roommates, Sunny, just gave me some M&M’s J So exciting. She is from Mongolia & is not doing very well with the heat, but hopefully she will adjust. CoCo is our other roommate. She is very sweet & her English is very good. The other girls in the suite seem very nice and I am excited to get to know them & meet the boys in our group! One of the girls, Grace, told me “Oh! You look so nice! I love blonde and blue!” J Blonde hair, blue eyes (I guess blue is close enough to green ;) )

7/16/12 – 10:33 p.m. - We just finished the first day & wow! What a great time. I love the students in my group & they are so excited to learn. They all tell me I am beautiful because of my blonde hair! If any American is feeling a little down in the dumps, I sincerely suggest coming here! They will tell you how beautiful you are all day! They are teaching me a lot of the language and say that I am very good at pronunciation. But the most exciting thing so far is that CoCo told me she can see the Peace that I have! She said she has never seen a person who could be so happy in front of everyone and not go home and cry at night. I pray that she would continue to see this and that a door would be opened to talk to her.

Psalm 4:

"6 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”

    Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.

7 You have filled my heart with greater joy 

    than when their grain and new wine abound.

8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, 

    for you alone, O Lord,
    make me dwell in safety."

East Asia || Days 3 & 4

7/15/12 – 9:06 p.m. - Yesterday & today we have had training for the coaches. It is for all of the Americans, and all of the local students who will be helping with coaching. I didn’t sign up to be a coach, but when I got here, I had been assigned that role. I was very excited, because I think it is such an important role and I am honored to get to be one! My co-coaches are Misty, Peter, and Karen. Misty and Peter are locals, but Karen is also American and is from California.

The training has been very helpful & informative, but I am excited for the campers to get here tomorrow! I have noticed that the local students are really good at encouraging others. When they think someone or something is good, they clap for them. It is so exciting and it warms my heart! Another great things is hearing them sing “You are my Sunshine” and “Joy to the World” (AKA Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog, not the Christmas song) or “God Is So Good” which has for obvious reasons been switched to “You Are So Good”. The theme for the camp this year is Joy and Gratitude. It so great and uplifting to hear them speak about Joy! Everyone is so friendly and wants to learn from each other. I am excited to see how the campers will enjoy the camp. They arrive tomorrow! It is so great to wake up on a Sunday morning and here the students sing about Joy! I just can’t get enough. We had a culture training session today and it was very interesting to see the difference between the two cultures. Also, tonight we heard from the camp speakers and they gave us an overview of their lessons so that we could be better prepared for the group discussions. One of the speakers, Paul Stanley Sr. said, “wouldn’t you like to lay down at night and hear a voice in your heart say ‘Well done my good and faithful servant?’” All of the students thought that was so neat! It brought tears to my eyes – just like when they sing about joy. It makes me so happy! I pray that one day they will hear that voice. He also told a story about his English teacher in middle school or high school who encouraged him to write even though he was a C-student.  He then said that 15 years ago he wrote his first book and tried to call the teacher that had encouraged him, but she had died the previous year. The students all clapped. It was like they were clapping for her in her honor. So cool and so nice. I love when they clap for people! I can’t wait for the campers to get here! Also, it’s kind of weird to think that the first service is just now starting at church back in Texas J

One more thought I had today is that this culture is old. 5,000 years. But the awesome thing is that God has been around for much longer and has been at work here and will continue to be at work here long after we leave.

Reminded how great God is:

^{Deuteronomy 4: "32} Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? ³³ Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? ³⁴ Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things theLord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?"

East Asia || Day 2

7/13/12 – 10:01 p.m. - Wow. So much has happened. I can’t even describe it any other way than humble. Oh, but humble now means using a shower that is also your toilet and is on a balcony and has no hook to hang anything on and has to be operated by a card – and when you get out of it you will instantly sweat again, plus you will immediately have to cover yourself in bug spray. BUT, I LOVE IT HERE. It is so amazing! Here’s a list of everything I have done since I got here:

1. Made it through customs
2. Let strange men take my luggage away from me & promise to take it to my hotel (they did J )
3. Went to Wild Goose Pagaoda and touched a super old Buddha statue with Emma
4. Left the rest of my luggage on a bus where another man promised to take care of it – he did!
5. Stayed in a hotel!
6. Went to a night market!
7. Ate dumplings on the 5^th floor of a restaurant after they shoved us in an elevator without telling us what was happening!
8. Bargained with street vendors!
9. Saw the terra-cotta warriors!
10. Ate lunch at a local restaurant!
11. Ate a small bite of some unidentifiable meat that Jacob bought from a street vendor! It was really good! But definitely not “beef” like they said it was.
12. Stayed in a dorm at a university!
13. Ate duck
14.  Used a squatty potty
15. Took a shower with water that came from about a ¾” pipe with no shower head

First day here recap: we got off the plane at 10:40 and were relieved to find that all of our luggage had made it to China! Praise the Lord! We exchanged our money (it’s really nice to give the lady $60 and get 311 in return!) and then met our tour guide! Best guy ever! I knew I would like him the minute I saw he was even smaller than me and that he had little khaki Capri’s on with plaid cuffs J.

He told us to leave our bags on one bus so they could take them to our hotel and then get on another bus so we could go on our tour. Everything in me and all of my culture/travel training was like “don’t do it”, but what else were we gonna do? So we said some prayers and parted ways with our bags. We went on our first day of touring where he took us to a museum and told us a lot of history about all of the dynasties! He also told Emma she looked like a movie star and gave Jacob his new name: Jake-a-bob. None of the people we met could say his name right, and they all said it this way! We got to see a lot of relics and artifacts. Next we went to a subway (like the restaurant) so that the group could get some lunch. I didn’t eat there, but just had a protein bar, I wasn’t very hungry.

After lunch we went to the Wild Goose Pagoda & got to see the temple there. It is 7 stories tall! It was so nice to learn about their history and culture, but sad to see the children worshipping the statues and then looking to their parents and grandparents for approval. Our tour guide got us a free painting demonstration at the gift shop area so we got to see how they painted with the calligraphy brushes. That was really fun! After that we went to our hotel (our bags were waiting for us J ) where we showered, slept for about 30 minutes, and then went out to the night market! SO FUN! We ate at a restaurant there. When we got there they shoved us into an elevator, pressed a button and then the door closed. We thought for sure we would all be dead soon, but it opened on the 5^th floor - which was really nice and much quieter. We ate some dumplings (really good) and chicken, which Jacob made me eat, since I had been passing up that opportunity – didn’t want to deal with the bones, but it was really tasty. After dinner we did some shopping and then met went back to our hotel for some much needed rest! We went to sleep about 11:30 and then woke up the next morning about 7:30 and checked out of our hotel then met up with our tour guide and got ready for our next day of touring!

We went to the terra-cotta warriors! It was so pretty in that area and exciting to see the warriors! Never did I think I would be seeing those in real life! Once again our tour guide got us some good deals and we got a free tea demonstration at the tea house on the property! It was so good! And we all got to sample different types of tea. Next we walked to a nearby restaurant where we got chicken, beef, rice, noodles, and cucumber. All delicious! We also ordered a shrimp dish that came with fried tea leaves! SO GOOD! I don’t eat shrimp, and these ones were whole so I couldn’t bring myself to eat them, but the fried tea lives were absolutely delicious. They were kind of like less greasy potato chips, but tasted much better!

After that, we traveled for about 2 hours to the university. On the way there we spent a lot of time talking with our tour guide. He was so nice to everyone and we all showed him pictures of our family! I was showing him things I had sewn and he told me that if I found a man to marry me it would be like he won the lottery because I have good wife skills haha. He said so many great things to everyone and a lot of funny things, that were really only funny because of the translation difference. For example “people say I have a young baby heart” instead of saying he was youthful, and “couples go over there and talk love” haha.

We got a little lost as we got closer to it because it is farther from the city and there are a lot of country roads. Eventually we made it there! Once we arrived everyone was so nice and extremely helpful! But it was so humbling. It is a very nice university! But it’s about the same temperature as Texas and they don’t have air conditioning, elevators, or separate shower/toilet/sink areas. It just makes you realize how much easier things are – also, you can’t throw toilet paper in the toilet. So you just put it in the trashcan. Everyone is so nice and curious about Americans. It’s such a great culture!

First 36 hours here!

7/13/12-10:48 p.m. - Prayed asking for a word of encouragement, opened directly to the first page of Matthew. Reminded that if He can be humble and born to a strange family situation in a barn, then surely I can be humble for 2 weeks.

Also, seeing the city wall earlier today reminded me of Nehemiah. It also brought to mind the ancient work here, and that we are not the first people in the body to come and do work here. He is with us.

My prayer for these people, that they would destroy the old ways in which their ancestors worshipped and confess their sins and come to know the on, true God:

Nehemiah 9: " ¹ On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. ² Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. ³ They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lordtheir God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. ⁴ Standing on the stairs of the Levites were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. ⁵ And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.”

“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. ⁶ You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."

East Asia || Day 1

Written somewhere in the air over the Yellow Sea around 9:00 am Korean Time - At 2:45 p.m. (CST) we met at DFW airport to get our bags checked and go through security. Everything went smoothly and then we waited around until about 4:45 when we boarded our flight for LAX. ICE CUBE was on our plane to LA! I totally made eye contact with him while Emma giggled behind me from nervousness and Alex snapped a picture. That plane ride went fairly smooth. There was an Australian family behind me. There was also a Hispanic couple next to me that only spoke Spanish - I accidentally squirted my water bottle on them while I was trying to open it, but they were asleep so they didn’t notice, thank goodness. We flew over lots of deserts and mountains and combinations of the two. I had a window seat, so it was nice to look at. About 6:15 (PST) we arrived at LAX and made our way across the street to the international terminal. We ate some tacos (pretty good, but no Tex-Mex J ) and hung out for a while before going through security. Nearly everyone in our group got pulled aside to have their bags re-checked. Mine was because I had several books stacked up in my backpack, but I had a nice conversation with the TSA agent and then went on my way. Once we were all through security, we began the long wait for our flight, which didn’t leave until 11:50 p.m. (PST). The international terminal seemed like a wasteland. There were hardly any places to buy things and with all the internationals, it seemed like we were already in a different country. I sat in a little corner by a “restricted access” door for about an hour so I could charge my phone. Eventually, it was time to get on the plane! The plane was super nice, and fairly roomy – maybe not 12.5 hours later, but still way more room than the LA flight. Stacey switched seats with me so I had a window seat! It was night the whole time we were traveling, which really helped because it was somewhat easier to sleep. Although I probably only slept about 4 hours total. I had taken a Benadryl because I have a bit of a cold/allergies. That also helped me sleep, but mostly I would feel like I had been asleep for hours, only to wake up and see that only 30 minutes had passed. I watched several movies on the plane – each seat had it’s own screen with lots of movie choices! After what seemed like a very long time, we arrived in South Korea! We went through security once more (where my bag had to be screened twice – darn books!) and then waited for our flight to our final destination! We arrived at 4:25 a.m. on July 12, so we never had a July 11^th! The airport was pretty dead, but we walked around anyways – had to stretch after that long flight! We discovered that Korean airport bathrooms are really nice and classy – and kind of futuristic! Then we took advantage of the empty airport by stretching out and taking naps. We then got ready to board our last flight of the “day”! They served us a meal – which I wasn’t expecting, but it was really good! I had beef & noodles with snap peas & carrots. They also had something called “morning tofu”, which I did not eat despite its cute packaging. I also got some coffee in hopes of helping me not be so sleepy as we will be touring around this afternoon!

9:35 am (Korean Time) - Opened the airplane window and saw China for the first time. WOW! It was south of Beijing, somewhere around Baoding. Beautiful mountains. Instantly makes me think of Ancient China and all the people that have probably passed through those mountains. Makes me excited for China’s future. The whole time we were flying it was cloudy so I couldn’t see anything once we left Korea. Opened my window for a peak once we were over land again and WOW! I’m so tired, but just can’t stop looking!

^{Ephesians 6: "19} Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."