this past week and a half was nothing that I expected it to be. My last email update said that our team was heading to cambodia on last thursday, that my german friend Ute was joining us and that we'd be back in about a week. Well...scratch those last notes and let me tell you what really happened!
**eh eh eh...clears throat****
It all started earlier in the week with a man named Erik. My teammate Christine met a man in an internet cafe named Erik. He's an older gentleman, from Canada and dying of Cancer. She saw him laying on a couch in the cafe crying and had compassion for him. She started a conversation with him, found out about his condition and quickly was attached to showing this man love and being his friend. Erik doesn't think that he is worthy of love and attention. He is abrupt and reistant to friends. His condition has worsened and he needs to go to the Canadian embassy to get a flight home. She offers to take the taxi with him and help him out. He tries to pay her and others when they help him...he doesn't think he's worthy of friends and people who just want to help him. Well, his health is deteriorating and he's admited to the hospital. The doctors only give him a few days to live.
So, it's wednesday night and we're supposed to leave for Cambodia the next day. We have our daily team meeting and Christine feels that God wants her to stay with Erik. She needs to be with him during his stay in the hospital and his last few days. We discuss as a team our options. Do we split up (a few of us stay and a few go), do we all stay or all go. Well, none of us felt right about splitting. We are a united team that God has brought together, we stay together. And since Christine says that God wants her to stay...okay, we'll stay for a few days. Well, with this decision, Ute decides that she's spent enough time in Bangkok and wants to move on to the islands. I don't blame her...it's not a great city to spend much time in.
I am disapointed because I feel like it's a missed opportunity with her. But the week that we spent together was amazing. We spent much time talking, learning about each other, opening up and sharing our own life expereinces/beliefs. She joined our team one night for our singing worship and enjoyed it. The night that she decided to not join us in Cambodia, we had a great talk. We talked about God's miracles, believing in things we've never seen before, and praying. She has some stuff going on back home and asked for prayer. So, I asked her if we could pray together right then. She agreed and it was beautiful to hear her pour out her concerns and heart to God. RIght after that, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me that I needed to give her my Bible. The funny thing is that back in New Zealand, I actually felt like God wanted me to give my Bible away when we were on missions outreach. I even looked at Bibles in a store in New Zealand, thinking that I could buy another one to give away. But no, God wanted me to give mine away. Even since then, I feel like I've been preparing it for someone. When I met Ute, I thought it might be her, but I wasn't sure. THat night after we prayed, God wanted me to give it away right then. So, I asked her if she would accept my Bible. She agreed and was excited. But she felt uncomfotable taking mine so we agreed that she's only borrowing it until we meet again on the islands. I'm going to pray about it, but I'm already pretty sure that she is meant to permanantly keep it. Our last night we hung out we had another great conversation about God. (As a side note,what I love about our talks is that she's the one who is curious and asks me questions. I never have to push her or bring it up. SHe is pursuing GOd and wants to know.) So, Ute said that she wants to keep praying to God and wanted some advice on how to do that. We talked about what she wanted prayer for and I explained that everything she said to me, she could say to God. There is no formula, no fancy words, no right way of saying it. God just wants a conversation with her. She can share all her emtions, feelings, thoughts..all of it in a jumbled mess as well! It was such an encouragement talking with her. SHe left the next afternoon and we're communicating through email until we meet up on the islands again. She could use some prayer as she is searching out God!
What happens with Erick: Erik's condition does not improve, but his attitude does. He begins to accept Christine, Bryan and Steven's love and friendship. They spend a lot of time with him at the hospital. He still doesn't want them to pray for him, he is resistant. They have many great and many discouraging conversations about God and what he believes. He is basically a man without hope. By the weekend...it is time for us to leave. Our visas in Thailand are up and we have to leave the country to get new ones. So, they say their goodbyes to Erik, leave him with a Bible, a worship CD and Steven leaves him his CD player. I know that it was difficult for them to leave him...but they have shared God with him and now it's between God and Erik to figure out the rest. God is always more capable than we are.
On saturday afternoon, the day before leaving for Cambodia...we are all relaxing (in the airconditioned lounge) of everyvody's favorite Starbucks. We start up a conversation with a man named Daniel. He is from Atlanta, Georgia...he's 19, just graduated from High School and has been traveling the around (greece, turkey, syria, thailand) alone since september. He's waiting for his plane to leave in a week and has already been in Bangkok for two weeks. He's bored and tired of the city. So we did the obvious thing (sarcastic and amused tone) after talking with him only a little while and invited him to Cambodia with us! He thought about it, joined us for dinner that night and agreed to meet up with us in Cambodia the day after we leave.
God is amazing! I knew that someone was supposed to come with us to Cambodia and when Ute wasn't coming, it just didn't seem right. What a blessing to have him join us. We left early sunday morning and took a mini bus to the border. Went through the border, got on another non-airconditioned, not comfortable, dusty bus and started out. It's about a six hour drive to go about 150 K. It's known as the worst well-traveled road in the world (according to lonely planet). I beleive it. It was a washboard the entire way, swerving, potholes and dusty. But the scenery was amazing. I found out during that drive that I absolutely love Cambodia. THe part we drove through is flat, dry and you can see for miles. THere is a lot of farmland and small local villages. We stayed in Siem Reap for about five days (by the way, the food is amazing, way better than thai food). Daniel joined with us a day later. We spent our first day resting. We got into town really late the first night, so we just spent a day resting from all our travels. It was well needed and great.
THe next two days were spent at Ankor Wat. Ankor means city and Wat means temple...it's essentially a city of temples...in the jungle. We're up in the green jungle hills of Cambodia. These temples used to be for hindu gods, then a few centuries they turned into buddhist temples and now they are mostly ruins. A few monks reside there but it's mostly run-down temples with tourists everywhere. What I loved about this place was the jungle. The trees and vines are taking over these temples in miraclous ways. WHen I have a chance to post pictures..you'll see what I mean. There are buildings with gigantic trees coming out of the top and their huge roots wrap around columns and climb up walls. I love trees....I have a small fascination with them and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen...the jungle (God's creation) taking over these temple ruins. We even watched the sunrise over the main temple one morning and had a praise and worship time (singing, reading scripture and praying). It was freeing and beautiful to give God glory in this place. While we were there, we spent our time talking with Daniel, getting to know him and blessing him when we could (paying for his meals, helping him out however we can). It was great to just show him love.
While we were at the temples, we encountered a lot of the children there. They are as young as four and as old as about fourteen. THey wander around selling things to the foriegners. Bracelets, books, whatever. THey are pushy and they say that they need the money for school and it's so sad to see them. It's so easy as a tourist to just brush them off. But even though we didn't always buy things (you never know where the money goes), we would offer them food or just talk with them. There was a girl about 12 named Dala (sp?) that we talked to for a while. We actually talked about God and found out that her best friend's family are christians. (these kids speak great english by the way). We listened to her and shared with her about God and Jesus. THen we offered her a Bible and wrote a note to her inside. She was very excited to get it. I never thought we'd minister to these children...but they need hope in their lives too!.
After two days at the temples, it was time to move on back to Bangkok, Thailand. All of us packed into taxis this time (not big bumpy buses) for a quicker, cooler and less dusty ride back. Well, I prefer the bus. These taxis drive that maniacs! Swerving back and forth, flying over bumps and basically just making me feel sick. I've never been so ready to get out of a taxi. We made it through the border, grabbed another bus and headed back to Bangkok. We spent a last meal with Daniel and said our goodbyes. He flew out the next day to Greece and we had a day in Bangkok before taking a night bus.
So, we had a day to hangout at the Bangkok YWAM base. THen onto the night bus we went as we traveled down to the south of Thailand. We are currently in Krabi, an oceanside town. We will stay here a while (not sure how long) and head to the islands after this. And that is the most updated news of our team.
I know that this was a ridiculously long email. Forgive me my wordiness...but I felt like there was so much to say. Thank you again for all of your prayers and encouragement. Please pray for Ute, Erik, Daniel and Dala that God continues to work on them and speak to them. Please pray for the encounters that we will have here in the south.
I love and appreciate you all!
God Bless,
Nicki
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