Let the Adventure Begin!

This is my 4^th day in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I'm still in the process of overcoming jetlag. I'm adjusting to the heat (or at least learning to live with it). I'm learning about the city and I'm proud to say that I can find where I am on the map! I know how to say "thank you" (akun), "no" (ah te), and "yes" (jaa); but honestly I haven't been focusing on language learning yet. That will come soon! The first few days in a new place come with lots of stories! So, I'll start with day 1, build from there, and start painting a picture of life in Cambodia!

Stepping Off the Plane

I arrived around 11am at the Phnom Penh airport after 30 hours of travel and three layovers. I could feel the heat as soon as I stepped off the plane! I applied for my business visa at the airport, obtained it right away, picked up my two bags (at 49.5 lbs. each!), and eagerly made my way to the exit to meet the only two people I knew: Kate and Kerstin. Kate Pieper has been in Cambodia for almost two years and volunteers with World Relief as the Church Partnership Coordinator. Her job is the one that I am filling in for when she leaves at the end of the summer to head back to the states to finish her PhD. We met back in January when came through Indianapolis on a Partnership visit. She's the "resident", knows her way around, speaks Khmer (pronounce Kah-mye), and has her Cambodian driver's license (and driving here is quite an adventure!). Kerstin Pless is on staff with World Relief at the Headquarters in Baltimore. She works in the Communications Department and is now working in Cambodia for one year on the Life in Focus project making videos and collecting stories about ministry in Cambodia. She just arrived as well—two days before me! Kerstin is my roommate and fellow adventurer for the next 8 months! If I write about "we" in my blog, it's probably me and Kerstin!

My First Day

One of the great things about an extended stay in a foreign country is the freedom to take it easy when I first arrive. There is no need to rush around, keep an itinerary, or feel pressured to see everything in one day! I have 8 months to get over jetlag and experience Cambodia! So, my first day in Cambodia included moving my luggage into Kate's house (where Kerstin and I will live for the first 6 weeks), a drive around the city, lunch at a cute café, and a quick trip to the grocery store (that sells lots of Western goods—like cereal, chocolate ice cream, and Pringles!). After our outing, the girls dropped me off at the house while they went to the WR office for the rest of the afternoon. I unpack my bags a little, find some cooler clothes, turn on the fan in my room, and prepare to read and rest a little—but I really wanted to follow the getting-over-jetlag rules by not taking a nap. Well, two minutes later the power went out! (I had heard this was common occurrence here.) Without a fan, it's too hot to do anything but sleep—and being completely exhausted from my crazy travels, I gave in and slept…for 6 hours! I work up to the voices of Kerstin and Tess (Kate's roommate—she's from Michigan and is teaching here in Phnom Penh for two years). I could not believe that it was 8pm! But I felt so much better and awake!

My first day in Cambodia ended with a dinner of baguette and cheese, talking to my mom on Skype, getting an email out to friends and supporters, and heading back to bed at midnight. I had arrived in Cambodia. Let the adventure begin!

I made it to Cambodia!

Greetings from Cambodia!

Wow! I still can't believe that I'm really here! I arrived in Phnom
Penh this morning (Thursday) around 11am Cambodia time (which was 12am
Thursday morning Indianapolis time). My four planes and 30 hours of
travel went very well and my luggage made it too! Thank you for all of
your prayers for safe travel—they were answered!

Right now it's 82 degrees F at 11:18pm. It's hot. I'm sitting in front
of a fan in the living room as I write this! Yes, there is wireless in
our apartment. J What a blessing!

Tomorrow I will go the World Relief office, meet many new people, and
get a bigger picture of what the 8 months will be like here. I'm still
dazed from travel, but I think that everything will begin to feel more
real tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your prayers over the past weeks and months. I'm
really here in Cambodia and I'm very excited to see what God has
planned for me here!

Here are few things you can pray for as a transition to life here:

1. For quick and easy adjustment to the time change: good sleep
at night and energy during the day!

2. That I would be a blessing to people as I meet them for the
first time and begin to work in the World Relief office.

3. That I would be a learner: of culture and people (and language too!).

4. For strong friendships to develop with Kate (who I'm working
with now) and Kerstin (who will be my roommate for the next 8 months).

5. For eyes to see the Lord at work, a heart soft for Him to
mold, and ears to hear His voice.

I'm off to bed for my first night's sleep in Cambodia!

I am so thankful for you!

In Christ,

Katie

16 days, 22 hours, and counting

These past weeks have been a blur and I'm sure the next 16 days will be equally, if not more, blurry. Several people have asked me if I'm getting excited. My answer is usually delayed! Yes, I am very excited. But not "Christmas Morning" excited or "Summer Vacation" excited. This is Cambodia were talking about. A country that I have never been too--a place I'd never even thought about going to (or really knew where it was) until about a year ago. I am excited for a new adventure. I'm excited to see what God has planned for me in this poor, devastated by genocide, slowly re-developing country. I'm excited to see how God will use me and what doors this might open for my future 8 months from now. So, yes, I'm excited, but I'm nervous too!

It's good that people are asking me "How long until you leave?". It helps me realize how fast the time is flying by. I have to make myself think of things that happen these next few weeks as "lasts". It helps me enjoy the moment more, enjoy the cheeseburger more, the American luxuries (that I usually take for granted), and the amazing people that are a part of my life here in Indianapolis. That's what being away from home definitely does for me--it causes me to really understand how blessed I am. I have such an amazing family, home church, sweet friends, and fun jobs. I will miss all it, and all of them very much. So I'm going to enjoy home while I can!

Going to Cambodia

I am so excited to tell you about my next adventure and invite you to
join me on the journey! I just created this blog specifically to share
about my time in Cambodia—what I'm thinking, learning, seeing, and
experiencing in my daily life and through my relationship with God.

So, here's the story…

I have been asked by College Park Church (my home church) to support
our partnership with World Relief Cambodia by serving as a volunteer
for eight months. I will work as the Interim Church Partnership
Coordinator to allow the current coordinator some time off to finish
her doctorate before returning to her job at the end of this year.
Everything has come together in the past month (pretty quickly) and I
plan to leave for Cambodia on April 21st—that's 3 weeks away!

How did I get here? I have been praying for a long while and seeking
the Lord about "what's next" for me and my lifelong adventure with
Him. Just a few months ago I said, "Lord, I'll go wherever you want!"
I went to India for 10 days and caught a glimpse of the amazing things
that God is doing in a country so different than any I have visited
before. God used the Vision Trip to India to open my spiritual eyes
and open my mind to where else He might like me to go.

I left India with Cambodia on my mind.

Cambodia? Southeast Asia? Really?? Okay, Lord. Here I am. Send me.

International relief and aid, with the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the
heart, is what World Relief is about. World Relief Cambodia's many
programs and ministries--like microfinance loans, human trafficking
prevention, and health education—are changing lives and opening the
doors for the Gospel. The ultimate goal is that these programs would
become entirely self-sustaining. Until then, there remains a need and
opportunity for those outside Cambodia to help them grow. As the
Interim Partnership Coordinator I will join this effort by:
communicating the process and needs of these programs with partnering
churches in the States, coordinating trips of churches and volunteers,
and assisting in the development of relationship building and
fundraising.

I covet your prayers as I prepare for and embark on this exciting and
humbling adventure! Thank you for your interest in my life and for
just reading about what God is doing in my life!