More pictures

Here are some more pictures that I have found truly capture our trip. :) Hope you enjoy!

Yep, I was just as shocked as you are...

Team photo!

An awesome family I got to interact with. Keep them in prayer, please.

Yes, that's me on a motorcycle. No, I did not drive, just rode. :)

Teaching "Duck, Duck, Goose!"

We know how to have fun!

This was my team at a camp we participated in. The boy to my right is Hansel.

Here is one of our wonderful friends! :)

pictures :)

These are some pictures that Andrea has taken throughout the trip. They are really in no particular order. She was thinking ahead enough to bring her camera cord so she could post some and was gracious enough to let me borrow a few. I will be posting more when I get home. Enjoy!! :)


This is a local seminary that ones of our friends teaches at. What an awesome opportunity and blessing!



This is one of our first days. That green drink is an avocado drink. They add chocolate ice cream and it tastes just like a banana split! :)









This is Brandon "cutting" the rubber tree...it actually bleeds pure rubber!











We were driving up a mountain with some family friends and this was one of the many beautiful shots!









Actually this reminds me of the cover of a Nicholas Sparks novel. This was the road as we were getting into the cloud on top of the mountain!









This is Andrea and I with some ladies that we were privileged to share with :)







Working at a kids club (VBS). These are our two wonderful translators!!!

This was at one of the beaches we got to visit! It was so fun!! :)

yay updates!

This is probably my last update here on blogspot. It is made up of a couple e-mails that I recently sent to some people.

Home in 4 days.

E-mail 1:

Well here comes an unexpected update! We didn't think we would be in homes with internet again until Monday but here we are enjoying God's goodness and also getting to use some brief internet! :)

To begin my update: Dad is good, and yet sometimes there are trials. My uncle passed away in his sleep while I have been here. I am hoping I will be able to attend his funeral just a couple short days after I return from SE Asia. It is very hard for me right now, as I already miss him. I was planning a visit once I got back from this trip. Please keep my family in your thoughts during this time.

So the last few days have been a whirlwind of activity. As we grow closer as a team we are learning the things which really annoy us about each other. Please keep that in your thoughts for me as I notice not only the faults of those around me but also my own.

We spent a day and a half on a few beaches talking to people around the area. It was a very good opportunity to share things that we believe in. Dad opened up some great conversations. Also during this time we had an interesting night in a hotel. Andrea and I woke up at 3 AM to something big crawling around in our room. When we turned the light on it stopped so we just slept the rest of the night with the light on hahaha. GREAT cultural experience!

We have met many great people and I can't wait to share about all of them! I have many many pictures and tons of stories to go with them. Yesterday we arrived in another town and we spent the night with a great couple! Today we spent the day with some great family friends who have been very gracious to us. They recently lost a daughter and yet they were so willing to talk to us about her and share about her.

The day was relaxing and we ended our time with them with a few rounds of Apples to Apples. Great game! I know this e-mail was somewhat scarce on details but I'm sure you can understand why due to the nature of our activities. PLEASE ask me questions when I get home about everything I experienced because I can guarantee I'll want to share.

Love you all and hope to see you soon! :)


E-mail 2:

This is most likely going to be a short update. I might send one tomorrow, also, but it will also be short.

We spent Thursday evening - Saturday morning with some AWESOME families. They were able to really take us in, answer some questions (well...lots of questions) we had, encourage us, be encouraged by us, and just love on us for a few days. One of these families has recently lost a daughter and they were able to share with us all about her life and even show us a slideshow of pictures of her. She truly was a beautiful young girl who had such a heart for Jesus. She was only 9 when she passed away.

Saturday morning we got to tour a local mosque and ask questions and learn about the religion. It was very interesting and definitely informative.

Before going to the mosque, however, Andrea and I had to figure out how to get out of the front gate! The couple we were staying with had left around 5:30 AM for another city and we couldn't find the key to unlock the front gate. Well, in long skirts, we hopped the fence. Somehow Dad was very merciful and I did the fence hopping quite gracefully as opposed to my normal clumsiness.

After the trip to the mosque we went to lunch at a cute coffee/rubber tree plantation. I have some great pictures of the rubber trees. If you cut them, pure rubber pours out!

We then came back to "home base" and went out to the mall for dinner. Then we went and saw The Dark Knight. (the new Batman movie) It truly disappointed me with how dark it was (no pun intended). I probably won't watch it again...

Since then we have slept, gone to church, and gone out to lunch. We left lunch around 3 PM. Probably won't even WANT dinner for awhile seeing as it is just now 4:40 haha.

Miss you all!!

Much love,

Becca

P.s. Continue to keep us in your thoughts as my uncle's funeral was moved to this Tuesday and I will be unable to attend. It has been very hard being away from my parents right now. I really appreciate your thoughts. :)

As you can see, much has happened since my last post.

I am very excited to come home now, as it is hard to be away from family during this time but I truly am sad to leave the friends and family I have met here. I hold them all so close and it will be hard to be half a world away.

Hope to see you all soon!!

Another Update :)

So I have another chance to update. It may not be long, and it may not be very detailed but here goes.

Yesterday was interesting. We set out from a city to our home base around 10:15 PM on Saturday night hoping to arrive back in our home area by 4:15 AM the next morning...We did just that. We all slept at a neighbor's home and then moved back to our base around 12 the next afternoon when we all woke up. We used the whole day to rest and tour the area.

I chose to stay at the house all day. I have been selfish in some things and I used that afternoon to work through those. I am doing much better and I believe I am benefitting the team much more now.

Today we were supposed to leave and go to another city for 5 days but we are not leaving until tomorrow. Things are ever changing here and that has definitely been a stretch for me.

We will leave tomorrow for a few days and by the time we get back, there will only be 3 or 4 days left of our trip. It is crazy to think it is almost 1/2 over!!

Actually, it IS 1/2 over. Wow!

So today we did some quick shopping, and potentially our last chance at updating until we are almost ready to come home.

As I sit here next to Anthony (he is on the computer next to me) I am very excited to get going to the next city. We will be doing different work than we have already experienced. I am very much looking forward to it.

Dad has been very good and I have many stories to share with everyone when I return! Some are exciting, some are funny, but all are encouraging.

Please continue to keep us all in your thoughts.

Hansel is still daily in mine (as is his sister Gretel...no joke, that's her name). There is work to be done.

1 John 4:4

update!!!

This update is guaranteed to be quite long seeing as it is composed of three e-mail updates I have sent.

I did not think I would really be able to update my blog, or that maybe it wouldn't be the safest idea, but seeing as everyone else is...I guess I'm fine...here goes!! Please enjoy...and feel free to comment :)

Update 1:

Hello all!! Dad has been super good to us thus far. Everything has been provided. After an almost 30 hour travel day we have arrived. We slept almost 12 hours last night and then had a relaxing day today. Plans are constantly changing but everything has been going well. It has been a blast!

We had nasi goreng special today (fried rice special). It was awesome. Remind me to tell stories haha. We also had some cultural experiences. Squatty potties are not the most fun but they are DEFINITELY an experience! :)

The families we have met have been awesome. Miss you all. I will update more later.

Never thought a cold shower would feel so good. ;)

Feels a lot like Oklahoma actually. Something I could live with. The work all starts on Monday. Can't wait to share more!

Update 2:

Selamat Pagi!

Good morning! I say that because, even though it is 5 pm for me, it is just barely 3 am for you! :)

It has been a blast here in SE Asia. Unfortunately, Dain, one of our team members, had to fly back home yesterday due to a staph infection which was getting slightly out of hand. :( We all miss him and definitely feel the hole on the team. However, dad is good and all is being worked out.

Andrea also came down with a bacteria which she has been fighting off for the last 3 days. She is finally feeling better, but is still working on getting her strength back.

We spent the last two days working with high school age kids at a camp. Again, dad is good. I met a little boy who is absolutely adorable. Wish I could bring him home.

The food is amazing. I have absolutely fallen in love with it. Maybe I will return after college for a prolonged stay? We will see. I'm sure my parents want a say in that. (Love you both!)

I have found a deep love for the people. I have had a very encouraging experience through them.

The culture is different (squatty potties and mandi) but I have not experienced any culture shock. I think that's because I'm used to traveling. Whatever the reason, I am truly grateful.

I have not truly been missing home until today. This was the first day of struggle but it has not been bad. Keep all these things in your thoughts, please.

I have many stories I am bringing home. If I don't start in on them instantly, please ask me about them; I truly want to share.

Please keep some friends of ours in your thoughts, as they have recently lost a family member.

The food is wonderful (even though I already said that). Also, the weather is not so different from the Midwest. I found that all those summers in Oklahoma have helped prepare me. Although, I do understand why they shower here about 2-3 times per day! ;)

Also, camping when I was younger (in tents with the bare minimums) definitely prepared me for this camping experience. We took a beautiful hike. Dad was so good to us.

Can't wait to share with you all!! Please feel free to write back, ask questions, etc. I'd love to start sharing now so I don't forget. I have taken many pictures and have written many pages.

Update 3:

Hello all!!

I know; it's crazy that I got another chance to update so soon! Tonight we have a lot more time. There is a meeting at the home we are staying out so we are out and updating for the evening. :)

This will be by far more detailed and probably more emotional than my last updates. Today was a relax day and so we were able to discuss, etc. all that has been going on!! :)

Since last night not too much has happened. We have moved to a different house for a few nights. This house has AMERICAN toilets :) I can't express the joy. Not that the local toilets are horrible, in fact, I have come to be fine with them...but sometimes a taste of home is nice.

Speaking of a taste of home, we had Wendy's yesterday. Strangely enough, I don't crave "home" food here. I have enjoyed the local taste and culture.

Again, speaking of local culture...

Here in SE Asia, they do not use toilet paper. The local tradition is scooping water from a bucket and just washing yourself down...but I'm sure you can all imagine what you must use when you do a little more than get rid of some water. None of us have dared try it...until tonight. Don't worry mom and dad, it wasn't me! Our (fearless) team leader, Anthony, has decided that since we are out for the evening, he had to go to the bathroom, and none of us had tp, it was his duty to become a local. :) Needless to say I gave him more than enough hand sanitizer after he was finished.

Today, as I said, was a relax day and we had our first official team meeting since arriving here. It is hard to believe that 1/3 of our trip is already over.

During our meeting we discussed things we do and do not like about the area. Surprisingly, there are not too many things we don't like. The ONLY thing I have discovered is the open sewers. Other than that, it is SUCH an interesting and busy place. There is much work to be done here, and I would love to return next summer and help with that work.

I have been fighting tears for the last 1 1/2 days. I had no idea why until the end of our meeting today.

I have been so heartbroken. It's not an issue of longing for home. It's not an issue of hating it here. It's plain and simple heart brokenness. I see so many people hurting. So many people in poverty. So many CHILDREN who need love and I am here to give it to them!

One boy in particular has been FIRMLY placed in my heart.

His name is Hansel and he is 12 years old. I met him at the camp we recently helped run and I will never forget him. We took many pictures together and if I could, I would adopt him. He comes from a divorced family and lives with his grandparents. I was face to face with the very kind of work I desperately want to do after I graduate from the university.

I did not know about his family situation until the last day of camp and it suddenly made sense why he was so attached to me and I was so drawn to him. I tend to have a connection with kids in these situations. Now that I had been face to face with it, what am I going to do with it? 3 weeks is obviously not enough time to do anything. However, he is on my heart daily and I am always thinking of him.

So I have a decision to make. Will I take this heart brokenness, eventually move on, and never look back? There is NO WAY I could do that. There was another girl at camp whose father has recently passed away. Also, there is a family we know who has recently lost a child. I have cried SO MANY times on this trip from knowing there is work for ME to do here.

Dad is good. I am seeing opportunities everywhere. There is still much to report, but this has been the biggest news so far. My tears are not wasted. They are kept record of, and I will put these desires to good use. A friend of mine wrote me a letter which I read last night (just in time!!) and it had this quote in it, "When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it." (W. Clement Stone)

This quote could not have come at a better time. Especially with the chance to deal with my emotions today.

I realize it is 7 AM for everyone at home. I know you will all be getting up soon and getting the chance to read this. I hope you will keep it all in your thoughts and please be willing to ask me about it when I get home.

These children need love. I have that love to give. I just need the opportunity.

MUCH LOVE!!!

Tonight...

I leave tonight...

God has calmed me down quite a bit since yesterday. My anxiety is really decreased. My excitement is extremely increased. I love my team. God is so good.

Now to pack...

Be back in three weeks. Keep the faith. :)