Bring On The Rain

Hello friends!

We are currently 11 days from leaving America!
WHAT?
We are SO excited and cannot wait to begin our adventure.

Sorry this post is full of scattered thoughts but that's kind of what our lives are like right now: trying to see everyone and spend quality time with the people we love, babysit all of "our" kids, and do a million little things before we leave.

MY MIND IS GOING TO EXPLODE.
*deep breaths*

We've been doing last minute things like mapping out our lesson plans for teaching english and getting all of our shots and pills taken care of.
One word.
TYPHOID.
My first typhoid pill KILLED my stomach. It was awful. It was horrendous. I ate crackers and drank ginger ale for 2 days and wrote my last will and testament. But I survived and tonight I prepare to take typhoid pill number 4. It's been a long road, but it was worth it. No typhoid for me. *knocks on wood*

Sokhom called me day before yesterday just wanting to check in and see how we were doing and if we had started packing yet (I haven't even gotten the suitcases I need). He told me that we will have 18 student preachers to teach english to during the week. He also told me that anywhere from 25-30 children will probably show up during the day. Whenever they see Americans they tend to flock due to their desire to learn english. He asked if we could possibly provide english lessons for the children in the evening and I gladly told him that Sarah and I would hold english lessons around 5:00 pm everyday for them. It will be crazy, but it will be absolutely amazing.


Now onto another thought.


"He comes to us like the rain."

I stumbled across this verse in Hosea the other day.
Weather in general has been on my mind a lot recently. Our hearts absolutely go out to the people of Moore, Oklahoma who suffered unimaginable damage and heartbreak this past week as the F5 tornado swept through their town. The pictures, stories, and news reports were heart-wrenching. Natural disaster has a way of bringing out the best in people though. My heart is always thrown into extremes in these situations. It's broken for the people who are hurting and doubting. But then, at the same time, it is absolutely full. Even as broken people, we are able to show God's beauty in such magnificent ways. We were created to love like our creator and this love is so apparent during times of trial and strife, when people just need a hand to hold. I sat and watched a homemade-storm-chaser-video-type thing the day after the tornado hit. The people who were videoing this horrific storm were all so full of compassion. As they watched the storm roll in, they began praying for the people in its path and after the storm hit, they stopped filming in order to begin helping immediately. It brought me to tears. The weather can do incredible things: lift up buildings, flood entire towns, and destroy everything in a split second. And yet it can help produce the most delicate flower. It can destroy an entire town and bring relief to an entire country.

Sometimes we feel God in this extreme way... Not in the sense that he goes around destroying towns and flooding houses. We just seem to feel his presence in what seem like huge downpours. Downpours that leave us with hands high and hearts opened. Other times he comes to us as a light rain, you know like when it rains and the sun is still shining? A rain that refreshes and rejuvenates us. One that allows us to catch our breath and turn our faces toward the heavens. Both of these instances show us how incredible our God is. He completely floods us with his mercy and grace. Drenches us to a point where all we can do is look up from our knees and declare his power. But he also refreshes and, like a spring rain, cultivates a growing spirit within us. It's a daily thing.

We just want to run out and spin around in the rain. We want to feel it and taste it. We want everyone else to experience it too. That's what this trip is all about y'all. It's about being eager to know God and awaiting his daily arrival. It's about having the desire to stand out in the rain. 

So sorry this post is all over the place. Like I said, that's just kinda how things are right now. Crazy. Basically all we're saying is:

Bring on the rain Lord.
We are so ready.

"Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him."
-Psalm 34:8

Blessings,
Cassie and Sarah

Ps: Did I mention it's the rainy season in Cambodia? 

T-29 DAYS Y'ALL

We are so so SO close to being Cambodia!
It's unreal.

After much preparation and many hours of researching, we bought our plane tickets! Our flight path is a little bit crazy... Here's a quick look at the itinerary:

Leave from Houston airport on June 7th at 8:20 pm.
Fly 8,047 miles for 14 hours and 35 minutes.
Arrive in Doha, Qatar on June 8th at 6:55 pm.
Wait for 6 hours.
Leave Qatar on June 9th at 1:10 am.
Fly 3,287 miles for 6 hours and 55 minutes.
Arrive in Bangkok, Thailand on June 9th at 12:05 pm.
[Just in time for lunch]
Then hop on a little plane and fly to Phnom Penh.
[Super short flight]
Cambodia at last!
[Stay until July 31st]
Fly back to Bangkok.
Fly to Chaing Mai.
Attend Asian Mission Forum.
[August 3-7]
Leave August 7th.
Fly back to Bangkok.
Back to Doha.
Back to Houston.

THEN HOME.

It's going to be a whirlwind you guys.
But we are so ready.

We found out more details about what we will be doing while there. Sokhom's school is without English teachers for the month of June. So we will jump in on that when we arrive. We will be using material from the BEST program which teaches English through the use of the World English Institute material written by brother Dick Ady. We are SO SO grateful to have this program available for our use.

In July, we will be working with the children in the area and putting on a type of Vacation Bible School for them during the day. By providing this VBS, we hope to build wonderful relationships with the children and attract their families to the church for Sunday worship. It would be a lie if I said that we aren't worried about the language barrier. We are. But we know that God is good and that he provides. If Jesus could feed 5,000 people, I bet we can teach these kids about how GREAT our God is.

Recently, I've been discovering how amazing God is at being an operator, you know the operators that were used back in the day on the telephones? It's a little old school for me, but I do know what their purpose was. :) And like and operator standing by to help you reach someone, He knows exactly who you are needing to contact and simply provides opportunities. I was feeling anxious about the VBS and so I decided to Google "Cambodia VBS" and I happened to find a blog post from 2011. It was by a woman who put on a VBS in Cambodia on a mission trip. I read the post and loved it, so I emailed her and explained our situation. She emailed me back he next morning with the names of contacts in Phnom Penh as well as lesson plans and encouragement. It was an absolute blessing! Now do you understand my reference to God being an operator? He is such a mighty fine "connector."

Isn't God's kingdom incredible?

We are so incredibly thankful for the support, prayers, and words of encouragement that we have received. We love you all dearly and cannot wait to be back in the US of A. The stories are going to rock.

Blessings.
Sarah & Cassie