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?