I am spoiled. So. So. So spoiled. I anticipate routine. I admire the scent of clean laundry. I adore hot, pressured showers. And I appreciate a real bed. Last month, each comfort was plucked from me, one-by-one. Routine was not in Khmer vocabulary. The cleanliness of my clothing was determined by how thoroughly I scrubbed them. “Showers” were… manual. And my bed was a thin, inflatable sleeping pad. Cambodia blessed me with patience, contentment, and deep appreciation for simple, overlooked luxiuries, and for that, I am forever grateful. Nonetheless, debrief was bliss. For...

On October 2, my team departed from Kampong Cham, Cambodia. It was a bittersweet moment; filled with the expected sorrows of any goodbye. We tearfully hugged those we served, painfully aware that we may not see their precious smiles, or experience their unconditional joy, until we are reunited in heaven. There were tears. There were A LOT of tears. In an attempt to acknowledge the amazing, incredible, praiseworthy ways in which the Lord overflowed into this month, I’ve organized a ministry schedule. A ministry rundown… 8:00 AM – Breakfast Depending on the day, breakfast...

Recently, my beautiful, remarkably persistent, leader, Danielle, insisted that I join her for a jog. Danielle: “Just to the bridge, and back! A mile and a half.”Me: “Sure, okay. Why not?” (Note: Read this in an annoyingly naïve voice.) Let me tell you “why not”: It’s miserably hot, and deathly humid. Thanks to AIM’s “lovely” dress code, this war will be fought in long pants. Frogs, snakes and tarantulas. Need I say more? Yet, despite endless complaining, and extreme paranoia, I stumbled along, drenched in sweat. A dog chased...

     All of my life I have grown up privileged- everything I have ever needed and wanted has always been at my fingertips. For the first time in my life I am now without a bed, Wi-Fi, good tasting food, a real shower and my mom. Culture shock is a real thing people. I have been living at New Hope for Orphans for just over two weeks now; it is located in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia- aka the middle of nowhere. The nearest city is almost three hours away, which means besides the occasional ice cream trip and our two adventure days, my team and I are always at the orphanage. First...

It took A 1.5 hour bus ride 12 hours in the Atlanta airport A 5 hour flight to Los Angeles 15 hours in LAX A 12 hour flight to Shanghai A 5 hour flight to Phnom Phen And a 2 hour bus ride to our ministry site To finally say… I’M IN CAMBODIA! My team has officially been serving in a small community about an hour outside of Kampong Cham for a bit more than 2 weeks now. Day 1, I held a tarantula, taught a child how to play baseball using a small, wooden bat and a water bottle, and slept in a hammock. Simply put, I hit the ground running. To encompass the emotions I’ve...

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 If God asked you to go, would you? I woke up to the sound of blaring temple music, roosters crowing, and motos passing by. The sun was crimson, just starting to peak over the tree line, and thick humidity hung in the air. Fighting serious jet lag, I walked out on the porch to take a look at the place I would be living in for the next month, and suddenly everything became real. I was in Cambodia. It’s hard to...