Cambodia was definitely the World Race at its best. We bathed from a pond and slept in a room with mice, scorpions, and spiders the size of your fist. It was also probably one of the hottest months on the race. No matter where we went we were unable to get away from the heat. Since leaving Cambodia we have had some people hospitalized from dengue fever and typhoid. Keep us in your prayers- it's our last month and many of us are exhausted but we are pushing through and ready to finish this thing stronger than we started! Here are some pics from month 10.


 

 

Our home


 

Climbing up that coconut tree is alot harder than it looks.

Enjoying a Cambodia lake day







 

Having fun at a wedding.. There was lots of dancing!

We were blessed with a volleyball court :)







Teaching English




 

I was able to cut some of the girls hair that were in my English class
















Me and the other team leader Ben taught a Knowing God class to the youth. Our last night of class we washed their feet and took communion. That class was one of my favorite things about last month. 












That was Cambodia!


We have made it to the Philippines and are working with Kid's International Ministries (KIM) this month. Check them out here. 





Jill, Julie, and I at the airport in Manilla :)

See you in 17 days!



 

In a few days we will be on a plane traveling to our last country before heading to America. This is when you know it's almost time to go home....

You have had malaria.

You have had typhoid.

You've worn your leggings so much they are now see through.

You secretly already miss your teammates.

Your pillow case/pillow is a different color than it was when you started.

Your sleeping pad has a hole in it.

You've ditched your malaria meds.

7 pm is your bedtime.

Getting another skin fungus doesn't freak you out anymore.

You look forward to travel days so you can “rest”.

Your Bible that was new when you started the race is now covered with dirt, markings, highlights, and sermons you preached.

All you want to do is sleep.

Your threaded anklets and bracelets you started the race with are unraveling and falling apart.

Everything makes you cry.

Seeing spiders the size of your hand is no longer shocking.

You actually start getting tired of peanut butter.

20 people in a 8 person van is normal.

People start asking you what your plans are when you get home.

You have gone through 3 different watches.

You have less than 50% of the things you started the race with.

Your parents ask you what you want your first meal to be when you get back.

You are no longer homesick.

Other peoples bad smells and your own no longer bother you.

Everything you see at the market looks like the perfect gift for someone at home.

Your pack weighs 20 pounds and not 40.

The thought of not living in community and sharing a room with 5 people begins to scare you.

Month 11 here we come!!!!

Love.
 

I think love can look like so many different things but a few weeks ago I was brought to Job 29:11-17 and love was what I thought of.

This is Job's description of himself:

“Whoever heard of me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help and the fatherless who had none to assist him. The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice as my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.”

Job 29:11-17

And we all know what God thought about Job... This is God's reply to satan:

“Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

I don't believe Job to be a man who boasts. I don't see Job as prideful.

When you read these verses you realize Job acted out Love.

He was feet for the lame. He was eyes to the blind. He brought joy to widows.

Job was fully confident in the man that he was... Blameless.

Job can list those things because it was his way of life. A lifestyle.

If Job is fully capable of it I know we are.

A few nights ago I was laying in my bed it was about 2 am and I was listening to a sermon. I turned off my iPod and tears flooded my face.

Conviction.

Conviction for not living out these verses in Job and conviction for not seeking God's face to help me.

When I was thinking about Cambodia I realized that this was going to be a place of redemption.

We get another chance to be in another foreign country and bring joy to the widow, be feet to the lame, and eyes to the blind. Another chance to ask God to teach us.

I realized that this was another opportunity to “practice.”

Another opportunity to practice this lifestyle that Job speaks of.

Because what I've learned is that I am not a natural lover. It takes practice and that looks like me calling out to Papa God everyday asking Him to teach me how to love like Jesus. Practicing keeping our eyes fixed on the cross and asking Him,“who I can love for You today?”

We have to realize that this lifestyle of Job's didn't come naturally to him. He was human just like us. He needed help from God just like us. We can't just give up. We can't just quit. We have to seek the help of God.

With that said, quit trying to do it yourself. Quit thinking you can just wake up and be ready to love everyone. I have tried and it doesn't work. It's not possible. The only way it's possible is by calling out to our Creator.

He knows something we don't. We can't do it on our own. If we try to do it on our own we will end up frustrated and tired.

It's time we confess to Him that we need His help in this because there are so many people where you are and where I am who don't need our conditional love but are hungry for His unconditional love. The most important thing we can do in our lives is seek God. In seeking Him, He will turn us to love the one in front of us.

“There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love.” ~Mother Teresa~

Home is a little over a month away.

I'm going to be honest and say I am kind of freaked out by it.

Home...

Home for me has been my backpack for the past 10 months.

It's been foreign countries where I never understand the conversations that are going on around me.

I haven't processed it yet that ….

I haven't spent one day alone in 300 days.

I will live in air conditioning.

I won't be served rice for every meal.

I don't know what I'm going to do with my life when I get home.

I will be able to understand what people are saying around me.

I won't be able to grab fruit off trees to eat for a snack.

I wont have to ask the person next to me to check and see if I have lice.

I won't need a translator at church.

I will come home to a closet full of clean clothes.

I will sleep in a room without animals and bugs crawling on me.

I won't be packing up and leaving every month.

I won't have to use a computer to communicate with my family.

It won't be normal anymore to go a week without washing my hair.

I won't have to hand wash my clothes or hang them to dry.

I will no longer carry deet with me everywhere I go.

I will be that annoying person who says, “one time in Africa...”

I will be able to get in my car and drive.

Roosters, geese, cows, and goats will no longer be the first thing I hear in the morning.

Everywhere I go will have a toilet instead of a squatty potty.

I will get to stay up late talking to my sister in person :)

I haven't processed it yet that the people I have been around EVERYDAY for the past year, the ones who experienced this crazy journey with me, the ones who are able to relate to my stories will be miles and miles away from me.

So, what does processing even look like?

One thing that scares me is that when I get home I will have to try my best to explain the craziness that has taken place over the past 11 months to my friends and family when I've yet to comprehend so much of it.

I'm open to suggestions but who knows maybe my processing will look like doing what I always used to do and sit at Starbucks with my green tea latte, journal, and pen and just write.

House visits in Cambodia..
 

We're at one of our last house visits for the day. We are welcomed by an elderly Buddhist woman who is cleaning off a place for us to sit. We sit down and she hands us each a mango. We know nothing about the woman except that she has allowed us to come and sit with her and her grandchildren. We find out that she has heard the Gospel before and doesn't have any prayer requests. My teammate Emily prays a general prayer for the family. As Emily is praying I am overwhelmed by what I feel. Feeling a strong spirit of religion on this woman, so strong that as Emily finishes and its time to go I can't just walk away and say goodbye. As everyone is saying their goodbyes I walk up to the woman, place my hand on her shoulder, and begin to pray. Praying for the spirit of religion to leave her in the name of Jesus. I finish my prayer and start walking away. Just as I was walking away the woman pulls up her pants legs to Emily and points at her knees. Emily calls to me and the rest of our group and says “guys, she wants prayer”. We turn around, lay our hands on her knees and pray. While I don't have a miraculous story of healing to tell you about I do have a miraculous story of a softened heart. After we left the woman, our translator comes to me and says, “that was a miracle, that was amazing.” “What was?” I ask. She then tells me that the woman has had many Christians come to her home and has never let anyone pray for her specifically and that she definitely has never asked for prayer like she did today. I tell the rest of the group and we all start praising God.

It's funny how most of the time we classify a miracle as someone getting healed and we forget to see miracles in the “small things.” I like to think that God doesn't see something like this as a small thing at all. I like to think that to Him it's such a big thing. Such a huge moment.

While I think healing is definitely a miracle and such a sweet thing, I think too many times we get caught up in praying to see the miracles just to see them. I believe that if we notice God in the “small things” such as softened hearts, our eyes will open and we will look at the bigger picture- that it's not even about a seeing a miracle. It's about that person having an encounter with the one and only living God.  


 

 If I could tell you anything about Malaysia to help you understand what it's like I would tell how diverse it is. It's been the most culturally diverse place I have been to so far, being made up of Malays, Indians, and Chinese. One thing I love about the diversity is all of the different foods we got to try. We ate so much good food! One night we had a feast of Thai, Chinese, Malay, and Indian food. It was definitely one of my favorite nights. While in Malaysia we partnered with Lovers of God ministries (LOGO). The family that we lived with was an Indian family with huge hearts. Some of the most loving and giving people I have ever met. Immediately when we walk in they tell us that we are apart of their family. And when you're on the race and you haven't been around your family in 9 months that's a special thing. I'm a little behind on my blogging we are actually in Cambodia now but here is just a quick recap of what we did while in Malaysia. 

The Family




Sharmilla, Pastor Thomas, Zechariah, Felicia, and Me






With this little one there was never a dull moment at the house!






My sister Mesha



Ministry

We focused on showing love to the children in Pastor Thomas' community. Most of the children in the area are Indian coming from a Hindu background. Our purpose was not conversion but simply to love them and to pray that the love we show will have an impact on their lives forever and lead to conversion. We spent time teaching the children English which consisted of having them act out skits and conversations to improve their spoken English.

One of the funniest moments was when one of the boy's tried to tell another student that his favorite food was chicken. He spoke very carefully and said I. Am. A. Chicken. It was so adorable and made me just want to squeeze him!





The kids working on their greetings.







Our class



Character Building

Not only did we focus on English but we were also able to focus on their daily interaction with other children through LOGO'S Character Building program. Here we taught them how to work well with others through different games and team building exercises.   

Guerrilla beats the man...













Craft time








 

While in Malaysia my teammates and I got to spend two nights on a beach in Langkawi Island (which was amazing), we visited widows speaking life and encouragement to them, we were able to partner with a few other ministries helping lead kid's church, youth church, and work at an orphanage for a few days. It was definitely a busy but wonderful month.



 

A-Team with our family. We miss you guys so much!


 

This morning I woke up and decided to take a walk on the beach. I began to pray and ask Daddy for revelation. What I got was a shell. Thanks, Papa. 



This is my story of the shell that I wrote. 


A shell: Beautifully Broken

First glance people see beauty. Even as I stand and look I notice how put together it is. The colors, the shape... It's beautiful. It isn't until I bend down to pick it up that I notice it's broken. Like so many of us. Like so many of us we are put together in others eyes. Others see us as beautiful and colorful. Many never even come to find the truth that we are beautifully broken. All it takes is for someone to stand longer and really look. To be curious and want to see more than what everyone else see's. 



 Look deeper, ask questions, and find those who are beautifully broken. They need some of Papa's love and you are the perfect one to give it to them. 


 

During our team time today my team one by one began to speak life into me.

Luke 5:4 was what the Lord gave Jill for me.

“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

When you first read that you don't really think to apply this to your life. I mean really, they are fishing. But then when you sit and think about it, God is wanting Simon to go deeper because there is more. God also wants us to go deeper. He is saying there is more to be found. Papa always wants us to go deeper.

There are always deeper places for us to go with Him. Always more to be found.

OK, next...

My teammate Savannah see's my daily routine for my quiet time and the Lord is telling her to tell me to change it up. To find creative ways to spend time with Daddy. Draw pictures, paint, write a story, etc.

It's like that quote you may have heard a few times in your life:

“If you continue to do the same thing, you will continue to get the same results.” That's not the exact quote but I think I'm pretty close. I don't know about you but I want more. I do want to go deeper. And sure we may be getting good results doing what we're doing but I don't want to just settle for good. For the same old thing. I want to see Abba's face in new ways.

The end of Thailand we had debrief and something that kept coming up from our squad leaders and people on my team was to dream bigger.

Dream bigger.

That's what God has been whispering to me lately.

After our team time today Sav shows me a video of this ministry that a married couple started. A young couple who long for people to find out who God is and who they are during this journey.

I was thinking how awesome it would be to be a part of their ministry and to learn from them. I was thinking “wow, sign me up!”

Then the Lord decided to blow me up with something.... “Kendall, dream bigger.”

I mean you should have seen this video I watched. Absolutely powerful. Yet God is telling me to dream bigger. I thought that was pretty big to desire to learn from such a spirit-filled couple like them.

Daddy speaks to me and says “my dear you can create this.” Ummmm..... What God?

He showed me that He wants to use me to create something like what I was watching. I honestly don't have a clue what that looks like or what that means and it kind of scares me but what I do know is He wants me to dream bigger. He wants me to create the kind of environment that I long for. He whispers, “You can do it.”

We have around 2 months left on the race and many of us have been thinking about what we're going to do when we get home. I have several things that I am praying into. But really I have no clue what I'm going to do.

I have been praying for God to show me. For him to close doors and open doors. I'm at a place where I will do whatever He wants me to do. Whether that is stay in Tennessee, move to another state, or another country.

I really am okay with whatever He wants. So then I think... Well, what do I want?

Duh, I want what He wants. Then I'm back to “well what does He want?” Oh, this vicious cycle. (Hopefully some of you can relate.)

But, what do I want?
 

I want to be a person who pushes people to walk in the freedom God created them to walk in.

I know I desire to be a person who creates an environment where people exercise that freedom. Where God uses me to usher others into this crazy insane place with Him. This place where people can dance, sing, shout, lay quietly, or bow before him. I desire to be used to push people to a place of fearlessness, to get out of their head and out of their bubble and to be OK with looking a little crazy for Him, and walk in fullness and freedom that is so available to them.

But, what does that look like? Where do I go to do that?

I don't know what will be next when I get home in June. But, for now I will do what He is telling me to do and....Dream bigger.


 

About a week ago I woke up and felt the Lord telling me to have prayer time with our team. Prayer time isn't anything new for us but the Holy Spirit was telling me that this time was going to be different. I knew our Daddy had something special that He wanted us to tap into.

Time to soak Him in. Time to get lost in His glory. We decided to cover our teammate in prayer. We used that time to pray and prophesy over her. As life was being spoken the presence of the Holy Spirit became thicker and thicker. I was consumed. The Lord whispered to me that another girl in the room needed life spoken into her. I told her and we began to pray. With her standing in the middle of all of us, we each began to see visions of her and received words for her. Daddy showed me a picture of her walking through a dark alley where most would be scared but He was holding her hand and He said for her not to be afraid that He is always holding her. He is always with her. We finished prophesying and moved into a time of soaking. A few fell to their knees while others layed out just breathing Him in. By this time we are all consumed. Drunk. We spent two hours soaking, crying, laughing, worshiping, praying, and declaring things over people and the nations. We call that morning a morning of worship. What I love is that we never even played one song. God showed up. God was enough.

Our time in the green room was special. Not only because God crashed into that place but also because when we first arrived to our ministry location every person on my team got a bad vibe from that room. There were several days where we would pray for unity over that room where we would command anything that wasn't of God to flee from that room. The “green room” went from a dark place to a place full of Him, overflowing with His presence and He allowed us to be a part of the transformation. With us being in the city for the first time on the race, there has been so much we have done and so much we have seen. But, for each of us this is the one moment we will never forget about Thailand. That makes me so happy. To know that out of all the things we have done this is the one moment that we keep talking about and that stands out to all of us. It shows me that time spent with Jesus is time you will never regret. It is never time wasted. Have you ever regretted reading the bible or praying for someone? I haven't. But, I have regret not doing it many times. Also with giving: have you ever regret giving someone our Father's love? What about giving money? When you're in heaven are you going to look back and say man I really wish I would'nt have gave that $100 to the church that one time I could've gotten some new shoes? These are the things we are called to do. We are called to love and love looks like desiring time with Jesus. Love looks like giving money and time. Love looks like speaking life into someone. The more you do those things the more you will do it out of desire not obligation. It's like running or working out. When you first start it's tough and you do it because you know you need to but then you find yourself desiring to have that special time.

I know for me that has been a tough area. Reading my bible and spending time with Papa because I feel obligated to. Because I know it is something I need to do. But that is a crappy way to live our Christian life. There is so much more. Pray for desire. Pray for hunger. Our God is faithful, so keep pushing through the feelings of obligation and without realizing it those feelings will soon become desire.

**This blog includes content that may not be appropriate for children.

 

Where Am I????

That has been the question this month. After spending 3 months in Africa we are now in Bangkok, Thailand and all experiencing a little bit of culture shock. This place is crazy. American restaurants, washing machines, and malls like I have never seen before. At least once a day someone on my team will look around and say “where am I?!” We seriously went from one extreme to another. From living in the middle of no where to living in the big city. They say Bangkok is Thailand's “New York City” if that gives you an idea of how insane this place is for us!

Dton Naam- "source of water"
 

This month my teammates and I are partnering with Dton Naam Ministries. Dton Naam is a non-profit organization that helps Thai individuals leave prostitution and find healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This program is targeted specifically towards ladyboys (guys who dress as and consider themselves to be women) who are working as prostitutes in the red-light districts and on the streets of Bangkok.

Dton Naam has a Coffee Shop/Bakery and it's the perfect job-training site for those who are in their program and needing new job skills and experience to become self-sufficient in the near future. Here men and women are able to start new, legitimate work in a safe environment.

This sweet welcome card and yummy chocolate was on our mattresses when we arrived 
 

It's been sweet to be able to partner with this ministry and see how they truly are impacting lives. At training camp I was awakened to the fact that human trafficking is real. Here I am shocked and startled by the reality of it all. Usually twice a week my teammates and I will walk about 10-15 minutes to the red-light district. We start out prayer walking and from there splitting into groups of two, each team going into a ladyboy bar. While in the bars we don't preach we simply sit with them, buy them a coke, talk, listen to their story, and share ours.





 

The workers in the bars usually have to sell a certain amount of drinks per month and sadly most of them have to sleep with a certain amount of customers per month. Being purchased for a price of 600 baht. That is a total of 20 dollars.

A few nights ago my teammate Rachel and I went to a ladyboy bar. There we witnessed men purchasing ladyboys and doing other things I would like to forget. While my heart breaks for the people working in the bars it's also breaking for the men who come in for this “affection”.




Me, Rachel, and our new ladyboy friends 



Please join us in prayer this month.

Pray for the ladyboys who are broken and need true Love and a way out

Pray for us to build relationships with them and really show them the love of Christ

Pray for the men who go into these bars

Pray for our eyes because we see so much