Svay Rieng

We have been in the province of Svay Rieng since Monday of this week, and it has been a breath of fresh air- literally. After being in the crowded city of Phnom Penh for a while, it's nice to be out in the countryside where people walk their water buffaloes on the side of the road and the air smells more like plants than pollution. Every day, we head out to different villages in the surrounding areas. We have been loving the journey in the back of a bouncy truck, where we are often ducking and dodging trees and bamboo- it feels like a video game. Each village we have gone to has been such a blessing. Usually we spend some time sharing testimonies and just speaking with the adults of the village, and then praying for them. We have lunch at the home of someone in the village- an always interesting experience. And then the hosts always insist we rest, also known as mandatory nap time! So after we have had lunch and laid down for a while, in the afternoons we usually spend time with the kids in the village teaching them songs, performing skits, and playing games. We welcome the ride in the back of the truck to return to our guest house at the end of the day, it gives our clothes a chance to dry out from all the sweating we've done during the day. In the evenings, we spend time with a group of wonderful high schoolers. The organization we are currently working with, Kone Kmeng, has a dorm house here in Svay Rieng for teenagers who desperately want to go to school and get an education, but live out in the villages too far to make a daily trek to school. We walk to the dorm and are welcomed by shouts of "Brother! Sister! Hello," laughter and excited faces. We spend time sharing our testimonies, speaking with them, worshiping the Lord with them (in Cambodian and English), and then we teach them English and practice speaking with them. At the end of the night, they hug us and tell us how much they love us. Every night we spend with them, I return to the hotel joyful and fulfilled- what amazing people. I wish I could capture their joy and excitement for the Lord and for us in a bottle.

We have an amazing translator with us whose name is Seyla. He is our biggest blessing. He has such an amazing heart and goes above and beyond the role of translator. We all love him so much, and it is clear that he loves us as well. Praise the Lord for Seyla.

Our time here has been different than our time in Phnom Penh, but we are so blessed by the opportunities we have had to serve in the villages. Next week we will return to the city for two weeks, and then we head back to New Zealand! WHAT? Already? Then, after a week in New Zealand- I'm coming home. On December 2nd I will be back in Kansas City. I more and more often think of home and miss it, but the thought of leaving Cambodia and then New Zealand makes me sad as well! This chapter in my life has been an exciting one and I am so changed by the things God has done.

I am so grateful for a day off today since it is a Saturday- we have the opportunity for Internet use and to update everyone back home. And REST! I think I may nap today. Praise the Lord for busy days, but also for days of rest.

Thank you all so much for staying updated on what I am doing! And thank you for all of your support. Hopefully I will be able to update everyone again a couple times before I leave Cambodia. Saturdays are my day off, so look for another blog post or Facebook update!

I love you and miss you all heaps! See you in a few weeks..... Bless You! 

Holly

The group resting during one of our "mandatory naptimes" in one of the villages.

When you gotta go, you gotta go.

Some kids from one of the villages!

Cambodian Countryside- some women walking their water buffaloes in the rice fields.

Our ride!

UPDATE FROM CAMBODIA!

Hi everyone! We have been here in Cambodia for a couple weeks now, and my body still hasn't completely adjusted to the heat. :P As soon as you step outside, you are hit by a wave of heat and humidity- but that has not changed the fact one bit that this place is amazing. As I write this, a monk in an orange robe is walking by with an umbrella. People are speaking Khmer (Cambodian language) all around me, and I am struck once again by the fact that I am in Asia, here. WHOA.

Our first few weeks we have been working with a ministry that is 20 minutes outside of the capital city Phnom Penh where we are staying, in a slum area where street kids roam freely and very few wear shoes or pants. The ministry we have been working with is called Children at Risk. Depending on the day, we play with the kids, teach them songs and dances, do arts and crafts, share stories and bible skits, teach basic hygiene and health (washing hair for lice, combing and braiding hair), etc. We also have been a part of the adult bible study that happens once a week- sharing our testimonies and giving sermons. The majority of our time at Children at Risk, we simply love the kids like Jesus would. It has been one of the greatest experiences ever, and I am so in love with the kids that regularly come to this ministry- I will be so sad when we leave them next week. Next week we will be moving on to another area for a couple weeks with a different ministry. The city is called Svay Rieng, and is very close to Vietnam. Supposedly, we will be working in a village and possibly working with some more kids and churches. We are all stoked, but sad to leave Phnom Penh for a while!

Time outside of working with Children at Risk has been spent getting to know the city, getting to know the culture, doing prayer walks, and visiting some important places. The culture here is one very different from Western culture, and has been a bit of an adjustment at times, but one that is new and welcomed!

Being in Cambodia has been such a blessing, but my team and I are also faced daily with difficult situations. Every day we walk by lots of young girls who are stuck in prostitution- working as bar girls and sitting outside bars on the streets. It breaks our hearts every time, morning, day and night, when we walk past. On the Waterfront here in Phnom Penh, I am horrified at how many older single white men are loitering and lounging around the city- the truth is, child sex slavery is real and it is happening here. All we can do as we walk past is pray that God speaks to them and stops them from their ill-intended plans. We are also regularly faced with the harsh reality of poverty in this city. So many children run freely on the streets, playing or begging for money. You see so many babies and small children who have no clothes and just walk around naked, playing in the filthy garbage and puddles. If only America could see what we are seeing... they would be stunned. This country so badly needs the love and healing of Jesus, and while we are here, I am doing my best to share it- even if it is one Cambodian person at a time.


Thank you to everyone who has supported me in my journey of getting here. I am so blessed by all your prayers and support! I am thinking regularly of you, and sending love your way.

Please continue to pray for me and my team as we move on from the main city of Phnom Penh and do some work out in the village area near Vietnam!

Bless you all heaps. 
Much Love, Holly

Today's the day!

Well, everything is packed. My room is empty, my backpack is full. Now I wait. :)
This morning we said goodbye to the Medical team going to the Philippines. I won't lie, I cried. The amazing people I've spent the last three months with have become my family, and it's hard to see them go. The only two teams left here are mine and the team going to Bali. Team by team, our big group has become smaller; and the base quieter! Saying goodbye is hard, but at least we know that we will have a few days together again when we all return to New Zealand for debrief week. :) We knew this day was coming for a long time, but saying goodbye to people you've lived with, shared with, cried with, laughed with, (spent pretty much every waking moment with) for 3 months is much easier said than done.

Saying goodbye to the Medical Team this morning!

I am so grateful for the time I've had here in New Zealand. I wish I could explain how greatly this time has impacted me. I guess all I can say is that I'm changed forever. I have discovered who I am and who God has called me to be. I let go of past hurts. I've been healed from wounds in my heart. I have heard the Lord's voice. I've found TRUE joy and peace. Jesus invaded every aspect of my life and brought so much love with him, and I can honestly say it has been the best experience of my life. I will never go back- I can't do life without Jesus. God has done so many amazing things in the past three months and I can't wait to see what He has up His sleeve for the next two.

In less than 7 hours, after dinner, our team of thirteen will load up our vans and be on our way to Cambodia! From here we will drive to the airport in Auckland, where our flight takes off at 1:15am. (For those of you back in the Kansas timezone; that is Thursday, October 4 2012 at 7:15 a.m.) 

Our first flight is from Auckland, New Zealand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The length of the flight is 11 hours 25 minutes. Once we are in Malaysia we will have a little less than two hours in the airport, and then we board our flight to Cambodia! The flight from Malaysia to Cambodia is less than two hours long.

Once in Cambodia, my two-month adventure begins. I won't be able to contact you all very often, but I will try my hardest to make it to an internet cafe and update my blog when I can!

I could definitely use prayers for safety and smooth traveling as I make this journey to Cambodia. Could you pray for safety for my team and I? 
Here are some times (in Central Time Zone) you could pray!

• Thursday, October 4rd at 7:15 a.m my eleven hour flight from New Zealand to Cambodia will depart!
• Thursday, October 4th at 6:40 p.m is when I will be landing in Malaysia!
• Thursday, October 4th at 8:30 p.m is when my flight leaves from Malaysia to Cambodia!
• Thursday, October 4th at 10:20 p.m I will be landing in CAMBODIA!

Thank you so much to everyone following me on my journey. I appreciate your prayers and thoughts sent my way! Well, I guess this is "See ya later." So... see ya later! Keep an eye open for updates while I'm in Cambodia :)

Much Love, Holly

P.S. Fund-raising update! 

The Lord has come through in such amazing ways these past couple weeks... I now only have 600 dollars left needed for outreach fees! It's been a crazy walk of faith getting to this point, and I am leaving tonight in faith that God will provide the last 600 dollars I need in the next two months in Cambodia. 

If you would like to help me reach this goal, you can go to mrmdts.org/online-payments/ and make a donation to my fund! 

Here are the steps: 

1. Go to www.mrmdts.org/online-payments

2. In the drop down box labeled I would like to, select "Donate to a Student/Staff"

3. Fill out the form with your name, my name, and how much you would like to donate.

4. Click Pay Now. (this will direct you to a page to enter your credit card info.)

So much love and thanks to you all. Bless you heaps! :)

Justice Waiting

Cathedral Cove (set of Narnia!)

Wow. I am so sorry! I can't believe a month has come and gone since my last update. The time has flown so quickly. There is so much to update on... I can't fit a whole month of life into one measly blog post- class, adventures, everything. Guess it's my own fault. The lecture phase of my DTS is now complete! In only 4 days I will move on to the outreach phase.... which means CAMBODIA.

The last month of classes was amazing. We had so many amazing speakers come to spend a week at a time with us- a New Zealander, a Samoan, an American, and a Brit. Each new speaker we had, I thought they couldn't possibly compete with the last, but each teacher was just so WONDERFUL! The last few weeks of lecture phase were so exciting- each one went by in the blink of an eye. And people say school is boring! Try coming to a discipleship training school.

Just the other day we had a short debriefing session to sum up and bring a close to this three month lecture phase. (I still can't believe it's been three months. What?!) We shared two things we were thankful for from our time here.
Two things I am most thankful for:

Family! This is everybody :)

1) The fantastic family I've gained in being here. I am so grateful for each individual person, staff and student. They are all so special to me. Over ten nations are represented among us, and each person was brought here by God for a specific purpose and reason. We are the greatest family- and it is one that has a special place in my heart. I will never forget these people.
2) The amazing way that God has encountered me here. God has been revealing Himself to me in a huge way daily, and He is more real to me now than ever. I wish I could adequately express my gratitude for this. We are children of such a loving Father- One who waits patiently on us to return to Him and then greets us with compassion. He's done just this with me. For a long time before coming here, I tried to do my own thing; relying on my own strength to get through every day. I ignored the most gracious being, who wanted all along to carry me instead. As soon as I came back to Him and sought to know Him, He enveloped me in love and kindness- it was something I can only explain as running into the arms of someone who has been waiting to hug you for a very, very long time.

As this phase of Discipleship Training School came to a close, there were a few tears, and I expect there to be many more as our teams head out on separate outreaches to Cambodia, the Philippines, Bali & Indonesia, and Vanuatu. The Compassion team heads to Vanuatu late tonight- they are the first to go and it's such a bittersweet goodbye, as I know each will be. We'll be praying for the five students and their leader Jared as they travel and spread the love and compassion of Jesus to this island nation.

Family. My fellow Justice DTS students and staff!
(From left to right: Mitch, Emma, Seth, Larissa, Austin
Brittany [staff], Andrew [staff], ME, Michael, Jada, Derek,
Melanie, and Dan!) 

My team, the Justice team, leaves for Cambodia on Thursday. I have 5 days left to get the rest of the needed items for outreach and pack my things! As far as money is concerned, the Lord has been SO good to me. He's provided so faithfully. I am still trusting Him for 700 dollars, but I have no doubt that it will come.

This last week will be spent in our individual teams preparing for outreach; getting ready for the amazing adventures that lay ahead. While in Cambodia, we'll be staying at the YWAM base in Phnom Penh and working with multiple different ministries in the city and surrounding areas. Among others, we will spend a little time with Agape International Missions- a ministry founded by Don Brewster that fights sex trafficking in Cambodia. (http://agapewebsite.org/) and Daughters of Cambodia- an organization that teaches girls and women skills for a better life after being rescued from sex trafficking and prostitution (daughtersofcambodia.org).

The two months that are ahead of me are exciting and unknown- but God is going to do amazing things. I know it. I am so excited to get to Cambodia. Praise the Lord for this amazing opportunity to share some of the love He gives me. :)

Thank you so much to any and everyone who reads my blog, keeps up with my Facebook, sends messages, or has supported me on this journey! I can't tell you how grateful I am for my family, friends, and loved ones who have been with me every step of this amazing adventure. This time has changed me and shaped me into who I will be the rest of my life. Thank you thank you thank you.

If you would like to support me in my outreach to Cambodia, please let me know! I am still in need of $700 for outreach fees. If you would like, you can make a donation here through Paypal on my blog. You can also go to www.mrmdts.org/online-payments/ and select Donate to a Student/Staff and then fill out the form with my name, yours, and how much you'd like to give! If you want to contact me personally, you can email or message me on Facebook up until October 4th. :)

Lots of Love from New Zealand,
Holly

Whanau Means Family

Every Monday morning, we have Whanau (pronounced fa-nau) time before we begin our classes for the week. During this time, staff and leaders of Marine Reach Ministries as well as all of the students gather in the dining room/common area for coffee, treats, and fellowship. For this reason, Mondays have become well-awaited for me. Mostly because there's good food and unlimited coffee. But also because we get to spend time together talking and laughing and telling stories. David and Linda Cowie, the power couple who started Marine Reach Ministries in 1990, are always in attendance and the past two weeks Linda has told her stories. (I love Linda. She is like a mother at the base. She is so kind, elegant, and loving. And David is a hoot. They are an inspiring story!)

Today, we heard about a big miracle Linda and David experienced aboard a missionary ship called the Anastasis in 1981. As it may be known missionaries do not always have the luxury of ample food supply, and this was true of the Anastasis as well. While in Greece, this specific ship's crew began a 40 day period of prayer and fasting while sharing the Gospel in the streets of Athens. One day after their fast had finished, a student was on the beach when fish started to jump out of the water onto the shore. This continued for 150 yards down the beach! All of the YWAM staff and students on the ship as well as Greek locals flocked to the beach and collected fish by any means they could- trash bags, aprons, buckets, and wheelbarrows. The Greek people had never seen anything like it before and said that surely 'God is with these people'. In the end, there were 8,311 fish collected that day. That's over two tons of fish! Missionaries aboard that ship ate fish for a year for free. :) God provided in a BIG WAY. Linda told us this story as a personal testimony of how the Lord shows up for those who trust in Him. She suggested we begin a 40 day fast and prayer period in anticipation of the new ship Marine Reach is hoping to acquire soon, provision for this (beautiful) base where I am blessed to live, and our upcoming outreach. We start praying and fasting tomorrow. :)

In the same way God provided the fish for these missionaries I am needing God to provide the money for my outreach to Cambodia in October and November. I currently have less than half of the needed funds for outreach. The good news is- the school has already purchased my ticket to Cambodia for October 5th, 2012! I just have to pay them for it, as well as the outreach fees of the school.
While in Cambodia, the Justice team and I will be staying at YWAM bases for a time, as well as other (unknown) locations- serving the people of Cambodia and working with local ministries. I cannot even express how excited I am for this trip. After reading Somaly Mam's book 'The Road of Lost Innocence' I have even more of a fire in my heart to love on the people there- especially the girls and women affected by the booming sex trade industry.

I know that the Lord will get me to Cambodia, I'm just not sure how yet. :) I am asking for support and prayer in any way possible! I need people to join this journey of obedience to God with me! If you feel led to give in any way to my outreach funds and/or ministry, it would be such a blessing. If you aren't able to give financially at this time, I would so appreciate prayer for the finances to come in! Thank you to everyone who has supported me in getting here, I cannot tell you what an impact God is making in my life here. I am learning so much. Continue to pray that I receive the remaining $2,000 needed for outreach!

Love Always, From New Zealand! Holly

P.S. As always,
If you would like to support me in my fundraising, let me know! You can contact me by way of Facebook, e-mail at holly.e.conrad@gmail.com, or transfer money directly to YWAM Marine Reach (I can direct you in how to do this). There is also a paypal option here on my blog.

Heart Stuff

Every time I attempt to write a somewhat cohesive blog entry, I end up failing. There is just too much going on here for me to successfully unify my thoughts into one small blog post. I can't even begin to explain all of the great things that have been happening. Once I begin writing about one thing, I remember another equally amazing thing I want to talk about. Maybe I'll just start with this week. Let's see...

Three weeks into lectures and my notebook is falling to pieces.

This week we had a native New Zealander named David Cole speak during lectures. He spoke about repentance, the Life and Ministry of Jesus, and the Nature and Character of God; things I knew in my mind but had never really thought about or had laid out in front of me. David defined 'God's Nature' as who God is- His natural attributes, and 'God's character' as what He does with who He is. Some of the things listed under nature are: Omnipresent- He's everywhere, all the time; Omniscient- He's all knowing; Omnipotent- all powerful; and He's eternal. Some words that are listed under character are: Humble; LOVE; Just; Righteous; Faithful; Merciful; Kind; Truthful; Patient; and Wise. Stepping back and looking again at the notes I took in my red notebook (that is already falling apart after only three weeks of being here) I'm overwhelmed by the truth that even though God's nature is all powerful, all knowing, and ever present- He CHOOSES to be humble, righteous, and kind. A God that could be anything he wants in the world and get away with it, chooses to be the kindest being that exists. Something David said that had never registered in my mind before was that God has a personality. God consciously makes decisions and feels emotions like grief, joy, sadness and jealousy. And like, He's REAL. Whoa, people.

Anyways, David's week with us was filled with so many of these crazy revelations for me. I could write a novel on all the things I learned and all the things God changed in my heart because of David's messages.

Though most afternoons are free or spent doing things with the group, Wednesday afternoons are ones I specifically look forward to- JUSTICE CLASS. From 1:30-4:00ish I am in class with the rest of the students on the Justice team and our staff. Justice class is even more exciting now that our groups know where we're going on outreach... I think every last one of us is already dying to go to Cambodia. This Wednesday our topic in class was Genocide.Unbeknownst to me, less than 40 years ago Cambodia endured a massive genocide that ended in the country losing over 20% of their population. The Cambodian Genocide began because Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge (a communist leader and group) seized control of Cambodia and desired to turn it into a farming nation- Pol Pot wanted to make everyone into peasants. In order to do this, the Khmer Rouge removed any undesirable people that would not positively contribute to this peasant society. To Pol Pot this meant anyone who had talent, knowledge, or intelligence. This group of communist killers began persecuting, torturing, and killing. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, professionals, religious enthusiasts, and really anyone educated were subject to huge killing sprees. Men, women, elderly, and children were forced to work in slave labor camps everyday for 16+ hours without rest, food and water, or even pay. Many died from exhaustion, starvation, and disease. For three years the Cambodian people endured horrible torture and deaths. In class on Wednesday, we heard stories of the Killing Fields- sites where massive amounts of people were killed by the Khmer Rouge- stories of babies being beaten against trees until they died, of people falling into pre-dug pits to die their certain death. Countless heart-breaking stories have been told. And that's just what it was to me- heart-breaking. Not only does the people-loving person I am cringe and crumble at the thought of these lost lives, but God revealed to me how broken HIS heart was for them as well.

Wednesday was just the tip of the iceberg in learning about Cambodia, but already my heart longs to be there and spread some love and healing. This is such a hurting and lost country. In the next weeks we will continue to learn about injustice in Cambodia, as well as other injustices around the world. Soon we will begin preparing a budget for our 8 weeks in Cambodia and hopefully learning more about what exactly we'll be doing there- I'll keep you all updated on that process.

It's always horrifying to hear these things, and I assure you that I (along with the rest of the world) wish it would just go away and never have happened. But it did. These things happened. And now all we can do is go to the people who are so deeply hurt and broken and share with them the only hope there is for real healing- Jesus. There is only one hope for love, comfort, and redemption. God is dying to make their hearts whole again. I have to let them know!


Do you want to let them know as well?! Please contact me if you would like to support me in my trip to Cambodia! I still need 2,000 dollars for Outreach fees. Bless you guys heaps :)



Love Always, Holly 

Update!

Things have been going amazingly well here in New Zealand. Every day is filled with so much happiness and adventure! I am learning more than I could have ever imagined.

My schedule during the day looks a little like this:
5:30am/5:45am - Wake Up
6:00am - Shower and Get Ready for the day!
6:45am-7:30am - Breakfast & Chill Out time
7:30/8:00am - Start Morning Work Duties (cleaning!)
8:30am-12:30pm - Worship and then Lectures
12:30pm - Lunch
Free time
1:30pm - (Wednesdays: Justice classes) (M, T, TH, F: free)
3:15pm - (Tuesdays and Thursdays: BSS [aka workout])
5:30pm - Dinner
7:30pm - (Thursday Small Groups) (M, T, W, F free)

Add some amazing speakers, fun people, games, random activities & this is what a day in the life looks like. 

AND FOR THE BIG NEWS! 

Today our leaders released the locations for outreach.

The Justice DTS- made up of 11 students and 3 leaders- is going to CAMBODIA. I can't even begin to explain how excited I am! God has definitely had Cambodia on my heart for a while and it seems to be the same case with the other students as well. The Lord has given my heart complete peace about this decision and I honestly can't wait for my time there! The Justice crew (Melanie, Michael, Jada, Larissa, Madelyn, Emma, Austin, Derek, Seth, Dan, and myself) is already like a family and I am so excited about spending outreach with them.

All of this excitement is almost more than I can handle! AH I wish we were already there. Yet I know that the time I have here in New Zealand is so essential. During these next three months I will learn so much about myself, God, and what justice really means so that I will be able to partake in delivering God's justice for the hurting in Cambodia. The Lord has already done so much in my heart in the two weeks I've been here, and I know that He will continue to do amazing things in the next five months. I am so blessed with all I've been given and I still have a hard time believing I'm here. Thank you so much to the people who have supported me in this journey. Coming here was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

All of this being said, I have less than three months to raise the remaining money needed for my outreach. All of the different teams will be leaving for outreach in the beginning of October. Yikes. I have faith that it is all in God's hands. Nothing is too big for the Big Guy. I'm here, aren't I? Today I was told that usually outreach costs around $3,900 NZD which is close to $3,000 US dollars. At this moment, I only have a little over $1,000 towards outreach costs. That means I still need $2,000. 

Please be praying for my finances! The Lord is faithful and I know that in one way or another, I will make it to Cambodia and be able spread the love of Jesus to deeply hurting people there- in whatever way the Lord allows me to do that. Maybe it will be ministry with children, trafficked women, or those suffering from crippling poverty. I don't know yet! But I'm ready for whatever is in store. I just have to get there. :)

Lots of Love, Holly

P.S. If you would like to help me reach my needed goal of $2,000 for outreach to Cambodia, please let me know! You can always send me a message, contact me on Facebook, or I also have a Paypal that is linked on this page for whoever feels led to donate!

Thank you so much everyone for your support. Your prayers, thoughts, kind words, and donations have gotten me here- and I don't know how to thank you enough. I am so blessed.