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! :)