Back Home

I'm Home! It's Saturday, and I've been up since 5:30AM. That has never happened before. I may be present in the Central Time Zone but my body still thinks I'm in Cambodian Time Zone.

One highlight I can't believe I haven't shared already is when we arrived in Cambodia you will never, ever, ever believe what we saw on our way to the hotel...here goes LSU fans....a guy on a bike wearing an LSU hat. By the time I got my camera out it was too late, but it was PRICELESS.

Here are some pictures from the first few days of the trip. I wanted to take one of the flight attendants home. They are so adorable! There's also a picture from our infamous breakdown.

Day 1 at the Orphanage and Festival

Orphanage Dedication and Day 2 of the Festival

Around Town

One morning, we took a "Tut Tut" to the market and hung out for a while accompanied by our new best friend and interpreter Pheneth Kim. He's 19 years old and is about to graduate from high school.

Yes, I did eat a cricket! I learned that in the poorer areas they would eat crickets and spiders just to stay alive.

There's so much more to share...

A group from Celebration Church in Jacksonville, FL, came with us and did a great job posting pictures and interviewed people around town. http://hopecambodia.blogspot.com/

I haven't decided whether or not I'm coming home.

This is the best way I can describe this trip.

Psalms 48:8
We had heard of the city’s glory, but now we have seen it ourselves—the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever.

Last night was our last night at the festival and it went out with a bang!! There was no room in the building for our group so we enjoyed it outside with a thousand other people.

Check out Pastor Dino's blog for more details and pictures. There's a picture of McCall and me with our new friends from the orphanage.

http://www.dinorizzo.com/

I'm in Heaven

No seriously! The last few days I've been playing with kids at the orphanage then enjoying the festival at night. I'm learning to speak Khmer! There so much to tell and I don't know where to start.

Yesterday, we dedicated the building at the orphanage. The kids sang songs and did a skit for us. They are so beautiful. I fell in love with a girl named Damer. She's 15 years old and speaks a little English. She had the most beautiful smile. When I was leaving she held my hand as we walked to the van. I opened the window to tell her "bye" again and she reached in and said,
"I love you so much". WOW! Our mission and theme is Hope For Cambodia, and that is definitely what we are doing.

There's another orphanage down the street for girls ages 4-10 years old. There are about 50 girls and all have been rescued either from rape or child traffic prostitution. There's a coalition on the border of Thailand and Cambodia dedicated to saving these girls from this lifestyle.

Tonight is our third and last night to host the Festival. A local band plays music then our band gets up and plays. No one in the crowd speaks English, but they praise God by clapping, dancing and jumping. It's amazing the number of lives that are being changed.

I've eaten chicken fried rice and pizza from the same restaurant for the last 3 days for lunch and dinner. I dreamed of it last night.

The hotel is decent, but we're not allowed to brush our teeth with the water.

God is good! I can't wait to post pictures of everything, and I can't wait to see what else God has planned.

Oh, this morning, my pastor asked me to go with him to a local church to share my testimony. I've learned a little Khmer, but there was an interpreter next to me. That was an amazing experience!

Greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

We arrived in Cambodia last night (Phnom Penh). My first Cambodian dinner was alright. It's similar to Thai and Vietnamese...so lots of rice, noodles and spicy soups. The poeple are amazing. They get a kick out of us trying to speak their language (Khmer). I can count to 20 in Khmer.

Today, we drove to Battambang where the festival and orphange is located. It's about a 5 hour drive, but it took us 6 1/2 hours. We have a 9 bus caravan. Half way here, of course my bus' transmission went out. My driver kept saying "No Problem, No Problem"; I think because that's all he knows how to say in English. When I originally got in bus the driver put on Enrique Iglesia. It thought that was so funny. Below is a picture of the town at night and my bus driver with these two boys who were so cute.




Tomorrow, we're painting the orphanage and getting prepared for the festival. The governement still hasn't granted us permission to host the festival in it's current location, so we may have to reset everything in another location. Please pray for that everything goes smooth.

Greetings from Hong Kong

Well, we've made it to Hong Kong and only 8 more hours to go!!! I just went to Burger King. A Whopper Meal is $40.00 & an ice cream cone is $7.50. (Haven't figured out the money conversion or the time change). All I could afford was the ice cream cone and it was really good!

We're about to board and head to Singapore, but I'll update my blog as much as possible.

I know what if feels like to be pregnant...

Now that I've got your attention..I'm not pregnant, but preparing and waiting for this trip feels like forever (9mths) and it's finally here. We're flying out tomorrow and will return July 27th. My leader, Marc Cleary, is already in Cambodia. Here's an email he sent us. (FYI-It's a little graphic.)

Last night was our first service for HOPE Cambodia. Everyone was making quick adjustments as the Cambodian Government switched venues on us at the last minute, moving us from a 10,000 seat arena to a 700 seat theatre. Despite the sudden change in venues, God displayed His glory. Hillsong London rocked out and Ps. Gary Clark, also of Hillsong London, delivered a powerful message. There were so many young people attending that were on fire for Jesus Christ already. They were dancing and celebrating before the Lord.
During the day, we visited the Royal Palace of the King of Cambodia, fed monkeys, rode on an elephant named Sambo and took a boat ride down the Me-Kong River. After enjoying the local sites and attractions, we visited Cambodia's dark past by touring the Genocide Museum at the infamous S-21 prison and the Killing Fields of Phnom Penh. It was amazing actually standing in the places where just 30 years ago millions of innocent people were literally slaughtered in the cruelest ways for no reason at all. The heaviness and darkness was unbelievable as you saw the make-shift prison cells that people were chained to everyday that were no bigger than small closet. The Khmer Rouge regime was so deliberate in their terror that the photographed and kept detailed files on everyone one of the millions of people they slaughtered. This is very horrifying, but I saw pictures and read first hand accounts of them tossing babies in the air and catching them on swords and long knives. I also saw the actually tree where they took babies and beat them to death against it while playing music loudly to cover up the groans of the thousands of people that were dying in the ditches they just finished digging. It is the most brutal and evil things I have seen firsthand.
Yet, despite the dark past, Jesus Christ is breaking through the darkness with His eternal light. The young people that were at the first service are the hope of Cambodia. I was fortunate enough to hang out with a 20 year old college student named Vatanak (pronounced Va-tah-nah). Despite his father being a prominent buddhist priest, Vatanak accepted Christ as a teenager taking free English lessons at a local Christian Church in Phnom Penh. He told me that ever since he accepted Jesus that his life is "full of love, joy and peace unspeakable" that he never knew existed.
Vatanak is why we are here. To create an opportunity for kids like him to be changed and help change others through Jesus for all eternity.

Happy Birthday America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Wt4XlXUrc

27 More Days...

27 more days till I leave for Cambodia! WOW!! I got my shots, passport, paperwork...

Every Tuesday, my team and I meet and talk about our plans and paperwork, but last night we had a guest speaker who lived in the same town we are going visit. He lived in Bataambang with his family until he was 12 years old; before, Khmer Rouge came in and seperated him from his parents. They seperated all of the kids from the adults; then those who were skilled farmers and laborers were taken to the fields, and those who weren't were never seen again. (He said, "I think you know what I mean.")

After 3 years, 8 months and 22 days he escaped and was taken to America with no education and couldn't speak English. His grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles where killed, but what is so awesome is that he's not angry or bitter. He lives in Baton Rouge with his father and works at Subway and is hoping to open a franchise within the next few months.
WOW again...

There is so much to be said for this 1 man and so much to be done.

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On another note, here's a picture of Brady Scott Hammatt with his Aunt Natalie. He was born this past Friday-just in time to be announced at the dance recitals. The crowd went wild!!

I've been busy being blessed!

Sorry for neglecting my blog (for all 2 people who read it), but I've been building up all this good news to share with you at one time.

1) I graduated from my 1st year of Elevate! Here are some pictures from the evening of people who have no idea how much they've invested in my life (Pastor Dino, Mike Haman, my Mom, Michelle, Elizabeth and friends-2 of which will be going with me to Cambodia (hint not the pregnate one)). I'm excited and ready for next year!

2) Two beach trips! The first trip was our annul girl's trip which was a blast, and the second trip was to celebrate Christina Olinde's upcoming marriage.

(Pictures to come.)

3) I have a handsome new cousin,

Brayden Joseph Guidroz. I knew it was

a boy the whole time.

4) I just moved into a new house.

That doesn't look like this, but I still love it!

5) By the time my next blog is published, I'll be a new Aunt. Congrats Emily!

New Favorite Artist & Author

Kari Jobe
Revelation Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FObjd5wrgZ8

The More I Seek You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3GijrnfStk

https://karijobe.com/


Pearls of the King by Lee Domingue
Lee came and spoke at one of my Elevate classes. Everytime he shared a "pearl", I knew to buckle up because it was going to be powerful. This is an amazing book, I've given it out as a gift because it's something one shouldn't keep to himself.

http://www.leedomingue.com/

Gabby

Friday morning, I received this email from a friend--

A good friend of mine and Nancy's, Gabrielle Marcantel, or as we called her, "Gabby," was killed in a automobile accident on Wednesday afternoon as she was driving from Baton Rouge to Destin, Florida, for a Women's Retreat. Gabby was a member of Healing Place Church and had just turned 29 on Tuesday, the day before the accident.

She was an LSU grad student living with her parents as she was obtaining a masters in Counseling. She volunteered at Healing Place Church in New Beginnings, a ministry for people trying to overcome addictions. She was an awesome girl, very happy and content, and very affectionate, and as she put it, "very blessed with many great friends and family." She will be missed greatly. Her funeral will be Monday morning at HPC, so please pray for peace and comfort for her family and friends. Thanks.

On Friday, Gabby's father received lab results showing lymphoma and went to the doctor for a scan. The doctors are very optimistic! The results showed a large cell lymphoma, and he should be successfully treated and in remission for at least 10+years.

It's so easy to praise God when things are going great in your life, but can you praise him during the storm?

On January 17th, Gabrielle wrote the following in our pastor's blog:

Thank you so much for an obedient heart. I am sure you hear it all the time, but I am so blessed to be under your covering. This is a long overdue, but I also wanted to thank you for being led by God to approach communion in such an open way during the Christmas services. I was raised in a very Catholic home. I grew up in Catholic schools and have watched my parent pray and say the rosary each morning all of my life. When I first got saved (October 2000), I was living at home. My father told me I still had an obligation to attend mass. He first stepped foot in HPC when I invited him to my towel ceremony after the leadership course. You are a daddy of a daughter, so you understand what it is to be (or have) a daddy’s girl. When I asked my mom and dad to come for Christmas (after suggesting we go to mass together on Christmas Eve), I was amazed that he answered yes. I know my dad has a relationship with Christ, but he recieved! I saw him wipe tears away (and he is a hard man). He gave me money to put in the offering and accepted communion, the biggest shock of all. We went to dinner that night, and he acknowledged that he was able to commune with the Lord in the mass. He even admitted to wishing it were post-Vatican II (the silence). He also said he didn’t care where I served the Lord as long as I had a relationship with Christ. Thank you for your sensitivity. I know it is not fear of man, but sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

How amazing is it to know that when someone you love passes away they went to see the Lord. Will your family have that peace if something should ever happen to you? Do you know beyond a shadow of doubt where you'll go when you die? Will people say the same things about you as they are about Gabby? Check this out http://www.legacy.com/theadvocate/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=87762409

47th Street

I had so much fun hanging out with my new friends Saturday on 47th street. We overloaded ourselves with pickles, hamburgers, hot dogs, basketball, bubbles and rockin' music! They taught me a few moves.

Here are some pictures. I give you fair warning, you may fall in love with them too!

Other Amazing Bloggers

I'm putting all the attention on these bloggers. They challenge me to live the life God intended-ALL THE WAY.

http://charlesandkristen.blogspot.com/

http://www.isaacandcarol.blogspot.com/

http://www.dinorizzo.com/

Stretched

My prayer lately is for God to STRETCH me - growth requires being stretched. This past Saturday, I had the privilege of serving in the inner city of BR-just blocks away from where I work. It was raining when we all arrived, but that didn't stop us. We loaded the trucks with bags of groceries, drove down to a dead end street, parked, then blew the horn. Suddenly, 5-6 kids plus several adults were coming out of each of the houses. Houses I knew no one could possibly live in. The roofs were caving in, no electricity... We gathered in their front yard, all held hands and prayed for each one of them. They were so touched and brought to tears.

There was a warehouse about 20 feet away were homeless people, prostitutes and cross-dressers began coming out of. They were curious and joined us. Emily was one of the ladies-we asked her if there was anything we could pray for her about and she said she'd like to get off of crack. After praying for her she hugged us and thanked us. She just wants to be loved-just like all of us.

My favorite was Ms. Hilda. She's 80 years old and lives all by herself. She doesn't know were her next meal will come from. After I prayed with her, we just hugged each other and cried. She blessed me more than I could ever bless her.

Be careful what you pray for because God will make it happen in His own way. I've been stretched and blessed.

Rebecca St.James & dEleRioUs Concert

I made it back to Baton Rouge from Charlotte, and what an exciting trip back! Last night, I spent the night in Atlanta while my luggage made it all the way home. Changing in the airport and taking a shuttle to work keeps life EXCITING!

I just got back from the Rebecca St. James & dEleRioUs Concert. Check it out--

"Wait For Me"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaXh636e_Z8

"Forgive Me"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MxE50QJxCM

Daniel Is Born...

My best friend, Samantha, had another beautiful and perfect little boy! Daniel was born on March 26 and weighed 6lbs and 14 ozs. I get the pleasure of spending Easter in Charlotte and also celebrating Will's 3rd Birthday!!