Rachel Hampton

October 13, 2005 January 23, 2010

This date may mean nothing to you. It didn’t really mean much to me until about fifteen minutes ago. That’s when (while reading an old blog) I came across an entry that mentions, for the first time, my interest in the missions program I belong to now. It was written over four years ago!

I was talking to a friend online a bit ago who had a timeline for missions that was completely changed on him. We were discussing how God’s timing is often very different from our own. That’s not always easy. In fact, it can be extremely hard. Often because we have a “I want it now” mentality. But have you ever looked in the Bible at the people who God spoke to? Have you ever seen how long they actually had to wait to see His promises fulfilled? I have a whole list that, of course, I can’t find right now of people God made a promise to and then how long it took for that promise to turn into reality. Seems often “waiting” is just how God operates. But, we get into this “blame God” attitude when things don’t go our way. But just because God promises us something doesn’t mean He’ll do it on our time table…or right away. He has reasons, that are far above what we could conjure up, for doing what he does and when. It’s just our job to trust and obey. He told me to go to the mission field. I said ok. Then I waited. And I got impatient and a little peeved. Um, hello…God? I said ok…what are you waiting for? To this day I still don’t know why I had to wait three years, but I feel God taught me a lot about trusting him. Being faithful and willing to do what He’s called me to do and let Him do it when He wants. Not that I’m an expert or perfect at this or have amazing, limitless amounts of patience. No way.  Just ask those who ride in a car with me. It’s called a passing lane for a reason people!

But honestly, this is as good of a reminder for me as anyone. If we have surrendered our life to God, that should mean we trust Him to do what He wants WHEN He wants.

I’m doing a little bit of waiting right now. I should be on my way/in the Philippines right about now. That was the plan. My plan. I had it all worked out. Sounded perfect. I was ready. Then things happened to change that. So now my leave date has been pushed back a week or so. Thankfully, God gave me so much peace the day I found out and since. I just had this feeling that, for whatever reason, God was not surprised by this change in MY timing. Don’t think surprising him is really too possible. So if He knew, why get stressed?

I’m sure I’ll also be facing some waiting/patience tests in the Philippines as well. While I don’t look forward to them, I do look forward to learning more about the great God I serve. No matter how hard things get, He’s always enough. His grace expands to fit the need we have for it.  Pretty remarkable.

So please, continue to pray for me as I embark on the next year….a year in Manila. And I pray that no matter where we are in life, we’ll be able to trust more and more on God’s timing. I guess that’s a lifetime kind of lesson but…well….what else do you have to do?

Bitter-sweet December 30, 2009

I am home. That is the sweet part. Doulos is no longer home. That’s the bitter.

It is so strange for my crazy, world-traveling year to already be over. But as I rode on my freaking-long plane ride only hours ago, I listened to some worship songs and couldn’t help but smile as I mouthed the words “Lord you are good and your mercy endures forever”. This past year has been everything I hoped for but so much more than I expected! And it went by way too fast. Just a few things I feel God taught me:

1. Serving Him with gladness is so much better than serving Him out of  a sense of requirement.

2. People around the world are a lot more similar than we sometimes think.

3. Cultures are different but you can still build amazing, lasting, compromising friendships in spite of that fact.

4. God may not always show you how He’s working, but He IS faithful and will bring things to completion in HIS timing.

5. I have lived a blessed life.

6. There is a big world out there and I need to stop living selfishly and give more.

7. I serve an amazingly powerful God who is as capable of performing miracles now as he was in the Old Testament.

8. Planting spiritual seeds is just as important as harvesting, we should always be willing to do whichever God places before us.

9. It really is a small world.

10.  Serving God is a privilege and a blessing and I’m humbled to be given the opportunity every single day.

There is more I’ve learned but those are just off the top of my head. Though I am still headed to the Philippines for another year of service with Wycliffe, I am now home for three weeks to spend time with friends and family. I seem to adapt so quickly to everything that thus far, this just feels normal. Maybe I’m still in denial of leaving or the full impact hasn’t hit me, but for some reason it doesn’t feel odd to be sitting here on the couch between my parents while my mom watches tv (and comments to no one in particular cause no one is listening) and my dad reads a magazine.

I’m just overwhelmed by God’s goodness. It took me so long to get to the Doulos but it was definitely worth the wait. It would take a long time to express or explain all that I went through and no one but people who went through it with me would truly understand. I’m really looking forward to the next year and seeing what God will do then. But for now I’m just filled with thankfulness. God is good. All the time. I know this to be true. I’ve seen and experienced it. My prayer is that each one of you will see the same.

Change is exciting! November 30, 2009

In case you don’t receive my newsletters, I have big news! The Doulos, the ship I’ve been living on since February 1st of this year is being decommissioned. We all knew this would happen but figured it would be September of next year. Boy were we surprised to hear it was December 31, 2009! This threw a lot of people’s “schedules” off because we had a new group of people join just a few months ago for two years. Still, the attitude on the ship is positive and uplifting for me to see. Most people are unsure of where they will go next but excited to see the opportunities God has for them. It didn’t cause too many problems for me, just moved my leaving date up. I had planned to go to Manila, Philippines in early February but now I’ll be leaving about a month earlier. I’m excited to go and start working with Wycliffe Bible Translators for the next year. Please do pray for our community on board that everyone will see where it is God wants them to go and will follow Him wholeheartedly. And pray for my transition to Manila as well because it’ll be a very different lifestyle than ship’s life. I’m looking forward to it though!

Also I’ve updated my newsletter page with all my newsletters for the past few months. Since we’re no longer going to the middle east, it’s not unwise for me to put those up anymore. Oh yeah, that reminds me…we’re not going to the middle east. Haha. We’re staying here in Singapore until the end of the year. After that, the ship will be sold or…something. We’re not sure. So thanks for your prayers and if you’re in Manila, be sure to look me up!

Time with God November 15, 2009

There is one really great thing about having lots of free time here in Malaysia during my second land team phase. The amount of time I’ve been able to spend with God. I’ve downloaded sermons from Ergun Caner and Ted Cunningham (my amazing pastor from my church in Arkansas) which were really great. I’ve been reading “What’s so amazing about grace” by Philip Yancey (thanks Doulos library!) which has taught me a lot already. And of course I’ve been able to read the best book…God’s Word. I wanted to share something that God taught me last week that is still floating around in my brain. It’s amazing how personal He is! If you’ve got your Bibles, turn with me to Acts 20:22-24 .

“And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.”

I felt God really showing me the parallel between Paul’s missionary journey and mine. I am in no way comparing myself to Paul. I’m not stupid enough to make that mistake…but God knows how influential this man has been in my life and was showing me how we have some things in common. He’s not just a character in a book, he’s real and his life lessons are applicable to me. Like Paul, I am traveling from city to city on the Doulos. I may not face jail but there is suffering involved. Not to the extent of Paul, but suffering nonetheless. Like missing family, losing my grandfather, encountering loneliness or discouragement. All kinds of things. But I knew this would happen. God says in His Word that we would face trials and be persecuted in one way or another because of our faith in Him. BUT, that means we get to share in his suffering! I’m not worthy but what an honor!! And regardless of what suffering I face, I know God has called me to serve here and, in a few months, the Philippines. So why complain about these sufferings? Like the verse says, what is my life worth unless I am telling people about God’s love? It is the work God has assigned me, just like he assigned Paul…and all of us. There are still so many people in the world who don’t know the amazing love of God. It breaks my heart to think about it. What a huge assignment I have. What does a little suffering matter in the grand scheme of things? It’s not about our comfort now that we know him. We should be rescuing people from the same fate we were once destined to face. It was a great reminder for me. And of course you’re a missionary too. Maybe not overseas being tossed around on a big ship, but God has still given you this same assignment. Don’t take it for granted!

9 months…really? November 7, 2009

“Hi, my name is Rachel, I’m from the USA and I’ve been on the ship for…..9 months?!”

This was my intro at a recent program at a church in Malaysia. I was surprised as I announced it. Just a few days ago I hit my 9 month mark of being on the ship. Unbelievable. That means only 3 more months to go! It’s so amazing how fast time flies. It does not seem like I’ve been living this crazy, world-traveling life for that long. It’s been such an exciting ride.

Last you heard I was in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia. After a few weeks of great ministry there, we headed to Singapore. The ship was only open for five days but we tried to use the time as best as possible. I also used the time to do some sightseeing. Having never been to Singapore, I was determined to see as much as possible. Luckily one of my good friends, Clarence, who used to be a stepper on board, lives there and was kind enough to show us around.

After a quick five days, the ship moved into dry dock. Every year it has to go through routine maintenance out of the water. During this time, half the crew is sent on land teams to Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia to do ministry and help in these areas. For the first two weeks I was in Bandung, Indonesia, near Jakarta. I went with an amazing team! One of my roommates, who was more than happy to go back to her home country, my previous roommate, Fumie from Japan, and one of my dear friends, Jennifer from USA. We worked with a local church doing youth programs, bible studies, as well as traveling to schools and sharing about the work that Doulos does. The two weeks absolutely flew by! Our hosts were so gracious and kind and made sure we saw alot of the area. There were also three young people who worked/went to the church who befriended us and made us feel like we were just hanging out with friends.

After that, all teams met back in Singapore for three days of debrief and preparation for PHASE 2. My second phase brought us back to Malaysia, closer to Kuala Lumpur. There’s me, Natalja from Russia, Tseko from Mongolia, Soomin from South Korea, and Minhae from South Korea. Again, our hosts are WONDERFUL. We’re staying at a youth house the church just opened recently for local students. Their desire is to have a place for the young people to study because many of their homes do not have a good environment for this. Next week we’ll be busy painting the inside and working on putting the logo I designed on their wall. In the meantime we’ve been spending time with the youth, local churches, and hosting ladies meetings while also seeing a lot of the surrounding area. We were scheduled to be here for two weeks but just found out the ship is not going to be ready to sail on time so we are staying here for another week. But hopefully the 23rd we’ll sail from Singapore and head to the middle east! I’m excited to see this part of the world and serve them in God’s name. Because this is a sensitive area, all of the ladies on board will have to adjust our wardrobe (hello ankle length skirts!) and be sensitive in what we say and do. If you’d like to hear more about how God has been working in my life, feel free to send me an email. I’d love to share. Thanks for your continued prayers. God is good…all the time. Everyday I see that this is true!

Malaysia is pretty awesome September 28, 2009

So it’s time again for a massively-long post. Again. I really don’t try to be so horrible at blogging. But I won’t bore you with excuses again. I’ll bore you instead with detailed descriptions of my past month.

I am now in my second port in Malaysia. The first one, Kota Kinabalu, was one of my favorite ports thus far. It was absolutely gorgeous and I would definitely recommend it for a vacation destination! The ship was surrounded by beautiful, blue water and we could see stunning mountains in the distance. One, Mount Kinabalu is the tallest in Malaysia. I wish I had a chance to go and visit it but it was a little far. There were islands around the coast that you could go to for the day and enjoy the beaches, snorkling, and water sports. The first time we attempted this (James, Josh, Ryan, Geoff, Clarence, Anderson, and I) was not a success…weather-wise. It was sunny when we headed out but the water was rough. In fact, the boat we rode in to get there was throwing us all over the place. I was holding onto the side and each time I slammed down onto my seat, my arm also slammed into the pole i was holding on to. I had a HUGE, lovely bruise for about a week afterwards. It rained off and on all day but we still had a lot of fun. It was cold if we got out of the water so we just stayed in the water the whole time, up to our necks so none of our skin was exposed to the elements. We stayed there all day but eventually had to head back for work. Because of the rain and massive waves, we were continuously soaked by water in the boat on the way back to mainland. But it made for a really hilarious memory.

We also got to go to an island another day. Our shift from bookshop decided on our day off we were all going to go to an island. It was the perfect day and we had a great time! We had a BBQ, did some swimming, laying out, snorkling, and…best of all…I got to go parasailing! I had never been before and it was awesome. We got about 10 min but being up above the water and sailing was so peaceful. It was also one of the last things I got to do with James before he left the ship. If you’ve never done it before, you seriously need to. That night I didn’t want to eat ship food so James, Josh, and I decided to go into town and eat Italian. Then we sat in Starbucks (free internet!) for hours on our respective macs and enjoyed the fast wifi. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

A few days later, James left to go back to Ireland. A bunch of us decided to take him out for one final dinner and it was, honestly, one of the most fun nights I’ve had on the ship. We all dressed up and ate at one of James’ favorite hotels in KK. It’s hard to explain what made it so great. We had hilarious conversations, took great photos and made lasting memories. That sounded so cheesy but it’s true. After we came back to the ship, we didn’t want to separate so we just sat outside and talked and laughed for another hour or two. The next morning he left.

Many people are coming and going on the ship and you get used to it. I’ve never been too sad about it but this time was different. I’ve never been really close to the people that have left. In the past few weeks, many people I’m very close to left. Not only that, but I felt a void in their absence. Especially during work. A new group of crew joined in the days after my friends left and so bookshop changed completely. Instead of the comfortable, easy conversations and work environment I’ve been used to, it changed so much. The first few days I had a really hard time. I missed my friends and being comfortable and having fun. I didn’t want to have the “getting to know you” conversations a million times. But as we sailed from KK to our next port, Pasir Gudang, I went on the deck and was talking to God. He asked me “Rachel, you feel such a void from some of your friends being gone but your time with me has been horrible lately and do you feel a void from ME being gone?” Ouch. I suck. It was a really good reminder. And I need them all the time. It’s amazing how even when I’m a crap daughter that God is ALWAYS willing to teach me things. I hope I never stop listening. So since then, things have been much better. Yes, I still miss my friends but things are going well on the ship. In fact, the other day was SUCH a good day. God blessed me hour after hour. But I need to be more willing to praise Him and thank Him on days that aren’t so wonderful. That’s more of a challenge.

So speaking of the new people. I am no longer the newest pre-ship on board! 64 (I think) people joined the ship in KK. It was really exciting to be on the other side and cheer and scream for them as they walked up to the ship for the first time. It’s cool to see new faces and a bit overwhelming. We can sign up to be “big sisters and brothers” for new people and my ‘little sister’ is awesome! Her name is Hannah and we get along great. We are doing the same program with Wycliffe so we’ve been able to bond over that as well. And she’s also working in book shop.

Before leaving KK, I was able to go on a ministry overnight with three other guys on the ship. Jun (South Korea), Robert (Indonesia), and Pravin (India). We traveled about two hours north to a town called Kudat. We stayed for two days with a church there and taught them dramas and other ministry skills they could use to reach out to the people in their area. It was a lot of fun getting to know them and seeing them come out of their shell. Not many people spoke English which made it difficult. When our words were being translated, one person translated into Malay and the other into Chinese since it was a multi-lingual church.  Pretty entertaining. On our last day there, the pastor took us up to the Tip of Borneo, the northern most tip of eastern Malaysia. It was beautiful there. The water was so blue and clear and warm. We wanted to go swimming so badly but didn’t have time. But man, it was gorgeous!

We also had I-Night before leaving KK. I was involved in two things during the night, a praise team and the Tinkling dance. Both went well but there’s always room for improvement While we were waiting backstage for the show to begin, Joseph, one of my friends from South Korea, asked me to break a board with my head. (There is a Tae Kwon Do team during I-Night which is why they had boards). I wanted to break one but not with my head. It had been five years! But then he started chanting and everyone else did so I pleaded with everyone not to laugh if it didn’t break and reared back. Bam! It broke! But if I”m being honest, these boards were easier to break than the ones I used in martial arts. Still, it was fun. After the night was over, I had the chance to talk to two young girls in the audience. One was a Christian but one was not. God is really working on her heart so please pray for her. Her name is Elisa.

We are now in a new port with new crew and new steppers. I’ve only met a few of the steppers but one, Paul from Brunei is really cool. He’ll be working in my shift and while talking we found out his brother goes to college at Liberty University in my town. Small world!

I’m on break right now and really enjoying myself. Just me, Carola, and Jen. Girl time. Pool time. Internet time (hallelujah). And food time. I love to eat! It’s nice to get away from the ship and relax. In fact, I’m going to go do some more of that. Love you all!

PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVAN!

Trouble with being far from home… August 24, 2009

I have good news and bad news. The bad news first. My granddaddy passed away. The good news. My granddaddy passed away. I’m happy for him because I know that he is looking into the face of God today. How amazing is that? That has given me so much comfort and joy while I’ve struggled with the knowledge that he is gone from me for now. It makes it harder knowing I am so far from my family as well. I heard that he was sick and immediately started praying about him as well as whether God would have me go home if something happened. Selfishly, I was thinking that I needed to but didn’t want to miss out on what God wanted of me. Over the week or so, I felt God telling me to stay here. That was hard to hear. I wanted to be with my family. Mourn and rejoice with them. Be there for them as they grieved. But I left home knowing that something like this may happen and that I was serving the Lord…sometimes we have to leave family and follow him no matter the cost. It doesn’t make it easy but it makes it right. And what peace God gives when you’re following His will. And my family is amazing. They kept encouraging me to stay here as well, telling me that my granddaddy would want that and that he was proud of me. I was even blessed enough to spend a few minutes on the phone with him. When I mentioned that I wished I was there with him he responded, “You’re where the Lord needs you”. That is granddad…focused on God til the end. So selfless and amazing. I will miss him but I will also see him again. This I know!

We are now on our way to Malaysia. I’ve heard it’s a beautiful country; especially the port we will be visiting. It’s a four-day voyage and I’m hoping for some fun waves…though I’m sure a lot of people are hoping just the opposite. My last few days in Thailand were good. I was able to meet up with a new friend. Andrea, my good friend from church back home used to teach in Thailand and put me in contact with one of her friends still there. She came to the ship with her students one day and we made plans to hang out on Saturday. A few friends and I headed to a local church first. Though we had a bit of trouble getting there, we made it just in time for the service. It was a small church of young people that met in a kind of coffee house setting. The worship was great and in Thai and well as English. It was very low key but really enjoyable. In fact, it felt kind of like home since I walked in and there was a guy sitting there in a Liberty University tshirt (the college in my hometown). Small world. Seriously. After church we wanted to go grab a bite to eat. It had been pouring while we were in the service and as we came out we saw that the streets were completely flooded! Might want to work on your sewage system…just a thought. We were going to go to a nearby restaurant so waded in the shin-high water and rain for a few blocks. We ate at a small Thai restaurant with seating outside under an awning. The four girls Kristin brought with her were so sweet and interested in the ship. We talked for awhile about that as well as their work as teachers in Thailand. It was such a good time of fellowship. We even discussed Saved by the Bell since I had on my Zack Morris necklace. And a very cool thing was that one of the girls went to Liberty and attended Thomas Road. I got to talk about my home church with her and it felt so nice! We had a great time with them and then headed back to the ship. I thank God for little moments like those. They make the world feel so much smaller and it’s encouraging to meet fellow children of God in random places. Off to a meeting to hear about how ministry went in Thailand. Next time you hear from me, I’ll be in Malaysia! Please continue your prayers

Life in Asia August 20, 2009

Well it’s been over a month. I’m sorry…again. Here’s the deal: our internet is terrible. And sometimes it’s not easy, convenient to find wireless connection outside of the ship. And when I do, updating my blog isn’t always my first priority. Sorry about that.

Here’s what’s been happening. I had a good time in Cambodia. It was different than I expected but we enjoyed it still. The down-side…it rained pretty much EVERYDAY. It got really frustrating and wet. Because of the weather, we didn’t have very many visitors. But we are praying God is going to work in the lives of the people we did come in contact with. Speaking of the rain…two memories come to mind. The first one is of the first attempt I made at exploring the city. Carola and I went walking without any idea of where we were actually going. We hadn’t made it too far before it started to pour. We had no car and all the taxi’s/tuk tuks were taken. So we started to walk back. I, unfortunately, was wearing a white shirt. Thankfully, Carola had a jacket she let me borrow. We got close to the ship when the wind and rain really started to pick up. The force of the rain into my face was physically painful! We took shelter behind a building and spontaneously shot a video of carola standing with her useless umbrella in the storm while pretending to give the weather forecast. We made it back to the ship but not with any dry part on our bodies and not without the stinging sensation of raindrops on our faces. But it was still a great time and an entertaining memory. Then the other time wind and rain interrupted my normal life on board was even more dramatic. It was a Sunday. The sun was….ok, not shining. But so far, no rain. Just setting the stage here. I was on the crane deck which is a separate section of books for sale at a discounted price. The area is set up under a tarped tent. There were a good number of people there looking to buy books. Then suddenly, the skies opened up. I hurried to pull the front of the tent closed to protect the books but the wind was insane. As soon as I got one side down and went to get the other, the first side would blow back on top of the tent again. I yelled into my walkie talkie that I needed help and Josh came running up the stairs from gangway out to assist me. It was a typhoon! While we desperately tried to hold the tarps down to protect everyone inside, we couldn’t help but look at each other and laugh. It was ridiculous! The tent was blowing around and we decided it wasn’t safe for people to stay there. We rushed them to the bookshop and secured the tarps. Meanwhile in the bookshop, the floor was being flooded and many books were ruined. It was the craziest time at work I can remember in the past six months. But what a humorous story to tell. and we all lived to tell about it. In fact, the wind and rain was so bad that the ship had to leave the port and go out to anchor so we wouldn’t get broken against the quayside. It will be one of my biggest memories of Cambodia.

We were also blessed to have a five-star resort offer for us to use their pool for free and their spa facilities for a discounted rate. I took advantage of a massage, pedicure, and walk along their beach more than once. It was so peaceful and beautiful there.

I was also able to participate in International Night. It was the first time I had been to once since we joined in Cebu, Philippines. It consists of dances, songs, and international performances by the crew of the Doulos…all with a gospel message. It’s usually the biggest event in the port. Well, I was blessed to be able to be in the gospel choir. It was the last performance and we had such a good time. I also got to be in the parade of nations. Many crew dress up in their national costume and are introduced in front of the audience by name and country. Then we bow or wave or whatever. Well, Josh and I were both representing the USA. I challenged him to yell “Oh Yeah!” with a fist pump after I announced we were from the US. He pulled through and got a big laugh out of me…even if no one else was entertained. Afterwards, I went to get a bite to eat with Jen and James. We went to a really nice local restaurant. The best moment of the night came when two drunk guys were leaving the restaurant and one stopped behind James. Jen and I were facing him so curiously watched the guy to see what he was trying to do. He leaned down until his mouth was near James’ ear. At this point, James’ heard the guy’s saliva in his mouth and turned his head, jumped about a foot in the air, and gave the man a disgusted look. Jen and I were rolling on the floor with laughter. Even our waitress got a kick out of it. Only James…

Another highlight in Cambodia was our bookshop shift 2 outing. After one of the girls in our shift made pizza for lunch and then we headed to a local HIV hospital. James had been earlier in the week and saw a small building that the hospital planned to use for patients in their final stages of HIV. The place was disgustingly dirty and not fit to be used in that manner. We got right to work and cleaned the building from top to bottom as well as painted all the rooms and the outside. It was hard work but so fulfilling. I had felt liek I hadnt been able to do much ministry so I was really grateful to be getting my hands dirty and doing something out of love for those less fortunate. And funny Carola story…while we were changing to leave for the hospital, Carola put on work pants and sat on her bed to put on her shoes. Then she commented, “man, these pants are hot.”, stood up and proclaimed, “Or it could be the PIZZA I just sat on!”. She had brought an extra piece of pizza from our lunch, placed it on her bed and forgot. She had an awesome pizza butt stain for the rest of the day. Of which I also felt called to take a picture. Perhaps I’ll share that one day

I am now in Bangkok, Thailand but won’t be here for much longer. It has been a fun and very busy city. I was able to make a visit to the Grand Palace on my off day. It’s beautiful and is a must for anyone who comes to Bangkok. The king used to live in one of the buildings on the grounds. I felt very asian walking around there. Partly because they don’t allow shorts so I had to rent an asian skirt to wear around.

Speaking of being asian, I am now officially a Filipino dancer. Meaning, I have learned and performed part of the traditional Tinikling dance of the Philippines. I’ve done it three times now and have another performance on Saturday. I recorded my first performance which will be seen at some point I am sure. If you don’t know anything about the dance, please google it because it is hecka fun!

Also big news, the princess of Thailand came on board a few days ago. She is very well-respected in Thailand and we were excited she was coming to visit the ship. I was asked to be in the parade of nations and felt very lucky to see the princess face-to-face. Out of 350 crew, only 25-30 got to stay on board during her visit. We all stood in a line in our national costume and bowed politely as she walked past us. Then we were introduced by name and country and one at a time walked up to her in her chair and bowed. It was a very cool experience and she seemed quite kind. It was a big ordeal and we were even on the news. Though we hoped it would bring a lot more people to the ship, that hasnt seemed to happen so far. But we still have a few more days.

I have had some great edays and have enjoyed spending some time with precious Thai children. I’d like to come back to thailand someday. The people are really nice.

In sad news, I’ve learned in the past few days that my grandfather is getting close to passing away. I rejoice in the fact that he will be home with the Lord but it is still hard to let him go. It’s also hard not being there for my family. But I was able to talk to him and he told me, “You are where the Lord wants you”. Even being ill, he’s thinking of the Kingdom. I have an amazing grandfather and have felt so blessed to have him in my life. His faith is encouraging and inspiring. He will be missed but I look forward to the day I will see him again. Please pray for my family and my granny during this time. Thank you and….I’ll see you here in another month

Taiwan to Hong Kong to Cambodia July 12, 2009

Apparently I have an inability to update in a timely fashion. Sorry about that. So obviously lots has happened since I last updated. Namely, Hong Kong and a five day voyage to Cambodia. We left Taiwan (which I was sad to see go) and a few days later arrived in Hong Kong. The ship was docked right in view of the building from Batman and the gangways exited directly into a mall. Not a mall I would shop in as the stores were mostly Gucci, Burberry, Calvin Klein, and other high-name stores I couldn’t afford if I WASN’T on a missionary salary. Though I will say I gazed longingly at the Burberry trench coats on more than one occassion. The ship was in a great location and we got to see the famous Hong Kong light show every night at 8pm. It was a weird port, however. There seemed to be a lot of spiritual attacks with a few crewmembers being hurt (even one who was in the hospital for two weeks because of a fall and hit to the head). We were also hit with the swine flu panic and a hurricane as well. Many crewmembers also had to go home because of family illnesses. Everything just seemed to happen at once. And Hong Kong was an interesting place to do ministry. There are many foreigners there so they weren’t impressed to see our faces. In some countries it’s a big draw to the ship but not there. Also, as in many big cities, everyone was in a hurry and suspicious of your bottom line when we really just wanted to show love. Needless to say, I wasn’t too terribly sad to see Hong Kong go, though I did enjoy my time. I got to go to a local amusement park one day with a few friends and ride some roller coasters. In fact, Carola had never ridden a roller coaster in her life so I got to be there with her as she had that experience. The park (Ocean Park) was very beautiful. It was on a mountainside with the ocean beside it. They had impossibly steep escalators so you could get from one section of the park to another. They also had amazing cable cars that you could take from the part of the park at the top of the mountain to the section that was further down the mountain. We got amazing pictures of the gorgeous scenery from that ride.  The cable car operator that day was CW Chan, according to the posted sign so somehow that became the joke of the day. Anytime anything would go go wrong we would just shake our fist in the air and yell “Darn you, CW Chan.”  One of those…why is this funny but it seriously is making us laugh…moments.

My A-Team is still determined to hang out. We planned an outing for our group while in Hong Kong. From what I hear, this is very abnormal and the A-Teams don’t usually get back together after they come back from their trip. But our group was so blessed by each other. We went out to dinner at…Subway. That’s right! It can be so funny to find American restaurants in other countries. Then we went bowling afterwards. And I would like to say that…I won. Just needed to state that. We took a walk in the rain to a Starbucks and just sat around chatting and enjoying each other’s company. There are some of the greatest people in the world on this ship!

Also in Hong Kong I had the opportunity to change cabins. Now I have a porthole and our own bathroom! It is really nice. Elly (one of my previous roommates) moved with me and then Carola joined us as well. So I went from a tiny 4-person cabin to a larger 3-person cabin. Yay. It makes such a difference to have light filtering in your room in the morning. Another reason I moved…bedbugs! I was being eaten alive by them in my previous cabin. In fact, one morning I woke up, and walked straight to the bathroom but thought, “what is wrong with my eye?” One glance at the mirror confirmed something WAS wrong. My eyelid was swollen to Quazimoto proportions. I couldn’t help but laugh. A trip to the clinic confirmed that it was some kind of bug bite but they thought maybe cockroach. How sick is that? I didn’t even know cockroaches bit! So yeah, I was glad to be out of that room. And so far, no swollen eyelids to be found in room #2.

One of my favorite things about Hong Kong was going to a local grocery store and finding…DR. PEPPER!!! I have not seen this heaven-sent beverage since leaving home in january so I was pumped to see it! In fact, I was just walking past, not even looking for it when I saw the can and started squealing and jumping up and down. My friend, James, just stood there laughing at me making a fool of myself in the middle of the grocery store. But I didn’t care. It was worth it! As was the $1 a can price. Speaking of James, he had is 21st birthday while in Hong Kong. He wanted some of us to go out on the town and just spend time together so we all dressed up (which was nice since there are few to no opportunities to do that on board) and piled into Mercedes that James had rented to pick us up. He also got two hotel rooms at the Hong Kong Marriott. One room for the boys, one for the girls. We went out on the town and finally fell into bed around 4am after just hanging out. The next morning brought the most glorious breakfast bar I’ve ever seen. BACON! Oh, it was such a nice, short break.

I finally got some packages my parents sent back in February. The sad thing is, a few other friends sent a package at the end of April that got here at the same time. But I was so happy to get things from home (mostly food). It makes me feel more connected to the people that I love. As does email…so don’t feel shy about sending me hello emails. I’m really good about responding

Fourth of July was very different than what I am used to back home. We actually sailed out of Hong Kong that day so half of my day was sent packing down the bookshop and getting ready to sail. No fireworks. No day at the lake. No cookout. But the galley did make burgers and fries for all of the ships company and the Americans ate together while listening to good, classic American music. I wasn’t too bummed to miss out on the festivities back home. It’s always so worth it to be where God wants me to be and doing work for Him.

Our voyage to Cambodia was five days! The longest one yet…and the smoothest. In fact, the ship is moving more here in port than it did the whole time we were sailing. I was happy for those who so easily get seasick because they were able to actually enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of sailing. Those of us in the bookshop were assigned to work for two days in a different department while sailing. I was put into accommodation….which meant doing a lot of cleaning. I scrubbed some bathrooms (including the ones in the engine room that were soooooo hot), cleaned some rooms for incoming guests, folded laundry, and got down on my hands and knees to scrub baseboards on the stairs. It wasn’t necessarily fun work but it was nice to do something different for a change. One night they had a coffee house set up and the whole ships company came and chatted while soothing music played in the background. It was a great way for everyone to unwind. One of my favorite things about sailing is going up to the top of the ship on what we call the sun deck and listening to music and just appreciating the beauty of God’s creation. Nighttime is especially a favorite of mine.

Speaking of God, he’s been doing a lot of speaking to me lately. Read the first chapter of Haggai. This is where I was in my read through the Bible plan a few days ago. I was reading but secretly (not that there are secrets from God…who was I trying to fool?) not expecting to see a whole lot that was applicable to my life. Then God slapped me and woke me up. If you read my latest newsletter you will see where I was talking about how so much of what we do is seed planting on the Doulos but not a lot of harvesting. Well, this chapter revers to God’s house being in ruins. There being food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. This was my quiet time. The house of God in me was not being cared for as it should. Yes, I was doing some quiet time and getting some spiritual food but not enough to fill me up. Then it talks about planting vs. harvesting. I could be harvesting more if I was fully connected to God and letting Him work through me. God was asking me in this chapter to rebuild His house. And not because I feel I need to but because I love Him and desire a relationship with Him. Though I wasn’t expecting to hear from Him and especially not in a “girl, get your act together way”, it was so encouraging to hear God speak to me…even if my heart wasn’t in a place to fully listen. He is such a faithful Father. Man, He’s awesome. We should stand in awe and wonder more frequently. The God who created all the stars in space and keeps them from plummeting to destroy our small planet, the creative God who designed all the fish in the sea and controls the winds and waves, the huge God who has always been and will always be loves us. Loves me. Loves you. Desires to teach us new things daily and has designed wonderful things for our lives. It’s the same God. He’s huge. I’m nothing. And yet He cares enough to see me sitting on this tiny speck of a ship, opening my Bible with only a half-hearted effort, and takes the time to reveal something to me. How blessed are we? There are no words.

I look forward to seeing how He is going to work here in Cambodia. We have only been here a few days and I haven’t gotten to walk around yet but the scenery is absolutely gorgeous! There is a lot of corruption here and, I believe, lots of opportunities for God to work. Please pray that He will and that those of us here on the ship will be willing to do whatever He asks of us. And I promise to update again soon!

A-Team without Mr. T May 31, 2009

So I am finally back from A-Team. It was a wonderful ten days! In fact, my team and I didn’t want to come back. Let me tell you a little bit about my team. There were six of us plus a local translator. We all came from different countries but got along wonderfully! Our team leader was actually the youngest on our team but did such a great job! His name is Maurits and he’s from the Netherlands. Then we had Florian, a guy from Switzerland, and Sebi (Sebastian) from Germany. Those were the guys. The girl’s side consisted of Katrina from Australia, Aileen from Panama, Me, and our translator Sunya from Taiwan (obviously). We had the best team unity and I think I can say my favorite part of the trip was just growing closer to one another and having a great time of fun off the ship. Our team verse before we left was Psalm 121:1-2. Maurits picked this to help us remember to trust God and also because we thought we would be doing a lot of stuff in the mountains. Anyway, after a few hours of travel we arrived at our host home and they decided to teach us a Chinese song. We wrote down the words and did the best we could at pronouncing them correctly. After we had learned it we asked what it was about and they told us it was Psalm 121:1-2. How cool is that? I love when God gives you little surprises like that. Just a small way of feeling closer to Him. 

We found out that our ministry would actually be a lot different than we originally thought. Not as much free time and a lot of school visits! School visits are difficult. You go into a school for one hour, do a program, have little to no interaction time, and then leave to never see them again. It’s hard to not know what kind of impact was made on these kids. You really have to trust that God is going to use it and work in the lives of maybe only one child. But then it’s still worth it. Still, it’s hard to accept that you’re doing ministry when you have such a short time there and don’t get to really talk to kids one-on-one. And that was our ministry for the vast majority of the time we were there. So that was difficult. But we just pray that God will use those 10 days for His Glory. 

I got up earlier than I had in a long time since we generally had breakfast at 6:30am-7am and had to leave the house by 7 or 7:30. Amazingly, God woke me up every morning so that I could spend time in His Word to start the day. That generally doesn’t happen here on the ship and I get up later. I think a big part of it was actually having sunlight to wake up to. That makes such a big difference. It really helped me to stay focused. So we would have 2-5 programs a day at usually two schools before we were done. Then we had some free time or down time at the house of our hosts. Our hosts did not speak English which was why we needed a translator but they were so sweet! And I have never had so much Taiwanese food in my life. People would be very proud of the things I ate. I even tried Octopus (not a fan). There was tons of fish which I am not a fan of, but you gotta live like the locals.  Or you die basically. 

In our free time we did a lot of hanging out. There was a rock wall attached to the outside of the house so we got to climb that multiple times which was fun. We also had opportunities to ride bikes quite a bit. There was a river near the house that we swam in one day.  Well, waded, swam, almost lost our lives to the current, whatever. Let me lay out a little story that may only be funny if you were there but I’m going to tell it nonetheless. There was a big concrete hill beside the house and if you stood on top you could see way down to the river. To get down to the river you had to take one steep concrete hill down to a platform and then another concrete slope to the river. Well, Florian was at the very bottom which was quite far away and the other two boys were on the platform. I asked Sebi if he would catch my sunblock so that I could use both hands to climb down the hill. Well I threw it a little hard and it hit off the tip of Sebi’s fingers, hit the ground, bounced, and slammed into Florian’s head. Though his head was cut and bleeding, he didn’t yell ouch or scream in pain, his only reaction was to yell “Are you crazy?” And I wish you could hear the accent because it would mean so much more. We were are rolling on the floor laughing and it became a quote for the trip. Another quote? Gibbous. Does anyone know what this word means? We sure don’t but on the train on the way to our short-term home we saw a sign that said “The floor is gibbous”. I think they made this word up but it sure is fun to use in any way you’d like. Your mom is gibbous. Shut your gibbous. You’re looking gibbous today. There are so many uses! Ok, time out. I just looked it up on dictionary.com because I am a nerd and it’s actually a word! Man, don’t we look stupid. It means convex like the moon when it’s half full.  Hmm, interesting. I’m glad we could take this journey together. It was gibbous.

One of the best days of our trip was Monday. We pulled weeds in the garden that morning and then some other Douloids came to go river trekking.  We waded into seriously cold water and climbed up waterfalls (some fell down waterfalls) and jumped off rocks into the water. It was a lot of fun though way too cold! After a few hours, we headed back to the house and did some wall climbing. Then me, Sebi, Aileen, and Josh (from the ship and works with me in bookshop) decided to ride some bikes down the road. It started pouring rain but we were still wet from river trekking so we didn’t mind. It was so refreshing to be flying down the road and having rain drops pelt you in the face. Maybe pelt isn’t the best word to use. Maybe I should say something like…having rain drops fall like cotton balls on my face. Less violent.  We went a few miles down the road and climbed down to the creek and started skipping stones. Some more successfully than others. Then we rode back to the house and said goodbye to the other Douloids. Our team sat on the hill beside the house and chatted for awhile before our “dad” asked us if we would go into the frog pond and pull weeds. Ok, this pond was disgusting! It was dirty and full of weeds and the bottom was squishy and slimy. It took a lot of effort to get me in there at first. Then, of course, a mud fight ensued. By the end of our time in there, we were all COVERED in mud. It was in our hair, in our ears, all of our faces and clothes. It was sick but so much fun! I have some great photos of it that I’ll have to share. It was a wonderful bonding time. We then went down to the creek to wash off as best as we could. After real showers, we had dinner and group devotions. This was always a nice time for us to get together and talk about what God was teaching us and sing some praise and worship songs. Once it got dark we decided to take a walk. The house where we were staying was a little in the country so the road wasn’t well-traveled. Somehow we ended up laying in the road and talking for hours. It was so peaceful and nice to be out in nature, under the stars, and talking with friends. That was the nice thing about this group. We all felt free to be ourselves without the worry of being judged. There is such wonderful freedom in a friendship like that. That’s how they should all be.  That was a highlight day. 

There was so much laughter and love in the 10 days. None of us were ready to get back to the ship though I have to admit, I missed hot showers and ship food (gasp, I said it). I wish I could better express what we did and how it felt to be part of such a wonderful team. Thanks for your prayers that you sent up on our behalf. Please continue to pray for the kids we ministered to as well as our “mom”’s father. He is in the hospital very sick from cancer and not a believer. 

Since I’ve returned, I’ve been able to go to Taipei and went up to the top of Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. It was a cool experience (and there are photos tagged of me on Facebook) that I’m glad I got. This week is Sabbath Week on the ship. It’s a time of rest and relaxation as well as spiritual renewal. I’ve really been loving it! We have a guest speaker from Malaysia who brings great messages every morning to encourage and inspire us. His messages are simple but good. We are off to Hong Kong in just a few days. I will miss Taiwan! There were many great memories for me here. If you ever get to come to this country, definitely come. You won’t be sorry. Unless your head runs into my sunscreen.