The BE RICH campaign

Go here and find out how you can give or do for someone else!

http://www.howtoberich.org

PS-under "give" you can send one of the Cambodian kids to college!

A new team...

There is a team going to Cambodia in December. They will be going to the same orphanage we went to. It's pretty exciting! I wish so badly that I could hide in their suitcase :) I met with the team last week to answer any questions they had. It was a great meeting and I have already started praying for their team.

If you would like to support them, that would be awesome! And you can donate online, it's so easy-http://www.globalxm.org/give Just make sure you choose "Cambodia" for the country and then "Cambodia Christmas-12/04/08-12/14/08" for the trip.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm hoping they will be using this site to update too. But for now-please pray for their hearts to start being prepared for the travel, kids, and work to be done. Also, pray for the team to bond together as they train for the trip. And last but not least, please pray for the kids at New Life orphanage.

Much love-
Rachael

Cambodia Trip 2008

Big thanks to Ann (Mike's mom)!! She made this sweet video that sums up our trip :)

Please pray about supporting one of them...

They need to be provided for their English School fees:
Mien Sros M. 17ys. He is in grade 10.
Pan Borey M. 14ys. He is in grade 8.
Bo Vibol M. 14ys. He is in grade 7.
Soeung Panha M. 15ys. He is in grade 8.
Chom Pisey M. 14ys. He is in grade 9.
Mann Chhaiya M. 15ys. He is in grade 9.
Mien Veasna M. 14ys. He is in grade 7.
Roth Pros M. 12ys. He is in grade 7.
Chheng Vandam M. 14ys. He is in grade 8.
They need to be provided for their English School fees:
Pan Phillip F. 14 years old. she is in grade 9.
Chhorm Kea F. 16ys. She is in grade 11.
Sam Vanna F. 17ys. She is in grade 11.
Pen Sy F. 16 ys. She is in grade 7.
Pen Preuch F. 14ys. She is in grade 7.
Pon Samnang M. 26ys. He is in college 2nd year
Harm Saroeun F. 23ys. She is a worker in our orphanage center. She is in college 2nd year.
San Sopheak M. 23 years old. He is in college 2nd year of Acriculture.
Thoeun Jonathan 19 years old. He is going to college on October. He just finished high school last week.
Thoeun Somaly 16 years old. She is in high schoo grade 11th. She need to study in English school.

Thoeun Theary , 23 years old. She is in BBU at Siem Reap. Thoeun Theary, 21 years old. She in in BBU at Siem Reap.
Koem Sam Ath M. 26 ys. He is a children teacher. He want to go to college.
Nhep Kim Hang F. 22 ys. She just finished high school; and going to college this year.


*****************************************************************************************

All of these children are needing support to go to school. It's only $360 a year for one of them to go to college. I'm collecting support for them and plan to mail over some checks at the end of September. I am praying that God will provide the money for many of them to go to school. Please partner with me! If you are interesting in supporting a child, please let me know as soon as possible and I will give you the instructions. Thanks in advance! This is a big vision I have, but I'm trusting the Lord and praying BIG!
-Rachael-

Priceless (by Ben Chase)

Emails: 994
Voicemails: 190
“Emergencies” (AKA: Rich people problems): 6
Wedding Planning: a bit.
Time spent re-telling stories of the trip to people in the office: 4 hours and counting.

I’ve got some on my plate that will keep me from communicating as much as I’d like during the next few days. Please understand my silence doesn’t mean I’m not thinking of you. Miss you all greatly. Raquel, I totally understand the breakdown. Yesterday morning I hit my local Starbucks and was unexpectedly on the verge of tears. And not the simple single dropping man tears that are ushered quietly from the corner of one eye, but the weeping tormented “what’s wrong with you?” tears. The trip solidifies that my heart is in foreign missions. Ideally, Angela and I can afford to make long-term commitments in the future. Right now we can’t. we’ll see. Post trip blogging sounds like a great idea and I started writing something yesterday morning, but I don’t understand all the emotions well enough yet to explain them to other people.

I had a nightmare yesterday, too. Short nap around 2pm after I’d taken my mother to lunch and shown her a couple photos of the trip. There were some tame images of S.21 in there—nothing dramatic. But the dream was powerful. I won’t describe the graphic violence I witnessed, but the strange bit was that the Cambodian dark skin and Khmer language had been replaced by Western actors and English words. It was definitely S.21, and it was definitely Caucasians. The dream sequence made the whole experience at S.21 more real to me. It was terrifying.

John & Julie, I’m sharing the same sentiments about happiness having met such a great team. Thanks again for your good leadership, and I look forward to doing more with everyone in the (near) future.

Love, BC

Back Home and Adjusting

It has been hard coming home and adjusting back to the ways of life. Especially with the time changes. John and I are doing good and trying to stay awake. We have been very busy since we returned with work events and his cousin's wedding this weekend. When returning home from a trip like we have experienced it is hard to understand others reactions. I don't think you can ever really describe through words the things we did and saw. Our team was truly a blessing from God and the friendships are everlasting. I have been looking back at my pictures daily and remembering all the good times and smiles that have made an impression on my heart. These children are a gift from God and I am excited to see them grow in Christ. 

I am struggling with getting back into a routine and typically it takes about a week to a week and a half to really get your sleep pattern back. It can be difficult mentally, emotionally, and physically when returning home. Hang in there and try your best to not take naps! Make sure you are drinking lots of water and getting outside! And ultimately TRUST in the Lord for your strength!

I miss you all and can't wait for our picture party. I have received emails from most on dates that work. I will send an email once I have heard from everyone on logistics of the party!

-Julie

I know God is saying "Well done good and faithful servant!" Matthew 25:21

Post Cambodia

(I sent this out to a distro list on my email, but thought I would post it here as well)

Hey friends and family,

Well, i'm home safely! The trip was amazing. Its so hard to put it into words but I will try to give you a little bit of an update. First of all, if you would like to see pictures I have tried to sum up all my pictures into an album and you can view it here http://picasaweb.google.com/rwalkup520/CambodiaMissionTrip. Also, if you want to see the detailed day by day account you can go here http://missionincambodia.blogspot.com. I will also continue updating the blog as I get updates from the Pastor there. And there is a team going in December so if you are interested you can continue to get updates. Ok here goes what I have to say...

20,000 miles of traveling, 74 hours of travel time, 13 hour time difference from home, 37 kids, 10 team members...with ONE mission...showing Jesus' love by personally loving these children. As I wrote in my journal, I left the US excited to see these children and just love on them. When I arrived in Cambodia, tired and jet lagged, my heart was FULL of compassion for this country. I have never seen such poverty in my life. We spent a lot of time traveling in a bus and for as long as you can see on dirt roads is rice fields and markets. There was children taking care of children. Everywhere we went children and adults we trying to sale whatever they can. "Lady, you buy-one dollar, please, you buy" is etched in my memory. But the second we pulled up to the orphanage and these precious little angels were jumping up and down excited to see us and as the door opened they are bowing at your feet saying "chumree-uhp soo-uh", my heart filled up with love. I had been praying God would allow me to see the children as He sees them and my prayers were answered. Our time was limited with the kids and I wish so bad I would have had more time. But the time we did have was precious. I just fell in love with the kids. It's amazing to me that I could make such a deep bond with kids that don't even speak my language. I felt God there and saw Jesus in their eyes. They were the most well behaved children I have ever met. Always satisfied, smiling, content, and loving. Seeing their faces as they played in the Ocean was so rewarding. The hardest point was leaving them. I can see their tear stained faces chasing after the bus as we left. It was so sad to leave them but I know they are right where they need to be. These children are the future of Cambodia. Less than 1% of Cambodia is Christian and it will take these warriors for God to change Cambodia. It can happen! The Pastor there at the orphanage says he has a 3 part mission- 1)take care of the kids (give them food, shelter, and love) 2)train them with some type of skill and teach them English and 3)lead them into a growing relationship with Jesus. He has the kids from the time they come into the orphanage until the time they graduate college and get a job. I'm so excited to support this ministry too. Especially since I have personally met the children. It only costs $360 a year to send one of the kids to college. If you are interested in sending a child to college, please let me know! I know you weren't there and it's much different for me, who was there, but I would love to help them as much as possible. Overall, the trip was a success and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me next. Thank you so much for all your support both financial, prayer, and encouragement. I definitely could not have done any of this without you! I have never been so uncomfortable in my life but I have also never learned so much and felt so close to the BIG God I serve. The trip was totally worth it and I will do another one as soon as I have an opportunity. I love you all very much! in Khmer, "Knyom sraw-line ne-uh nah"

With Christ's unfailing love-

--
Rachael Walkup


"O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them." Psalm 40:5

Pictures

I have organized almost 200 pictures here. It's hard to pick which ones to show i have 1500 myself and thats not counting all the ones everyone else has. But just in case you couldn't see the ones on facebook. Here is a link to an album you can see :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/rwalkup520/CambodiaMissionTrip

-Rach

Home sweet home...

Well, we have made it home safely! Praise God! And on the way home I got what I was craving all week-FOOD (haha-but seriously I had Steak n' Shake and it was delicious) It was a LONG trip to get back to the US and I don't know about everyone else but i'm having a little bit of culture shock :( I had a 2 hour breakdown today in my closet when I couldn't find a hanger because I have so many different outfits. I ended up making a hug pile of stuff to give away. So, i guess it was a good thing. I haven't attempted to drive, go to the grocery store, or work yet. Anyway, I just thought I would give a little update. Also I made a list of things I am grateful for when I was in Cambodia and now is a good time to share. Hope you enjoy...

• Having Jesus in my heat, The whole spririt leading me, and God overseeing in case he needs to intervene
  
• running water
• toilets that flush
• clean bathrooms
• a shower separate from the toilet and sink
• HOT steaming water
• carpet
• Widespread Christianity here in the US
• My amazing husband (the way he takes care of me, leads me spiritually, and loves me more than anything in the world)
• My unfailing family who supports me no matter what
• The incredible Team A-seriously I would have been LOST without all you. We have become family and so I say bring it on family times! I love each and everyone of you dearly in a unique way
  
• Even though the economy us bad here at least we have an economy cause Cambodia doesn't have one
• Television in English
• English speaking American
• That was have a way of identification
  
• I was born here in the US
• That I wasn't an orphan, and that I grew up in a loving home
• I'm a Christian and I want to tell others abut Him
• Grocery stores that are inside and set up by sections and food here is refrigerated
• for the children of Cambodia who are diligently praying a big vision for Cambodia
• just plain American food!!!!! (hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, pork, and so much more!)
• Working job that love and get paid for
• Spending quiet evening in bed talking with mu husband
• My parents, inlaws, aunts, uncles, cousins, grothers, sisters, etc for their contract love and supprt
  
• Ice that I can eat :)
• Tide or anything good smelling detergent
• English speaking kids
• being about to communication/bond with who we could
• I'm grateful God sent me to be on this team because I thought I lost a piece of my heart a long time ago or it was dead. But God showed me that piece during the week...does anyone wanna guess???

What are some things you are grateful for???


(plus I better stop now, I took an Ambien(sleeping pill) and theres no telling what I wil type once it kicks in :)


***just so you readers know this blog will be up kept. I have already gotten an email from the paster and major that run the orphanage and we are deciding to do one or two month updates so we will be updated with whats going on :) -So be on the lookout!

Saturday/Sunday

Hey everyone,

We are traveling today and tomorrow so please pray for safe travels for us.  We have just landed in Shanghai.  Here we have an 11 hour layover so we have just checked into a hotel.  I'm gonna take a nap since I don't sleep good on planes/buses.  A few of the team members (including me) aren't feeling good and the plane isn't the most comfortable place. SO if you could please say a pray for us, we'd really appreciate it! Thanks again for following our trip.  It really meant a lot to every team member to know their family was reading!

Love to you all!

****Be sure to still check the blog a few days after the trip I will post a final blog and also some videos of the kids.****

-Rachael-

Friday

I wrote this earlier today right after we left the orphanage and I wanted to share with you all....

It's Friday morning and we are on the bus on the way to Siem Reap. We had a very emotional morning. Picture this: we arrive at the orphanage this morning and the kids have made two lines of kids and there are heart shaped notes and gifts hanging from the trees. As we walked through they are bowing to us saying thank you and we love you in Khmer/English. We are then lead to a covered area where we have seats in the front and all the kids are seated in front of us. One by one the stand up and speak to us in Khmer while the Pastor translates. They told us things like they are thankful they got to fellowship with us, they are glad they went to the beach, and they love us and will miss us very much. Several of the kids were crying as they were speaking to us. This one little girl stands up and tells us that she loves her mama and papa very much (isnt that sweet) then she says you all are my mama and papa. I mean talk about heart wrenching. And that was the point I started weeping and still haven't stopped. I'm even tearing as I type this. But I just wanted it to be detailed in my mind. I know I will never forget this experience.Those children are the future of Cambodia. They are precious in my eyes and in the eyes of Jesus and I know this morning made God smile. They all had made us hand written letters and gifts. I got baby pictures of them, hand made bracelets, and even a Khmer Bible. They gave us there prized possessions. And if you saw there rooms you would know that is giving us alot. Each of them live on a small cot with a box of all their belongings. So for them to give us pieces f things they own is just amazing. I had a sweet little boy that stayed next to me form the moment we got there. He was crying today when I was leaving and wouldn't let go of my hand. I knwo that image of him is always a precious memory I will have. I came here not knowing much about Cambodia and I am leaving with a lasting impressions on my heart from these kids and Cambodia will always hold a special place in my heart. I praise the Lord for putting me here and letting me experience all this. Please take a moment and pray for the children of New Life orphanage. The Pastor told me that they cry for days after we leave. So I pray that they will be comforted by the holy spirit and that they can laugh about all the good times we had instead of being sad that we are gone. As always-thanks for your prayers and for reading!

With a heavy heart-
Rachael

****
We are now in Siem Reap. We went shopping at the market, had an hour full body massage, and are eating dinner at a cool restaurant. Tomorrow we are getting up at 4:00am to watch the sunset at Anchor Wat. And after that we start the long traveling home. Please pray for safe travels...we can't wait to see each and everyone of you!!! We have missed you very much. Thanks for all the comments, prayers, and thoughts yesterday. We definately needed them :)


Much love to you all!!!!

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday

Hey everyone,
WOW! I have so much to say and I don't even know how to completely sum up the last 3 days! Thank you for all your prayers because God has totally showed up here. We all seemed to hit a wall on Tuesday night at the beach guest house. All I can say is we lived 3rd world style. God provided a verse for comfort and we shared together as a group. "For I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstance" So that's what we did, we were content and for an evening we got to see what it's like to stay in a hotel with no hot water, dirty towels/sheets/walls/etc, and a loud market right outside. It was an experience and thankfully we made it through, praise God. But the beach was incredible. Just seeing those kids faces light up as the saw the ocean for the first time is amazing. I will have those faces engraved in my mind forever. I posted some pictures on facebook. So hopefully you can see them there. The internet is very slow and i'm not able to put them on here. When I get back I will have a link to youtube where you can see a slideshow of all the pictures :)

Today was our last full day with the kids. We did curriculm, arts and crafts, and sports in the morning and afternoon. Then after dinner we popped them popcorn, gave them coke, showed them a slideshow of pictures from the week, and then watched The Jungle Book. They loved it! I wish you all could see their sweet angel faces! The movie was in English but they totally got it, which was great. All in all it was an amazing day and we were sad to leave tonight. The kids just grab hold of your hands and keep saying i love you in their language. I have never heard such beautiful words!

So tonight we go to bed with heavy hearts because we know tomorrow morning we will have 2 hours with them then we must say goodbye. I have heard the kids cry as we are leaving so please pray for our team. We all have bonded with these children and it will be so hard to leave them. Below are the details for tomorrow and since we will be traveling i'm not sure when we will have internet again. But thank you for reading, praying, and thinking of us. We defintely could not have done anything without you all. God has been all over this trip and thats because of you.

7:15 breakfast
8:00 leave hotel and head to orphanage
10:30ish leave orphanage and start 4 hour bus ride to Siem Reap
We will spend the night there and then on Saturday head to Phnom Pehn for the trip home.

I could type so much more but its 9:30 pm here and it's been a very long day so I must go to bed. But when we get home we can elabortate on these past few days. Please go to this linka nd take a look at the pictures.

Knyom sraw-line ne-uh nah
(that means "I love you" in Khmer)

Here's the link for the facebook pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009108&l=7f0e3&id=113700005

Beach trip

We are back from the beach trip safely. We're exhausted so I will post more tomorrow!

Much love and we miss you all very much!!!

Hi from Cambodia

It has been an amazing experience. Our team is so incredible! It is truly a blessing to have met such wonderful new friends. We are doing great and having an incredible time with these kids. They are a gift from God. I have never met children so well behaved and so affectionate. It amazes me to be here, half way around and see how BIG God is! Sometimes we forget how big he is in our daily routines. Cambodia is growing in God and these children are shaping the future of this country. We thank you for all your support and prayers. We could not do this without you! Hi to my family and friends! I miss you and love you more than you know! Thanks to Rachael for continuing to update our blog and keep all of you at home informed and updated with our trip!
(Inside Joke to Rachael - maybe we should take a picture of our friend sitting at the computer blogging!!!)

Thanks for the Taste of Home

Hey, 

Just wanted to thank you guys for sending me the letters and pictures!  It was really uplifting to hear what you had to say!  I'm truly blessed to have y'all in my life, and I feel that my heart has been filled up today with your words!  LOVE YOU, and miss you all! 

-Mike

Monday

Hey everyone,
First of all-thank you so much for your comments. We love to know that you are reading these updates and specifically praying for us. It means so much to us. I'm sorry if you can't see the pictures on facebook. I thought that would make it easier to see them, but I guess it's not working for everyone. Today we got up, ate breakfast, and heading to the orphanage. We all were feeling tired this morning. God again used my mom to encourage the group with some scripture. It was Isaiah 40:28-31. God will renew our strength if we put our hope in Him. When we pulled up tot he orphanage the kids were runnign out int he street-jumping up and down so excited to see us. God used that to renew all of our strength. Our hearts were filled with happiness to see the kids be so excited we were there. The curriculm crew (Heather, Angela, and Ben) taught the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors and the kids loved it! They were even able to retell the story in a drawing. After curriculm, the arts and crafts team (Me (Rachael), John, Julie, and Molly) helped the kids color on little bags. We asked them to write on the bad was they can trust God for. One of the kids wrote in Khmer that he can trust God with his future. How amazing is that? These orphans are so strong in their faith that they know to trust God with their future. After that, Rec team (Jon, Michael, and Craig) did trust falls with the kids. I was picked to demostate how to do the fall so that was crazy! Good thing I trust my team :) The kids loved this!! We even got the pastor and major to do the fall, haha! We had lunch and went right back to the orpanage for the afternoon session. Curriculm taught more about trusting God through your ups and downs. Arts and crafts made sipper cups and rec played with rocket ballons (which were a BIG hit!). And that brings us up to now, we are resting and then gonna have an early dinner. The hit the bed early becauase tomorrow starts early! I won't be able to blog again until Wednesday night. We leave at 5:30am tomorrow (Tuesday) and will drive to the beach. It's an 8 hour bus ride one way. Then we spend the night there and drive back here at 5:30am Wednesday.

Please pray for the following:
-A safe travel to the beach
-That the kids don't get car sick (last year they got really sick but this year we are giving all of them dramamine)
-For us to have strength (me (Rachael), Molly, and Angela are sick of the food so pray that God will provide all the energy we need form the little food we eat)
-For the Kingdom of Cambodia, today they anounced their new president
-For all the Isalmic and Buddist here to see the light of Jesus when they see us
-Praise for all the connections with the kids that have already been made and pray for more :)

Thank you for all the prayers, we can definately feel your prayers and need them. We love you all and I will update after the beach.

PS-We got a surprise this afternoon (letters from home) Thank you so much to those of you that wrote to us. They were just what we needed.


Missing you-
Rachael

Last update for the day...

Our afternoon was awesome at the orphanage, I have posted pictures on facebook and the links are below. I updated them with pictures from this afternoon. I will write more tomorrow :)

Love-Rachael

more pictures...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009052&l=7acec&id=113700005

Sunday

I have about 5 minutes so I thought I would say hello and give a quick update. We got up this morning and had breakfast. Last night everyone slept good but woke up this morning around 4. So we didn't get much sleep. Please be praying for renewed energy for the team. After we ate, we went to New Life church for a church service. It was very humbling. They worship on a dirty tile floor in a church that has no air conditioning. When they sang to us in their language, I was overwhelmed. I have been praying for us to see the people as God sees them and I did at that moment. They were praising the Lord and it sounded beautiful. It was neat to read along in our language as they spoke Khmer. We didn't have a translator so they just gave us the reference in the bible and we read along. What an amazing morning! After that we came back to the hotel, changed, and went out for lunch. Lunch was pretty yummy (everyone was adventurous having mystery chicken, pork, or sausage in a noodle bowl-I had tuna, hah) And that brings us to now... this afternoon we will be doing curriculum introductions, sports, and arts and crafts so please pray the kids receive the love we are bringing! Thanks again for all the prayers and comments!

We love you all so much!

Mom, Greg, Nach, Mami, Stephanie-thank you for loving me and praying for me. I appreciate your comments on here :)

Ann-Thank you for posting comments too. Michael loves you!

Everyone else-keep the comments coming we love to see them. It's alot of encouragement for us!!!

PS-Here's some pictures, just click this link and it will take you to the facebook album-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009051&l=f8df9&id=113700005

Saturday and in Cambodia!!!!

(This is the team at lunch today)

Hey everyone,
We have made it to our hotel in Battanbang, Cambodia. It was a long day but an awesome day :) We met for breakfast at 9:00am and after breakfast left for a day full of bus riding. We first went to the Khmer Rouge memorial. It was a emotional experience there. Basically what happened here in Cambodia was very graphic and it will take generations to heal. The concentration camp was heartbreaking and even our guide (who wasn't even alive during the genocide) said it hurts his heart to be there. After we pull ourselves together we jumped on the bus, ran some errands, and had lunch at a Khmer/Thai restaurant. It was interesting-we had to take our shoes off when we got inside and eat on the floor. After lunch, we ran some more errands and then got on the bus for a 5 hour bus ride. It was hard to sleep for the bumpy roads and constant horn honking. On the bus ride, we had to stop for the bathroom. And let me tell you how interesting that was! It's a small room with a hole in the floor. You squat over the hole and after you go, you pick up water from a bucket next to the hole and pour it down the hole to wash your stuff down. Oh I forgot to mention that the little room smelled like old urine, great! The drive was long, but we are glad to be here in Battanbang. Once we arrived here, we had dinner with the man that runs the orphanage and his wife. And that brings us up to now...it;s 9:45 pm here. So we are gonna met and prepare for our day tomorrow and then hit the bed! Below are prayer requests...

-Pray for the team to have more energy without getting as much sleep (we are a little jet lagged)
-Pray for us to be able to connect with the kids tomorrow (we met them after church tomorrow)
-Pray for the team to feel comfortable here (it's a stange place, far from home)
-Pray for the team to be safe in the hotel wea re staying and in other areas we go. (in the hotel are rooms are spread all over the hotel)
-Pray for the New Life Church and what it's doing here in Cambodia
-Pray for "Peter" (thats what we call him because his name is too hard to pronouce), he wants to to change Cambodia so that Christianity is widespread here (talk abotu praying for something BIG)

And I think thats it for now, thank you all so much for reading, praying, and being connected with us. We wouldnt be able to be here if it wasn't for you! Here are some shout outs from the team. I have listed them by name with what they say...

Angela- I love you mom and dad
Julie & John- Hi to our parents and friends, we are doing great and we love you! Turtle soup ROCKS!!
Craig & Heather- We wouldnt be here without your support. Continue to pray for our trip and the kids, love to ALL!
Jon & Molly- We're here safe, we miss everybody!
Rachael-Much love to all my prayer warriors, friends, and family. I love you all so much!


And last but not least, we have learned a little bit of the language! It's much easier to repeat after someone (Thanks Peter)

Lear heouy (means goodbye-pronouced lay air)

PS-I will add more pictures later (thanks to Griffin!!) I have taken TONS, I just have to size them down before I can put them on here :)

A few posts from today...

Thursday 7/24 1:45 pm(date and time at home)
Friday 7/25 1:45 am (date and time in Cambodia)

I'm on the plane and just finished watching a movie. It's crazy because it's completely dark in the airplane. We've had dinner and supposed to be asleep now. But you know me, I can't sleep. I'm too excited to get to where we are going. We've already met some really cool people. When we were at the Atlanta airport , we (by we, I mean Mike) met one of the people responsible for starting a NP strategic partner in Jacksonville. It was totally random because the guy was just ahead of us at McDonalds. And yes we had McDonald's for breakfast before we got on the plane :) After we boarded the plane, we met this amazing grandmother (she's sitting in front of us). She has custody of her grandchild because her son is just to young to take care of this adorable little boy. She is on her way to China to take him to have surgery. He is two years old and is completely blind. He will be having a special treatment in China. It takes 5 times but apparently afterwards he will be able to see. Isn't that amazing!!?? After she was done telling the story I thought to myself. We take so much for granted. Just the fact that we can see is incredible. We are so blessed to be born in America. My heart feels totally full of love, joy, and peace. I was so nervous to get going but here I am on a plane on my way to the other side of the world. It's amazing that I am here making this big step. I'm so thankful for my supporters. I have an amazing group of financial and prayer warriors for this trip and I couldn't be more thankful. My husband is such an amazing man, i'm thankful to him for making confident to do this with just me and God! Also, I just want you all to know we are a group of random people that God put together. It's crazy how much we have in common with each other. God is so BIG and sometimes it's so easy to forget that, but DON'T forget...i'm telling you God is so big. I am reminded of some scripture that I read earlier. I had several cards to read once I got on the plane. My dad in law and sis gave me a sweet card that was very encouraging and even made me tear a little. Mami, I'm saving yours for later-but wearing my necklace and love it! :) But my mom had given me a envelope for everyday. I waited to open her envelope til I got on the plane and it was a piece of paper with some scripture on it. I have to tell you that it totally touched my heart because it was exactly what I needed to hear. That's why I say God is so big, because He knew I needed to hear that before I knew and he used my mom to get it to me. I will leave you with the scripture for now and i'm sure I will write more later. We all miss you and love you very much. Thanks for reading and being involved in this trip!

"O Lord you have searched me and you knew me. You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my laying down, you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in-behind and before, you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. , your right hand will hold me fast, If I say "surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, " even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
Psalms 139

PRAISE GOD! AMEN!

--Rachael-

7/24 Thursday 9:26 pm (at home)
7/25 Friday 9:26 am (in Cambodia)

We are still flying in the plane. And I have been tossing and turning for the last few hours. I'm really tired, but I can't sleep :( And unfortunately I have missed the window that I could have Ambien because we have 4 1/2 hours left on the flight and if I took the pill now then I wouldn't wake up when we land in Shanghai. So I'm a little uncomfortable right now, but i'm fine with that seeing that being uncomfortable is why I wanted to go on this mission trip. I know will show me the most outside of my comfort zone. So here am I Lord, here am-teach me and mold me! Well, i'm not sure why I wanted to write, I just can't sleep and I have already watched 4 movies and a few tv shows so writing just seems to be the next on the list. The service on the plane is great. They keep bringing around water to make sure we are hydrated which is great. You know what I just thought of? We have been on this plane for almost 12 hours now. I cannot believe that! I have to admit I'm so proud of myself. I'm surprised I haven't gone stir crazy. Well, that is i haven't gone completely stir crazy, only a little bit :) A little while ago we played InFlight Trivia and I realized how much I don't know, haha! However, Jules won! She's pretty smart! Ok, i'm rambling now and I'm sure all you readers have tuned out. So, goodbye for now-I will write some more once we are in the Shanghai airport-Thanks for reading!
-RW

Friday 7/25 4:45 am (at home)
Friday 7/25 5:45 pm (in China)

*****UPDATE******
We have landed safely at the Shanghai airport. Just waiting on the next plane to take us to Phnom Penh. We are all a bit delirious so please pray for us to get some good sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow feeling rested. Also, I had some stomach issues on the plane, so please pray that God will heal me. Because for now, I defintely dont want any noodle soup and thats a bad thing since i'm about to have all kinds of that type of food. We miss you all very much and love you. Thank you for all the prayers-below are a few more requests....

-Pray for the kids at the New Life orphanage, pray that their hearts will be open to what love we are bringing
-Pray for our team to unite and work together as a well oiled machine (we already do, but it's still good to pray)
-Pray for the John and Julie as they lead this team
-Pray for all of us as we battle the jet lag and time difference

Love- RW
(Gregory, I miss you more than you can imagine and I can't wait til the day we can do missions together. Love you!)

God is so BIG!

When I went to pick up my prescription at the pharmacy, the pharmacist wanted to know all about the trip and what we were doing!  We talked for a little and shared some stories.  At the end of our conversation, he paused, looked me right in the eyes and said, "I just want you to know that I will be praying for you and your group."  For some reason, it really lifted me up and I immediately thought..."God is soo BIG."  I'll see everyone bright and early at the airport!  Can't wait! :)

Our Itinerary

Congrats on 2 yrs of marriage John and Julie!!!!


Hey everyone, I thought our readers might like to see our itinerary.

So here it is...

Thursday July 24th
Delta Airlines Flight Number 19
Atlanta GA to Shanghai
Depart Atlanta: 10:05am
Arrive in Shanghai: 1:45pm

Friday July 25th
Shanghai Airlines Flight Number 833
Shanghai to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Depart Shanghai: 8:05pm
Arrive in Phnom Penh: 10:50pm

Saturday July 26th
Visit Khmer Rouge Prison 21 – The Chilling High School in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia
Lunch and pick up materials within city
Drive to Battambang, Cambodia – check into our hotel
Dinner and get materials together for Sunday

Sunday July 27th
Church with the children
Lunch
Afternoon with kids for playtime and arts and crafts

Monday July 28th
Curriculum, Arts and Crafts, Sports
Break for Lunch (we will go back to our hotel)
Curriculum (Q&A), Arts and Crafts, Sports
Dinner

Tuesday July 29th
Drive to the beach with the kids
Full day at the beach with the kids
We will also spend the night at the beach.

Wednesday July 30th
Drive back to the orphanage from beach

Thursday July 31st
Curriculum, Arts and Crafts, Sports
Break for Lunch (we will go back to our hotel)
Curriculum (Q&A), Arts and Crafts, Sports
Dinner

Friday August 1st
Half day with kids – goodbye time
Drive to Siem Reap
Relaxed evening and dinner

Saturday August 2nd
Tour of Angkor What
Drive back to Phnom Penh
We will have a hotel to freshen up
Might have dinner with Pastor and his Wife
Head to the airport
Shanghai Airlines Flight 834
Phnom Penh to Shanghai
Depart Phnom Penh: 11:45pm
Arrive in Shanghai at 4:30am
(We will not be able to leave airport but we are looking into a hotel within the airport to hang out and rest and shower if you want. The airport is supposed to be very nice.)

Sunday August 3rd
Delta Airlines Flight 18
Shanghai to Atlanta
Depart: 3:45pm
Arrive Home at 6:25pm

As always, thanks for all your prayers!

The flight that keeps on giving..

I can not believe we are leaving in 2 days.
I am so excited! John and I have been so extremely blessed with all of you! We have made friendships that will last a lifetime! Thanks again for all your hard work and dedication throughout this journey! I can not wait to see all the kids and their smiles this week! They will touch our hearts forever!
If you have any questions please feel free to contact John or I! We will see you all Thursday 7:00am at the airport! Get ready for the flight that keeps on giving!
Don't forget your Visa (plus picture) and passport!!
John and I are off today celebrating 2 years of marriage! This is an exciting week for us!

Vaccines

It's now just a few days before we leave for our Cambodia trip and it occurred to me that getting the vaccines made me the most nervous out of anything we've done to prepare for this trip.  I think we take it for granted how blessed we truly are!  Realizing what these kids, and everyone else in Cambodia, are exposed to on a daily basis really blows me away!  Pray for their health...pray for our health.  :)

A Stand off?

Ben, one of our team members, sent out this link to read about some troubles in Cambodia. So for your reading pleasure here is the link...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7509412.stm

Enjoy!

Thanks for all your prayers, we are now 8 days away!!

Weather...

Hey friends,
Ben sent out this email today informing us that there is a good chance of beautiful weather while we are in Cambodia. So below is his email...

Tropical Depression aiming at Shanghai this morning is probably the best sort of news we could want for our trip. These storms are like flipping a coin in the sense that you can throw 13 tails in a row and while the probability of throwing 14 in a row is exceedingly small, the probability of throwing a 14^th after having completed 13 is still 50%. What I’m saying is: one storm’s headed to China and once the cycle finishes (there’s a 5 day lead before it hits Shanghai), there’s usually a gap in time before the next cycle begins and when that new storm forms, it usually aims at a different target. This one’s weak sauce and shouldn’t influence our flights. And since it clears out of the area just before we arrive, we should have good weather for the duration of our trip.

Images below are from: http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/.

There’s also some nice flash data tools available at http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/

T-10 days

Well, it's almost here...10 days til we leave for Cambodia!!! That is very exciting and scary at the same time! My biggest concern is the jet lag and all the traveling we have to do. So if you have been on a long plane ride or just have some good tips please comment!!!!

Here's some tips I've heard so far...
1-try to get on that country time zone a few days before
2-eat the normal meal for the time in that country (this helps your brain realize)
3-take ambien on the plane and sleep when you are supposed to sleep

5 Days off The Diet

I have been a bad blogger as of recent. Part of it is because my hard drive crashed and I just got my super old computer up and running again.

Anyway, it is amazing the change we went through during the 21 days. We were more in tune with what God was leading us to do, we were more diligent to do our quiet times, and much more reliant on Him. 5 Days off, and I am a glutton again, my quiet time has slipped a little, and I have succumb to selfish motivations more.

I pray that we all continue to keep our focus and our prayers on the trip and the kids. You guys are awesome, and I am so proud to be a part of this team.

And the Daniel fast comes to an end!

We made it...I'm so proud of our team! All of the goals we set we all stuck to them and I couldn't be more proud of everyone! As the fast comes to an end, I thought it would be nice if everyone could sum up what God taught them during the fast. Below is what my husband and I learned...

We have learned how important it is to trust God with everything, depend on Him for strength when we don't have any left, and to be very intentional about living a life that glorifies Him.

PS-I cant wait to have cheese and orbitz gum!!!

Day 23...

Today was day 23 for me. This week is starting out rough for some reason. Maybe it's satan's attacking me, maybe i'm just protein deficient...I don't know! Either way, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was pretty mean all day :( And it wasn't until the end of the day that I realized I need to be lifting my attitude to the Lord. Hopefully, I will wake up tomorrow on the better side of the bed! As far as the fast goes, it's totally habit now. However, I and dying for CHEESE!!!! A friend told me today that I may not like it anymore. But, I can't wait to try it and see :)

So, my question is....how does meat, dairy, and preservatives taste??? My team is off the fast as of this past weekend so I wanna hear how thats going!

Love-RW

Final Countdown

Well we only have 2 days to go. That is amazing! John and I have been hanging doing great. We have come up with some very creative recipes! I am so excited because this weekend is my bday and I can have cheese dip! :) I am feeling good and really don't mind the food at all. There will be food that I just can't live without. But over all I think eating healthy will be my goal. This has been a incredible. A bit challenging at times but it has definitely been an amazing journey. I can't wait to catch up with everyone at our meeting Saturday. I want to hear from everyone. Rachel thanks for challenging our team to do this fast. I think you will see it has brought our team closer and definitely made us focus on our trip. Hope all is well and I will see you Saturday! How is everyone doing?

Week 2 completed!

Ok so I have some new favorites I wanted to share :) 

Breakfast:

1/2 cup of plain 100% oats oatmeal

1/4 cup of vanilla soy milk

1/4 cup of water

frozen fruit ( i like blueberries and peaches the best)

Mix it all together and warm in microwave for 1:00.  It is sooooo yummy!

Lunch:

Spinach

Mandarin oranges

Pecans

Cherries

Oil/Vinegar dressing

This is a flavor explosion in your mouth!

Dinner:

Ok there's a tie between the Taco Salad and the Spaghetti Squash :) Either way here are both recipes...

Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash
4 large crushed tomatoes
1 small onion chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preparations:
1. Puncture the squash with a fork and microwave for about 3min. (until it is tender).
2. Place the onion and garlic in a microwave container and cook until tender,stir occasionally (1 to 2 min.)
3. Mix in the crushed tomatoes and cook another 1 to 2 min, stir occasionally.
4. Take the squash and cut in half, scoop the seeds from the middle and use a fork to pull the meat.
5. Pour the sauce over the squash and enjoy.

Taco Salad

Shredded Lettuce

Black Beans (cooked with garlic, olive oil, and finely chopped onion)

Pinto Beans

Guacamole 

Salsa

Black Olives

Blue chips

Thats making me hungry just typing it!

I'm so thankful for this fast.  God has taught me so much and I'm on day 14.  I can't wait to see what the rest of this fast brings :) Hope everyone is doing great!

Love-

RW

Still going strong

Well I have been out of the mix for a bit. I am still on the fast and doing great. I had a really rough patch where I was sick for about 3 days. I actually almost passed out in John's cousin's wedding. But luckily John got me off the stage before I hit the floor. I am back on track now. I thought I would have to quit because of the way I was feeling but I got through it. I think "trusting" in God is what helped me! (and John too) John and I were talking last night about all we have learned through this experience and it is amazing when you really think about what we are doing and how incredible it is. I can't believe it has been 2 weeks total.

Starting week two...

Well, Monday is over and week 2 has begun,  It's hard to believe it's been 9 days since we started this fast.  I've had a pretty bad couple of days.  I'm hoping that was just my body detoxing and starting tomorrow it will be better.  My husband and I have learned a lot so far.  We have decided when this fast is over we will still eat organic foods and we are considering changing to soy milk.  We definitely feel a change in our body as far as clarity goes.  I feel the same as John-during my quiet times the words are jumping off the pages.  Over the weekend, I feel that God taught me to remember He is all I need, my all in all.  That was what I prayed all weekend long! As this week begins, I'm anxious to see what He will reveal to me.  Let's keep praying for Cambodia, the kids, and us!

Much love friends-

Rachael

One Week In. We made it!!!!! from John Slappey

Hello to all. Sorry I haven't had a chance to post anything for a few days. We have had alot going on with my cousin getting married yesterday.

I am very encouraged by all that I have been reading to see that everyone seems to be going through the same transformations that I have experienced. It seems that each day brings new accomplishments and obstacles to overcome. I can say that without my trust in God I could not be here today after one week and say that I made it through the first week of this fast. I am amazed at the clarity of the my mind and body. The words are jumping off the page in my morning devotions.

Julie and I had a great time at the wedding yesterday. My aunt had them make us and Heather a vegetarian meal. It helped alot and was very tasty. The only real struggle I had was not to jump face first into the cake at the end of the night. I was truly tempted.

Gotta run. We are heading to the 11 o'clock service. Take care and God Bless.

John

I want dessert!!! I want to stick my tongue into that jar of nutella. WHY?!!

Wednesday and Thursday

Hey friends,

The last two days have been pretty rough on me.  I'm not sure why but I've felt kinda nauseous and not really hungry at all.  Plus, I'm keeping a small but annoying headache.  I've been trying to eat but nothing really tastes good.  I'm thinking my body is just cleansing and hopefully after tomorrow I will start feeling better.  I made a taco salad tonight.  It had black beans, olives, corn, homemade salsa, and tofu.  But I have to be honest and tell you I did not like the tofu.  Maybe I didn't cook it right-either way it was nasty! My favorite meal so far has been black beans and brown rice with a lil' salsa, yum!

As far as what God is teaching me... the last two days it was trust.  I had lunch appointments both days so it was tough not to cheat.  But I stuck to it and ordered what I could.  I felt like God was reminding me that if I chose to trust Him, I will be rewarded.  I do feel as if my mind is becoming clearer.  My quiet times seem much more meaningful in the morning.  And when I wake up in the morning the first thing I want to do is spend time with Him.  

I am praying for my team, I am praying for the kids in Cambodia... but more than anything I am praising God that He has put us all together to experience all this! 

Good Verse

I was reading Proverbs last night (catching up since I didn't the day before), and found a verse that I think is very helpful with what we are going through:

Proverbs 3:7-8
Do no be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

That came at a perfect time, as I was complaining about wanting more protein and how I didn't think I could work out as hard because of my lack of meat and didn't want to risk hurting myself. What selfishness and lack of faith. I was putting my desire for working out and lack of faith that this diet, which is making me so much stronger in my walk, could strengthen me ahead of the understanding that I am not on earth for me, but rather for service to glorify God and that he will not give me anything I can't handle. He will bring health to my body and nourishment to my bones. I just thought that was so cool. No matter the situation, some guy 3,000 years ago was inspired by God to explain that we would struggle with similar things, and that God is there to make you whole if you trust in Him, fear Him, and shun evil. God is good.

Veggie Chili

Here is the recipe: 

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon salt

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

3 gloves garlic, chopped

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained

2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles

3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and shimmer 5 minutes.

2. Mix tomatoes into pot. Season chili and chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and shimmer for 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

I wish I could have cake...

Well today I am feeling better. I had a huge headache last night and went to bed at 8pm. John and I are doing great with food. It is hard to come up with interesting things to eat. John says I can't live off of corn chips, guacamole & salsa. :) We made spaghetti last night which was good. Today was very hard because I went to a bridesmaids luncheon. I just wanted a piece of the cake so bad. It looked so good. But I am more worried about the rehearsal dinner with a Mexican Fiesta! I find that I get full but not in this good way. (I think a box of mac and cheese would be better) I am eating all natural peanut butter and an apple right now. My favorite!

Rachael, I am loving the oatmeal with apples and cinnamon. What grits are you eating that are %100 corn? The ones I bought at Whole Foods aren't that great. Also what roll-ups are ok to eat that you were telling me about? 

Craig I loved your blog. I told John that sometimes I feel like I am missing food and totally missing the point to draw closer to the Lord through prayer. I think the first few days were rough. Please continue to tell us about your book. Good luck on the road. 

As for as today I am finishing up work and heading home to a veggie feast!! Also my brother in law gave me a great recipe for Veggie Chili I will post it! They say it is good!!

Day 4 - - From Jon

Holy crap, this was an immediate blog need. I just made a smoothie this morning, and it is amazing. I found it on some website when I Googled "How to cheat on the Daniel Fast". J/K But really, this is very good, so wanted to let you guys know about it. Have a great day, and I will be praying for everyone.

1 1/2 Cups Soy Milk
10 oz. partially thawed frozen stawberries
1 medium banana sliced in chunks
1/3 cup orange juice

Blend for about 1 minute.

This makes enough for two big smoothies. DELICIOUS!!

Day 3--from Rachael

For me, today started out pretty rough.  I got up and was really tired, even though I slept for 9 hours last night.  Then I had to get breakfast for our IT monthly meeting.  And everyone wanted Chick-fil-ay (which sucked for me because it smelled soooooo good!).  So I bought some yummy mango, pineapple, and strawberries... and made smoothies for me, Kyle and Gidget.  So it all worked out.  But after that meeting was over I got back to my desk and was feeling really lightheaded.  I went ahead and ate lunch (broccoli and potatoes) and I was full but not satisfied. I thought that was kinda weird.  When you think about life our flesh always leaves us thinking we are not satisfied. So today, I prayed to be satisfied.  I was reminded that we must keep our eye on the prize and that prize is Jesus.  We must remember that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," Matthew 6:21.  Our treasure is knowing we will get to spend eternity with God.  If we remember that than it makes our time here much easier.  I know everyone is having  tough time with this fast and it's only day 3.  My husband has already lost 8 pounds in 3 days and I have lost 4.  But, we are shifting our eyes to have a heavenly perspective! 

In 3 days, I am already feeling much more prepared for our trip.  Just so you guys know, one thing I am really praying through is missing my husband.  Everyone on our team, besides Michael, has their significant other.  And thats been real tough for me, but I didn't realize it was gonna bother me so bad, until we had the retreat.  I'm really trusting God on this fear.  Greg said he wanted me to do this trip without him so I will completely relay on God.  Then after I have this one trip under my belt we will start doing missions together.  So his reasons for not going are totally valid.  I just thought I would throw this out here so you guys could pray for me.

Thanks again for commenting and wanting to post to the blog.  I think this is awesome for us to have support from one another and anyone else that wants to read :) Have a great evening!

-RW

**Here are a few postings from others on the team**
Jon Vaughan said...
Since I am a day behind everyone, I am still dieing for sugar and meat. I got to the office today and much to my chagrin, there are fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chip sitting out. That was a tough pass. This is the second day I have had the natural peanut butter and Polanar's All Fruit Spread on the whole wheat pita for lunch, and I think that I will continue eating it when this is over. My thought process when I eat, though, has become envisioning my veggies and pieces of steak. Makes it easier to eat, for me.

Really, though, I think about you guys and pray for you all the time, when I am feeling weak or pass cookies. You are a great group, and this is an awesome experience. Thanks for the inspiration and look forward to a great trip.

Julie said...
Things are going better today. Not as tired. I actually got up and worked out and I was a little worried I would pass out but did just fine. I had oatmeal with chopped apples and cinnamon. Then after my workout I had a great smoothie. Now I am heading out shortly for a golf tournament to work and I am about to have a bean burrito and some corn chips. We had a great dinner last night that was a recipe I found online called Cuban Black Beans and Rice.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
recipes/vegetarian/cubanbeansrice.html
(I used the directions on the rice container not this recipe) Not sure what is on the menu for tonight maybe whole wheat pasta. But John and I are doing great. We haven't cheated once. I am worried about this weekend with John's cousin getting married and I am in the wedding. So I have about 3 parties to go to with some great food surrounding me. We have asked for special meals so that will help! It is great to see everyone posting. It gives you extra encouragement to keep going to hear everyone else sticking with it. Good Luck today!I am out!

Day 3--from Craig

Day 3

Headaches went away this morning. I read in my fasting book that this is normal due to the lack of sugar. As I am reading the book Fasting by Jentezen Franklin the pastor of Free Chapel, he continually mentions the following: Without being combined with prayer and the word, it is little more than a diet. He calls it the three cords (giving, praying, fasting). Eccles 4:12. I am really finding strength in Romans 12: 1-2. I memorized this in a small group years ago. Anyway, we went shopping on Sunday for food after trying to figure out what to eat at Golden Corral for lunch following the retreat. It is limited, so I would probably stay clear unless you want to spend $10.00 per person for lettuce and a few vegetables that are soaked in some sort of special sauce. We have found that whole wheat pasta and organic sauce is pretty good. I am really missing my Parmesan cheese though. I did want to mention about something I actually bought about a month ago that turned out to be perfect for this. They have a pretty good vegan section at World Market in the back of the store. It is primarily Indian food which consists of a lot of curry dishes. There is typically little to no sugar in any of the dishes, and you simply pour the pouch over some brown rice and heat. I would eat this stuff off of the fast. Some of it is actually already prepacked with rice and whatever the accompanying dish is. Well, I am in West Palm Beach this week and am looking forward to the challenge of making this work on the road.

Day 2...

Well, my day was pretty good.  I woke up feeling refreshed... got to the all staff meeting where they had a full country breakfast spread-but i was full of s, and s I mean soy and strawberries! Then I got to the Ministry Services meeting and it was a baked potato bar.  So I ate a nice baked potato with nothing on it, yum tasty! Now all that to say, I got home and made a delicious dinner of sauteed broccoli, dill potato wedges, and a grilled portobello mushroom cap. So right now i'm full and happy.  Thanks for all the comments! It was great to hear from you all :) 

We really do have an awesome team! And God is teaching us so much through the preparation for this trip. Today He taught me that spiritual friends are so important to get us through life.  I'm so blessed to have you all and my amazing coworkers! Not only did my Cambodia team members join me in the fast, but several coworkers also at other campuses joined the cause! So all I can say is PRAISE God.  Praise His holy name!!! 

What did God teach you today? 

Daniel Fast starts today!!!

Hey all,

Today is the first day of a 21-30 day fast 6 out of the 10 team members are participating in. We all will have access to blog about different things that we are feeling during the time preparing for our trip.  So enjoy! And if you have any questions you just comment away :)

Much love-

RW