Sometimes my heart speaks a language that my head doesn't understand. The rhythm of my heartbeat gives signals to my brain to say something, to sing, to breath more deeply or to just pray! Those signals however are not always clear to me in how to give my heart a voice. Sometimes there are no words and it is just my heart wanting to scream out something. ANYTHING!

Here in Kenya I am living with a family that speaks the language of their heart, which is WORSHIP! They praise God for who he is and they are a family who truly lives in his love. I have the privilege of living with this family for a month and to soak up the many words of wisdom that is given to me through the mom of the house "Merry." 

Everything about this place I love! The air is crisp, the clouds are big, white and fluffy. The people are extremely passionate about God and life. The children literally run into my arms and scream, "How are you?" As I pass them by on my morning runs through the Nakuru National park. I see gazelles, monkeys, and wildebeests in the distance every time I am on my runs and in these moments I seriously cannot believe that this is my life. 

This is by far the most beautiful place I have been to so far on the Race!

              Rumah Shalom is a foster home for girls on the edge of the city of Kuala Lumpur. This month we spent every day with 11 beautiful Indian girls who shared their home with our team of eight. 

This home did not have any life to it when we first arrived. The walls were bare, there were no pictures of the girls around the house, the wood pieces of the floor would stick to the bottom of our feet when we walked down the hall, the doors would not shut and the bedrooms did not have any character to them. Everything about this home screamed temporary and our team decided that these girls deserved more than temporary.

               Our team wanted to make Rumah Shalom a place where these girls could call home. A home that is filled with LOVE, encouragement, rest and to really bring life to the word shalom (peace) in this home!

              Our team strategized and we decided to remodel the home at the end of the month. We planed a day to get the girls out of the house. On a Friday we replaced the doors, painted the walls, fixed the floors, replaced the curtains and we framed pictures of the girls and put them on the wall.

              That Friday we began the remodel around 7:00am and we spent the entire day working. At 2:00pm Emma and I took the girls to the mall after school. We took them to the arcade, we saw the movie Mirror Mirror and treated them to McDonalds! Some of these girls have never been inside of a mall before or to a movie theater. I really enjoyed seeing their faces light up when they were out of the house. It did not compare to how they reacted to their new home however.

              This has been my favorite moment on the race! JOY filled my heart when I saw the work of my teammates beautiful hands. I do not know how we pulled it off. Our team divided up the supply list of the things we needed to get for the house. Kearstin and I had the lovely task of getting drapes for the home, which by the way is NO EASY TASK! I dread the day I shop for drapes again. Nevertheless we decided to purchase blue drapes. We unknowingly bought drapes that matched the blue paint Heather bought for the house perfectly! God blessed this project immensely by multiplying our resources and by working out the details. I do not know how we had enough paint for the entire house and the fact that we had the funds to accomplish this remodel is beyond me.

              The goal for every month of ministry is to leave the place better than we found it. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that we in fact left Rumah Shalom better than we found it. Erica and Kearstin painted beautiful pictures on the walls of each room with a verse next to the painting as well. Thank you to all of my supporters who made this possible.
 

Here is a video of this day!

With love,

Leanna

 I have put certain standards on myself in what it means to be a successful missionary. Before I signed up for the race I had this perception that I would be constantly filled up and that I would not struggle with spiritual disciplines like praying, reading the bible, or writing blogs that reveal the things I struggle with.

I have never been on a mission trip before this year. Go big or go home right? Those who are thinking about giving an entire year to God, really think about what it is you are signing up for. You will confront your insecurities, heal from the past, learn how to REALLY love, God will use this year to refine you in every way because he wont relent until we look more like Jesus! It is painful at times but OH so worth it!

            The thing is I fight with God about the things I do not want to confront. I try to justify myself and say that I am fine where I am, so I settle for a life wrapped up in my own mess. I was a woman who would not confront her past because it is too painful. My deepest insecurity was that I lived for approval.

            I want to write this out for a few reasons. So that these things wont have a hold over me anymore! Because this month in Malaysia I got to the end of myself and said NO MORE! I gave up the fight and asked God to speak louder than anyone else. To grow a pair and post this blog because I know that this is part of the process of me walking into FREEDOM that I don’t want to leave Malaysia without.

            What God thinks of me is far more important than what anyone else thinks of me. I don’t have to be perfect, I don’t have to have it together ALL the time, and I don’t have to be held to a standard. I don’t have to pray, I don’t have to read the bible and I don’t have to write blogs that are real and honest, BUT I WANT TO! Even when it doesn’t come easy, even if it is uncomfortable, and even if I am not accepted by those who read this blog.

            This month my team and I are living in a home called Rumah Shalom where I am mentoring 11 girls between the ages of 6 to 15. I am tutoring them in English, Geometry and Algebra and we spend time in the word every day. These girls are incredible but a lot of them are stuck in some form of bondage. I see girls who are slaves to fear and those who let the words of man hold more weight than they should. I see girls who are so closed off that they are alone in their mess. I have the opportunity to speak into these young ladies lives and say with the authority I have that God wants so much more for them. This month has been incredible. I am able to talk to them in English and since we live with these girls there is so much opportunity to develop real relationships. It has not been easy in any way but it has been life changing!  

  God did not create us to live alone. He created us for relationships.



 

Since I have been in Asia I have wanted to talk to a Monk and hear his story. I have been curious about what a Monks life looks like and how they decide to dedicate their life to Buddhism and especially for some at such a young age. I have seen Monks as young as eight years old to as old as ninety. In Thailand I learned that women cannot touch a Monk and if that happens the Monk needs to go through two weeks of cleansing. When we went shopping in the market in Thailand it was on us to not touch a Monk. I did not find it a hassle to get out of a monks path while I walked around a market it was just hard to accomplish at times. There were a few close calls. If I did not change course while I was walking I would collide into the Monk. In Cambodia I saw Monks every morning walk from business to business to collect offerings so that the business owners could receive a blessing. In Vietnam I have seen spirit houses in the window of every building, in every home, in every business and on the dashboard of most vehicles. In these months of observation my heart felt heavy for these people. My heart is heavy for the eight-year-old Monks who do not have the opportunity to be a kid. My heart is heavy for the Monks who live a life in seclusion under a law that is all about earning salvation. And my heart is heavy for those who look to an object to bless their lives and their businesses.  

 My heart was lifted when I spent the weekend in a small village with a Vietnamese family who are the only Christians in their community. A ninety-year-old woman lives there and she is the cutest senile grandma I have ever met. She speaks to me as if I can understand her every word. The first night I slept there I was informed that she does not sleep through the night and will most likely pop her head in my room and attempt to talk to me while I am asleep. I was also informed that she might not remember who I am and think that I am a stranger in her home. Needless to say I did not want to get up in the middle of the night in fear of running into her. Thankfully I did not have such an encounter with grandma.

 I also met an 80-year-old man named Hong who lives next door to the home I stayed at. Our team asked if he would like to come out to coffee with us and Hong accepted our invitation. When he met up with us later that night Hong was dressed in his best, slacks and a button up collared shirt. As we sat with him Hong told us his story. He told us that he was a Chief Monk at the Pagoda for 20 years. Now Hong is a follower of Christ! He is married and has a beautiful 13-year-old granddaughter. He studied theology in Hochimon city for two years and afterwards he returned home to his beautiful wife.

 Our plans for the weekend did not go accordingly. Our team meant to spend the entire weekend with this family, however once the town heard that some foreigners were visiting we needed to give them documents to stay in the village which we did not have with us. Even though the time we spent in the village was so short it was time well spent.

 The highlight of my time there was when I held hands in prayer with an 80 year old man who was once a dedicated Monk. We prayed together for a chapel to be built in his village so that Hong’s family can have the opportunity to worship God. As we prayed for God to establish his church here a BIG smile came to my face. I thought in that moment, I AM HOLDING HANDS with someone who could not touch a woman for 20 years, he could not see his wife, he worshiped a false God and he was bound to a law that held him captive, he was not a free man.

 He is free today. He is free in Christ! He believes in a God who does not require anyone to earn salvation, because it cannot be earned. It is not about what we can do, but what God has already DONE! He did it all!

Galations 3:13-14

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might recieve the promise of the spirit."

Praying for more stories like Hong's. A redeemed Christ filled life!

Normal for me…

Riding in the back of a Tuk Tuk as our only means of transportation. Our team learned that it was necessary to take a picture of our Tuk Tuk driver so that we could remember who was picking us up at the end of the day.
 

It is normal to see Monks walking from business to business barefooted with yellow umbrellas, to see monkeys scaling a wall and cows running freely down the street where we lived.

It is normal to make friends with an entire village of kids and play soccer with them everyday in the late afternoons




It is normal for kids to randomly run into my arms on the streets.

It is normal to cross the street in high traffic.

It is normal to have dance parties with eight Cambodian women before bed.

It is normal to go to sleep at or before 8:00pm

Shopping in this market for shampoo, insect repellent, and toilet paper

Going to great lengths to feel at home on our days off...

 by,

going to coffee shops, eating pancakes, french fries and peanut butter

Fro Yo in Cambodia?

New Releases in a Cambodian Movie Theater that is actually a business created by a guy from the Netherlands who lives in this building.

It is normal to use this as a shower


 

It is normal to cook in this kitchen




"We are living a life of PRIVELEDGE." Kayla Spencer our squad leader said this to our tiny team of three when she visited us in the village.

This T Shirt sums up my life this year,



 Caitlyn, Kenra and I spent this month in the bush of Asia. I drank coffee with my heros (my teammates) on our days off! It was a month where we gave up certain luxeries, such as, clean water to shower with, a bed to sleep comfortably in, personal space, and air conditioning. I realized that this IS a life of luxery for most Cambodians! It was brought to my attention that there is a lot of good things happening in this nation BUT there is still so much work to be done here! It was a month of preperation for Africa. And it was a month that I will never forget. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! 

This morning I woke before the sunrise and heard a familiar sound, the sound of people singing in the village and horns playing in the distance to welcome the morning. Cambodians begin every morning in celebration! As I was standing in the dawn of a new day I tried to think of how many times I woke up early just to rejoice over a new day that the Lord has created. Maybe a few times but usually I am in my comfy bed at home until at the earliest 8:00am. Not in Cambodia. In Cambodia horns sound as the sun rises and the women at this shelter are at work in the garden before it gets light out, before it becomes too hot to work outside.

 This is the first month of the race where it feels like I am experiencing how I imagined this year to be like. My bed is on the floor with a large mosquito net overhead, our shower is a bucket outside and our bathroom is a home for every mosquito in the area. I am thankful that I am on a team that can make light of our discomforts and laugh at the fact that the electricity turns off unexpectedly or when we found a dead rat the size of a football outside of our room. These moments are where great stories come from. I wouldn’t change anything about where I am this month.

 There are eight women at the shelter who come from a community made up of trash. On the way to Phenom Pehn we saw this community with tin houses built on top of the debris and kids walking around without shoes on. The women created families in these conditions and supported their families through prostitution, by stealing, or by selling drugs. God rescued these women from a life destined for destruction and brought them to safety, to this women center where our team is spending the month. This shelter seeks to help women live an abstinent lifestyle and to recover from drug addictions and abuse.  At this shelter they are no longer thirsty or hungry all the time. They have shoes for their feet, clean clothes, a safe place to sleep at night and are taught sewing skills to make a living in the future.

 This week our small team of three started to do bible studies with the women here and as we sang "Beautiful Lord" by Leeland with eight Cambodian women who come from such tough backgrounds I stopped in that moment and thanked the Lord for what he is doing here at this center. I am living in Cambodia with walking miracles. This is the third month this center has been up and running and the women are praising God for where he has taken them from and what he has healed them of.


Jem on the left and his little brother Somneng on the right are two kids living on the property with their mom and older sister. They are sweethearts and it is incredible to see how much healing is taking place in this family at this center. 
 

 Jem and Somnegs mom. She is an incredible mom who is healing from a past of addiction. Her husband is admitted in the men's center. God is restoring this entire family and whenever Somolly, the daughter talks about her mom she cries because of her mom's progress. 

This verse Philippians 4:4 is my prayer for this women center and for my team! To have a heart of praise in any circumstance!  
 

Philippians 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

I am on an ALL women’s team.  Our squad leaders established us in teams on an island in Nicaragua! I went from team Freedom where I had two men to Talietha Koum with no men. Although I will miss the men on team freedom I am really excited about the girls on this team.

Talietha Koum means "little girl arise" in Aramaic and is seen in the book of Mark 5:40 when Jesus raised a little girl from the dead. To our team Talitha Koum means to step into this race more as women who walk into the fullness of who God is and the plans he has for our lives on the race. To be fearless women who love with Gods love and bring the kingdom wherever we find ourselves.


From left to right. Me, Erica, Kenra, Caitlin, Heather and Melanie.

Just so everyone knows we have no say in team selections or in where we go to serve. I have to walk in faith literally every day and I need to place my full trust in God. I believe that God knows me better than I know myself and that he knows what team to place me on that will help me grow in my faith and into a woman who lives for things that are outside of myself. This involves a lot of prayer and to let go of the control that I desire to have.   

Thank you God for safe travels, for a few days of rest in Bangkok before we traveled to our ministry, thank you God for our new ministry in Chang Rai and also for my new team Talitha Koum.  They are truly women who are on fire for you and women who earnestly seek your heart.

Introducing Talitha Koum

 Heather: Is a woman who loves the lord with everything that’s in her. She is wise. She is thoughtful. She is practical. She is a pursuer. She is thirsty for knowledge of who God is and what his heart is for the people we encounter and for our team. And she is a woman who is passionate about life.

Caitlin: She is our worship leader on our team and has a heart filled with so much love and joy.  She is honest, outspoken and enthusiastic.  She brings so much laughter and life to this team.

Erica: Has a HUGE heart! She loves big and she is a woman who serves others well and finds so much joy in serving others. She is nurturing, compassionate, genuine, passionate, loving and so gracious.

Melanie: This girl was on team Freedom with me and I love her like a little sister. I am so blessed to have spent three months with her in Central America and I look forward to the many adventures we will have together in the months to come. She is a woman of joy and has a pure heart! 

Kenra: Our team leader! I spent a month with her in Nicaragua and we bonded a lot that month over our insanity workouts at 6:00am and while we were sifting dirt to mix cement in the city of Leon. I love this girl for so many reasons. She is real, she is empathetic, humble, graceful and brings so much truth to this team. I am so blessed by her leadership!
 

Our ministry:

Our team is serving in an orphanage with 50 boys and 50 girls who were rescued from the slums of Northern Thailand. The girls here are at risk of being taken into sex trafficking and this orphanage seeks to combat that industry by providing for their basic needs, a place to sleep, food to eat and also an avenue to receive an education and to be discipled by the staff here. They uplift everything in prayer and are dependent on Gods provision for these needs and these needs are met. Guy our ministry contact told our team about a time when they did not know how they were going to be able to feed all 100 kids on the property the next day. So they prayed and by the end of the day Guy received a phone call from a local business that wanted to donate two trucks filled with broccoli.  This ministry is a good example of what it looks like to be completely dependent on God to move and the staff here gives all the glory to God and they pray for everything. 

Please pray for my new team,

-for our team to have unity
-for wisdom and discernment on how to honor our contacts and eachother
-for the transition into this new team.  
-for finances. I am currently NOT fully funded, I still am in need of $2,000 in order to remain on the race. If you feel led to give in any way you can do so by clicking on the support me link on this blog. I also would really appreciate your prayers for the funds to come in.

  Thank you so much for your prayers and your support!