Starting a Routine

I have no idea how to begin summing up the past 10 days. For those of you who know me well, you know that summarizing is not a skill I claim to posses. However, I cannot begin to write everything that I have experienced in the past 10 days. So I will do my best. Be patient.

What I'll be doing

After talking to Julie (the director of PCL Siem Reap) we have mapped out how I'll be able to help PCL for the next several weeks.
-PCL has a learning center where they offer English and computer classes. The English sessions run for 10 weeks which happens to be the amount of time I'm here. It is a perfect fit. I'll be teaching 12, one hour classes a week consisting of intermediate and advanced students. Thanks to some interns from Lee University, there is now a curriculum for me to follow. I'm really looking forward to teaching and to learning more about my students. Hopefully I'll be able to build relationships with a couple of them. I'd love to develop a relationship with one of the girls in my class and spend some time with her outside of class. I'm not sure if that is going to be possible, but I'm praying for the opportunity to open up.
-As I shared in the last post, I'll be going out to the orphanage every day to help the kids with their math skills. I'll probably be spending a couple hours out there every afternoon.
-There is a village about 45 minutes outside of Siem Reap called Takam. Julie goes out there every Tuesday to have a Bible Study with the villagers. I'll be going out there with her mostly to start working with the kids. I think that her hope is that we can build some kind of program for the children out there. We are just going to start with a few games and songs after she has finished her Bible study with the adults. I'm extremely excited about it though! I'm good at playing with kids!!! :)
-There are a group of youth here that have a passion for the Lord. The group consists of some older kids out at the orphanage, youth that live around the orphanage, and some of the youth that work at Common Grounds Cafe. They have youth group on Sunday night and I'll be helping out with that. The youth are pretty amazing. Many of them obviously love Jesus. Julie wants them to start developing a desire for sharing that love with others. For outreach, the youth will be going out to start a children's program in the slums. I'll be helping with that as well. Mostly planning and helping the youth organize games for the kids. Again, right up my ally.

What I've done the past 10 days

-This week I taught 9 classes. Wednesday was a holiday so we didn't have any classes. But I got to meet all my students. I'm enjoying teaching so far. I've forgotten how much I love teaching ESL classes. I loved teaching grade 5, but ESL is different. The only downside is that I have a 6am class on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday!!! I don't do mornings well but it wasn't so bad this week. By noon I've already put in a full days work!
-I also tutored two girls out at the orphanage. They are super fun girls. We had a great time this week learning our multiplication tables! In S.E. Asia skin color is a big deal. The darker you are, the more you are judged. They love white skin and see it a sign of wealth. If you have dark skin then your family must be poor and work out in the sun. These two girls have darker skin and have very low self-esteem. I'm thankful for the opportunity to help them because I can use it as an chance to assure them of their beauty, both inside and out. They are precious girls and I pray that God can help me inspire them to find their identity in Him rather than the color of their skin.
-Takam: I went out to Takam (the village) on Tuesday. I got to go there back in October while I was here and some of them actually remembered me!
-On Wednesday the youth group went out to the slums and played with the children. It was such a special time. The kids out there are so cute but you can tell that they are already hardened. They are tough kids. They have to be. Most of them are left alone all day to fend for themselves as their parents go out to beg or dig through the trash. About 50% of them are Vietnamese and are not recognized in Cambodia or Vietnam. This is the hand they were dealt and they have hardened themselves to be able to accept it. Julie wants the youth to start a program similar to a backyard Bible school program; singing, games, skits and a short Bible lesson. This week we went out there and played with the kids. Next time we go out, we'll have a program planned.
-I feel like God is reminding of some things that I have forgotten in the past couple of years. I've forgotten my passion for Him and for people. As busy I am here, I also have a lot of time to spend in the Word and listening to the Lord. I feel like I'm at a turning point in my life (one of many, I'm sure) and I don't want to miss what the Lord has planned for my time here. I realized that for a while this past year I lost my joy that I had in the Lord. I'm not sure why and I can't pinpoint when it happened. A couple weeks before I left Thailand I started seeking the Lord again for the first time in a while. I feel like the Lord is really starting to heal my heart and reminding me that in Him there is JOY. I'm thankful for His faithfulness to love me and keep trying.

Finally, as you may have noticed, I have revamped my site a bit. I've changed the layout and I'm trying to add some pictures and videos. I've actually been taking lots of pictures (insert applause)!!! I've spent the past 4 hours trying to download them but the internet and I are not on good terms right now. So, hopefully I will get some pictures up soon. I was able to upload a few of them to Facebook if you get a chance to check them out.