Feb. 24, 2017

Hello! I know I said I would update this page often, but I’ve only done it once. Sorry. But I’m realizing that there is a reason people who work overseas in humanitarian/mission work send out newsletters every so often-because while amazing things happen all the time, the reality is that this is a job. I work from 8 am until 5 p.m. in an office for the most part. Sometimes there are no updates, or I’ve grown immune as to what exactly I should update about. Or there are so many updates that I can’t comprehend communicating about them.  Or even, the newness of my work or location can wear off and I feel less entailed to write.

That being said, I know so many of you support, pray for, and encourage me. I am so incredibly grateful for that and so I will continue to update and post, the frequency just might change! And I would never want to grow complacent to what God is doing around me. Posting reminds me to look at all He has done, or what He is working in, and reminds me that He is faithful. And I always want to write about the Lords faithfulness.

So, the biggest update is that I’ve been sick this week. I knew it would happen at some point. I really wasn’t that sick, just a fever on Monday and it passed in the evening. But I have been in recovery-for a humorous depiction of my time being sick, read the post below this at some point. The Lord showed himself in this because it gave me some extra time to reconnect with my personal quiet times, to skype my wonderful and encouraging friends back home, and to catch up on rest. I was also amazed and blessed by the care from the staff here. They took care of me so well!

As for work, it has been a whirlwind!

Basically, I switch off every week with working in the main office in the capital city, and working in the field offices in the northern west province that borders Thailand. When I am in the office I do more “officey” work including edit documents, help translate stories, create surveys to collect data, help my manager with reporting, and learn how to use computer software to help us develop efficient programs. I am always learning something new, and sometimes I have so many questions that I don’t know what to do with (Don’t worry, I ask most of them). Sometimes its hard to be the recent college grad who expects to know everything even though it’s a unrealistic standard… and is then frustrated when she doesn’t know everything and has to ask for help…even though that’s TOTALLY normal and no one expects me to know everything. Man, the thought process of an intern would be interesting to capture.

When I go to the field offices, I work with the national (Cambodian) staff. So far I’ve helped them with a training booklet on safe migration that they will use in the villages. Soon I’ll be going up there for more trainings! When I go to the field offices, sometimes I visit all three, which means that I travel almost everyday when I go. I don’t think this will always be the case, but for this past trip I was in 4 different cities and 4 different hotels! By the end, I just wanted my own bed haha

One of my favorite projects has been creating a survey that migrants take when they arrive back in Cambodia. This survey allows us to track patterns such as where they are migrating to, where they are from, what job they worked for, etc. to be able to create more effective and efficient programs to prevent unsafe migration. It’s fascinating!

As for living in Cambodia-I can now cross most streets by myself. The key is to just start walking, and keep walking. DON’T STOP HALFWAY. I’ve adjusted to eating rice for most of my meals when I visit the field offices, and I think I’ve mastered how to use a squatty potty. I don’t mean a nice clean one in a building; I mean the dirty ones with questionable liquid on the ground infested with mosquitos on the side of the road. Sorry for that detail, but someone reading this will relate to that, and we have to stick together. In the markets, I can successfully bargain down to half the price and at the grocery store, no one forms a line so you just have to walk up to the counter even if it appears that people were in front of you, and put your stuff down. It’s quite empowering.

We’ve found all sorts of little shops/restaurants/spas, etc. that are NGO operated and the items/services there are made by Cambodians who decided to make a difference in their lives. These are hardworking Cambodians who are choosing to move their lives forward and out of poverty and a state of vulnerability. I love finding and visiting these types of places because I know my money is supporting those Cambodians, and not supporting labor trafficking (because that’s why I’m here working, to prevent it haha). This is also something I’m learning-to live one’s life completely free of goods or services from people who were labor trafficked is TOUGH. It’s everywhere. And it’s devastating. And we need to do what we can to prevent and stop the cycle.

This is where my time with the Lord has been the most helpful and encouraging. There is no way I could do any of this without Him. This work is hard and if I look at the big picture, it is overwhelming. The broader issue of human trafficking seems nearly impossible to end. Tackling it is daunting and multifaceted. If I didn’t have the Lord to guide and calm me, I would be so lost and I would probably just cry 24/7. I would give up. I would say its too hard, there’s too much pain, there are too many people involved, its impossible.

I am thankful for a rock, for a guiding force, for a lighthouse in a storm, for a hand reaching out when I am overwhelmed and looking left and right for answers, for knowing that nothing is impossible with God.

Thanks for reading!