Taking the long way around . . .

Hello faithful readers!
Well, I promised a conclusion to this wild adventure, but it's taken me awhile to actually want to sit down and actually get it done! When I returned home last weekend, I slept for about 40 hours straight--and I am still tired and suffering from jet lag, even this week. All that flying and crossing date lines really messes with your body's time clock. Of course, it doesn't help that I am also suffering from a nasty cough, cold, and laryngitis! I cannot talk at all, which is so awful because I want to talk and share about my trip. Sigh. So I am resting today, hoping that sleep and down time will help me recover, even though life and laundry are piling up around me.
I guess another reason I procrastinated about getting this blog post done was the fact that in writing a conclusion, it would mean the story is actually over. That makes me sad. I miss Thailand and Cambodia; I want to go back someday. Life there seems so much simpler--it isn't, of course, but it's so far away from the "American" mindset. Especially in Cambodia, where hot water and mattresses are a luxury, it was really humbling to see how much one really needs. It was a good reminder for me just how blessed I am to live in a country where mattresses, hot water, safe drinking water, washing machines, ovens, etc. etc. etc. --are the norm!
For example, the students who live in the student center were so grateful for whatever they had. It was a true sacrifice for them to attend university; the $400-500 a YEAR it cost for tuition was a serious amount of money to come up with each year. Of course, that doesn't include money for housing, food, etc. Those eleven students were so thankful to be living, rent-free, at the student center because if they had to pay another $40-60 dollars a month for an apartment (a room, really), they probably would not have been able to go to university. I have never seen such ambitious students! They were smart, articulate, and very determined. There were business majors, finance majors, accounting majors, future lawyers, doctors, teachers. They were so determined to get a good education and change Cambodia for the better!
These students definitely left an impression on my heart. I wish you could have been there to experience their light . . . and especially the way they prayed. During prayer time, instead of one person praying out loud, all of the students would pray out loud. It was amazing to just sit there and listen to eleven Cambodian students praying out loud in the Khmer language. It actually gave me goosebumps just listening to them and the earnestness of their words. I will never forget it.
Oh, there is so much I could write about! I am so glad I was able to go to Cambodia and Thailand; it is amazing to see God working in each of these countries! I guess one thing that stands out to me from this experience is the fact that we all have a part in the kingdom! I saw so many examples of how God is using people from around the world for His purpose! So many answered prayers, so many people who were willing to give their time, money, and lives . . . it was so encouraging to see God working and bringing people together!
Also, I am really glad I was able to go on this trip alone. It definitely was a new experience for me to travel by myself, but overall, it was a good thing. Because I was by myself and not part of a larger group, with friends, etc., I was forced to get out of my comfort zone. My time with the students in Cambodia was reinforced by the fact that I was by myself--I was able to make friends and blend more easily into their world. I think if I would have been with a group, the tendency is to act as a group and gravitate towards the familiar, etc. I liked being free to be one of the students, to stay up late talking, to experience the everyday structure of their lives.
Also, I was so proud of myself for traveling 18,000 miles (round trip) on my own! I would be lying if I said it didn't absolutely terrify me, but I wasn't really alone--God was with me every step of the way! Again, because I was alone, I was able to meet and talk with so many people--on the planes (I took a total of 12 flights!), in the airports, etc. It was so fascinating! People are so interesting . . . and everyone has a story.
One thing people have been asking me when they find out I've just returned from Thailand and Cambodia is: "Weren't you afraid?" I think what is scary is the unknown. People are afraid of what they do not know. Of course I was afraid to travel to Thailand and Cambodia (seriously, who goes to Cambodia?:), but "everything that is worthwhile in life is scary"! It reminds me of my first hours in Cambodia. At the airport, I split up from Dave and John and traveled with the students to the student center. There I was, traveling with strangers, at night, in a random city where I couldn't speak the language--and I just had to laugh! :) If traveling teaches you anything, it's that the world may seem scary and big, but in reality, it's made up of many good people just like you and me. Of course, there are bad people in the world, but being stupid and being fearless are two entirely different things! :)
There's a quote by Anne Frank that I posted a few days back, but I think it applies to this post as well. "We all live with the objective of being happy, our lives are all different and yet the same." So true!
Thank you to all who have been reading my blog--I appreciate it!
Thank you, God, for giving me this opportunity--I can do nothing without you.

Susannah
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. " (Eleanor Roosevelt)
"Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." (Edmund Burke)
"If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance." (A. Boydstort)
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." (Romans 8:28)