my school holidays

As far as I know, the malaria is gone from my body.  Last week I took it easy; resting, sleeping (and sweating:) a lot more than normal, and being well taken care of by the kids and Elizabeth.  This week I’ve still been feeling a little tired, but not like before.

It’s been a great week for me here in Mukono, Uganda.  As much as I want to tell you about that, I also want to share some of my trip to SE Asia before too much time passes.

 

After flying into Bangkok, Thailand, I made my way to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to stay with Amy.  Christmas and New Years were really low-key, but it was nice to be with such a great friend.

Christmas in Cambodia…with Amy in front of a tree outside one of the malls and the mini-tree and decorations at the house

 

While I was with Amy, we were able to catch up on what’s been going on in one another’s lives.  I also had the opportunity to be a part of some of her ministries; spending time with and encouraging women who have stopped working in the bars, playing with kids who are forced to beg or sell on the streets, and loving on the people in the first house she lived in.  Oh, and we spent numerous hours completing a mural she designed.  The mural is on a 4′ by 22′ “safety wall,” at single-mothers’ baby day-care center.

the completed mural

 

After my fun transition to Thailand [which you can read about here], I took an 8 hour bus ride up to Mae Sot, aka “Little Burma” because it is right on the border.  I spent two nights in Mae Sot with a few people I people I worked with over the Summer at Adventures Youth (Puerto Rico).  They are on One Great Journey doing some really cool things in Mae Sot and Burma.

Burma in the distance (the faint mountain range in the background is part of Burma)

 

From Mae Sot I took a six hour bus to Chiang Mai, where Samara (from my squad on the World Race) met me and took me to her house.  She lives about an hour outside the city in Hang Dong, with a family from her church in America and two Thai children.  It was so great to spend a week with her, getting to know her better, spending time with the kids, and basically just living life along side of her.

reading with Mai

 

We had the opportunity to visit the translator both Samara and my team shared while in Thailand on the race.  O lives in Chiang Rai, which was absolutely beautiful.  I was also able to see Amy D. from my squad.

with O and Samara

 

Overall, my trip to Cambodia and Thailand was very refreshing.  I was able to process some things able life in Uganda and had quality time with friends and God.  Along the way I also met some great people and had some really cool interactions.

Thank you all for you prayers, love, and support.

 

much love!