Day 1: Today we are flying to Cambodia! We had to get up at 3 am and our flight left at 6 am. We landed in San Francisco and had a 3 hour layover. We are on a Dreamliner Boeing 787 which is very nice. I have never been in a plane that has movie screens, so I am enjoying myself. I am ready to be in Cambodia but I still have two flights to go. One is 12 hours and I am on it right now, and the other is five hours. I just ate a meal that they gave. It was made up of chicken, rice, a salad, a roll and butter. For dessert we had coffee, tea and gelato salted caramel ice cream. I also watched a movie called Mission Impossible 6. We just landed in Seoul, South Korea and slept during our 5 hour layover. We are about to land in Cambodia and meet Setan Lee. I am so excited. I think it is crazy how fast you can go in a plane. We were going almost 600 miles per hour! I thank God we are safe, and I pray he continues to keep us safe throughout our travels.
Day 2: Today we traveled around the city Phnom Penh. Our stops were the genocidal museum Tuol Sleng and the killing fields, two malls, and Joy Day Care (one of Setan’s centers located near a garbage dump). The kids were young and very shy, but I was able to make friends with a few of them. We played paper airplane tag after I made some airplanes for them. I bought a pair of slides (flip flops since I only brought tennis shoes along and it is hot and wet here) and a charging cord. I tried fried banana and potato. Also, one thing I have now that Josiah doesn’t: DATA! We got data for $1.00. (My phone, not even my dad’s, now has a SIM card. I think it is funny: my dad has to ask my permission to use my hotspot.) It is very late at night and we have a big day tomorrow. Good Night. (This is so cringy, but my mom wants me to try to do this journaling thing every day!)
Day 3: Today we drove 2-1/2 hours to the New Development Center, a place that takes care of kids who are sexually abused. On the way to the New Development Center, we stopped at a coffee shop, one of Setan’s friends’ shops. I ordered a Frappuccino and dad ordered a passion fruit drink. The frap I ordered was a drink with ice in it, which I didn’t know that is how they do fraps here. I didn’t like mine very much, and Dad liked mine better than his, so we switched. When we got to the center, we met the kids, many of whom seemed my age or a bit older but only a few were my size. Most were smaller. They were shy at first, but when we played “rock, paper, scissors,” they softened and really came to like us by the time we left. I am realizing that it will be kind of tough to get to know the kids because very few over here can speak much English. They try to speak a bit, like saying “Hello. My name is ____. I am ____ years old.” That’s all the farther we can get a conversation going. We ate lunch together, went on a boat ride to see the floating village (very cool!), and taught them Uno and Skip Bo. Then we went to bed. I had a horrible sleep because of all the noisy animals, like chickens and ducks. There were no sheets and it felt weird to sleep without any!
Day 4: Today we traveled to Battambang. First, we ate a traditional Cambodian breakfast: noodle soup. I wasn’t feeling good so I drank a Coca-Cola and was then feeling better. On the way, we stopped to get ice cream and pineapple. Both were go good. When we arrived at Battambang Center which is a place of college-aged kids, we spent time meeting the kids and then went to see tons and tons of bats coming out of a cave. My friend Lik (Leak), a high school aged kid who Setan had come along for the whole trip, started to connect with me more here. I liked that. It was still hard to be close when you can’t really talk. He also isn’t into sports and so doesn’t play with the kids and me when we play soccer or volleyball. When we came back home, we ate and slept. I think the food is okay but it isn’t my favorite.
Day 5: Today we traveled to David Center, the place where we will spend most of our time. It is a very nice orphanage with lots of kids of all ages. Setan said it is one of the best in Cambodia! On the very long car trip, I had a charley horse in my butt. It hurt so bad! We pretty much got to the center, ate and slept.
Day 6: Today it is Sunday. We drove to church and listened to Pastor Khuna’s sermon which was totally in Khmer and sang. I couldn’t understand anything and used my dad’s phone to look up the Bible passage and read it in English. I liked the singing even though I couldn’t understand the words. We had already met some of the kids, but we met more on Sunday. We hung out and played games, like soccer and volleyball. We also provided a big dinner with lots of fruit, meaty Thailand chicken that the ladies fried, sweet potato fries and fruity drinks. Everyone had a feast, and it was fun. We called it “Grandma’s Meal” in honor of my Grandma Geels.
Day 7: Today is Monday. The kids are clingy and won’t stop touching you--very tiring but so fun. They really like to “pet” my dad because he has hairy legs, face, neck, and arms. The kids love to hug and play physical games even when they are completely drenched with sweat. I have never sweat as much in my life as I have this trip. I am really enjoying playing with the younger kids here. We also went to the farm that is part of the ministry and provides food for the David’s Center. I learned and saw a lot. I got to teach the kids about David and Goliath. Setan translated and then I had the kids act out the story. It was great! Oh, and today we got to share some of the Rapids’ gear that we packed. The shirts were large on the kids, but it was fun to share. I think they will end up being re-gifted to the older kids and staff who will enjoy them more. That’s ok because we did bring some other clothes that will fit the younger ones better. They use a lot of clothes each day because they sweat so much!
Day 8: Today we are heading to the youth camp. We got there and it wasn’t as nice as David Center, but it was so fun. We played a game like hacky sack that was really fun. There are a few teachers here and the youth have lots of teaching times in Khmer. I sit with them on the tile floor and try to listen, but mostly I get to look around at all the kids.
Day 9: Hanging out at the camp today. Very fun. We played group games in a cow pasture and even had a dance one night. Eleven kids gave their lives to Jesus today. That was amazing!
Day 10: Today we left the youth camp and went to Siem Reap, the New York of Cambodia. We were very tired after the 3 day camp, and wanted to sleep, so we stopped at Burger King and went to bed right away. I am happy that no one has gotten sick or hurt so far! (We have seen 2 fatal accidents.)
Day 11: Today was Sunday and we went to church and then to the ruins—three to be exact. At the first, which was my second fav, I got to ride an elephant. This was so fun! At the second, there were huge trees, my least fav. At the third, called Angkor Wat, we saw a snake and other cool things. It was fun, but I am tired and “templed out.” Good Night.
Day 12: Today is just a chill day. Me and Dad played Phase 10. I whooooped his butt. So we just hung out and went to the mall. We bought souvenirs: air pods (for $20!), a few more charging cords and one secret gift. Setan was working getting ready for a medical misson team’s arrival. We fly to Tokyo tonight.
Day 13: Today we flew home. We are at the Tokyo airport and here for 11 hours on a layover so I am bored. I really miss my family. If I had to say the thing I am most grateful for after traveling to Cambodia, I would say just having the chance to go and see for myself how it is to live in this country which is so different than the US. I am glad that I know Christians here, especially Mr. Setan Lee who took so much time to share his homeland with my dad and me. I am amazed at how much God has used Setan, a man who has lived through so much that is so hard, for so much good. It was very special to get to know him so well. I am so thankful that God protected us and provided for us on this trip. I am also very thankful for everyone who supported my dad and I in our going as well!
Day 14-16: Ooops! Our trip was 16 days long so something must have gotten lost in time changes and jet lag! Oh well.
