"Amazing… and unbelievable…"

After I said goodbye to the team at the Siem Reap Airport (I'm staying a few extra days) and boarded the bus with Peter our translator and friend from New Life Church, I asked him a question. "So, what did you think about the team this trip?" He responded, "Amazing. And, um, how do you say… unbelievable." He smiled as he said this and continued on. "The way each person loves the kids and wanted to be here in my country is unbelievable." We talked about how the kids were blessed to have the team there over the last week and I explained to him, that it was really us who are blessed. We get to see God through the kids and it is amazingly beautiful.

After seeing the team in action the last week, conversations each day about our personal highlight of the day, and other conversations, I know that we are the ones who are blessed. Yes, we came here to love on the kids and to have a fun week with them, which we absolutely did. Yes, the words "so happy" were said repeatedly, laughs and giggles were heard so much, and we saw the biggest smiles ever. But we are the ones who were touched by these amazing kids and our hearts are changed because of them. We are truly the ones who are in love with 35 of the most amazing and unbelievable kids God created, and we are so blessed to have spent the last week loving them.

So thank you to my team for an awesome week… so many memories for all of us and more importantly, for the kids.

Thank you to all of you who have supported us… we wouldn't have been here without your love, prayers, and support.

And thank you Jesus, in our hearts, for the opportunity to be your hands and feet here in Cambodia. Let us continue being lights shining for you and we pray the the kids will shine bright for you for all of their days.

Thank you Jesus, in our hearts. (Song in Khmer)

It was worth the drive...

Was the quote about Angkor Wat.  I would have to say it's *almost* worth the drive... it was 7 hours.  Ha!! But we got to have some quality, fun team time.  Check out our pictures:

We only have a few more hours and we are on a plane.  I'm very sad to be leaving but can't wait to see all of you.

Lots of love, Kristie

Last Day...

At the orphanage!!! It was so sad to have to leave.  Actually, I don't think it has hit me yet that we will not be going back tomorrow.  But I wanted to share a few pictures with you from our last day.  Thank you all so much for your support and prayers.  None of this would have been possible without all of you and we are so blessed to be the ones you sent over.

Srey Lin, Het, Kristie & Narin

Pov

David & Noelle

Kristie

All the kids

Chean, Pichhing, Ry, and Narin

Narin

Lik

Rothannak

Raksmey

KFC

I thought you needed to see how excited the kids were over fried chicken last night:

Raksmey

Kristie, Narin, Polin, Melanie, and Raksmey

Chhean

Christina, Peanut, Angie, and Srey Leap

Pichhing

Pichhing

Paly

Ry

Pannha

Seyla

Vannak & Kim

Take another little piece of my heart...

Yesterday was SO GREAT!

Because the inflatable slide took over most of the day on Wednesday, our carnival team and sports teams were flexible and we combined both on Thursday! The kids could not have had more fun!

We started the day splitting up the kids into teams and teaching them that they have been chosen by God to be on His team. Each of the kids got a jersey with their team color and we even made team flags. We played lots of fun games like dizzy bat race and sack race and catch the bacon (ask Stuart!). We had a BLAST!

After lunch we went straight up to the carnival games. We had pin the tail on the donkey, bean bag toss, egg and spoon race, bowling, and many more! For every game they played, the lovely Laura supplied them with a fun little prize from candy to bubbles to beanie babies. The kids loved it!

At night we stayed to take the kids to dinner at KFC! Surprisingly the restaurant is fairly popular over here, but the kids had never been. This was only the second time they had been taken out to dinner, too. They ate so much chicken! After dinner we played, danced, laughed, and just enjoyed the time with the kids. One interesting thing to see has been how resourceful the kids are. Even after dinner they were collecting the chicken bones to give to the dogs and puppies at the orphanage.

Slip & Slide... Cambodian Style!

Which I have to say, I like so much more than in the USA!  Ha!  So, what had happened was my team was to put on carnival day today.  Laura and most of the team set up the 3rd floor with tons of games and lots of prizes ready to be handed out... which will all have to happen tomorrow.  Because...

We had a bounce house!! Or, a bounce SLIDE!!! The kids sat extra well thru the devotional, although they inched closer and closer to the door trying to get outside.  After the devotion everyone went to the slide and wouldn't leave it.  So, we changed plans from doing just the bounce house in the AM and then the carnival in the afternoon.  However, as soon as we got back from lunch someone turned the air back on to the bounce house and we didn't have the heart to pull the kids (and adults) away.  Even the rain didn't stop us... actually when it started raining the kids clapped.  And well... pictures speak louder than words:

Can't Compete with Pigs on Moto

Today was 'Be A Star' day with the kids. A few of my AMAZING teammates put together a day full of sing-a-longs, crafts, and fun performances. The kids loved the songs with dancing and hand motions and I must confess, I'm still humming a tune as I write this. We also made bracelets and necklaces with string and beads. The kids loved making them and they gifted some of them to us so I'm sure you all will get to see some.

After lunch we got to see a sure to be Oscar nominated play, which included Darrel as Goliath, tiny Noelle as David, Billy as King Saul, and Angie, Melanie, Emily and Lindsey as soldiers. Their acting chops need no polishing and I'm pretty sure I'm walking in the presence of future Hollywood legends. The kids got to guess the Bible story and then put on their own telling of a Bible story. Let me tell you, these kids know their Bible and loved acting their scene out.

Tonight we took the kids to a movie theater and saw How to Train Your Dragon. The excitement of the kids was so awesome. They loved the movie and we got them all hyped up on soda and popcorn. The best thing about this trip has been seeing the connections between us and the kids. Every day we form new bonds with these kids and they are really touching our hearts with their sweet hugs. We are now getting ready for tomorrow which is Carnival Day!!!

Oh, and you're probably wondering about the name of this blog post. Today on our ride back from the orphanage, Stuart was in mid-speech when we spotted two very large, living pigs riding with a guy on a moto. Hence our catchphrase of the day muttered by our interrupted leader Stuart. Here's a picture.