Posted in Cambodia by KayLynn Loveless on 5/12/2012
This month we are in Cambodia, an hour away from Phnom Pen, in a village that is on an island surrounded by a river. My team and I arrived at this village and were told that pastor Gideon would meet us and take us on a “ferry” to our ministry site. Picture this 7 world racers with our entire luggage walking down a dirt road to a ferry that is actually two boats connected by wood planks that go across both of them to give you something to stand on. I have road on many ferries on this race and none have looked like this.
After we get off the “ferry” we are told it’s a one kilometer walk to our ministry site. As we start walking in the heat on the dirt roads we realize it’s a little further than we thought. Moto’s start coming to pick us up two by two and giving us a ride to our ministry site.
ferry in the background
This is the first time seeing our home and knowing that we are in the middle of nowhere. All 7 of us set up tents in this small room of concrete. We have some windows with bars on them, a tin roof, and a door with bars that has about a 5 inch gap from the floor where we hope Templeton the rat doesn’t join us. We have chickens, turkeys, 3 hogs, and 4 baby pigs right behind our bathrooms. We have power from 6pm-9pm when the generator is on. 24/7 we are fighting mosquitoes and it looks like we have the chicken pox now, the only way to escape them is to hide in your tent which becomes a hot box throughout the day and just lie on your sleeping pad and swim in your sweat.
Our ministry this month is a youth center for the children on the island. There are ages from 3-20 year olds who come and play volleyball, soccer, and just hangout throughout the day and eat their meals there. The children are great they make the whole experience worth it. In the morning we have children’s bible time where about 20 kids ages 3-13 come into the church and we sing songs, and teach English and a bible story to them for an hour. From 2pm-5pm we either teach English again or do home visits to the families on the island. At 7pm we have our youth meetings with the older kids where we do praise and worship, play some games, and share testimonies.
We have only had 3 days of ministry so far and lots of down time, but this is what I asked for. I wanted an orphanage that I could love on children, and while all these kids have families they still need lots of love. The house/ ministry we are staying at is called House of Joy what a perfect name for something I have to choose everyday while I’m there. I’m excited to get to know these children better and build relationships with them.
We do not have internet access this month so blogs will come later, and not as frequent.
All pictures on this blog were taken by the beautiful Kacie Lynn
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Posted in Thailand by KayLynn Loveless on 5/3/2012
“Normal” in Thailand
It’s “normal” to see people on scooters everywhere even while on the phone
It’s “normal” to buy baby powder and apply it frequently because it has a cooling ingredient in it.
It’s “normal” to read everything you buy before you buy it to make sure it is not also a whitening product
It’s “normal” in Thailand to see monks walking around everywhere.
It’s “normal to head to one of the shopping centers or internet cafés on your off time because they have A/C and it is so hot out in April.
It’s “normal” to stop at the 7 eleven to buy drinks or chocolate
It’s “normal” to celebrate the Thailand New Year by having the biggest water fight you have ever seen.
It’s “normal” to ride in the back of a truck where ever you go
It’s “normal” to watch Thai cartoons with your 9 year old Thai brother
It’s “normal” to watch fox news 24/7 because it’s the only channel that has English and tells you what is going on in the states.
It’s “normal” to ask Pa to stop for a swimming break.
It’s “normal” to drink soda out of a bag with ice.
It’s “normal” to see toilet paper sitting on a dinner table to be used for napkins
It’s “normal” to find lots of cool things to buy at the local markets
It’s “normal” to see beautiful sunsets every night
It’s “normal” to purchase a drink and no matter what it is or what kind of bottle it is in to be given a straw to go with it.
It’s “normal” to find ants everywhere in your house
It’s “normal” to have toilet paper at public restrooms to be like tissues you pull out of a dispenser and a roll of toilet paper is used for napkins.
It’s “normal” to smile at everyone you see because Thailand is the land of smiles
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Posted in Thailand by KayLynn Loveless on 4/29/2012
Before I knew Jesus
I was a little girl of fear, comparison, and lots of anger
I was a little girl who…
I was a little girl who was growing up in a home with two parents who fought all the time, and a younger sister who was too young to understand what was going on
I was a little girl who had her mom stay with her all of preschool because I was afraid to be left alone
I was the little girl who would cry in school all the time and never talk to anyone in the class room setting
I was the little girl who had so much bottled up angry inside of me that I would come home and take it out on my sister
I was the little girl who would say I was going to a birthday party and cry the whole time I was there until the parents of the birthday party would take me and track down my mom in Wal-Mart
I was the little girl who thought everyone loved my sister more because she won beauty pageants, was outgoing, and had tons of friends
I was the pre-teen of anxiety, depression, anger, and FEAR
I was the pre-teen who…
I was the pre-teen who hated life and would not go to school for days
I was the pre-teen who could not see I was beautiful instead saw everyone else as gorgeous
I was the pre-teen who had major anxiety whenever asked to speak in front of a class
I was the pre-teen who was still living in fear and thinking about how she might die in a car crash
I was the pre-teen that was bullied in middle school by her soon to be step sister
I was the pre-teen who was told she lied and people did not believe
I was the pre-teen who yelled and hit her mom because of anger
I was the pre-teen whose friends used her
I was the pre-teen who still did not know Jesus or the power of his love for me
After Jesus
I was the teenager who found a passion, kind of knew Jesus,
depressed, anxious, boy problems
I was the teenager who…
I was the teenager who enjoyed going to school
I was the teenager who spent the night with friends for the first time
I was the teenager who locked herself in a closet for a whole weekend
I was the teenager who was jealous of my sister and her accomplishments and beauty
I was the teenager who loved teaching and being in a kindergarten classroom
I was the teenager who dated the wrong men and was hurt by them
I was the teenager who thought I had to help fix all my friends
I was the teenager who went to a Christian camp and saw pure worship
I was the teenager with a childlike faith who started trusting the Lord
I was the college student of disappointment, courage, growth in the Lord, relationships
I was the college student who…
I was the college student who moved an hour away from home for the first time
I was the college student who drank before turning 21
I was the college student who made a few solid friends in the dorms
I was the college student who was going to a bible study every night of the week
I was the college student who struggled in classes
I was the college student who conquered anxiety and depression
I was the college student who led a women’s bible study
I was the college student who took my summers to work at a summer camp
I was the college student who loved that I was starting to hear the lord’s voice
I was the college student who men did not guard my heart
I was the college student who put teaching and getting a degree before the lord (school was my idol)
I am a woman on the race of grace, boldness, a voice that is heard,
love, beauty, and healing
I am a woman who…
I am a woman who knows the Lord has a great plan for her and she doesn’t need to know about the future
I am a woman who knows I am beautiful
I am a woman who knows my sister is an amazing woman and God has blessed her with many things
I am a woman who knows how to love people even in difficult situations
I am a woman who shows grace to others because the Lord has shown me grace
I am a woman who speaks in front on churches and shares my testimony of what Jesus has done in my life with others
I am a woman who has been away from her family for 8 months and is doing well because Jesus sustains me
I am a woman who knows I have things to say to people and to encourage people and speaks them out
I am a woman who has seen what a godly man looks like and how he treats his sisters in Christ
I am a woman who appreciates her mom and dad because of everything they have done for me
I am a woman who knows I cannot fix or help others but instead allow Jesus to help them sometimes using me
I am a woman who sees the lord in small things and BIG things
I am a woman who hears my daddy’s voice and does what he tells me to do
I am a woman of worship
I am a woman who is love
I am a woman of honesty
I AM A NEW CREATION!
2 Corinthians 5:17 So if anyone is in Christ there is a new creation:
everything old has passed away; see everything has become new!
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Posted in Thailand by KayLynn Loveless on 4/22/2012
Have you ever sat back and wondered…
What does God want me to do with my life?
Am I following the path God has set before me or making me own?
Am I being obedient to his word and listening for his direction or being careless and doing my own thing?
Am I making a difference in the city I am in for the good of the kingdom?
(This last one might just be for me)
How do I create ministry for my team when we don’t have a translator?
These are all questions I have had this past week and haven’t known how to answer them. Our ministry this month has been very sporadic and I have felt more like a tourist rather than a missionary in Chantaburi.
photo by: Brianna Danese
On Wednesday night my team was supposed to go to the Baptist church for prayer, I was going to stay home and fill back up with Jesus and have some alone time. I had told my team the plan and it was set, until oh about 3mins before they walked out the door and Jesus said nope you need to go too. Let’s just say I was not the most pleased about this. But I grabbed my I-pod and decided that I would take my alone time that way.
Here we are in the back of our pickup truck and I’m listening to the Jesus Culture that is on my I-pod. While listening to worship music I’m praying that God does something tonight to show me why it was necessary that I come to the Baptist church prayer meeting.
We arrive at the church and my attitude is not in the best of places, but I put a smile on my face and go introduce my team to the group and start the prayer meeting. We start by singing Amazing grace in Thai while my team tries to sing the whole song in English and that’s also when we realize we don’t know the whole song but only the parts that are mainly played in the Western church. We sing a couple more songs in Thai that we should know in English but do not and then starts the prayer portion of the meeting. We pray for lots of things for the church and the king (who is a great man) one of my girls shares her testimony and then we are getting ready to leave.
That’s when it started… one man whose name is BC and has translated for us once told us he doesn’t work because he stays at home during the day to take care of his wife who is a diabetic.
WHAT?!?! This man who I have now met twice has a wife that is diabetic and I didn’t know. What have I been talking to him about have I been looking at him like Christ would look at him?
We leave and on our way home the song “God of this city” comes on my I-pod. My heart broke right there in the back of our pickup truck as we drove through this city that I have been living in for over a week now.
I heard Jesus say to me this is my city and I do have more things to come here for my children. He told me that he sent our team here for a reason and that he knows that reason and it is good. Jesus asked me if I need a translator to pray for his city. OF course I told him no and he said than do that soak this city in prayer. That’s where the seed has to start.
When we got home I shared this new passion I had for this city with my team and told them I was not content with only 5 people being at the Baptist prayer and only three people showing up to church on Sunday mornings. This land is full of God’s children and he loves them and they just don’t know it yet.
I also realized that the questions I had been asking myself were lies Satan was using to distract me from doing the Lords work here. Of course I’m walking in the Lord’s footsteps and the plan he has for me otherwise I would not be in Thailand or on the World Race, I would still be sitting in Coldwater, MI. doing nothing for the Lord. But instead I heard that voice tell me to go!
I have had Jesus personally answer the question about if I was doing anything for his kingdom in this city. Jesus reminded me that this month our main ministry is the family we are with and to love on them in ways they have not been loved. That our actions speak louder than words and the people we encounter on a frequent base see Christ in us because he shines through us.
Since having this realization on Wednesday I have talked with “pa” our pastor that we call dad and asked him to visit BC’s wife and pray for her. We are also going to a park nearby where a lot of Thai people go running at night and we are going to do a prayer walk over this city.
I’m so thankful that I serve a god who is good and loves me even when I get caught up on the logistical stuff of ministry. I’m thankful that he says come back put your focus on me and do things the simple way and I will lead you. I’m glad this month in Thailand is not over yet because there are still greater things to come!
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Posted in Thailand by KayLynn Loveless on 4/10/2012
We are in Thailand, the land of paradise!! This month is manistry/ womanistry month which means that the men of A-squad are all together at one location doing ministry and the women were split up into new teams and placed throughout Thailand. Another change happened this month and that is that I was asked to lead a team of 5 other women for the month. With all these changes it is definitely a different looking month.
I am blessed to have some amazing women on my team this month. I am reunited with a fellow WALDO member Kacie. I am with two women that I shared a room with in Moldova Bri, and Madison. I was able to stay with one of the New heights members from last month Jenna. And last but not least I’m able to get to know a woman this month that I have not spent much time with on the race but I’m excited to get to know better, Caroline.
My team arrived in our beautiful city of Chanthaburi on the 5th of April. On our way to the city we rode in our own personal van that had A/C, seats that reclined, and a DVD player that we watched Hop on. Riding in this comfortable van was one of my first realizations that we were not in Africa any more. We were in the land of paradise where on our way to our contact we stopped at a 7 eleven for snacks. The team arrived at our destination at about 7pm and our pastor picked us up in his truck. This pickup truck has become our mode of transportation. There are two benches on either side of the truck with a tin roof that covers the top of the truck keeping the Thai sun off of us all day.
This month we are living in what I like to call a flat above our church. We have a bathroom downstairs with a western toilet that you flush with buckets of water, a sink that is broken around the edges and several of us have cut our self on it, and bucket showers. However these living conditions have become the normal on the race and are not that shocking to us, we have moved past the squatty so the toilet is quite the improvement.
In the states I’m someone who eats out a lot and sticks to what I know, so I had never had Thai food before. Oh boy do I highly recommend it. Our pastor’s wife who we call “mae” because it means mom in Thai makes some of the best food I have ever tasted.
I have only been here 5 days and I have already fallen in love with the family I am with and Thailand. I have been too two waterfalls, an aquarium, the beach, and several markets and I have not even been here for a week yet.
This month is definitely a month of R&R, which is something I needed coming out of Africa. I’m excited to learn more about the Thai culture this month along with bringing God’s kingdom to this nation.
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Posted in Uganda by KayLynn Loveless on 4/2/2012
"normal" in Uganda
It’s “normal” to see tons of people wearing pink shirts realizing they are the boda drivers
It’s “normal” to take boda bodas (taxi bicycle with a padded seat on the back that you sit on) when you are getting around the small city.
It’s “normal” to walk 20 minutes to the church
It’s “normal” to have children flock to where ever you are
It’s “normal” for children to want to hold your hand and you look down and 10 children are holding on to you somehow.
It’s “normal” to fall in love with the street kids
It’s “normal” to have children get on their knees to shake your hand
It’s “normal” to eat at the Ethiopian restaurant every day because it is so cheap
It’s “normal” to buy a chocolate bar and coke every day because you need something that reminds you of home
It’s “normal” to cook your own food and every morning have a peanut butter and banana sandwich and lots of time have guacamole
It’s “normal” to have all 6 women sleep in one room
It’s “normal” to take a taxi van on your off day and have them fill it with more people than necessary
It’s “normal” to be charged a different price for things because you are a muzungu
It’s “normal” to spend an hour at the internet café because the internet is not the best
It’s “normal” to take bucket showers
It’s “normal” to eat lots of chicken and chips for meals
It’s “normal” to leave Busia on Sunday after church to spend your off day somewhere else
It’s “normal” for power to go out several times and not know when it’s coming back on because they are conserving power
It’s “normal” to attend a cell group every week to discuss the Sunday service and give the A,B,C,D’s (application, blessing, confusion, and discovery) of the service
It’s “normal” to smell the squatty in your room whenever the wind blows.
It’s “normal” to lay outside at night with your team and just stare at the stars.
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Posted in Uganda by KayLynn Loveless on 3/16/2012
On Friday we did hospital visits. Before we left for the hospital I prayed that God would show up and clear out the hospital before we even arrived. When arriving at the hospital we split up into 3 smaller groups to go visit the patients. The first ward I went into with my partner was the men’s ward. There was one young man laying in a bed who looked very ill. I could discern that the family was not welcoming to us and didn’t want us there at all. After our translator had talked with them for a minutes he came over to me and said “this family is Muslim they do not want your prayers”. We walked away from the patient to a private room that was full of joy and love. There were about 6 people in this small room all gathered around the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.
Our translator talked with the family for a moment and then told us that the baby girl Mohana was the patient in this room. The mother asked me to hold her baby as we prayed for her, at that moment I felt like this family was welcoming me into their family and I could feel the concern and pain they were feeling for this precious baby. As I held the baby and prayed over her I was blessed to be the one God had chosen that day to minister to this family. Holding the baby girl made me miss my niece and nephew and get so excited for our new addition to the family (my sister is due on September 30th). After praying for the baby girl I spoke encouragement over the family and my partner gave the family some verses to stand on.
I left the room on a spiritual high amazed at how much God was working and answering prayers. When I walked out of the Men’s ward I was greeted by the rest of my team come to find out the hospital only had a total of 6 patients, Praise God another answered prayer! We were walking over to where another woman was sitting to pray for her as she was dealing with pain in her side. Two girls from my team had already prayed over her twice and each time she said the pain went slightly away, but this woman had no joy. As a team we prayed over this woman and while praying I kept feeling the spirit telling me to sing over her. I told my team we needed to sing over this woman and that is what we did. We sang our God is greater over her and after singing the smile came on this woman’s face that none of us thought she had. There was a new joy in her and if that is what Jesus wanted to give her that day than that is enough for me because she was lighter afterwards.
(outside the hospital)
After hospital visits that only took about a half hour were done our day was just getting started. We grabbed lunch and then spilt into two teams of four to attend two different house fellowships. My team went to a home and most people who attended the meeting normally don’t come to church for different reasons. I knew God wanted to do some healing in this house and I wasn’t going to leave until the spirit told us to leave. After the meeting and sharing testimonies from the week we asked for prayer requests.
One older man asked for prayer because he was struggling with malaria. The four of us gathered around him to lay hands on him and pray, but before we prayed we sang our god is greater again over him, and then prayed for healing. After praying for him several other women asked for prayers with pain and headaches. We prayed for 6 people and God healed each of them. The man with malaria asked for prayer again for his knees, He said they were in such pain that he couldn’t move them. We prayed for his knees and afterwards I had him stand up and bend them he was moving with more ease than when he walked into the room. I was thrilled with the way the spirit was moving and healing people.
This was by far one of my favorite days of ministry in the last two months. When you have Bold faith and Bold prayers and take those steps of faith you allow God to move. That is all he wants is a willing vessel that will allow him to work through it. Needless to say on Friday I was on a spirtuial high and completely and utterly in Love with our maker. I can’t wait to see what my daddy has in store for me the next two weeks that we are in Uganda and on the continent of Africa!
God is good all the time God is Good!
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Posted in Uganda by KayLynn Loveless on 3/16/2012
We have now been in Uganda for 12 days and this past week has been the best week in ministry. This month ministry is different everyday which is nice and it helps not get stuck in the motions.
We started ministry on Tuesday with house visits, where we split into two groups and ministered to different people at the homes that we visited. The first house my group visited was a home where many of the people living there were dealing with illness. We prayed for them and moved on to the next home.
The next house we visited was two young women and three children. Of course the children were wearing no clothes and were scared of the white people visiting their home. After talking with the two young women for a bit this little girl who was three and named Patience went running to a women walking by. We found out that the woman was Patience’s mom and she wanted us to pray for her daughter. Her mom told us that about once a month “something evil would pull on her daughter’s leg.” We prayed for them as a family and for the women in particular. I fell in love with Patience and have prayed for her since every day. I know Jesus loves that little girl and is going to protect her and be with her each month.
On Wednesday our ministry was street kid ministry. Our team showed up at the church where six boys from the ages of 12-16 were waiting to meet us. Ministry started by playing games with the boys such as look up look down, and ninja. After playing some ice breakers we sat down with the boys and had them share with us how they ended up on the streets. All the boys shared and all had similar stories of being abused, parents being divorced, and their step moms not wanting them or treating them right. It was heart breaking to hear these boys share stories that they had all gone through at such a young age. It truly put in to perspective what problems are really important and what are things that are not a big deal.
While spending time with these boys one boy named Don asked to be taken to the hospital for a disease. One of my teammates asked if he wanted to go to the doctor or let Jesus heal him. He surprised me when he said he wanted Jesus to heal him. We all gathered around and prayed for him believing that Jesus would heal him. A little bit later another child came up and wanted prayer for a headache, tooth pain, and bloody noses. We prayed over this child and when we were done I asked how he felt and he said the pain was all gone Jesus had healed him! I was so excited and amazed that God would use me to minister to these children.
Me and one of my teammates started singing Our God is Greater with this child to praise God for the healing. Before long the child was singing with us and rejoicing that the Lord had healed him.
We bought the boys lunch and while they were eating we just sat and talked with them getting to know them better. One boy had lots of questions about heaven and where he would go when he died.
Then while talking with Don who is 16 he told us he wanted Jesus as his savior. As a team we prayed with Don to accept Jesus as his savior and then our leader gave him a bible to read. Don was very excited to have a bible and luckily he can read English. I’m excited to see how our relationships with the boys will grow and what God will continue to do in their lives.
the boy healed from pain is holding the bible and Don is the one wearing black t-shirt in the front
I ask that as you spend time praying today that you take a few minutes and pray for Don and the others as they are living on the street and are in need of an encounter with the Lord.
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Posted in General Posts by KayLynn Loveless on 3/16/2012
This blog is dedicated to YOU!! It is because of all you have done for me that i'm still here doing God's will. Thank you for supporting me and standing by me on this crazy journey. I truly appreciate all that you have done for me no matter if it was big or small.
To all of you that have been praying for me know that it has not gone unanswered. I'm now fully funded and will continue to stay on the race for the next four months! Your prayers have been heard and have kept me safe and encouraged in difficult times. Please keep praying for me and my team as we finish out this year.
Thank you to anyone who has given financial support for me. I could not have done this without you. No matter what you gave no that it helped and i truly appreciated every last one of you for that.
I feel completley blessed by the ammount of support i have back home fighting for me. I truly do appreciate all you have done for me and making this one of the best year's of my life.
Thank you so much and may God bless you 100 times more than you have blessed me!
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Posted in Rwanda by KayLynn Loveless on 2/29/2012
“Normal” in Rwanda
It’s “normal” in Rwanda to ride on the back of motorcycles to get anywhere
It’s “normal” in Rwanda to eat potatoes, pasta, and meat everyday
It’s “normal” in Rwanda to attend church twice a day
It’s “normal” in Rwanda for the congregation to dance undignified before the Lord
It’s “normal” in Rwanda to hear your contacts baby who is a year old cry very often
It’s “normal” in Rwanda to climb hills in the treacherous mud to and from church
It’s “normal” to have children walk up to you and start holding your hand while walking
It’s “normal” to head to the local coffee shop called bourbon coffee for internet and to meet the rest of the squad.
It’s “normal” to have a child sit on your lap through the whole service and maybe pee on your teammate.
It’s “normal” to love on the women at a bible study every morning
It’s “normal” to joke with your contact Moses about being family from Michigan
It’s “normal” to walk up the street and buy a coke for 300 franks which is about 50cents.
It’s “normal” to find the American restaurant in the city that is a bagel place and fall in love
It’s “normal” to find peace in a country that has been through so much
It’s “normal” for the people in Rwanda to help you and love on you well
It’s “normal” to not see stars at night but to look out over the hills and see beautiful city lights
It’s “normal” to not have rain for a week which means there is no water to shower
It’s “normal” to fall in love with a country that you have only lived in for a short time
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