http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org Lindsey McDonald - Awakened by Love en-us Sat, 6 Sep 2008 00:06:41 GMT 30 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=man-vs-nature-an-adventure-thru-costa-ricas-rainforest1 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=man-vs-nature-an-adventure-thru-costa-ricas-rainforest1 As my team spent this past week in the Honduras rainforest, I was reminded of a previous adventure I had in a rainforest. Rewind back to the month of May to a little beach town known as Manzanillo, Costa Rica, where four of us were staying and helping out a pastor. Our last day there we decided to go on a long hike thru the rainforest. We woke up early and headed out. I wasn't expecting it to be difficult so I wore flip flops. We started out along the beach enjoying its beauty and watching the crabs scurry away from us. Having hiked parts of the rainforest earlier, we were familiar with the beginning of the trail, but as we entered deeper into the forest we came across an abundance of wildlife; frogs, huge spiders, interesting looking worms, beetles and monkeys! Also, the deeper we entered into the forest the more muddy it seemed to become. Remember I was wearing flip flops which do not work well with mud. I kept getting stuck and even Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-found-the-golden-ticket-a-guatemalan-chocolate-experience http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-found-the-golden-ticket-a-guatemalan-chocolate-experience While in Guatemala, I learned that not only is Guatemala famous for its delicious coffee, but also its chocolate! Apparently, the Mayans had many uses for the cocoa bean from medicinal to food, and invented many various ways of cooking and flavoring it. Having heard this, I decided I needed to try some of this Guatemalan chocolate and maybe find a way to even buy some before I left. One of our last nights in Antigua, Traci and I went to an internet cafe. As I was waiting for her to finish up what she was working on, I began reading all the brochures and advertisements on the walls inside the cafe and even made my way outside to see if there was anything interesting posted out there. At first glance there didn't seem to be anything out there, but looking again, I noticed something in the shadows. There was a small white sheet of paper with black ink on it. If it had been a different circumstance, I probably would have passed it by, but bored and curious I be Sun, 6 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-frozen-banana-revelation http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-frozen-banana-revelation On our one hour and a half ride back to Antigua, Guatemala from the Pacaya Volcano, our van became overheated. The driver told us all to exit the vehicle and wait. As another tour van pulled up behind us four people from our tour were loaded in there, but we were not as lucky. So we waited. There was a convenient store close by and Jenn decided to buy everyone popsicles, which made us smile for a couple of minutes. We were all worn out from the hike up the volcano, and some of us were worried we were going to be late for our date with the hospital that afternoon. So as we sat there, unsure of how long we would be stranded, we tried to make the best of it by chatting. Most of the time, though, in my head I was thinking, Please God, get me out of this situation. At one of the times I was thinking this; Sarah interrupted me and excitedly told me she had just seen a girl walk by with a chocolate covered frozen banana. ...If you have ever seen the show Arrested Developm Fri, 4 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=thanks-for-the-memories-antigua-photo-blog http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=thanks-for-the-memories-antigua-photo-blog Welcome to the Antigua Guatemala Installment of the Colleen and Sarah Photo extravaGANZAS!    This month we left the the guys behind for some manistry time.   We have no idea what has happened after the taking of this photo and we may be better off that way...   The 4 Team LESS girls, Traci and Krystle from Ignite and 5/6 of the Beloved Ones headed to Antigua   After 10 months of traveling we found that many of us fit right in with the backpackers... and others found their flair for Guatemalan Culture... well maybe just one in particular.   Antigua is a BEAUTIFUL city with many historical sights, cobblestone roads, old cathedrals... and adorable elderly people.  Here are several photos from around town:                 One morning a group of us headed up to Pacaya, an active volcano only 2 hours from our little city!       Jackie, Sa Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-guatamalan-buffet-of-information http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-guatamalan-buffet-of-information Hey Everyone, Ive been in Antigua, Guatamala this past week and a half volunteering at San Pedros Hospital. It has been amazing and challenging. Please read Hope for the Helpless by Traci VanSumeren, Chosen and Seen Through Gods Eyes by Kari Stembel, My Amiga by Jackie Zuiderhof, and Face to Face with the Forgotten  by Colleen Foley. All our beautifully written about their experience at the hospital this week, and explain a lot of what each of us have experienced while here.   While in Antigua, we did also take some time to visit an active volcano and roast marshmallows on top of it. Very thrilling! I enjoy being able to say I hiked and roasted marshmallows on top of an active volcano, but I dont know if I will ever do that again. I think it is a once in a lifetime kind of experience for me. You should read Renees post:  Guatemala: Marshmellows and Lava  and Karis post: Roasting on a Volcano  to see some great pictures of our adven Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=A282D00922FE40A7801A625684557D http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=A282D00922FE40A7801A625684557D Our team recently spent 2 amazing weeks in Panama.  We hope these pictures will give you some insight into our experiences.  ...  so welcome to the latest Colleen and Sarah photo extravaGANZA!   Danny and Lindsey preparing to overwhelm the taxi drivers with 6 people, 6 packs, 6 backpacks, a guitar and few purses... Hydration is very important when you are visiting the Panam Canal Jackie, aka J Money, doing her thing wherever and whenever she can   Our first weekend we got to go to Campamiento, an annual youth retreat for the high school...     One of these things is not like the others...   (Note the miracle taking place:  you are witnessing over 100 teenagers on the beach by 6am for morning devotions and very energetic games)   Kari and the Staff splashing around   Sunrise     Several days during our week we got to go to the Comador (a feeding center).  It was run by Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=blessed-by-4th-graders http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=blessed-by-4th-graders  Oh the 4th grade. Looking back I remember it being one of my favorite school years. Not because of the subjects but mainly for the various class competitions and projects my teacher, Mrs. Anthony, would involve us in.  One of my favorites was the Miss Clean Queen competition which involved a drumroll announcement, a tiara and a sash. I should mention my class was all girls due to the school separating boys and girls until high school...don't ask me why. I honestly dont know, but dont worry there were no boys competing for Miss Clean Queen. Anyway this clean queen competition was intense and involved having to keep your desk area super clean for an entire week. I was the 3rd in my class of 30 to win it and was very proud of myself.  I think my mom was more shocked than proud due to the fact at home I couldn't keep my room clean for a day.  Another favorite memory of 4th grade was when we were assigned an oral report on a famous Texan and I was assigned Ima Hogg Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=costa-rica http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=costa-rica A couple of weeks ago 8 of us left San Jose and went Southeast to the Carribean. We each had our different reasons. Some desired to scout out opportunities in Panama to give the squad some direction before arriving next month. Some wanted to see and experience as much of Costa Rica as they could in one month, and others just needed to get out of San Jose and get their hands dirty. Whatever the reason for leaving, we embarked into the unknown representing each of the 4 teams: Ignite (Krystle and Aaron), seven:eleven (Brandon, Cameron, Christie), Beloved One (Jenn), and Less (Jackie and myself). Our first stop was a little village called Bamboo, where the eight of us helped work on a church: painting signs, mixing concrete, laying bricks, and whatever else needed to be done. After a couple of days we separted. The four (Aaron, Christie, Jackie, and Krystle) who desired to scout out Panama left and Brandon, Cameron, Jenn, and myself stayed in Bamboo. With Aaron, who was f Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=africa-recap http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=africa-recap We are now in Costa Rica, but here is a recap of our time in Africa...enjoy :) Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-practice-of-the-presence-of-god http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-practice-of-the-presence-of-god Practice. Practice. Practice. Oh how I hate the word "Practice." I took piano lessons for about 8 years and I always seemed to have to be bribed or convinced in some way that I needed to practice in between lessons. It was the same way with dance. There just always seemed to be something better to do with my time than practice. And as the day of my piano lesson or dance class grew closer, I would begin to dread the question that was asked every week almost without fail..."So, Lindsey how long did you practice?" Some weeks I could deceive my teachers with my natural ability, and they would exclaim, "Wow! Lindsey I can tell you practiced this week!" It was always difficult to truthfully respond to that exclamation when I knew I hadn't, and was just having a really on day. When it came time for a piano recital or dance competition, though, I was not going to let myself be made a fool. Except for my very first piano recital, which is a different story for another day, I always managed t Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-you-dont-see http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-you-dont-see We wanted to make a really special photo blog that would capture the really amazing, powerful, meaningful couple of weeks we experienced in Botswana. Seriously, it was amazing... but upon scanning our photos... it seems that it is more appropriate to do this photo blog. Here's a glimpse into another part of our world. Before we went to Botswana we spent some time in Pretoria and Johannesburg:   Normal Things: passing the time on a street corner, waiting for our ride   Multitasking: we cleaned our pores and practiced driming to share the love of Jesus all at the same time. Please note what a Holy experience Lindsey is having.   Several mornings in a row we practiced packing our bags and the car... only to unpack them and return to our cabins later in the morning. However, when the big day came we were ready... and we were on our way to Botswana.   Upon arriving in Botswana we were surprised to discover that we weren't living in the bush, but rather in a g Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=how-to-celebrate-easter-in-africa http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=how-to-celebrate-easter-in-africa blog compliments of my sis, Sarah... Step 1.  Buy and transport cow to feed the whole village Step 2. grocery shop for the village and cook food for your sqaud Step 3. Put up tent for the third time this week Step 4.  Trudge to Church in the mud Step 5.  Worship the Risen King, Ordain a Pastor and Plant a Church! Step 6. Save your energy... it's going to be a long day Step 7. Take it all down again Step 8. Most importantly... spend time celebrating with your friends and family! Happy Easter! Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=temane-mozambique-orphans http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=temane-mozambique-orphans playing a type of mancala game where the children stay right now hopefully not for much longer eating some pasta for lunch on his way back from the well hanging out after school Jackie having her hair braided and behind her to the left is the kitchen teaching the kids how to play volleyball As a team we went and stayed at the orphanage for only a couple of days, but I wish we could have stayed longer and done more. I trust Jaco and Maria, who started the orphanage last year, and know they are working very hard to raise funds to start building proper shelter, a water system, and give the children a good education. They are an amazing couple truly devoted to following God wherever it leads them and trusting that God does provide. The children at the orphanage continue to be on my heart, along with those who have given their lives to serve and disciple them.  I don't know what the future holds but I hope to meet with these children again soon Sat, 8 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=mozambique-update http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=mozambique-update Hello from Team Less. Sorry it's been so long since we've written. Internet was off limits during out time in China and it's taken us awhile to get back to this. Since we last wrote we've arrived in Africa, done training for a week in Swaziland and made our voyage into Mozambique.  Jackie and Lindsey also celebrated birthdays in January and February!  Here's our latest update and some pictures for you Ministry and Team Activities - CF   The past two weeks have been full of different ministry opportunities and times of learning and being filled up by God.  Last week we spent two days and two nights at the orphanage.  It was a great time of playing with the children, cooking, and at night having a time of songs, games, and a Bible story.  This week we spent three days teaching at a local church.  We each taught one or two lessons and the topics were things like  children's ministry, prayer, God's comfort, the Kingdom of Heave Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-found-faith-in-china-cont http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-found-faith-in-china-cont The next morning we woke up and headed to the train station, only to be welcomed by long lines.  Good thing we got there early. Lines in China are an experience. Never come to Asia and expect to wait in line anywhere, including restrooms, if you do you'll never get anywhere. You don't wait, you crowd.  So the six of us are trying to not get split up through all the pushing and shoving. We finally get through the train station doors, and make it to the right waiting room just in time to hear a loud announcement in Chinese over the intercom and the mob of people in the room start rushing out. What is going on? I am not train experienced and I don't understand Chinese!  I get a little panicked and am wondering where everyone is going. Should we follow? We do.We are engulfed in a large crowd of people and are led downstairs. As we are led into a tunnel, I finally realize we are going to the train's platform. Thankfully we are being pushed and sh Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-found-faith-in-china http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-found-faith-in-china So now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Hebrews 11:1 & 8Just as Abraham set out in faith and obedience to God, and left uncertain of where he was going. Team LESS set out in faith and obedience from Hong Kong unsure of exactly where they were going or how they were going to get there. Thankfully, though, God knew and guided their steps along the way.*******January 3 I awoke believing I had a full day to do whatever I wanted before I left the next day for mainland China. As I head downstairs I was greeted by Sarah and Colleen packing and informing me that we are leaving this afternoon. "What?!" Welcome to the World Race where the number one rule is 'be flexible'. I don't have much time to freak out as our team has to meet right then to get briefed on our location and have a quick Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=life-is-good http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=life-is-good This month I have felt at home in the Philippines. From waking up each day to play with and love on children at the home or in the community to spending down time with Rachel and DJ, Kim, Marilyn, Dave, Daisy and everyone else whom we were privileged to work with and befriend. Out of the countries we visited so far in Asia the Philippines is one I for sure could see myself coming back to.  I even came up with an idea for if I do come back to start up dance classes for the kids, because they absolutely love to dance! They don't have any one to teach them about the different types of dancing (ballet, jazz, etc..) though, not that I am an expert by any means, but I do have some knowledge on the subject and it would be a really cool way to reach out to the community. Actually any kind of Arts class would be a blessing to the community. By default, I had the privilege of being the 1st and 2nd grade art teacher for 2 weeks where we made snow flakes and Christmas decor Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=manila-team-blog-1216 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=manila-team-blog-1216 Ministry/ Team Activities Hey everyone!! Greetings from Manila. Lets seeas a team we were pretty busy this last week. Colleen and Jackie have continued doing an awesome job teaching down at the school. They have been working hard with Lindsey and some other volunteers trying to get ready for the upcoming x-mas program. Sarah has spent a lot of time working up at the Children's Home playing with and loving on the kids there. We have also still been taking some of the kids from the Children's Home swimming on Tuesday and Thursday. As a team, we got the chance to make dinner for the Long family and some of the other volunteers that we work with. Danny and Kyle have been working hard on the septic project and are close to finishing up. As a team, we were able to purchase 2 goats, Billy and Shakira, for Sherwin's family thanks to some amazing people that donated money to us on http://www.becomeless.com/.  Last Sunday Lindsey and Sarah accompanied Jackie on a cros Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=manila-team-blog-122 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=manila-team-blog-122 Become Less Ministry and Team Activities - SB This week was another great week in the Manila!  Danny and Kyle are continuing to work away at the sewage project up the street.  They are learning what it's like to work around lots of unnecessary red tape set up by the land owners and using some creative loopholes to get the job done.  Kyle is building a great relationship with Sherwin's family and is involvedin an on going Chess competition with Sherwin's younger brother, Robert.  Teacher Jackie and teacher Colleen had another great working at the school.  Preparations have begun for the Christmas program!  Lindsey started teaching art this week in the second grade classroom.   We are sad to report that Sarah and Danny were laid off from their music teaching positions.   They are grieving but are prayerfully considering other ways to use those talents.  There were a few big events at the Children's home this wee Sat, 8 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=manila-team-blog-1125 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=manila-team-blog-1125 Our Team has put together a website at www.becomeless.com . It was made in the hope that our supporters could have more of a chance to be involved with what we are doing on the field via support or giving our contacts to others so that they can be used by others. Check it out if you have time. We are still working out some of the kinks so let us know what you think. Thank you for everything, with out you guys we couldn't partake in such an incredible journey.   Ministry/ Team Activities This week was the start of our ministry here in the Philippines.  Colleen and Jackie are working for a local school in the mornings.  Colleen will help with the kindergarten class, while Jackie works with the 1st/2nd grade class. Kyle and Danny have been helping to make a retaining wall for the sewage that runs down the street.  They have worked on this project for 3 days this week.  They will continue on this week.  Sarah and Lindsey have been he Sun, 2 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=shoes http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=shoes Satruday was a big day for the children's home.  All the children got new shoes! A group of about 25 Filipino women and children came and delivered brand new tennis shoes to all the children.  Everyone was so excited. The group also brought a feast of chicken nuggets, pizza, and chinese noodles!  As a thank you to the group the children performed a few songs and dances they choreographed. It was so great to watch the interaction and see friendships made. I hope that the visiting group continues to be a part of the children's lives. Here are some photos of the event: Little kids program (L-R: Emanuel [Man-Man], Rudylyn, Cyryl) (L-R: Camille, Armie, Man-Man, Aya, Rudylyn, Cyryl) older girls program (L-R: Maria Fe, Angelica, Diana) All the children performing the song "Every Move I Make"  The Lunch Feast The giving of the shoes Rodolph excited about his new shoes check out those cool new kicks Moses showing off Sun, 2 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-less-thanksgiving http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-less-thanksgiving Last night we had our own Thanksgiving feast  and it was wonderful. Complete with a Butterball Turkey, green bean casserole, and of course my favorite sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows. We even had pumpkin pie, apple pie, and cheesecake. Afterwards we set up a Christmas tree that Rachel and DJ had bought (they are a couple we are staying with this month) and played Scattegories. Here are a few pictures of our evening. Our table setting our cooks and Dave, another short term missionary our amazingly delicious feast! setting up the tree Beautiful! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=manilateam-blog-1111 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=manilateam-blog-1111 Spiritual Topics from the Week and How You can be Praying: SB Coming out of debrief our team is learning a lot about each other. We are re-energized about praying together each morning and just working on going deeper in our friendships. During debrief we were blessed to have Seth and Karen Barnes here to meet with us as a team, a larger squad and as individuals. They gave us some great practical advice about how to run meetings, how to deliver criticism to each other, and encouraged us in new ways to pray for each other. We were particularly challenged by Seth's talk how the World Race is part of the process of coming alive and finding our identities in Christ. God wants us to be broken as part of this refining process so we can gain dependence on Him. Brokenness hurts but there is this peace that goes with it when God is there. Seth also identified this feeling of limbo that many of us have been experiencing. How freeing to hear it's normal and what we signed up for! We feel like Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=lice-detours-bribes-and-basketball http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=lice-detours-bribes-and-basketball It's funny how afraid of lice we are in America and how in most of the SE Asian countries we've been too it is just a normal nuisance.  It is not uncommon to find people sitting around pulling lice out of each other's hair.  Today I was at the children's home here in Manila, and was asked to take part in the process of pulling lice out of one of the boys' hair.  One of my fears of this trip was getting lice, because in America you feel like an outcast if you have lice. You are made to stay home from school and thought to have bad hygiene habits, and who wants an itchy head.  Benji, though, was persistent that I help take the lice out of his head. So I asked what I was supposed to do and was told I needed to pull out the white things and pop them, and he stuck his head right in front of my face to show me.  All three children there stood watching and waiting for me to begin.  Slowly I reached out my hand, and trying to conceal my disgust, I did one. After t Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=cambodia-team-blog-114 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=cambodia-team-blog-114 Prayer requests SB TeamLESS would love for you to join us in praying for: New Life Fellowship Church:  Pray that they would continue to reach their community.  Pray that they would feel encouraged by us even in our absence.  Please also pray for the specific ministry areas we participated in:  The Xtreme Band, Youth Party, Church plants in the surrounding provinces, Slum Outreach, Children at Risk, English Classes, Pisit our pastoral contact, Mao and Man our tuktuk driving friends, and the YWAM staff.   Cover us in prayer for homesickness as we start our first big holiday month.  Please pray for our team as we transition to the Philippines.  Pray for opportunities to serve while we are in Bangkok, for patience during our down time, and pray for opportunities to connect as a team and a larger squad.  THANK YOU for your continued prayer.  We appreciate it!   Ministry JZ Team less has finished being in Cambodia. The las Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=somethings-happening-here http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=somethings-happening-here Cambodia is a place of extremes. Mixed in with extreme physical poverty one finds an extreme overflow of God's richness. In the middle of oppression one finds freedom, where there is a spirit of apathy there is passion and where there is hatred there is forgiveness and grace. It's a country where one minute you glimpse hell and the very next minute you glimpse God's kingdom. This is Cambodia, a place where God is at work bringing about redemption and freedom. One of the ways God is working in Cambodia is through New Life Fellowship (pictured below), established in Phnom Penh around 1996. Despite having only been in existence for about 10 years, New Life has over 60 outreach points including church plants in rural villages. Almost more surprising is how young the pastors and leaders are at New Life with the head pastor being 29 and ministry leaders as young as 21. It was so encouraging to see the impact this rising generation is having on Cambodia and their love for God. They underst Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=children-at-risk-outreach1 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=children-at-risk-outreach1 One of the amazing outreaches of New Life Fellowship Church is their Children At Risk program.  It is similar to organizations like Compassion and World Vision in that people sponsor a child for $30 a month.  Most of the children are from surrounding provinces, and the money provides education opportunities, work training, food, and bicycles for transportation.  This program also helps the family become self-sufficient teaching them agriculture technics and ways of making income.  Last Thursday some of us had an opportunity to go visit some of the children supported by this program and put on a children's program. It was of course an incredible experience and below I have posted some pictures thanks to Lauren Morris. To learn more about New Life's Children At Risk program click here. Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=slum-ministry http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=slum-ministry Written 10/31/2007 Most mornings and some afternoons during the week there are opportunities to go to the slums and visit the children who come to Joy Club (check out Sarah Burrow's blog for further info on Joy Club), as well as lead a bible study with some of the women there. The "slums" are small designated pieces of land set aside by the government throughout the city that are surrounded by sometimes high metal or brick walls.  Since most of the slum areas are walled in it is easy to drive past without even noticing them.  The two slum areas we have visited have nice new apartments overlooking them, and one even has a huge fancy church right next to it. One would never guess that right next door was extreme poverty. The land inside the walls is covered with hundreds of small shelters.  Most of the shelters are made out of scraps of wood or metal with a plastic tarp or woven grass roof to protect from the rain. Inside the shelters are usually just a couple Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=phnom-penh-team-blog-1 http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=phnom-penh-team-blog-1 TEAM LESS BLOG FOR WEEK OF 10/21/07 A week in the life -CF This week has been packed with amazing ministry opportunities. The church we are partnered up with here, New Life Fellowship, is an amazing church with many different ministries and ways to reach out to the community, meet physical needs, and share the love of Christ. Our time in Cambodia has been a lot different than our time in Thailand. As a team, we are split up throughout the day doing many different things. This past week, Danny has been teaching English and spending time with students in the resource room of the church, and helping lead worship for the youth group. He also went on an all day outreach to a province (where he was able to pray with the people there, share a message that was on his heart, spend time with the children there, encourage people in the community, and hear about the pastor's vision for the provinces in Cambodia). Lindsey also went on the all day outreach to the province and was able to encoura Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-plea-against-apathy http://lindseymcdonald.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-plea-against-apathy Imagine a place where doctors, teachers, lawyers, and anyone who is well-educated is thrown into prison or killed. A place where cities are emptied and everyone is forced to live an agrarian lifestyle and there is no form of currency. A place where families are separated by the government and told their family members are dead. A place where starvation and disease are rampant and people live each day never knowing if it will be their last. Welcome to Cambodia 30 years ago, under the rule of Pol Pot's regime, the Khmer Rouge. During this time over 2 million people, about 1/3 of Cambodia's population, were brutally slaughtered. Evidence of the horrendous acts of the Khmer Rouge can be seen at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Pehn . Before 1970, Tuol Sleng was a high school, but under the reign of the Khmer Rouge it became known as S-21, a torture prison, where over 14,000 people were imprisoned. When the prison was shut down in 1979 only 7 survivors were found. The mug shot pictu Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT