Friday, the second to last day in Thailand, was spent revisiting the VCDF orphanage. As soon as the vans pulled up to the orphanage, the children came streaming out to greet us. The kids that rode in the truck with me the night before came and found me right away. We all went to play basketball together before the huge group met to play some Thai children’s games. Then we all stood in a circle, held hands, and sang a Thai good-bye song. The kids all had flowers and flower necklaces and they came and placed them in our hands and around our necks. I could barely hold back tears. I learned so much from these children. As I had been praying for them the night before and meditating on God’s goodness and faithfulness, I claimed freedom in Him that I had never known before, aching for the same newness and innocence and hope that these children had, despite (or because of) what God had brought them through. The rest of Friday was spent traveling to Chiang Mai and meeting with Tawee, the translator from the SOLD project who now works on staff. He shared with us his story and answered our questions about Buddhism and Thai culture. I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with Rob and Denise Tang, along with their kids Kelly, Stephanie, and Cori Anne. Rob and Denise work with Zoe, an organization which fights against child trafficking. My visit with them was wonderfully encouraging and inspiring. They brought so much joy, passion, and hope in the Lord. I was so blessed by my time with them.

Saturday was pretty amazing. We rode elephants, went whitewater and bamboo rafting, and went to the tiger kingdom where we were able to pet the tigers. So many incredible experiences. Seeing the magnificence of these creatures up close is very humbling and made me stand in awe of my Creator.

Today we arrived in Cambodia. As I’m sitting in my hotel room in Siem Reap, I am so excited about what God has planned for the rest of this trip. I have no idea what to expect, and that’s good. I have no idea what He’s going to do with the rest of my summer, and that’s good too. Through all this, I’m learning to trust Him, I’m learning to listen to Him, and I’m learning to follow Him. But most of all I’m learning to love Him. Please pray for those children. I can’t stop thinking about them.