Candice Hill - The World Race 2007

Can you handle THIS?

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The year is over and the numbers have been tallied;
325 days
15 countries
75 hours on planes
270 hours on buses
105 hours on trains
35 hours on taxis
40 times packing our backpacks
3 months living in a tent
being on 3 continents in 3 days
attempting to learn 7 different languages which resulted in awkward meals and embarrassing translations

We survived the food;
beef, chicken, frog, duck, impala, snail, gazelle, warthog, spider, grasshopper, cow heart and intestine, goat, and other unidentified meats

The Adventures were indescribable;
jumping off waterfalls (or falling), climbing volcanoes, surfing in Peru, climbing Machu Picchu, touring London for a day, going to a desert island in the Indian Ocean, African Safaris, para sailing over the gulf of Thailand, visiting ruins around the world including Angkor Wat, debrief on a beautiful island in Thailand, going to Disney Hong King, mopedding through the mountains in China, boat rides down the Chinese Li River, alpine slide down through Chinese mountains, visiting and climbing the Great Wall, plus way too many times to count of preaching, teaching, church services, testimony sharing, kid holding, game playing, and song singing and SO much more!

And all of this was with the SAME SIX people!!

Yes, I Survived China

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Sorry everyone, I am still alive and I am back in Hong Kong. Things have been busy with debriefing and so on but I will post and blog soon. See you all in 4 days!

Back Home (in Bangkok)

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

On Monday night we arrived back in Bangkok. It was a great feeling. Kind of like coming back home after a rough mission trip. Except the mission trip isn't over. But none-the-less Bangkok gave me little bit of back home comfort.
Things went right back to normal when we got here. (except this time there were 105 World Racers staying at th YWAM base.. A,B,C & D sqaud). But I went right back to my old room, with some of my old roommates. Woke up in the morning to the same wonderful routine; fruit, iced coffee and an hour of internet. We had two full days here to take care of some last minute errands and some fun (Emilie, Annie and I went back to the night market for some last minute shopping).
I had the opportunity to debrief (more like friendly chat over coffee) a June racer; Courtney Pearsal and it was fun taking her into town and knowing my way to anywhere we wanted to go.
I really love Bangkok and all its splendor. I am going to miss it once we depart. I really does feel like home.

Leaving for China

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This afternoon we will be in China and there the begining of the end will start. Its our final month and final country. China will also add a whole new element to what we have seen and experienced this year. It is the first country that we will enter that is closed to Christianity and due to the upcoming Olympics, the government is really cracking down.
We will have limited to no access to our blog site. I will try to send my mom updates that she can post to you as updated as possible. But I will still look forward to your comments and emails. I may not be able to check them frequently but they are always encouraging!
Thank you so much for being with me through this journey. Your prayers and support have been crucial to this year. Please continue to pray as we finish out the last 39 days of this adventure!

Please Pray for:
-Safe Travel
-Ministry- not sure what it is yet, but please pray
-Focus and endurance! - This is the end, home is near and tends to be a little distracting
-My team! (oh yah check out Emilie's blog, she does such a good job of bragging on each of us!

Okay thats it for now! Love you All! See you next month!

Ancient City Thailand

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday was supposed to be a productive day to finish up all this blog stuff that I am frantically trying to take care right now. I was supposed to go and stop in and say hi to the staff at NightLight (which I am now giong to rush to this morning as soon as I finsih this, before we leave) I was going to take it easy, sort through my stuff so I did't have to stay up late and pack (like I was doing until after 1:00 am).
All of that went out the window when Jon and Eric found me at the internet and asked if I wanted to go to Ancient City with them. In all honesty it sounded like a lot more fun than all my productive plans and they told me we would be home by 3:00. So I decided to procrastinate on all that boring stuf and go. I talked Emilie into joining us and putting all her chores off as well and we went.

When we got there, our ticket price included Tandom bikes. We tried out a 3 person bike in the parking lot for pictures sake.

We rode our bikes around for 4 hours touring Thailand. The park was over 300 acres with replicas of all the Ancient temples, ruins and more. They were "miniature" models but they were actually really big and seemed life size. The detail was amazing and in many ways pointless. But it was cool to go and see all the things we didn't go see while we were here.

This is Jon and Eric riding the horses.

Emilie and I looking like snakes???? uhh I dont know?

A purple bridge. I like to state the obvious.

I think to this tourist we may have been more of an excitement to here than the entire park.
A group of them came up to us and asked if they could take pictures with us. It was hillarious, allthouh it was not the first time this has happened.

Emilie, Jon, Me and Eric on the top of the mountain.

Well Thats it for Thailand!

Pictures from Angkor Wat.. I Rode an Elephant!

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We had had a great debrief at the Famous Angkor Wat (from the movie Tomb Raider). Here are some pictures from the Temples. Enjoy!

"Your face is nice. What is wrong with the rest of you?"

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Just about the time I learned how to spell Phnom Penh with out asking or looking it up, we are leaving. Tomorrow morning we are catching a bus to Siem Riep. The location of the famous Angkor Wat and other temples filmed in Tomb Raider.

So as a tribute to leaving Phnom Penh I thought I would share a few quirks and quotes from our month here.

Every one knows that Asians are little. They know it, you know it and we know it. But I'm not sure that they understand that we know we are bigger. So they kindly take the liberty of creatively reminding us that we are much larger than they are. Some of our favorite comments have been;
"Your face is nice, but what is wrong with the rest of you?"

" It is a good thing you are American, because there are no Cambodian men big enough for you."

" It is nice to meet you, you are very Large."
-See how little he is.

Many of the college students are learning English and love to practice speaking with us. So among many of our converstaions we have had some good laughs. Sometimes its a misunderstanding of their accent, other times we just get out of this world questions. Here are some of our favorites;
"Please everyone, take a shit here." - supposed to be- Please everyone, take a sit ( or seat) here.

Annie- "Yum, this fruit is good, what is it?"
Them- "Oh yes, it's sewer."
Us- (wide eyed, looking at eachother) "It's WHAT?!?"
Them- "It's sewer, you know."
Us- "Oh you mean SOUR. " (Sighs of relief)

Then there were the famous questions our first night at bible study.
"Is lesbian and Tom boy the same?"
" Do you know what gay is?"

Some usual comments durring introductions are;
Them-"how old are you?"
Me-" I am 21 years old"
Them-" You are very large for twenty first."

Me- "Do you have any other questions about me, my life or testimony?"
Them- "yes, are you single? Do you have a sweetheart?

Durring lunch on our last province visit we were informed that it is actually rude to talk durring meals. OOPS! Thats one of those things you wish you knew durring your first meal, not your last.
Some of them also really love to learn idoms. One of the students who we call Lucky, recently learned the phrase "Check it out now." You might be suprised how many times that phrase can be used in one day.
-One of the dishes is actually FROG.

That is just a little glimps of life in Cambodia. It keeps conversation interesting and gives us a reason to smile and laugh when other things are just a little hard.

Picture Tour Through Vietnam

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Last week we had to go to Vietnam to renew our Cambodia visas. So we decided to make a little vacation out of it and tour through a major part of our history. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Welcome to Ho Chi Min City, known as the Paris of South East Asia

Black Cat; One of the Top 10 must visit resturaunts in the WORLD. Famous for the Cheesy Cat!

500 grams of beef, 1 head of lettus, 4 tomatos, 1 pickle, 4 slices of cheese and 4 slices of bacon!

Night Life in the City

You haven't been to Vietnam if you haven't seen the Water Puppet Show

War Remnants Museum

Mekong River Tour

The local Floating market. You know what they are selling by the item hanging from the long bamboo shoot.

First stop, Coconut Candy. Our guide was so excited about he mentioned it at least 5 times before we got there. It was good though, and "good for you", it has no sugar.

Next Stop, Lunch! This was a rare elephant ear fish that you can only find in the Mekong River. (I didnt actually eat it, YUCK!)

How about a bike ride around the island to work off some of that lunch!

followed by a nice relaxing ride through the canal with complimentary sun hats.

Cool off with some Coconut juice on the way back to the bus

bonding at the rest stop

These are the Rice Paddies, 5 minute picture stop

The Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels were used by the Communist Viet Cong (the side America was fighting against). The particular tunnels we visited are over 125 miles long and include multiple floors and levels. The Viet Cong hid in the tunnels, but could maintain weapon and uniform making as well as daily life. They even slept and cooked with fire in the intricate tunnels. Many meetings occurred below ground to plan and strategize against the enemy. Cu Chi is said to be one of the most bombed areas of war. Americans dropped napalm and bombs hoping to break up the network of underground tunnels. (info by Annie Bower)

120 meters of tunel! We made it but barely.

trap set by the Viet Cong

Our tour guide was a little less than thrilled about his job, resulting in board and annoyed tourists.

Last day in Vietnam

We had a couple extra dollars to spend and a little extra time to kill, so we took a traditional bike ride through the city. It was quite scray at times going head on into traffic, but these guys know how to do it!

I am thankful that I got the opportunity to experience Vietnam as it is a huge part of our American History. Thank you to all who have been supporting me this year!

Iced Coffee to GO

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Drinking Iced Coffee has become one of the favorite past times in our group. It's only natural when the price ranges from .25 cents to a $1.00 per drink, it's sweet, it's cold and we all LOVE COFFEE. We have had a lot of fun exploring different cafes, coffee shops and street vendors to find the best iced coffee.
So here is the break down of what this coffee phnomenom is all about:

Step 1: Lots and lots of sweetened condensed milk

Step 2: Add some coffee

Step 3: Shake it up!

Step 4 & 5: Add ice, more coffee, insert straw and tie up the bag

Here it is.. Iced Coffee To Go!

What Comes Next?

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A year ago, last September in Gainsville, GA, I must of heard the phrase "Leave your expectations BEHIND!" a million times. But What does that mean? What about personal expectatoins? What about ideas or presuppasistions?

So what did I expect? Did I expect to become a super spiritual Christian? Did I think I was going to save the world miracle after miracle? Maybe I imagined that the whole surrender thing was going to magically make me have a perfect attitude in any and every living condition. Perhaps I was expecting that I would learn to live without EVERYTHING I was "leaving behind". But lets be realistic here! Its not that I left everything behind. Its more like I took a little bit of everything and just came with less. And what I didnt bring, I most likely found a way to get, when I wanted it. Maybe I was expecting that God would call me to a third world country. I was ready for it too, and I really liked my life at home, but I came with a willing heart.

But.. I am certainly not a super spiritual Christian. Sometimes I can hardly read my Bible every day. There is no doubt that God has used me this year, but there were occasions where I didn't know it until the time was long passed. I never laid my hands on a sick person and saw them healed on the spot. (but I think God is okay with that) I have had entirely less than a satisfactory attitdude about many things, including living conditions. I learned one thing is for certain, I don't like to be hot! I guess I have learned to live without a few things and I certainly know how to live on less, but it seems like I have had so much, it's hard to tell. And, I dont exactly feel like God has called me to a third world country.

Soo.. What did I get from this year? I came looking for THE answer to my life calling. (thats such a Christianeese things) I'm a planner. I like to know things in advance. I like to figure out how its going to work. And I like watching the vision unfold as it works out just like I imagined. But who am I kidding? Life never works out that way for real! Not when God comes in and messes things up.

Well.. All I know at this point is God sent me on this trip as Candice; a silly little goof ball who likes to pretend that life is perfect, no matter what the circumstances are. Anyone who really knows me can aggree to that. And it seems to me like God decided that He kind of liked Candice that way. Sure He made some adjustments, Big ones and small ones. I guess I probably look a lot older too, sleepless nights and 9 months of intense sun will to that to you. But so far, life is still an endless game of 'What Comes Next?'

And.. Im okay with that!

CAUTION: Slippery When Wet

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Jars of Clay Coffee Shop has become one of my favorite hang outs in Phnom Penh. One of the girls in our Bible study works there and told us to stop by one day. I don't think she knew that she would have at least one of us visiting on a daily basis.

Pilot and Me

So that's where I spent the afternoon of my day off. It was a perfect day! I love when it rains outside and I am sitting in a coffee shop. I loved it so much I sat there and read the entire book of Moby Dick cover to cover.

But things were a little wet on my way home. Since I was alone the cheapest form of transportation is a "moto". So I jumped on one and headed home. Except when the seat is wet, it's a little hard to stay on. So every stop, swerve and turn I was bracing myself to not slide right off the seat. Also my flip flops get real slippery when they are wet and when you're riding side saddle, it's hard to keep slippery flip flops on as well!

As the rain began to fall harder about 2 minutes into the 15 minute commute, my driver decided to stop in the middle of the road as traffic continues on its way, so that he can put his poncho on. So.. I was just sitting behind him getting soaked and laughing at the situation.

Notice the driver in his poncho and me soaking wet...

I have got over the initial fear of going head on into traffic the wrong way and now it's kind of like a game. The aggressive beeping of the horn means "I am coming against on going traffic and I am not stopping so watch out for me". And every now and then, they like to play battle of the horns. Oh what would my mother say if she only saw the roads here? I would probably look at here and say it's okay mom, these guys are professionals'.

Just another average day in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Life is Good!

OUT-reach

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

On Sunday, our ministry was a little different. A few of the students from our nihtly bible study accompanied us out to village about 70 kilometers away. The journey there was a long hour and a half, bumpy van ride. At least there was kind of air conditioning.

When we got there it was scorching hot but everyone was so happy to see us that I could hardly complain. We sat on a large frame that looked like a very low table, or a bed frame with out a mattress. We each introduced ourselves, us and them. Then we gave testimonies, once again all of us. I was very much encouraged by each of their stories.

The house which we were visting happned to be the only Christian family in the entire village. And later we learned that we were the first foreigners to come and share the gospel. The fun part was, it was more than going out there and meeting these people once and walking away feeling like we did ministry. We went with a couple of the guys from our bible study, who go on a weekly basis. The guys, who we have been making friendships with, shared with us their passions for the village and the people. It was an honor to be apart of seeing what they are doing for the Kingdom and encouraging the locals on in their faith.

After lunch we moved down the road to a location where we were going to be teaching 30 kids. Well when we got there, I guess word got out that the Americans were coming and so there were a lot more than 30. But we have plenty of experience in akward, things arn't the way they told us moments, so James, Emilie and Annie took all the younger kids, while Morgan, Andrew and I stayed with the older kids.

They were so exicted to see us because they all wanted to practice english. Thank goodness. It's fun to practice english with them. I will treasure this opportunity to go and reach out to the unreached!

Cambodia becomes closer and closer to my heart each day that I am here. The location started out a little rough for me, but the people are amazing!

Please pray that I will stay focused until the end. The countdown is dropping quickly and I desire to finish out with the same intensity as I started with.

Whats Going on in Phnom Penh?

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In Phnom Penh, you can find cars with steering wheels on both sides of the car. (Not the same car of course) So Naturally people tend to drive on whatever side of the road they want. Tuk Tuks (our most common form of transportation) drive into on coming traffic with no hesitation.

In Phnom Penh the side walks are not necessarily made for walking, because people don't really walk anywhere here, but more for motor bikes to get out of traffic or motor bike parking.

In order to cross the street in Phnom Penh you slowly inch your way into the middle of the road in front of a million motor bikes and gradually make your way accross 6 lanes of uncontrolled traffic.

Tuk Tuk drivers speak only enough english to debate the cost of the ride with you, so when you get in one, it is most commonly a suprise as to where you will end up.

Here is a little story:
On Thursday James and I were going on a Bible hunt for the students in our bible study. We called the place reccomened to us by YWAM staff and they only had New Testiment Bibles. So James and I set out for an adventure.
We tried to take a Moto to the Asia Book Store, so we wrote down the address and a near by land mark to help him know where to go. We were trying to get to the O Russie Market. Our driver stopped at a familiar location that we quickly realized was the Russian Market. "Oh Well."
So we got some lunch at the Jars of Clay Coffee Shop where one of the students in Morgan and Emilie's group works. We asked her where a close book store might be, when a nice American man joined the converstaion. He asked us what we were looking for and we explained to him our search for Bibles. Naturally he told us to the Cambodian Bible Society. Who would have thought to look there. It just so happned that the Bible Society is in walking distance from our apartment. So James and I succeeded in our grand adventure and it was a pleasure to hand out Bibles to all the students in need.

Durring the day, we have each found individual ministries and opportunities to fill our time. I am begining a new project re-doing the scrap book for a ministry that YETI is involved in. To know what some of the other girls are doing check out Emilies blogs. http://emiliejanson.theworldrace.org/

Colorful Creations

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

What should one do with a little extra time and a lot of Sharpies? I know, I know..

One of my favorite things to do with extra time is write letters. I have been carrying around a lot of letter making stuff and now I have the time and space to do something with it. So I would love to send you a letter if you would love to recieve one. But here is the deal. As much as I love to write letters, one thing that makes me the happiest is to recieve letters. Just so happens that I have an address in Thailand where I can recieve mail until the begining of October.

So if you would love to make my dreams come true you can send me mail at:

Youth With A Mission Thailand National Office
Candice Hill- The World Race
P.O. Box 20 Thungsetthi Post Office
Bangkok 10263 THAILAND

Also, Ministry is going great! James is the best teacher ever and I love being his assistant teacher.

Home Sweet Home

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

When we arrived in Cambodia, I was feeling a little hopeless that I would ever be able to survive this month with out Air-Conditioning. Our ministry plans happend to fall through the day before we left for Cambodia so the YWAM base was home until we found something new.

We found a dorm ministry here in Phnom Penh and then Andrew set out to find us a swanky place to live! Well He did just that. He found us a 2 Bedroom 3 Bathroom apartment with air-conditioning, fully furnished, and a kitchen within the same price range as living on the YWAM base.

Living Room

The Kitchen

The Girls Room

Closet with Shelves!

Complete with a Vanity.. Family pictures!

Girls Bathroom

The Boys Room!

Our new apartment has been a blessing from God. The majority of our ministry is teaching small groups for an hour and half at night and so its wonderful to have our nice home to prepare in!
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But when you are so used to living in tight quarters, sometimes it's a little tough to seperate.

Heat Wave and Motor Bikes

Wed, 5 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

After an 18 hour bus ride from Bangkok , to Phnom Penh , Cambodia we finally arrived at the YWAM base at 1:00am on Tuesday morning.

The culture contrast between the neighboring countries is greater than I expected.

In the capital city of Cambodia , Phnom Penh , the streets are crowded with a million little motorbikes. This happens to be our new mode of transportation. The local women here make it look so natural as they ride side saddle in a skirt and don't hang on to the man. Knowing my medical history from this year alone, I find it necessary to request a simple little prayer, that I don't hop on one of those and tip right off. We have not been obligated to take such transportation yet but the potential is high.

Now, with that said, some other things that I am adjusting to is the lack of; air-conditioning, available high speed internet, fresh fruit and endless things to do. Cambodia also uses a mix of U.S currency and Reel, the Cambodian currency. The exchange rate between the two is 4,100 to $1.00. My brain is in a constant frenzy. Using U.S currency also brings me to the reality of how close home really is.

Today met our contact at our ministry location. We will begin ministry on Saturday, leading bible study, small groups, and church services at Christian dorm called Hope Education Center . We also have a new member to the team this month; Annie Bower!

Annie and Em on the beach!

Welcome Annie!

Wed, 5 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We are very excited to welcome Annie from team L.O to be joining us this month! Annie brings a guaranteed good time, lots of laughs and her special gifting in Stupid human tricks!

Plus she is a great blogger! You can enjoy lots of new insight and descriptive writing from her. Make sure to read her blogs this month! http://anniebower.theworldrace.org

Crash Landing- Parasailing Mishap!

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

On the beautiful island of Ko Samet, off the Gulf of Thailand, Kari, Bri, Katie and I decided it would be just wonderful to over see the island from a birds-eye view in a parasail.

The preparation was quite simple. You find the guys on the beach, barter down the price, give them your money and get on the boat. Once on the boat they hand out life jackets and due to their lack of english, they give you absolutely no prep talk on what to do.

Thankfully Kari and Bri were going first and since Bri has been before, it wasn't really scary for her. Their ride lasted they had a smooth take off, a peaceful, relaxing 10 minute ride and then a great landing. As soon as they hit the boat, the men were quick to get Katie and I strapped in and on our way up. Bri told me that I should take my camera up and get some sweet pictures from the sky. So thats just what I did. It was amazing, Katie and I had a great 10 minute ride as well. But as we were coming down, the rope kind of jerked us, but we still made it on the boat.

As soon as our feet landed on the boat, the rope lost its hold and we went flying off the back of the boat with a parachute and all. We were in the air for a matter of seconds before we were submerged in water. The unfortunate part of the crash was that my camera was infact still in my hand. I managed to keep it from going under, but all the commotion caused quite the splash .

The men stopped the boat immediately and jumped in to untangle us. Honestly I was laughin way to hard to even be worried that we flew off the back of the boat and besides we were wearing life jackets. I must admit though it was quite a rush and made for a fun story to tell as soon as we got back on the island.

P.S.
My camera is still in ICU. I havn't turned it on yet, in hopes that it will dry out and work again.

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Here are some more pictures from the day!

.FLYING.HIGH.IN.THE.BIG.BLUE.SKY.

Katie and I Pre-Crash

Katie and I Post-Crash

.TWO.WET.FRIENDS.TWO.DRY.FRIENDS.

Ko Samet

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our time in Bangkok came to a great end. On Sunday some of us girls were able to take Ann out to a nice dinner one last time and just tell her that we loved her.

Then I had the fabulous pleasure of hanging out with my friend Becky, who had been volunteering up North. Becky and I are old time friends from Bible school and we got to spend our final weekend together soaking up Bangkok. It was an amazingly refreshing time.

Yesterday we left Bangkok and landed on the Island of Ko Samet. I can't find anything to complain about here. White sandy beaches, good food, lots of friends and Thunder and Lightning storms. Once again I find myself living in a dream!

Safety First

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I just wanted to let you know that a couple of my blogs and pictures have dissapeared in order to keep the girls safe.
I hope that you can be encouraged still by the stories even with out the photos!

Thank you for all your prayers, encouagement and love.

Tonight is our last night of outreach. please pray that we will have the same love, compassion, courage and strength to go into the bar for the last time as we did the 2nd time.

I love you all

"My Time" is not My Own!

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Today was our last official day of working at NightLight and going on outreach with them tonight. Stacy, Anne and myself went back to the bar that we have been visiting this whole month. We bought some roses to take to the girls and brought a photo book to give to Ann of all our pictures together.

As I gave Ann her flower and gift, I was explianing to her that this was our last night that we would come to the bar. Her eyes got wattery as she asked when we were leaving. I told her that we were leaving Bangkok on Tuesday. She looked at her fingers as she counted out "Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, thats four days!". I looked at her and aggreed. She looked down at the pictures and asked if we had copies. I smiled big and told her that we all have the pictures. Then she smiled held them tight and said "Good, I will keep you here with me and you will take me home with you!". Oh how I dread good-bye's.

In the picture book, I wrote scripture through out the pages. I began to explain to her what the scripture meant. She told me that she really likes "our kind" we are happy and smiley and loving. I then proceeded to tell her where our love comes from. Durring this time, she leaned in and asked me if we could come back and have dinner with her again before we leave.

I was honored! " What night do you want us to come back?" "Any night that is good for you, when can you come?" she replied We all aggreed on a dinner date for Sunday Night.

I am blessed to have been accompanied though out this month by Anne and Stacy, as they have been wonderful friends to share this experience with. I realized how precious it is when we do not live for ourselves but allow God to be in control of our time! We are technically done with ministry as of tonight, but thankfuly God was not done with us and asked us to keep going.

Sign me up God! I could hardly bare to say goodbye in such a place! It will be much easier to say goodbye when I can see my Dearest Ann smiling in the company of Love!

Tonight I was blessed with the opportunity to share Christ with Ann. She had not really ever heard much about this God and who He is. I left her with thoughts to ponder and begged her to please question me on any concerns when I see her next. Please Pray with me that the truths she heard tonight would become her desire. Then pray also, for availability at NightLight to take more girls in.

.lOVE iS.

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

.LOVE IS.

.PATIENT.

.LOVE IS KIND.

.LOVE IS NOT SELF SEEKING.

.LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED.

.LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONG.

.LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL. BUT REJOICES WITH TRUTH.

.LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS.

.LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS.

.LOVE ALWAYS HOPES.

.LOVE NEVER FAILS!.

.WE LOVE, BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.

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Some fun pictures of our night with Ann! ENJOY!

Our Date With Ann

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Monday night, a scheme of events that tragically took place last week, was redeemed. Stacy, Anne and I returned back to the bar that denied us the girls last week. We learned from a few mistakes, arrived about an hour later, our demeanor held a sence of confidence and our outcome was successfull!

Our dear friend Ann was sold to us for the price of 600 baht ($18.00 U.S). When we left the bar she was happy, but she kindly asked if we could have her back by 10pm in order that she might still have some time to work. I was a little sad not to be able to keep her away from there all night, but we could not refuse her request. I was simply thankful for the opportunity to spend time with her!

Our first mission was to take her away from the scene into a place of comfort and fun! How about a 9 story mall with all the essentials! ICE CREAM (actually frozen yogurt, it's healthier) AND BOWLING! The frozen yogurt shop had all fresh fruits to pick from. They put the fruit in the machine and it makes it into your frozen yogurt! SCRUMPTIOUS, absolutely Scrumptious!

We ate our tasty treat as we took the elevator 8 floors up to the bowling ally. Before entering we stopped for a couple photos with the Jackie Chan cut out and the GIANT bowling pin and ball.

Ann had never bowled before and she was a HYSTERICAL first timer! OH my, we all (including her) laughed the hour away so quickly, we hardly knew it passed. Ann took the ball and did a little hop, skip, throw and fall down the lane. I was suprised that all 70 pounds of her could get the ball rolling with the power that she did.

The night passed so quickly but it was such a great pleasure and honor to be apart of her life for a night! I wouldn't trade it for a million Starbucks coffees.

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Unfortunately, we were not able to take Bla (our 14 year old friend) out. But I know that she knows how much I truely care for her! I will continue to pray for the precious child!

Gwen Stefani in Bangkok

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes I just have to shake my head and laugh! What kind of life am I really living? We "abondon" it all and set out for the great adventure, then we find our selves in Bangkok, Thailand. The city is full of malls that are 7-9 stories high, movie theaters with leather recliners and cheap markets that are the size of small towns.

But the craziest night of all found us at the Gwen Stefani concert. I was planning on having an alone day at Starbucks, to write letters and read my book, until I got a call from Emilie. She informed that they had found out there was a Gwen Stefani concert at 8:00 for $19.00. Seriously how can you turn down a future story like that.

So today Stacy and I were walking and she looked at me and said "Hey Candice, remember when we saw Gwen Stefani in Bangkok?". All I could do was laugh thinking about the 7 of us girls sitting in the very back row, up against the wall singing along to Gwen Stefani in Thailand.

I guess there is no more fooling you into believing that it's all hard.

$1 Morning Routine

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Its amazing what a dollar can get you in Bangkok! In the mornings I wake up, stroll down the road and make my three routine stops.

1. The fruit stand for a .30 cent bag of pinapple

2. The coffee stand for a .30 cent cup of iced espresso (I can buy 9 of these for the price of one Starbucks)

3. The internet for 1 hour at .30 cents

What can $.90 buy you at home? Not all this!

Do You Trust Me?

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

On our last night at debrief in South Africa, we had a night of endless prayer and worship. Durring the group worship I remember feeling a little funny, I could not sing the songs and I couldn't pray. Then the Lord took to me to a place on my knees before Him. I sat in the same place for nearly 2 hours. In this place I was unable to pray or think. The Lord told me that He didn't need any empty words or routine christianese, He told me to just be still and sit in His presence. At first I was growing impatient, I would say to the Lord, "are you going to speak to me?". Then he would gently respond asking me, "what if I don't, are you going to stay here with me still?" Through out the night the Lord would continue to ask me, "DO YOU TRUST ME?", initially I was thinking of course I turst you God! Then thoughts of Thailand began to come to my mind and the Lord told me that I am going to have to trust Him.

The following day we were leaving for Thailand. I approached Gary Black and asked him for a challange to take with me. He confirmed exactly what God had been speaking to my heart. He told me to go to Thailand knowing my identity as a daughter and embrace the call that the Lord places on my heart.

We arrived in Thailand and I was not feeling well at first but I was ready. At the end of the first week I kind of took a moment to reflect, thinking that I didn't feel any different than any other place this year. Outreach shook me up a little bit, but I didn't feel that I had a special role to play here.

Then I met Bla and Ann. I found that they had a special place in my heart and I knew that I had made an impression on them. I began to feel a passion to take them out of there and love them. I approched one of the outreach leaders at NightLight and she told me that it wasn't a good idea to take them out, but she said I could ask Annie, the founder. I got permission from Annie and thats when we made plans to take them out on Wednesday.

As I shared in my last blog,( http://candicehill.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=not-the-blog-outcome-i-wanted-to-post ) things didnt turn out the way we would have dreamed, but the Lord is Faithful and He redeems every situation. But when I close my eyes to sleep at night I am kept awake by the horrible images of Bla being used by that man for his pleasure. Then the Lord whispers to my heart the same question, "Do you trust me?" I don't understand Lord, but I turst You!

Scripture has been coming alive to me in ways I never felt before. I spent hours meditating on the truths of the word over the past couple days. I am reminded as I read scripture, that this is not a book of "feel-good" sayings to make things better but it is a book full of promises and truth. The Lord does not make empty promises and He did not break my heart to see me hurt, but to draw me to a place where His promise can be fulfilled.

"and surely I am with you ALWAYS to the very end of the age"

Bla and Ann are more than an item for sale, more than a sad story and more than a blog. They are daughters of the King, trapped in bondage and waiting for their resucuer (not me) to come and redeem them.

Sometimes I feel hopeless that I will not see them out of chains (literally, they wear chains on the bras and string thongs) but I know that it is a lie from the enemy. I Do trust you Lord!

A Call to Prayer

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Confession: I'm exhausted! Physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I can't fall asleep at nights, I am spiritually broken, mentally over-stimulated and emotionally drained.

Much to my suprise, my heart has been drawn to the bars. Honestly though, when we first arrived I thought I would do outreach once, see it, be terrified and chill in the air conditioned office! But God had different plans for me. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 17:9

So I know that the Lord has called me to be a light in the dark, after all, my name does mean "glowing" and I am all for living up to that! But yesterday I started to question if I should go on outreach tonight. At first I was ignoring the idea, thinking that perhaps the enemy was trying to keep me away from the bars. Then this morning I felt the call to stay back and pray. I talked to the girls about it and a couple others were feeling the same way.

So Katie, Morgan and I stayed back at the volunteer house and prayed while the girls were on outreach. Morgan was there to pray specifically with a recovering prostitute who is in a huge spiritual battle. Katie and I sat in the other room and poured out our hearts and prayed scripture ("For the word of God is Living and Active!" Hebrews 4:12) over ourselves, the team, the house and Bangkok. Eventually two of the volunteers and Morgan came in and prayed with us. It was beautiful scene, we had representatives from England, America and India praying in the heart of Thailand. I believe there is power in that! "...from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb...And they cried "Salvation belongs to our God, who sists on the throne, and to the lamb" Rev 7:9-10

I feel completely honored to be called by the God of the Universe to place of prayer and intimacy with Him. Thats right, He chose me tonight! OH my, I can hardly contain the joy I am filled with.

A Crush on Jesus

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I have known of God for a long time now, and I have known him for a while. But all of the sudden I feel the kind of excitement of calling someone your best friend or having a crush. I can't quit smiling and telling people how much I know how real He is. I can't get enough scripture and everything I read I keep on sharing and telling everyone how this stuff is real, living and active truth!

In times of trial, growth, excitement and celebration it's important to have a best friend to share with. Because all my best friends are on the other side of the world, I have no distraction from letting God be my best friend. But He's more! He's my Daddy when I'm hurting. He's my Provider when I'm in need. He's my healer when I'm broken. He's my master who I love to serve. He's my light in the dark places.

He restores me when I'm weak. He holds my hand when I'm scared. He reveals truth when I'm confused. He uses me when I'm broken. And He loves me, even when I still mess up!

He has renewed my love for Him and my passion to know Him more! I'm addicted and wrecked for His kingdom.

All That I Can Comprehend

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A billion thoughts
A stream of tears
A heart aching with pain
A fist full of furry

Where is Grace?
Has Justice taken her place?

WHY!?!?!?

Why does evil think he ownes her?
Why couldn't I take her home tonight?
Why couldn't I keep her safe?
Why doesn't he care when she hurts?
Why is money worth more than her heart?
More than her purity? More than her Life?

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The story to come later when I can comprehend what has happened.

Not the Blog Outcome I Wanted to Post

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Wednesday night, Stacy, Anne and myself went back to the bar to buy out two of our friends for the night. One a 14 year old named Bla and the other a 32 year old named Ann. On Tuesday they told us we could come at 7:00pm, so we decided to make an entrance around 7:30.

When we got to Nana things were still opening and not a great deal of people we around yet. We walked up to the bar where our friends worked and we were the first "customers" of the night. We tried to just get the attention of our girls immediately so we would not have to buy any drinks, but the mamasans were to quick to get us to sit down. Thankfully we had Tan, our translator with us, and she quickly explained that we did not want to buy drinks tonight, we just wanted to buy the girls out for dinner. The mamasan was negotiating the price for the girls and then she informed us that we could not take them unless we would pay them a $30.00 tip. As we tried to explain to the girls that we could not pay them I began to feel overwhlemed and unable to think. We told the girls and the mamasans that we would be back later, we just needed to think.

So we left the bar and went up to the third floor to kill some time. The bar that we walked into happened to be a Lady-boy bar. When we realized this, we couldn't help but laugh. After being there for a bit, my heart grew sad for the desperation that these men must be going through in order to be working as a woman in a bar. We sat for around 30 minutes, bought some cokes and then went back to the other bar.

When we got back, Ann and Bla both came up to see what we were going to do. We explained to both of them the difficulty in our situation. As bad as we wanted to get them out of there we did not want to get them in trouble. Then Bla said that she could not leave because she needs the money. She has to send money to her parents tomorrow. I explained to Ann that we could give her our number and she could call us on her day off and we will take her out. Then she said no. She asked if we could please come back and get her out for a night. She told me that we could just tell the mamasan that we were paying her but she does not want our money, she just wants to leave. At that point I was juggling feelings of hope and helplessness.

A few minutes later a group of roudy, rich western men made an entrance to the bar. The mamasan came and got Bla from our booth. Tan asked me if it's okay if she left. I told Tan that this is her job and I can not do anything. I watched the man look her up and down, then he pulled her on to his lap. He rubbed his hands all over her and then he picked her up and put his hands all over her butt.

I could feel that I was loosing my composure so I got up and walked out. Anne (our team member) came out to check on me and as soon as she asked if I was okay the tears started coming. We left shortly after that and I fought back the tears as best I could until I got home.

It was another sleepless night as I sat up until 4:00 in the morning weeping and praying for these girls. I have been broken for them. But in this time of brokeness, scripture has become more alive than it ever has before.
"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord." Proverbs 16:20. I am learning to trust in this time. I know He is FAITHFUL!