As of 10pm (10 am EST) I have officially been in Southeast Asia for 6 months! WHAT!!! It's crazy awesome to look back on these past months and see all that God has done.
When I first arrived I was afraid to really leave the apartment because I didn't know how I was going to get around this foreign city. I was crying many nights because I missed the familiarity of home. I began teaching at school 3 days after I arrived and I felt as if I was barely staying afloat. I was this outsider that everyone stared at and I didn't really talk to anyone at school except for the lead teacher.
God opened up some great doors for fellowship. I got involved with the Young Adults group at the International Church. This has opened up such an amazing ministry here. It blesses me that the young adults meet at my apartment every Thursday. It is such a great time to fellowship with other believers and even invite our unsaved co-workers, None have come but I am praying that one of these days they will!
Also I got involved with the Women's ministry at church. I am helping with planning the events for the year and with communication. I love being around other believers from other nations. It is so refreshing and life-giving!
God has also been moving at school. There is a major change in our student's behavior. When I look back on summer school, I remember how crazy our students acted and how little English they knew. Now I can have conversations with my advanced students and my beginner students are able to speak to be in sentences that I can understand. Also the way the interact with each other in very different from summer school in such a positive way! They are not perfect, but they are improving!
Also the relationships with coworkers are building. In the beginning of August I never really spoke to the local staff because we didn't speak the same language. But God opened the door to start taking language lessons and it broke the ice with the staff. Now, we joke with each other and practice language together. They are learning English, so it is fun to communicate in broken languages but yet we usually understand the gist of the conversation. Also having them over for a Western meal has been so awesome! My housemate and I love having them over to just hang out and have girl time! I pray these relationships bear fruit!
I am so excited for what God is doing here! I am so glad God has called me here! There are definitely times that I miss home and want to go home, but then the thought of returning home and not coming back here is heartbreaking. God has called me here for this season. I am learning so much about him and myself. I can't wait to see what the next 6 months have in store, as well as all of 2016!