Newsletters

Quick update:

So it turns out that I'll be sending newsletters out approximately every two months.

That's in addition to this blog, which I'm planning to update more frequently. There's no guarantee for that frequency, though- it could be every 3 days or it could be every month. It will depend on internet access, motivation, and whether there are interesting remarks to write.

Regardless, there will be newsletters. These newsletters will include stories, observations, and experiences... I'm sure you can imagine what a newsletter will contain.

If you're interested in receiving a newsletter, please comment below with your email address, or email me your email address, or comment on Facebook with your email address, or PM me on Facebook, or text me... You know, just make sure I have your email address!

Cheers!
-KMJ

Prayer Calendar

So, unless someone can guide me otherwise, I cannot find a way for you to edit my prayer calendar without inviting every.single.supporter to my calendar one.by.one. This, I do not wish to do.

Therefore, I have a new idea. See the "Contact Me" section on the right-hand side of my home page. You can include your name and email, and in the "message" part write the date(s) that you choose. It will send me an email that includes this information. Make sure you add the date to your own calendar so that you don't forget! I will at various points update the calendar here on this blog to reflect those selected dates.

Now, why should you select a date? I need prayers, and I need happy thoughts, as I embark on this crazy awesome journey. I would appreciate any support that you feel willing to provide!

For what can you pray?
- Courage
- Strength
- Peace
- Understanding
- Growth
- My fellow volunteers
- My host family
- My host country
- Like, literally anything you think is applicable...

What can you send me?
- An encouraging note
- A favorite Bible verse
- A funny joke
- Like, literally anything you think is uplifting or supportive

Thank you a million times, from the moon and back, and many more, for your interest, your support, and your encouragement. You might not be able to imagine how the littlest smile has even meant so much.

Peace & Blessings!
-KMJ

Placement

Greetings, all!

The most exciting news to date arrived in my inbox: my placement!

My vision is less nebulous, and I can finally share more information about what life might look like in Cambodia. It's like a life-size jigsaw puzzle, in a way, without having the image on the box as a guide. I started working on the outside edges, piecing together the border and the framework. Sure, I knew the general idea what the picture looked like, but image was blurry, unclear. I even attempted using pieces from other experiences to fill in the gaps, but as one could imagine, the pieces didn't quite fit. It was an approximation, a substitute, not legitimate. You following?

But now, the image has sharpened.

I'll be living in the town of Kampot, which is about 149 km southwest of the capital Phnom Penh. Also, it is about 5 km from the Gulf of Thailand. In Kampot, I will serve with the Reproductive and Child Health Alliance (RACHA), a Cambodia-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). RACHA has a focus on community health programming.  Their mission is:

To improve the lives of individuals and communities in Cambodia by making essential health services including reproductive health, newborn and child health, nutrition, clean water, sanitation, hygiene, infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS and other related services safe, available, accessible, and sustainable.

I'm not yet sure what my role will be with RACHA, but word is I "will be serving alongside them in that mission, both at their office and in various surrounding communities". I am incredibly overwhelmed by this placement- and I mean that in a positive sense. When I received the email, I teared up. It sounds perfect. It sounds like an amazing fit, and I cannot wait to learn and discover by working with this organization. I have a feeling that I will learn more than I will teach, but I am continuously grateful for this opportunity.

Over the next few weeks leading up to orientation I will be receiving more information about my year in Cambodia, but it is a journey in progress. My puzzle won't be complete until I return home to the United States next year... In fact, it probably won't be complete for years, as I will carry these memories, experiences, and lessons with me into the future. I feel like I have travelled so far, AND I HAVE NOT EVEN GOTTEN THERE YET!

Continue to pray for me. Continue to ask questions about my journey. Thank you once more for your support.

Cheers!
-KMJ