Two thousand reasons

"For all your goodness I will keep on singing,
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find." - Matt Redman

Almost exactly two years ago, on March 11, 2011, I started a list.  My list was inspired by the concept in Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts, which I wouldn't read until the following December.  (In this post, I discussed a passage from it that really challenged my habits.)   It tells her story of moving from heartache to joy through chronicling a list of one thousand blessings in her life.  There's a lot more to the book, and it's influenced my life more than anything else I've read in the last few years, but just the idea was enough to get me going.  

Tonight, I reached two thousand.  My "gratitude journal" overwhelms my heart - a tangible record of reasons to smile, reasons I love Cambodia and Pennsylvania, the people around me, what I get to do, my life.  Sometimes I picked up my pen convinced I had nothing to add for that day, then slowly recalled example after example of moments that had made me giggle or perk up or appreciate someone.  Like Voskamp, my joy in the day-to-day has increased as I've practiced writing it down.  It's what I've wanted to do all along, what I've had in my blog heading for over five years: learning to notice the (extra)ordinary.

In celebration of two thousand reasons to praise the Giver of all good things, I present to you, not all two thousand, but twenty to represent them.  I'll include all the 100's.

100. Being humbled from my self-centeredness to realize how faithfully other Logos teachers are serving God.
200. Homesickness quickly dissipating once I arrived back in Phnom Penh from the US.
300. Running into my favorite street vendor, whom I hadn't seen in over a year.  Her personality is as sweet as her snacks!
400. Teaching a very energetic and opinionated 5-year-old by herself in Sunday School.
500. Laughing really hard during a spontaneous birthday dinner for a friend, ignoring the piles of work and the fact that final exams started the next morning.
600. Two lunch table crowds merging, breaking down high school cliques, at least for the day.
700. A student's hilarious Khmenglish (Khmer-English) accent imitation.  "Ho-nay?  You wanna buy some wat-ta?  Cheap pri' fo' you!  It so hot to-DAY!"
800. Shorts with my name on them - I stumbled across the type of athletic shorts I'd been hoping to buy, and they even had the Chelsea soccer team name and logo
900. A very productive day in the middle of a relaxing break.
1000. Psalm 20 saying all I wanted to say to some dear friends who were leaving Cambodia due to difficult circumstances.  "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
1100. The awesome relationships my parents have formed in their community through hosting an Austrian exchange student for a year.
1200. A meeting at my church that moved from hostile accusations about a tough situation to mutual sorrow over all that had gone on.
1300. French and German movies on my flight back to Cambodia.
1400. A student who recognizes the hold that worrying has on her life, and who wants to join the battle against it.
1500. My sister Julia made several significant sacrifices to be with me by visiting Cambodia and by scheduling her wedding around me.
1600. During free time on a service trip, a bunch of students spontaneously gathered to sign worship songs.
1700. The sweet, intelligent, 11-year-old language lover I met at a relocation village.  (Her slum was demolished and the government moved her community to the edge of the city.)
1800. The hotel where my relatives stayed during Julia's wedding let my family eat their excellent buffet breakfast for free.  Cooper merriment ensued.
1900. Jumping rope with the landlord's 9-year-old daughter and 16-year-old niece.  The rope was homemade, composed of hundreds of rubber bands linked together.
2000. A student's emotional intelligence and heart for her classmates, expecially those who are often left out.

To be continued...one gift at a time.

Bible Camp 2013

This year's Bible/Adventure Camp was fantastic!  Grades 9 and 10 spent a whole school week at a camp near the Thai border, participating in low and high ropes activities and teacher-led devotion sessions.  (The older students go to a different camp for a week of service activities - thankfully this year they had more fun and it felt less like a "labor camp" than last year.)  This year's theme was "Freedom Generation," referring to the freedom that Christ gives us.  

Like last time I went (back in 2010), it was quite fun and a great chance to bond with students.  (See the photo montage for evidence.)  But what made it even better was the spiritual intensity: we didn't just laugh hard, we sang hard, cried hard, and prayed hard.  

Students in my small group were really honest and sincere in discussions, eager to overcome differences and past grievances to unite together in God's love.  One says he talked with God for the first time in years.  He said it like he couldn't believe it had happened, like he was shaken by how powerful the experience was.  I'm praying that we'll keeping growing in these great ways now that we're back!

Here are some student quotations about the spiritual side of their experience:

“[Before camp] I was pumped up and ready to be with friends.  I was most excited for jumping off trees, and for new challenges.  Then devotions came around, and I enjoyed it.  As the week went on, I was able to focus more on God.  Through the activities we were doing, I was able to see how God works.  There were some days that I was looking forward more to devotions than the activities.  This was probably the most exciting thing about the camp was getting to know God more.”

“I got to know the people in my group because of all the time we spent together.  It was uncomfortable at first, but after a bit of fooling around, I was able to be friends with them…After meeting all the people in my group, I learned that my impressions were wrong.  After spending time in small group, I saw that they had similar problems just like me.  It’s comforting to know that I’m not alone and that I’m not the only one struggling.”

“My first two days of camp weren’t that great, actually...  On Tuesday evening I took a walk in the forest, just exploring the trails and submerging myself in the beauty of God’s creations.  I was thinking about how I felt [left out] with my group, and miraculously, I felt this calm settle over me, and it was as if God Himself were holding me, telling me that He is there in the midst of my loneliness, and He will always be there by my side.  Everything went uphill after that.  I learned of God’s faithfulness, and my favorite time, hands down, was worship.  Camp was only five days, but it gave me a wilder passion to worship and pray.  It also has already been impacting me.  I feel more sure of His love now, and I strive to love others.  In a way, it’s easier to love now.”

“I know myself better through Bible camp.  I know that I am a doubtful person, slow to believe things.  I really doubted God and the ropes.  I didn’t have much trust or confidence.  I had a fear that I was going to fall.  I learned that God always supports me even if I doubt him.  He is always near me when I need him.  I just need to notice him more.  I have to stop doubting him and put more trust in him.”

"Something that I learned about all of us as we came together was that even with all the diversity, we still have a common bond and passion: to love, to find unity, and to follow God.  And our common motives are what brings us together in unity.  I think God has really opened my eyes through this experience.  It really helped me to be more open and to step out of my comfort zone and talk to people I’m not close to yet.  Bible camp also gave me the belief that I *can* do things that I set out for, and I can achieve the goals I have.  The experience was amazing, and I’m really thankful for it.”