If I didn’t know that Cambodia is in SE Asia, I’d think that I was back in Africa this month. In terms of worldly comforts, this month has maybe been the most uncomfortable of the trip. We are living the bush village life. We live in tents inside a small, bug and rat infested house (which let’s be honest- it’s pretty fun when you are doing it with 13 other racers). Our food is subpar at best…lots of white rice (and there is nowhere close to get supplemental food). It’s 110 degrees here every day and high humidity. Our electricity goes out often, which if its nighttime means that the fan turns off and we wake up in pools of sweat in the middle of the night. It pours nearly every afternoon, making the dirt paths and roads a mess.
But it’s FUN!
And while I have lacked worldly comforts this month, Jesus has been pouring out joy and peace. I love how no matter what we are dealing with- whether it is the smallest bit of anxiety or huge issues- Jesus offers to us ALL that we could ever need to be set free from sin and what the enemy uses to keep us down. Jesus is the answer. It’s freaking sweet.
We are paired with another team this month, which is a blast. And we have been doing ministry with the kids of a little village in Kampong Speu. The ministry is a mix of English teaching, soccer ministry, and Bible studies. These kids are part of the reason why Christianity is beginning to flourish in the area- they take the Gospel to their families.
I don’t really know if there’s anything super new or fresh that I’ve been learning, but I have just been trying to soak in and enjoy every moment because I know I am going to miss times like this when the race is over.
Another week and half left in Cambodia, then on to VIETNAM!!!
Love and miss all of you really badly. I will be coming home in July!
Ankor Wat!!!
Playing Awake My Soul at worhsip with Kaitlyn at 8 month de-brief.
There have been a few times on this trip where I have been floored by the impact and ripple effects of what we are doing out here. Sometimes I get a random e-mail encouragement from a stranger or someone I haven't seen in years. Other times it's literally feeling the prayers of people interceding for me. God timing is impecable- he has placed the exact encouragement I have neded at the precise time that I needed it this entire trip.
I just got one of the most meaningful facebook messages I have ever read. I have a buddy from Noah's Ark, Dan Geu, who is now a teacher. He is teaching social studies, and has created a thing in his classroom called "World Race Fridays". Every week, he teaches his kids about the country that I am in or one that I have been to on the race. He teaches cultural information based on his own research as well as e-mails that I send him. He wants the kids to have a more broad and world-based perspective and to know what God is doing throughout the world- the incredible ways that He is working and moving.
The facebook message I just got from him was a word for word copy of 16 of his studen't letters to me. They made me tear up. Here are 5 of them:
Dear Kyle,
Hi! How are you doing? I’m doing good! What is the temperature there usually? Are the buildings strong? Which place do you like the best? How is the food? Is there any you like or don’t like? What kind of animals live in the places you visited?
You’re doing a good job spreading the Word! Keep spreading it and God is traveling with you.
I obcioiusly am Christian. I am Japanese and American. I am many nationalities! THe ones I mentioned are the biggest ones. I play piano. My favorite sport is soccer.
Hope your having a good time!
Good Luck!
Noah Polyin (6th grade)
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19
Dear Kyle,
Did you like it in Africa? How was it working with the kids? Do they have pets their (dogs/ other-kangaroos) Did you sing songs and play games with the kids? I would love to do what your doing today someday.
From,
6th grader Hannah Weymier
P.S. you and Mr. Gue look alike!
Dear Kyle,
Hey my name’s Zachary Robel. I’m 13 years old, and I’m the only boy in the 8th grade class of nine at Elm Grove Lutheran School. We’ve been following your travels at school, and I’m very interested in and supportive of what you’re doing. I also have a few questions for you concerning the trip. Firstly, which countries that you’ve been to have you enjoyed the most? I’m sure they’ve all been great, but if you had to pick your favorite, what would it be? I also have another question; which form of church worship do you prefer? I mean, here at Elm Grove, it’s always sitting in the pews singing hymns, and well… admittedly it doesn’t trigger my faith in the best ways. But last year, I went to this place called YouthQuake, a Christian gathering of people around the state, and it had a much more lively, fun form of worship that triggered my faith and emotions so much more… which seems similar to the daily worship services in Rwanda that you’ve been to. You know, with the singing and dancing and well… the liveliness of it all. It’s kind of hard to explain, but I just feel like my faith isn’t being… exposed to it’s full extent. And I’m wondering what you think triggers your faith. That’s all. I have time to write now, since class is ending and this is due, but if I had time I’d write more. Please respond, Thanks!
Zachary Robel (8th grade)
Kyle,
I think what you’re doing is amazing. It’s really cool that you can connect with the people and make new friends while sharing the gospel. It sounds very interesting and a great experience, but I know that there are many struggles ivolved; we will pray for you in your time of need. Life changing opportunities, I heard, have come out of your low points. What miracles have you experienced? Also, how did you have to sign up? Are their tests and rules? Limits and regulations? Oh, and one more thing, does any of the countries you’be visited have an ice rink? Is it really small? I love to figure skate, and on competition I was at, there were skaters from Argentina, but their home rink was half the size. Some families in our organization took care of them while they were here, but my family didn’t get a chance to . Even though I would’ve loved the opportunity
- Mary Beth (7th grade)
P.S. Is their anyone there who lost a mom/dad? Because I would like them to know that something good will become of it. God has a plan for them . I was really mad when my mom died, but I learned to accept it, and it has made me a better person.
Dear Kyle,
I am very interested in what you are doing. I hope it all goes well. I will be praying for you. First, let me tell you a little bit about me. My name is Callie. I am 11 years old and in 5th grade. I have 2 sisters and 1 brother Megan is 8 years old and in 3rd grade. Madeline is 7 and in 1st grade. Caleb is 18 months and is so cute. My favorite color is purple. Mr. Geu is my social studies teacher. As I said before I am very interested in the World Race. Mr. Geu talks about it with us every Friday, He also read your e-mail out loud to the class. Thanks for telling us all about it!!!! I also have some questions/ Do you do any sight-seeing on your trips?? How do you get from place to place? Do you ever get sick of all the church?? (and truthfully we all do at one point or another !!) Do you see a lot of poverty?? Thanks again for participating in the World Race!! I hope I get to join the World Race someday!! (even if it does mean a lot of church;)) God bless you!!!
Your friend’s student,
Callie Hedtke (5th grade)
Thank you kids for your amazing encouragement- you have no idea how much it means. These get me SO FIRED UP. God is raising up a new generation that have a heart to do missions and go to the nations. HECK YEA! Let's fulfill that Great Commission!!!
Another sweet reality is that whatever God chooses to do with us in the nations, we are going to be FIRE-STARTERS in the communities we are in when we get home. After the things we have experienced on the race and the ways we have grown, the stirring of the Holy Spirit in us is going to get the juices flowing in the people and places that we return to.
If you are on the race right now, don't ever forget the crazy impact that we are having with both the nations and people back at home. Keep fighting the good fight every day, keep blogging, and keep putting Jesus first.
Me AND the Tiger are FIRED UP right now
First day of manestry together-- making the most of it exploring the city and area on motos!
Man month. Thailand. Two things I have been very excited about the entire race. And it hasn't let me down. This is my one month on the race to spend with the 7 other men on the squad-- and we get to do it amidst the serene landscape and beautiful people of Thailand.
It's so clear that Asia just lights me up. I may end up doing medical missions to an assortment of continents, but the culture, food, and people of Asia just get me fired up. I love it. Thailand has been amazing. We had a day in Bangkok when we flew in from Africa and it was a blast. Then, me and the 7 other men of A-squad went up to our city of ministry- Chiang Mai. Our first day, we rented motos and spent the whole day seeing the area. It is a really fun and awesome place.
Our ministry this month is with a human trafficking prevention organization called Remember Nhu. They identify children at risk for being sold into the slave trade and bring them into a great Christian community. They house, feed, and educate over 100 girls and about 20 boys. There is a boys house because in Thailand, even the boys are not safe from the sex trade. Many are raised as "lady boys" (transvestites) or simply sold as they are. They kids come from extremely difficult situations, and it has has been heart breaking to spend time with the kids one day and then to see the prostitutes and sex bars on the streets the next day driving through town. That is likely where the kids would have ended up without Remember Nhu's intervention.
Our housing this month it our tents! We are living in an orchard, and our time is split between working on projects around the land and playing with the kids. It has been a blast. Our contacts, Brian and Beth, are two world race alumni-- not only was I blessed with white contacts for a month, but people who have done the race! It has been great- they have worked with us really well.
Overall, this month has had a lot of rejuvenation and refreshment for me. I have just loved spending time with each of the men. We really have been able to sharpen each other. Fellowship with them has helped me to grow this month, as well as a Bible study we have been doing of 1 John. I am challenged by 1 John 2:7 to “walk as Jesus did”. And I'm reminded how great and incredible the Father's love is for us, his children. Also, I have made a habit this month every morning during my quiet time to ask Jesus the simple question, “Jesus, what do you have for me this morning? What do I need to hear right now”. It has been really good. I want to be intently listening to his Spirit.
I'm loving this month and am super content where I'm at, although Med school and month 8 debrief in Cambodia are on the backburner. I did recently get rejections from both CU and Vermont, which is a bummer, but I know God has a good and perfect plan. I also found out that I am waitlisted at Loma Linda. So all the results are in: waitlisted at Loma Linda and Creighton and accepted at Rocky Vista (in Denver). I have been and will continue to be praying about this a lot.
Love you guys!
Check out some pics and this sweet video from Thailand's incredible Water Festival!
A temple in Bankok
My favorite Thai boy.
Laying sod for a soccer field for the kids
Playing soccer with them--they will love that sod!
I have been counting down the days to leave here. This past week was probably my hardest on the race. Then, one morning, all the hardships disappeared for a while.
Spencer and I got to the church at 9 to do some manual labor. Of course, things were running on African time, and at 10:30 we were still dinking around waiting for the materials to show up. Some kids came over to play with us. I have never seen a city with more kids than Busia, Uganda. The average family has 8 kids. The children could literally take this place over if they put their minds to it. We had seen these particular kids before. How did we know we had seen them? All the kids look similar, since both boys and girls have no hair and many wear similar looking tattered clothes or no clothes at all. We knew because one of them is albino. He has bright white skin and a crinkled face since he has to squint because of his eye sensitivity. He came close to us, and while he never looks happy, it was clear that something was extra hard for him this morning. He was sobbing, doing his usual squinting look. All the thoughts about how tough my month had been washed away as my heart went out to him. This poor kid gets made fun of constantly for looking different, is always sunburned, and can hardly see simply because he was born without melanin. My thoughts shifted from my own issues to simply being: what can I do to make this kid’s life just a little better?
I gave him my sunglasses to try on. His head lifted up, not staring at the ground anymore to avoid the sun. He relaxed his face a bit and even smiled. We had him take us to his house to see if we could take him to the market to find some glasses that could actually fit him. His grandmother agreed, and she came with us, along with a friend who could speak English. Brian’s mother died while giving birth to him and his dad left and hasn’t returned. So we traveled as a group to the market, passing mud huts with the smell of trash fires in the air. When we got to the market, spencer and I bargained for a pair of sunglasses, a hat, and shoes. Brian and his grandma were so grateful. On the way back to their house, his grandma kept telling everybody she knew that we had helped them and we were Brian’s dad. When we arrived at the house, they invited us into the home and thanked us. Spencer and I prayed for the whole family and told them how much Jesus loved them. It was incredible.
No matter what you are going through right now, you can be a blessing to other people. You can encourage them, you can support them, and you can push them towards Jesus. It can be all too easy sometimes to not see past our own issues. But Jesus gives us vision, He gives us perspective, and He alone is the answer and solution to the world’s problems.
Tough. That describes this month. Undeniably my most challenging on the race so far. There are a lot of reasons, and some that I can't put on a public blog, but the biggest has been that our contact and the lady we live with here in Busia, Uganda have been extremely challenging to work with. Jesus has been providing though, and my guitar has been close at hand.
Ministry (the little bit that we are given), has been cool. My favorite has been working with street kids. We basically just spend time loving on them, tossing a football, and doing songs and Bible stories. Then we feed them lunch. They all come from extremely hard situations, and they are often high on gasoline or glue when we meet with them, but they are such good kids. Don, the one God has burdened my heart for the most, came to know Jesus a few weeks ago. He has such a good heart and character. Along with street kid ministry, we have done hospital visits, door to door, and cell meetings.
We are going to Thailand in a week. We have a few days together in Bangkok as a squad, then the men are doing MANESTRY together in Chang-Mei. Oh my goodness, I am so excited for a month with the men. I need it so badly right now.
On a different note, I am fully funded for the trip now. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of my incredible supporters. Your donations have been so appreciated, and there have been times on this trip where I could literally feel your prayers. I love the heck out of you guys.
Every day when we walk to church, our Rwandan contact, Pastor Moses, encourages whoever is going to be speaking to “Bring the fire.” Translation: He wants the message to have passion, excitement, and for the Holy Spirit to be moving in us as we preach. I enjoy speaking, and have preached a couple messages on Psalm 23, one on Philippians 3:7-14, 1 Cor. 13:13, and a few other ones. We have had plenty of opportunities to bring fire this month. With church 6 days a week (every weekday night plus a morning and evening Sunday service) and a Bible study that we speak at every morning, we have been preaching a lot. Add two hours of door-to-door evangelism every day, and we have been speaking to a ton of people about Jesus’ love. It’s pretty crazy to think of the commitment of the congregation: many of them come to all of the services every week, which means they are in church almost 20 hours/week.
This month has been really similar to Tanzania, except a lot of little things that have made it better. Our contacts house doesn’t have much space, but there is a quiet porch and it is a restful place. The food is good. We do more ministry than we did last month. And the squad leaders, two people whose leadership I really respect and who are just 2 good friends, have spent a week and a half with us.
Rwanda has been good to us. Kigali is a very clean and nice city, and the country is pretty with its many hills. On our last off day, we rented a couple Toyota Rav4s and drove all around the southern and western part of the country. We fed monkeys with our hands, went to a sweet lake, and drove through lots of mud puddles on the dirt roads. It was a blast. It was just so good for me too, because adventure activities are how I get rest. It’s what I need to rejuvenate and refresh me. We MAXIMIZE our 1 off day a week.
It’s been a good month, but it’s definitely going to take some perseverance to make it through Uganda, our last month in Africa. I’m excited to get back to Asia where everything is cheap and the word muzungu (white person) isn’t chanted everywhere you go. Uganda bodes well though, because it’s known as the Pearl of Africa due to it’s beauty, we are starting the month by rafting the Nile (SO EXCITED), and there is a sweet national park with mountains, waterfalls, and caves close to where we will be doing ministry.
It was hard to see the scars from the 1994 genocide, but Jesus is bringing hope to Rwanda.
Love you guys. Miss you. Thank you so much for your support.
Kyle
After the jam-packed but crazy good two-week trip to the states for med school interviews, I traveled back to Africa. I had over two weeks in Tanzania, and we just arrived in Rwanda.
Our ministry in Tanzania was a mixture of door-to-door evangelism, hospital visits, and Bible studies. In all honesty, it was somewhat of a hard month because scheduled ministry was usually only a few hours a day. Also, our contacts showed us great hospitality by cooking, cleaning and even doing our laundry. They wouldn’t let us help with chores! It was incredibly nice of them, but I enjoy pulling my weight around the house and it gave us so much free time, which makes me a little restless after a while. Also, as “mzungus” (white people), we have been stared at even more than the rest of the race. People are always pointing, laughing, and talking about us in swahili. Despite these things, this has been the most FRUIT we have seen on the race. We have seen many people come to Christ, and it’s obvious the Spirit is stirring in Tanzania in cool ways. I also loved the hospital visits- there’s something about people who understand their fragility that makes them very open to the Great Physician.
We were completely intermixed with another team this month, which always comes with it’s upsides and downsides. It was a co-ed team, so I got great time this month with each of the other 3 men here. A HUGE blessing in my life every week was the 4 hour church service. It went by so fast because there was so much dancing and fun. They bring up “choirs” that do different dances, as well as have time where everyone can come move their bodies to the beat. It was really fun for me to see people truly worshipping the Lord out of joy.
Overall, my team is in a good place and I am doing well. Due to some changes in the squad, 2 women were just added to my team. So now there is 6 women and 2 men. Eight is a huge team, so please pray that I would have wisdom in leading this team, that I would find rest when I need it, and for me to have a good avenue to process all the stuff going on. God is continuing to teach me sweet things, work in crazy ways, and speak to me in really cool ways. He has helped me to encourage people through a difficult month. I’m excited to be in Rwanda, although it will be heart breaking to see and hear about the 1994 genocide. Thankfully, God is just and his Hope reigns.
In Christ,
Kyle
P.S. Made time for a little 2-day safari to the Serengeti. Sick Nasty.
I feel blessed to have been a part of some pretty incredible communities the last four and a half years. At CSU, Navigators provided a great group of friends and roommates throughout college. The staff at Noah’s Ark is very close, and working, eating, playing, and living together in close quarters definitely builds community.
My squad on world race has similar characteristics to these other groups, except it’s even more intense- it’s community on steroids. It is like Navigators without the classes and studying commitment of college or if the rafting season at Noah lasted 11 months straight. The culture of WR breeds community. We see our teammates everyday, we serve together, travel together, worship together, grow together, eat together and even talk about bodily functions together (pull my finger!). We also do team time everyday together, and we feedback each other- meaning we give our teammates crazy awesome encouragement as well as constructive feedback. That means I know exactly how each one of my teammates feels about me- both the good stuff and the things I need to work on.
When I left from Kenya to come back to the states for medical school interviews, I felt so incredibly supported and encouraged by my squad. One team told me they had been praying all month for me. The day I left, tons of people prayed for me individually, as well as my team and the squad as a whole. As I got in the taxi, people shoved food, money, and encouraging notes into my hand. I actually have at least one note to read every day I am home. I feel like I have received so much more than I have given to this group. I can’t write this blog without mentioning the one person that has been on both of my teams and that I have seen every single day for four months- Kaitlyn Allen. She has loved me and others so incredibly well, and is always doing things that are above and beyond for people. Example- for Christmas, she sewed me a book, got me a guitar capo, and found a way to bake me banana bread via my mom’s recipe that she got from my mom over facebook.
I am not hasty to use terms of endearment. To call someone my “family”, “sister”, “brother” or “good friend” takes me a while. But God is really giving me the eyes to start seeing the men on this squad as my brothers, the women as my sisters, and A squad as my family.
My time in the States has been fantastic, and I am eager to see how He guides me with these interviews. I also feel so blessed to say that when I head back to Africa in a few days and leave my family and friends yet again, my A squad family will be there waiting with open arms.
When I stepped foot on the ground in Kenya, I couldn’t stop thinking about how incredibly blessed I am to be 22 years old and have traveled to every inhabited continent on the earth. God has been so good in giving me opportunities to travel and see different cultures and how His grace, power, and His good news transcends borders.
We are in Nairobi, Kenya, for our month 4 debrief. In a few days, the squad will take a bus to Tanzania to begin ministry. I am really excited to begin our 3 months here in Africa. I definitely miss India though! In what was my favorite month of ministry yet on the race, my team was abundantly blessed in the craziest ways. Whether it was things like having 2 sets of Christian neighbors that had us over for meals and movie nights or having the most cultural and fun Christmas ever, my word that sums up my month in India is BLESSED. And I loved those kids. Oh how I miss those kids! Their English was so good that I taught Bible studies and discipled them just like I would a kid in the states. It was so fun for me to get to teach them, spend time with them, and just love them. I also learned a lot from them- they have incredible faith muscles and they love each other so well as brothers and sisters.
Our last week in India was amazing. We did a bunch of fun events with the kids like a pizza+movie night, a field trip to a park for a picnic then to a circus, a barbeque night, we sent the couple that runs the place on a date night, and Spencer and I did a man day with the older boys. On this day, we learned this equation: $1 soccer tickets + $2 smoothies + 7 dudes= one amazing and very affordable man day.
In summary, it was an incredible month in which God lavished gifts on us. In front of me now is a quick trip home to the states for 3 med school interviews (may God use this trip in divine and supernatural ways) and 3 months of watching the Spirit move in Africa. Can’t wait.
In Christ,
Kyle
P.S. It’s crazy that next Christmas Eve I will be able to think back to the last year and go, “oh yeah, last Christmas Eve I was the speaker at a midnight service in India”. So cool.
When was your last mission trip, be that domestic or abroad? Have you been abandoning your desires both from home and the very uncomfortable places you are called to GO, such as the inner city, a 3rd world country, or other tough areas?
I want you to know that it is God’s will that you GO. God does have a specific and unique plan for your life, but that good plan will never omit God’s will laid our for all believers in the Bible. And the great commission, Matthew 28:19-20 says “Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
I am not saying that you are necessarily called to an 11 month mission trip that goes to 11 different countries, or that you need to pick up and move to the bush in Africa (though you may be called to that). I am; however, telling you that if you call yourself a follower of Christ, you are called to missions. Even if this entails 1 week a year of going to the poorest area within a couple hours drive of your house with the intent of spreading the gospel, you are called to missions.
Again, God has a specific, sweet plan for you. But that plan for sure includes the things written to all believers such as 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” And 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…” The great commission, the 10 commandments, and other scripture outline the way believers need to live.
My heart is breaking for the lost out here. I am in a country with upwards of one billion children of God, but only a small fraction has claimed their sonship/daughtership. There is so much spiritual darkness in this world, and you are the light.
I love the progressive rhetorical questions Paul poses when speaking of the masses in Romans 10:14-15, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” They need you to bring the good news.
The real question of our daily living is: Does our lives reflect the way Christ lived during his time on earth? Does it? The way He loved, His compassion, his travels from place to place to declare that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Please let me again reiterate that because God’s presence lives within your body, you are a missionary wherever you go. You are a missionary to your family, friends, people you see at the grocery store, as well as the lost, the destitute, orphans and widows.
So live in that. Wherever you go, God’s Spirit is in you. He will protect and provide… and He will tell you to GO.
. I was really mad when my mom died, but I learned to accept it, and it has made me a better person.
