Rebecca Tharpe - The World Race 2007

Those Dukes!

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

For those of you who don't know, Dustin and I got married on March 8th in Galveston, TX. We had an abolutely perfect day with many friends and family. :)

After the wedding, we had an amazing honeymoon in St. Lucia and after our vacation we immediately moved to Oklahoma where we bought our first home!

Dustin is in the Air Force and will start pilot training in December. I have been busy settling us in our home and working on various projects and volunteer opportunities.

We have put together some information on the web where you can keep up with us at http://thosedukes.googlepages.com/. We will be posting new stories, pictures and information on our new life together there!

If you would like to see a slideshow of our wedding photos, you can do so at http://studiovarghese.googlepages.com/dustinandbecca.

The Lord has truly blessed us and we are so thankful to Him!

Grace and Peace!

Engaged!

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well...guess what!! I'm engaged!! YAY!! :)

Dustin surprised me with a whirl-wind trip to San Diego to propose to me on the beach at sunset.

It was awesome! We had a great time! We flew out there with his mom and step dad and once we got to dinner that night, my mom had arrived and his dad and step mom! It was a complete surprise and I loved EVERY second of it!

He did a beautiful job, especially since he planned the whole trip from his tent in the middle of a deployment at Officer Training School. I'm going to be an Air Force Officer's wife! :)

Here are some pictures of the amazing event:

Here it is...the RING! :)

Here we are...me, me mom, and my future mother in law!

I even got to see my World Race buddy...Morgan! It was great to see you, girl...thanks for everything!!

Here we are!

Thanks to those of you who knew and kept secrets for so long...mom I am SO proud of you! Thanks to my girls: Adrienne, Brittany and Cara...I love you!

Almost Home

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well, unlike most of the other World Racers, I am not quite home yet. I have some wonderful friends in Singapore that have taken me in and spoiled me rotten. ;)

We have been doing some sight-seeing, lots of eating, shopping and resting, it's been great!

Here are some pics from the last few days.

I was waiting for my bag, but just had to do the hand-to-hand-through-the-glass with Melvin. :)

Kaitlyn stayed up ALL NIGHT to greet me at the airport and still went to school in the morning...now that's a true friend!

Amongst our many wonderful meals, we had Sri Lanken land crab, delicious!! I have been craving crab for the last several weeks, so this was a special treat!

The stunning Singapore sky line.

Here is a giant python at the Night Safari. This was the coolest place! They have all of the nocturnal animals out for us to see!

As you can see, we have been having a great time!

I get home on Monday night and can't wait to see my family!! I love and miss everyone and am so excited to get back to Houston! :)

I Heart China!: a photo tour

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We made it back from China yesterday!! It was an amazing trip, I LOVED it! It was a long month, so I will give you a photo tour. I hope you enjoy it! :) (*some pics from Stacy)

I will begin with our first 2 weeks at a cultural exchange program. We took Chinese cultural classes at a university in the mornings and in the afternoons we held English corners so the students could practice their English.

I believe it is appropriate to begin a photo tour with breakfast. This was our delicacy of choice many a morning. It is called boutza (phonetically) and it is steamed bread with a meat and/or veggie filling...delicious!

Welcome to calligraphy class! Here I am, hard at work. :)

Here is a look at the English teaching building on campus...nice landscaping!

Now it's time for a little exercise in the park, did everyone bring their fans?? ;)

Here are a few from our next location. We took a 24 hour train ride to the Sechuan province to visit some "family".

Traveling on trains is the way to go! The sleeper trains rock you right to sleep. :)

We got to take in the sites with our friends and saw a Sechuan Opera. It was the real deal with the flipping face masks and all!

As if the Chinese food wasn't good enough, we got to go to a REAL Tex-Mex place! disclaimer: this does NOT mean that I don't want Lupe's the second I get home! :)

I can't post too many pictures of our friends and family in China, but rest assured that we had plenty to do. We attended the "expat's" family fellowship, we held another English corner for a group of Muslim minorities in China, we had LOTS of delicious meals with brothers and sisters and so much more. It was an amazing opportunity to see God at work in China. His Good News is spreading! :)

Our next destination was Beijing! We got to stay for a few days before taking another train back to Hong Kong.

Here is one of the numerous countdown clocks to the summer 2008 Olympics. China is VERY proud to be hosting this time!

This is the Summer Palace, really cool place to visit!

This is the infamous Tiananmen Squre. China has SO much history!

And last, but CERTAINLY not least: The Great Wall of China! I know it sounds cliche, but these pictures seriously do not do it justice!

I'll close my photo tour with my beloved team! I love Team 61!!!! :)

So, we are now in Hong Kong and the World Race officially ends one week from today. I can hardly believe it, but it's really drawing to a close. We are taking this time to try to debrief all that we have seen and done. It has been an amazing 11 months. I learned so much about the character of our Heavenly Father and a bunch about myself! It's time to turn our hearts homeward and get used to the idea of life back in the States. It will certainly be an adjustment from what we have come from, but I'm excited to come home! Please keep us in your prayers this week as we wrap up and start saying our goodbyes.

Thank you again for your prayers and comments! :)

The Final Leg Has Arrived!

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

No, I'm not talking limbs here! The final leg of the World Race starts tomorrow for squads A and B...can you believe it??

We fly to Hong Kong first for a few days of China briefing and then we are going to that big, mysterious country. By the way, China is a closed country and Christianity is illegal. For that very reason we are going as students of this magnificent place in a cultural exchange program. The government has always monitored the internet, and with the upcoming Olympics they are keeping a close eye on groups of Americans entering the country. To protect the safety of our contacts there, I will likely not be accessing this website or my email in the country. But, I will give a full report when we get to a secure location! I will still be able to check email and my comments on this blog in Hong Kong, but after about the 15th, I will be incommunicado.

Thank you for your prayers! Going to China is pretty intimidating, but I'm really excited to see what the Lord has in store. It has been an AMAZING God-adventure thus far, and I have no reason to believe China will be any different!!

God Bess you all!! ><>

Little update

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Here is some random updates and pictures on Cambodia!

We have been staying pretty busy here in Phnom Penh. I got to go out to one of the provinces to visit with a few of the sponsored children. The kids have been sponsored through New Life Church in a program called Cambodia's Children at Risk. Sponsors pay about $30/month and the families get medicine, food, clothing and school supplies. It is a 3 year commitment and at the end of the sponsorship CC@R help the families start a small business so they can be self-sustaining. The main ways they can start a business is by purchasing a cow to breed, starting a small grocery stand, and getting a loom to weave fabrics.

This week there is a team from the Brooklyn Tabernacle who has come to give free medical clinics. I am excited to work with them later this week!

I have also made a good friend at one of the local markets, the "Russian Market". Her name is Sow (at least phonetically it sounds like it!) and she is just so sweet! She is 23 and has lost both of her parents. She lives with her aunt and works from 5am to 6pm at the market serving drinks at their stand. I took them a few brownies today and promised to go back tomorrow and bring pictures of my friends and family in America. They blessed me with a free iced coffee (heavy on the sweetened condensed milk!).

Here are a few pics I have taken recently (some are from Stacy):

Here I am getting a $1 hair cut earlier today...maybe not the best decision, but hair grows, right?? :)

This is from cooking dinner last night. Hannah and I made a veggie curry, and it was actually really good!

This is Sow and her aunt at the Russian Market, please pray that they would see Jesus' love in me.

This is one of the rice fields in the province. Seriously the greenest green I have ever seen, beautiful! :)

Thanks for the comments on prayers! :)

Divine Justice for Cambodia

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It is always interesting when historical things go on in the places that you happen to be. I left for Albania years ago just as part of the country was declared a war zone. And now, as I am in Cambodia, one of the leaders of Khmer Rouge has been arrested, just today. Here is the story. Thank you for praying for this nation. I believe God is listening and desires justice for the beloved people.

Khmer Rouge 'Brother Number Two' faces court


Ek Madra Phnom Penh, Cambodia



19 September 2007 12:18

Khmer Rouge "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, Pol Pot's top surviving henchman, was arrested on Wednesday at his house on the Thai border and taken to Phnom Penh to face the United Nations "Killing Fields" tribunal for the first time. A terse, two-sentence statement by the $56-million court said the octogenarian communist guerrilla would "be informed of the charges which have been brought against him" -- in all likelihood genocide or crimes against humanity. Nuon Chea was arrested by a squad of Cambodian special forces soldiers, police and Western security guards who surrounded his small wooden home in a forest on the Thai border. He was questioned inside for a short time before being taken away by helicopter and flown to Phnom Penh. "My dad seems to have no worries, but my mother is worried about him," his son, Nuon Say, told Reuters. Papers and photographs were also seized from the house, Nuon Chea's home since he and the final remnants of Pol Pot's ultra-Maoist guerrilla army cut a deal with the Phnom Penh government in December 1998. "They confiscated the documents written by my dad about the Khmer Rouge," Nuon Say said. "They took all the photos from his home before they put him into vehicle, took him to the helicopter and flew him off to Phnom Penh." On his arrival in the capital, he was whisked to the tribunal compound on the Western outskirts for a closed-door hearing. Nuon Chea is accused of being the surviving Khmer Rouge commander most responsible for the atrocities of the "Killing Fields", in which an estimated 1,7-million people died. In July, the long-awaited tribunal charged chief Khmer Rouge inquisitor Duch with crimes against humanity, the first formal indictment of any of the top cadres of the 1975 "Year Zero" revolution. The black-shirted Khmer Rouge meant to transform the heavily forested South-east Asian nation into an agrarian peasant utopia. Instead, it descended into the nightmare of the "Killing Fields", one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. The Beijing-backed regime was toppled by invading Vietnamese troops in 1979 and Pol Pot died in the last Khmer Rouge redoubt of Anlong Veng in 1998. - Reuters

Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Michelle wrote a magnificent blog about our time in Phnom Penh thus far, especially our tour of the city and learning about its history. I am copying it here:

While in the Phnom Phen, we were able to tour the city and learn a bit of the history of Cambodia. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that only 30 years ago a genocide occurred here but what is more astonishing is the fact that I had never even heard about it. The Khmer Rouge the Killing Fields 1975-1979 over 2 million Cambodians murdered. In his insanity and drive towards creating a Communist Cambodia, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, killed off anyone in his way - the educated class and their families, doctors, teachers, students, engineers, Buddhist monks, foreigners, etc. He believed that by having an uneducated mass of followers, he could more easily create a working class which would help to establish the Communistic "equal" society that he dreamed of for Cambodia.

It's all just REALLY messed up. We were able to visit the S-21 center where approximately 20,000 Cambodians were imprisoned, tortured, and killed. The statistics say that of the thousands of citizens who entered S-21, only 7 survived. The sick part of it all the center is directly in the center of the city and was once a high school before Pol Pot and his regime transformed it into a killing center. Makeshift wooden and brick cells in the classrooms, cruel torture methods, bar on the windows, barbed wire across the length of the school buildings. It's like a terrible, unbelievable nightmare.

There were rooms and rooms of snapshots of the prisoners killed at S-21. Apparently the center kept incredible records of the men, women, and children who were funneled through there. This included mug shots with their numbers on their chests and the many pages of "confessions" that were extracted out of the innocent prisoners.

We spent several hours at the center. It was all overwhelming to take in. It was hard to understand how we can as human beings continue to do such appalling things. And that we sit thousands of miles distanced from it and don't even know that it is occurring. And that we don't intervene when we DO know it's happening. It all gets really messy, I understand but 2 million people in the span of 4 years is a high price to pay for our ignorance, blind eye and politically "neutral" stance.

After the museum, we visited one of the actual "Killing Fields." The Khmer Rouge would transport truckloads of Cambodians to these locations for either death or burial. The site is currently the location of a monument to the victims. I would ask that you would respectfully read what information that you can from these photographs and consider looking up more information about the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields.

It's hard to let myself be opened up to tragedy and evil of such proportions. To see the things that I have seen just in the past 5 weeks. There's a difference in knowing about issues or events .. and actually seeing and experiencing them first hand. At times it is very difficult to have faith and believe that there really is a God out there somewhere big enough to handle all that I've seen. And while it's hard to grasp, I have honestly come to believe that all of this is for a purpose. Because the Lord does not desire His children's eyes to remain closed. He does not desire His church to remain sheltered. He does not desire His kingdom or His people to remain uninformed, ineffective, or insensitive.

There is a reason that my life has come in contact with all of this and there are reasons that I have the ability to pass on what I have seen to YOU. If the Kingdom of God is to COME, it requires MOVEMENT. It requires action. And I really believe that our role in the Kingdom coming begins with seeing and feeling and experiencing ALL that this world entails. It begins with being informed and letting issues affect us. It begins when hearts are invested. It begins when we REALLY start becoming the hands and feet of God in a world that so desperately needs His touch.

It begins when we can't help but do anything else. Because we can no longer turn our eyes. And we can't forget what we've seen.

Snatched!

Sat, 8 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well, I got my purse snatched right out of my hand about an hour ago. It was kind of scary and I was pretty shaken up, but doing much better now.

Us 61 girls along with Yeti went out to dinner for Jon's birthday and took a tuk-tuk back to our apartments to play some games. I had just stepped out onto the street and was in the motion to swing my purse from my hand up to my shoulder and a motorcycle with two men on it drove right up next to me and just grabbed it! I held on as long as I could, but it was just ripped out of my grasp.

I made the necessary calls and cancelled my credit cards. Thanks to Katie and the McCarty's our team credit card is also taken care of. I didn't really lose much that can't be replaced.

So, yeah...it's a bummer. My arm is a little sore, but no lasting damage. I am increasingly thankful for Skype so I could call my bank immediately and also my mom for some encouraging words, admonitions and prayers. :)

Another day on the World Race...I still wouldn't trade it! :)

Cambodia

Fri, 7 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

After an 18 hour trip from Bangkok, we made it to Phnom Penh, Cambodia!

We stayed at the YWAM base in the city and since have moved to an apartment right across the street from the church where we will be working.

We got to meet the pastor of New Life Fellowship yesterday, Jesse McCaul, and learn all about the work they are doing here, in Phnom Penh (sounds like p'nom pen) as well as out in the rural areas of Cambodia. Pastor Jesse gave us a briefing and then took us on a tour of the church campus, which is in the heart of the city.

New Life has more to offer than just about any church I have ever seen. They start free English classes at 5:45 am and go all day! They have a "street kids" outreach once a week, they offer computer skills classes and cell groups. They also offer free dorm-style housing to the people that come from the country side to look for jobs in the city. Of course all of these opportunities...and there are more I haven't even mentioned... are just saturated with Jesus so the people that take them are shown His love. Pastor Jesse described his method of evangelism as, "if you hang around the lake long enough, you fall right in!" This is actually exactly what happens! Some of the associate pastors on staff actually first came to New Life to take skills classes!

We have another meeting today with the departments whose ministries intrigue us the most. I am leaning towards learning more about their Children at Risk program (it is similar to Compassion, you can sponsor children and New Life makes sure they go to school, have food and clothes, etc.) as well as possibly working in the dorms.

Due to many variables including rampant poverty as well as the regime of the Khmer Rouge, the majority of the population of Cambodia is very young. If I remember correctly, about 80% of the population is under 30. That being said, New Life is a Body of believers that are just about my age! In fact, their Saturday youth outreach meetings are pretty much made up the entire church! J

Life in Phnom Penh is quite a drastic adjustment from the time we spent in Bangkok. We are all feeling the change this month. It is actually reminiscent of the time we spent ministering in Peru, if you happen to remember any of those blogs.

There are some highlights that are like sweet breaths of fresh air here, too! There is a great restaurant just a few blocks from where we stay that we can get awesome Khmer and Thai foodand iced coffeeone of my latest obsessions! I was also able to get up bright and early this morning and hike it to a nearby stadium and run and do some bleachers. If you know me very well, then you know that exercising regularly will help keep me sane! So those two things alone are wonderful gifts from my heavenly Father! J

Well, thank you for letting me spill my guts all about what we are doing and how I am feeling! I appreciate you reading and sharing this journey with me this year. Please continue to pray and leave your commentsyou don't know how much that means to us World Racers!

Until next time. ><>

Check out New Life's website at: http://www.cambodiaoutreach.org/home.html

Love, Strength, Compassion...can't live without 'em!

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We got back from our Thailand debrief today and are leaving for our bus ride to Cambodia in the morning. I have seriously loved Bangkok and after this debrief I realize that the islands aren't too bad either! :) We actually got to debrief on some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in person. It was a great 5 days...I didn't realize how much I needed to chillax (variation of chill out and relax!) Our ministry has been great, and I will miss Thailand. Probably the most of all the counties we have visited thus far.

We had a chance one night this week to pray for the June World Racers who are going to Bangkok to kind of piggy back on the ministries we did and forge their own trails as well. I started thinking about the things I had prayed for the most during the month and it turned out to be my supplication to the Lord on their behalf as well. I also realized that it had been kind of a theme over the entire year!

The things that stood out the most were love, strength, and compassion.

I think I first realized these things in Peru, when my adrenaline started dying down a bit and I had to actually start trusting the Lord for the strength to serveI know, shocking! The honeymoon phase of the World Race was just coming to an end and I began to understand that I couldn't continue without some Jesus intervention.

My flesh is weak, my heart is deceitful, my ways are not God's ways and my thoughts are no where near His thoughts.

I now know that I need to see people the way He sees them, love with His love, serve with strength that comes from the Lord and have the compassion that Jesus himself exhibited.

I don't have enough love on my own. It runs out pretty quickly when things get messy or hard. I've been trying to work out pretty consistently on the World Race, but I don't care how many of The Firm aerobics dvd's I domy strength WILL fail without Jesus. And finally, compassion without knowing the heart of the Lord is pretty useless.

Your continued prayers for these things specifically would be great! I am still learning, and with about 80 days of the World Race leftI am going to need it! <><

Bangkok Nights

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

These are not your normal prostitutes. They don't wear fish nets; they don't stand out on the streets. In fact they look like any normal teenage girl; your daughters, grand daughters, babysitters and neighbors. The latest ones that I met were only 16 and 17 years old.

A few of us "bought" those two girls and another woman in her 30's the other night. I understand that this is not your normal mission trip behavior, but then againthis hasn't been a normal mission trip since it started almost 9 months ago!

Let me start from the beginning:

We made our way through one of the red light districts in Bangkok and came to the bar where the girls we have befriended work. Morgan and our contact at Night Light went inside and the rest of us stayed out and prayed that the Momma Son (bar manager) would be in a good mood and let the girls go even though we were obviously not normal patrons.

A few minutes later, everyone came out and we headed out for our night on the town! We got all 3 of them for about $55. We decided that since it was the girl's night off, we would let them decide what we did for the evening. Of all things they wanted to do, they said dance (which is what they do at the bars, anyway)! I suppose that if that's all you know that's what you do.

We piled into 2 taxis and made our way to a different part of town. We got to know the girls a little bit in the car ridetraffic in Bangkok is great for car conversations, nice and lengthy! We discovered that the two youngest (16 and 17) were cousins that came from the north of Thailand. They had been forced into the sex industry by their aunt to make money.

The girls were very shy, but were starting to open up and even smile a little by the time we made it to the open-air restaurant where we wanted to eat. We knew that under those stone faces, normal teenagers were waiting to be given permission to act their age and have some fun. Hannah broke out the body glitter and with it the walls started coming down. The silliness began and the girls started coming out of their shells. :)

Ironically, the first club we went to wouldn't let the girls insaid they were too young! We went to the next club and realized that God had His hand on our night, for sure. The place was practically empty! There were some people playing pool or sitting at the bar, but in the back of the place was the dance floorwithout a soul on it! We had a great time and no men ever approached. For at least one night, we could offer a haven; safety, fun, food and dancing. Things that practically all girls love!

My heart breaks for these girls and so many more like them here in Bangkok. They are just babies robbed of their youth and innocence. They dance in those dark, eerie bars every night and never know true lovethey get a very poor substitute instead.

It was heart-wrenching to take them back to work. Their demeanors changed when we got back to the red light district. The facades came back on and their smiles dimmed.

It is for girls like these that I love the ministry Night Light has. They have rescued over 80 girls out of prostitution and offered them alternative work and the hope found in Jesus. There are at least 10 on a waiting list as I type this. There is no room for more right now. They are bursting at the seams and need support to help more. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the jewelry! http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/ You can truly make a difference on the streets of Bangkok.

Thank you yet again for your continued prayers and comments. To give you a quick update, we leave for debrief on Tuesday for a few days and then on to Cambodia!

God Bless! ><>

(The pictures are non specific to protects the girl's identities.)

Bangkok needs a Night Light

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This is a post from my teammate Stacy (stacyutecht.theworldrace.org)...I thought it was too good not to share!

We have been in Bangkok now almost 2 weeks working with an organizaiton called Nightlight. It was started by a lady named Annie who saw the astronomical amount of girls working in prostituion on the streets. She knew there had to be something to get them out of that business. So she started with one gal, asking her to make jewelry. Now, it has turned into a major enterprise employing 81 girls off the streets that actually make all the jewelry. Not only do they sell jewelry to people in Bangkok, but worldwide through their website. This is no dinky plastic stuff either. It is beautiful!!

Here is a little blurb on what they do:

"NightLight Design Co. NightLight is a newly formed organization based in Bangkok, Thailand, focused on "Bringing Light to women and children through physical, emotional, and spiritual healing and through economic development."

NightLight strives to provide alternative employment for women who have been, or who are at risk of being, sexually exploited. They offer holistic opportunities for life transformation and social re-integration to women leaving situations of sexual exploitation. They provide emergency relief for sexually exploited women and children. They offer protection for at risk children and an education on danger awareness. And they build awareness among local and international advocates on the issue of women and children in prostitution and on global human trafficking for sexual purposes.

Through NightLight, women are now involved in an economic and vocational training project making jewelry from silver, semi- precios stones and other decorative beads purchased in the markets of Bangkok, Thailand."

Right now, they are recieving hundreds of applications from girls in the bars desperate to leave the life they are leading. However, the problem now is space. Their buildings are bursting at the seams with workers and materials. So, please pray for them as they are looking to relocate. Also, pray for the capacity to welcome in girl number 82..whoever she may be.

While here, our group has been working on various tasks for Nightlight. While I am here, I am focusing mainly on doing a health survey with them in the bars in the afternoon as well as night outreach on the streets of Bangkok. I will be posting very soon on our night ministry, but please for now just pray for me and my team as we venture out on the streets of Bankok. It is the most dark place I have ever been. If you could even just send up a little prayer as you drive to work or school in the morning, that is the exact time we are leaving to do ministry at night here.

Also, check out Nightlight at:

www.nightlightbangkok.com

You can learn more about their organization as well as look at the jewelry they sell. All the money goes to the girls! So, start your Christmas shopping early :-)

Bangkok Rocks!

Thu, 9 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We arrived in Bangkok last week!

Thailand is awesome and I am loving the city. The culture is so polite and accommodating. The sites are beautiful and, something I didn't realize would make me so happy...it reminds me of home! It is very green, hot, humid and wonderful.

We have been working with a great ministry called Night Light ( www.nightlightbangkok.com). They are actually a for-profit business here in Thailand and they work to get girls out of the industry of prostitution. They are a jewelry business to give the girls an alternative job. We have opportunities to actually go out to the bars with the people from Night Light and build relationships with the girls. If they ever need help the girls can trust the NL ladies and know they have a place to go. Please pray for us girls as we do these outreaches. The bars are very dark places and we want to shine the light of Christ there.

We had an opportunity to take a temple tour last weekend. We learned so much about Thai culture and Buddhism. Here are a few pictures, but you can click the link to the left, "check out my pics", for more!

I will post more soon! Thank you for your continued prayers and comments!

A Taste of Swaziland

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Let me give you some of the inside scoop of what my team has experienced here in Swaziland.

First of all, The Kingdom of Swaziland in neatly sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique. It is about the size of New Jersey, but has a devastating HIV/AIDS rate. The result of such a high HIV/AIDS percentage is that there are numerous orphans left to fend for themselves.

Pastor Kevin Ward, a very influential Swazi who loves the Lord has started several ministries for those hurting due to alcoholism and drug addiction as well as caring for children who have been orphaned, abandoned or abused.

My team and I have spent the last 2 weeks staying on a farm he has constructed to raise children so that they keep their Swazi heritage and culture, but take out the witchcraft and abuse. The Hawane Farm, or Lighthouse, consists of 6 Mercy Homes, several gardens, a catfish pond, a hospice, a church, a preschool offering free daily childcare to the community, a curio/coffee shop for tourists, and so much more!

There are 37 children who live on the farm right now ranging from 2 years old to 19. They are placed in loving families with excellent housing conditions, medical care and a diet more nutritious than I have seen in months!! :) Once the children enter their new homes, they are not known as orphans anymore. They have families they belong to now!

Most of the children attend a the local public schools, but the farm also offers a home school program to those with mental disabilities or those too old to attend their grade.

It has been so refreshing to see children brought up to hang on tightly to their culture (Swazis are IMMENSELY cultural!), but also get to know the love and grace of the Lord.

If you ever find yourself in Swaziland, Africa, make a p0int to visit the Lighthouse. You will be amazed at what God has done in the lives of so many children!

I will try to post some pictures when I can!

Thanks for the continued prayers and comments!! :)

Birthday in the Bush, 25 years young!

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I had a wonderful 25th birthday last month in Mozambique!

My team made it a very special day for me, it was great! They woke me up with our traditional birthday morning jump through a sorong and presented me with some delicious, hot, french press coffee...mmm! They also beautifully decorated my tent! :)

My next treat was to be crowned Princess for the Day; Princess Rebecca Cup, respectively.

We had our church service and then we got to go to the beach! To top off my day, several of us got to go out to eat. It was wonderful!

Hooray for African birthdays!!!

Mozambique...loved it!

Thu, 7 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings from our Swaziland debrief! I'm sorry I have not posted latley. Our internet access has been extremely limited...but I hope to fill you in onthe last month or so now!

We reached Mozambique without a hitch and went to a village called Pambara in Vilanculos. We lived in the community for a couple of weeks and played with the orphans and lived life with the people. We got some great first-hand experience at stripping reeds, which they use for their homes and buildings and carrying water from the community pump. The water carrying was back-breaking work, and I will never forget the looks of mirth on the lady's faces as they gracefully loaded the water buckets on their heads while we got splashed from head to toe at our attempts! :)

Next, we moved to a missionary family's home from South Africa. They are a wonderful family and we could not have asked for better hospitality. They set up a trip for some of us to visit another nearby orphanage and we jumped at the chance! The "orphanage" consisted of some Unicef tarps strung together that the children slept under and a cooking fire. These children literally have nothing! Fortunately, the Lord provided for us to take some donated clothes, blankets and sleep mats for them. I know it is true more than ever now; He truly is a Father to the fatherless. He cares for those children so much and it was a true blessing to be able to serve them in any small way. We spent a few days playing with them, we briefly visited their school and we were able to get a few of them some much-needed medical attention.

We arrived in Swaziland a week ago and have been busy debriefing our time in Mozambique and getting ready for the future. We are also looking forward to and preparing for a new batch of World Racers to join us this weekend. They are just starting out on their journeys and we will be part of their training.

My team and I will be in Swaziland for the rest of June and head back to South Africa for July. Please keep my teammate, Jimmy in your prayers. He and his sister, Joy (who is also on the Race) will be going ahead of us to Southeast Asia to do some much-needed preparation work. They will be locating contacts and possible ministry opportunities.

The internet access here in Swazi is not the best. But I will try to post more regularly!

Thank you for your continued prayers and comments! ...until next time! :)

AFRICA!

Fri, 4 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We have finally made it to Africa!

We had a pretty crazy trip from Buenos Aires to London to Johannesburg, but we are here and alive!

We found out today that we will leave for Mozambique next Wednesday. A cyclone hit the are we are going to, Vilanculos, not long ago and they need a lot of help there. We will very likely be tent camping.

From what I understand, there will not be any electricity or internet, so I am not sure when my next post will be. Please continue praying though! We have 3 months in Africa (Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa) and then head to southeast Asia.

Your prayers are coveted and I know the Lord is listening!

Until next time.... :)

Where are the garlic and onions??

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

You can take the girl out of Egypt, but you can't always get Egypt out of the girl

I am finding lately, well as of debrief, really; that I have a little Egypt left in me! It's true, there are some things about my old, Western lifestyle that I miss even though the Lord is SO faithful to provide every single thing that I need.

Let me start at the beginning by giving you a crucial definition:

Culture shock: the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

I used to kind of arrogantly think I was somehow immune to culture shock. I figured that I had been to enough cultures to know the ropes and know how to handle myself. I thought I could conquer the world.

The first time I realized I might not be culturally invincible is when I learned that I was detoxing FROM a culture. Not only was I faced with new ways of life and sets of attitudes; I was trying to maintain the things that had been ingrained in my brain for the past 24 years. Living in the suburbs in southeast Texas isn't exactly the mud buildings and squatty potties I am now facingand this is just the beginning!

So, as I statedsometimes I still yearn for my "Egypt". God has called me out of it for 11 months, yet I find myself desiring the "garlic and onions" of home.

The Israelites faced a similar situation and unfortunately, had a similar response as I have:

"The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no costalso the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"

That's me, I have been selfish. I have been a part of the rabble at times and complained and wailed. Well, I'm done! I learned a long time ago (thanks Mom!) that life is what you make it. The one thing about your situation that you can always control is your attitude. I don't know how I forgot that, but thank the Lord for the reminder! Thank the Lord for His grace and mercy!

Wrapping up in Peru

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We have made it to Cusco for debrief! After getting about an hour and half of sleep last night we left the church in Villa El Salvador at 3 am for the airport.

We had a pretty sweet going away party at our host families house the other night. We treated them to chichen nuggets, macaroni casserole and a veggie tray. We also introduced them to the all-American game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey...it was hilarious! Our only rule for the evening was that they couldnt do any work...I am sure it was a struggle for them, they are some of the most hospitable people I have ever met!

This is little Juan Eteban, he crashed hard after a LOT of sweets!

We also wrapped up our ministry in Lomo de Corvina the other day. We got all the walls and most of the roof up on the new church building. We had the first church service with record-breaking attendance...hehe.

Here we are, hard at work!

Thanks so much for all of your Peru prayers! Your next prayer assignment, if you should choose to accept...Argentina! We will be in Buenos Aires for one week after debrief and we could use some prayers. This time is a practicum for us and we dont exactly know what we will be doing yet. I am sure that the ministry will find us, though!

Thank you again for your comments, they are so encouraging!

Opportunity to Help

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Even though we are already nearing the end of our time in Peru, Mexico is heavy on our hearts.

The pastor that we were staying with and supporting is in need of some help. He is a very passionate man that loves the Lord, but he lacks the kind of training that he desires to shepherd his flock effectively.

There is a Bible training school that I have mentioned in previous blogs that is able to help him. The schooling is free, but Marcos needs some financial help to support his family while he is away from them. He actually started school in January and has put his trust in the Lord completely to provide for his family.

The training is a total of 8 months of classroom time, but is broken up over two years. The estimated cost is a mere $1,300 to support the family while Marcos is away and this includes transportation to and from school on the weekends. Please consider helping Marcos and his family. This pittance will have eternal significance beyond our imaginations and we believe it to be God's provision for this community. Team 61 is committed to seeing this through and we ask your partnership in this endeavor.

If you feel led to support Marcos please put "Marcos in Palenque" in the memo and send your checks to:

Adventures In Missions
6000 Wellspring Trail
Gainesville, GA 30506

Please email me if you have any questions.

99 Days in...and I am Still Alive!

Mon, 9 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well, it has been 99 days serving on the World Race. Time is flying by in some senses and in other ways I cannot believe we still have about 7 months to go!

The Lord is teaching me so much and I am trying to glean everything I possibly can from this experience. I don't know how many times I have reminded myself of the simplicity of the Christian life...love God and love others. If I keep it to that I can't go wrong, but I always seem to complicate it up!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. God is working in this crazy world of ours and I am so blessed to be able to see a small part of it! ><>

Here are some pics, enjoy!

The church here is so loving and kind. Some members recently had us over for ceviche, YUM!

Here, we are dancing at an outdoor event we held for the kids, they LOVE to dance!

We play fun games, this was a relay to see who could pin the most clothes pins in our hair the fastest!

I am teaching a song here at another outreach event in Lomo de Corvina.

Peru Update

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Isaiah 40:28-31 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings of eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Thank the Lord that He does not grow faint or weary, because I sure do! I was reminded of these verses today and it has been a great encouragement. We have been very busy here in Peru and God is constantly reminding me that it is not of my own strength that I am able to continue.

Let me give you a little sneak peek at some of the things we are doing:

We have had opportunities to go to several schools, private and public, and tell them about what we crazy Americans are doing on this trip and how God has worked in our lives. We have had the blessing of seeing many kids make a decision to follow Jesus, praise the Lord!

We recently had an interesting encounter in a furniture store, let me allow me teammate Stacy to tell you about it

"After many afternoons of handing out tracts at the market, we were sure that going to the "Industrial Park" meant doing something quite similar. We pulled up to a furniture store and were invited in. The store was large with many different looking couch sets, tables and lamps. We were instructed to take a seat. We weren't entirely sure what was going on. Then they closed down the entire store. The owner came to share her testimony of how she came to know the Lord and asked us to share the gospel with all 20 of her workers. I was a bit taken back only because I cannot recall any major business in America that would actually shut down their stores so that the gospel could be shared.

We then launched into a two hour session of sharing testimonies, praying for specific burdens on these workers hearts and eating crackers. It was amazing to me how these people opened up to us. We got into some intense subjects, but ultimately were able to share with clarity the truth of what Christ did for them. I was thankful for this afternoon in particular because I love relational ministry. It is so much more meaningful to me to sit down with someone and pray one on one with them than to just pass by quickly and pray for something generic."

We have also been visiting a local community, Lomo de Corvina. This is a squatter community where we have aspirations of building a church. We go several times a week and invite people to the church and build relationships.

Don't get me wrong, we got some pretty rockin' down time! I had the amazing opportunity to surf last weekend and get refreshed at the first Starbucks I have seen in nearly 3 months!!! :)

That's all for now! Thank you for your continued prayers for our time in Peru. And as always, thank you for your comments! ;)

Welcome to Peru!

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We have made it to Peru!

We are into our first week of ministry here it San Salvador, Peru. We are on the far south side of Lima partnering with Iglesia Shalom. We are working closely with Bob, Becky and Kelsey Cooley, who are here through AIM as well.

This month looks pretty different than our other ministry sites. All of squad A (Team 61, LO, Yeti and Salt) are living in 2 houses and pretty much doing everything together. It is a bit of an adjustment after having so much freedom and independence in Guatemala, but I hope and pray that it will be good. Our partnering church is very excited to have us here and they have a packed schedule of stuff for us to participate in.

We led Sunday night's worship service and I think it went very well. Jon, from Yeti, preached and a couple of us gave a testimony of how the Lord is working in our livesincluding myself!

Yesterday we had an amazing opportunity to go into 2 schools and give a "drime" (wordless drama to music). It is called Ragman and it depicts Jesus as taking on the hurts and sins of the world. The people that participated did a great job and I think the kids had a better idea of who Jesus is and what He did for us after it. After the drime, Morgan, from Salt, presented the Gospel and a LOT of kids made professions of faith.

We have been visiting a nearby community, Lomo de Corvina, for the last few days as well. Iglesia Shalom is planting a sister church in the community and they already have cell groups meeting in homes together. We will actually start construction of the church building tomorrow!

As you can see, Peru is hungry for Jesus! Please continue to pray for us!

Lima Race!

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our race in Lima, Peru has been the best thus far!

Our media team is in charge of planning out the races for us and they recruited the help of the local missionary and his family to help. Bob, Becky and Kelsey Cooley know the city well and were able to put together a truly amazing race.

Our race requirements included everything from swimming about 40 yards into the Pacific Ocean and back, to finding names on a mural, to eating cow heart!

It was a great opportunity to see the hot spots of Lima in a few short hours. We did a great deal of running around, taxi hailing, and strategizing.

Alas, Team 61 did not win. In fact, we ended up being docked some time for getting some wrong information and making a couple of dumb mistakesbut it didn't matter, we still had a great time!

We ended our race at the top of a hill where there is a huge cross. We were able to pray for our time in Lima and prepare our hearts for whatever the Lord has in store.

Christmas in March!

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We got our packages!

Thanks so much to those of you who sent things. You have no idea how it felt to get a handwritten note from home, a few pictures, and all hte other wonderful things. All of the stuff was such a blessing to me and my team.

A special thanks to Mom, DD, Connie, Dustin and Christie!

I look, smell, and feel great! It was truly like Christmas morning, haha!

Adrienne, I am still expecting yours, but I'm sure it will be awesome!

Also, big thanks to my team's admirers. You don't even know us, yet you sent a little something specialwhat a cool ministry!

I love my friends and family!

Peru Race VIDEO

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In case you couldn't tell, today is our day off and I am fully utilizing my internet time! :)

So, for my 4th post of the day, I would like to direct you to our Peru Race VIDEO!!!

Please check out: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=worldrace

And click on "Race - Peru" on our list of videos.

I make a small cameo, something I'm sure you don't want to miss!

Enjoy!

on our way!

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our time in Guatemala is quickly coming to a close. We had a great month of ministry, adjustments, team building and soul searching. The Lord is drawing our team closer and closer and it is such a blessing!

We are heading out in a few hours to head to debrief in Nicaragua. I look forward to seeing the other teams and hearing testimony of how the Lord has worked among them.

I have posted lots of new pictures, check out the link to the right that says "check out my pics" to see them all. Here is a little taste-test! Take Care and God bless! :)

Packages to Peru!

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Send me some love!

If you would like to send air mail to Peru... we will be there from mid-March through the 3^rd week in April. To best ensure that the package arrives on time, please send it out before the end of the month (prior to March 1). You may also check with your post office to see when you should send it. The address is:

Rebecca Tharpe c/o Robert Cooley

Calle San Carlos del Pinar 228 Dpto 401

UR Villa Jardin San Luis, Lima Peru

Packages must be a shoe box size or smaller.

You must list the contents on the outside of the box.
There is no guarantee that we will get the packages and they probably will be open when we get them. (Letters and small envelopes should arrive unopened)
If the value is greater than $33 we will be taxed.
***Please remember that I must use or carry anything you send! :) Please try to make it usable/edible or lightweight!

Please email me if you have any questions, thanks!

San Juan, Guatemala

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We are living in a hotel in San Juan Guatemala for the next three weeks. We are blessed to be on the edge of Lake Atitlan overlooking 3 volcanoes!

It looks like the majority of our "official" ministry time will be working at a Christian elementary school that happens to be right across the street from our hotel!

The school is still under construction, but we have been very happy to visit and meet the leadership. They truly have the children and community in mind and are committed to providing God-centered, affordable schooling to the kids. They only charge about $2.50 per month per child, but sadly some families still cannot afford this.

We will be teaching English 5 days a week and possibly some computer classes. Most of the teachers know at least some English, but end up only teaching grammar because they can't speak English very well.

Our other ministries have included visiting some very poor families and widows in a neighboring community. My heart broke this afternoon when I met a family of 12 that is living in deplorable conditions and have been through more hard times than many of us can imagine.

I am excited about being here and the Lord is teaching me what it truly means to live a lifestyle of ministry. Whether I am sounding out English words with 7 year olds, praying for the widow in her shack, or buying fruit in the market, God is showing me how to abide in Him and my prayer is that I can be His hands and feet to the nations.

It is an indescribable blessing to be on the World Race! Thank each of you again for your financial support and prayers. I could not have dreamed of doing this without you.

Thank you also for your comments on my blogs, you don't know what a blessing it is to know someone is actually reading these things, haha!

Keep praying for Guatemala!