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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 11/22/2008
Sunday, October 26 our squad gathered around 5 of our own who were leaving the next day for Myanmar (Burma). Our squad knew the risks at stake for this pioneer trip, but we stood behind them knowing they were obeying the Lord. They left the next morning & we would not see them again for another couple weeks. Our squad prayed for them every day. When we saw them again, you could tell they had seen & had been a part of something bigger than themselves. They were changed. Our squad has taken the job of adopting this special project to bring aid to the Christian Church in Myanmar. Below are some information collected by the team that went (Tara Stephenson, Zach Parish, Katie Rowland, Sara Ellis, & Natalie Montgomery).
 The team we sent to help minister in the aftermath of a cyclone that devastated Myanmar just filed the following report:
Imagine 75% of your county wiped out. We heard stories of mothers losing the majority of their families and individuals clinging to coconut trees for hours to survive. As their families were stripped from their lives, also was the feeling and vision of hope.
Currently, life in the Delta is in survival mode. Every day they wait for rice bags to arrive, rebuild bamboo homes, and relocate orphans due to lack of space. The rice fields are still soaking in salt water and much of the cattle were lost during the storm. Food is scarce and children go to school under UNICEF tarps.
Getting there involved an arduous journey. The road to the delta was long, hot, bumpy and wearying. At one point the ancient van ground to a halt after a particularly jarring rut. "Ah, we get out and push," said our translator. So we got out and pushed the van. It started again, we hopped in, and went, chuckling, on our World Race way.
Fifteen hours over the bumpiest, most potholed roads - not a single minute went by without braking hard or bouncing over a huge hole brought us to the city of LaButta, the largest city in the Irrawaddy Delta. Cyclone Nargis hit the area in May 2008, devastating villages all around and killing about 130,000 people.
We weren't supposed to be there.
Only Burmese government officials and a few NGOs were allowed to go into the delta. Aid workers only. No tourists.
Until we arrived.
The road to LaButta is lined with the remnants of wooden houses (in the States they would have been called shacks) that had been blown away by Nargis.
Some were still being lived in, with tarps over their bamboo-woven roofs. Many were in shambles on the ground.
Team member Katie Rowland described the following stop along the way: "I hopped out of the van once to find somewhere off the road to relieve myself, and found myself literally on top of another destroyed house. Suddenly I noticed an older woman sitting in the rubble of the house. "Minglaba," I said, greeting her in Burmese. Bamboo rods and woven mats were scattered over the old site, and all that was still standing was a huge water jar, the kind you find outside most village houses in Southeast Asia. The woman kindly pointed me to the back of the once-house, where larger bushes would hide me from any passers-by."
 Once we arrived, we linked up with a local church. Since Cyclone Nargis hit, the church has grown with 70 new people giving their lives to Christ. Formerly, most of the church members had been Buddhist. But they've found hope in Jesus that they never found in Buddha. As they meet in a wooden shack and pray on woven straw mats, they're defying their government, which endorses Buddhism.
In a wooden shack on woven mats the body of Christ rises to its knees and cries out in prayer. Fervency and desperation mark their cries as they clasp their hands in front of their chests, or hold them open to God, asking Him to bring His KINGDOM to their country. To Myanmar.
While there, here is what we heard:
...Thousands of orphans crying for their lost families
...Bells ringing as the Buddhist celebrate another traditional holiday
...Government officials telling locals to stay away from foreigners (esp. Americans)
...Cyclone Nargis survivors hunger pains
...A child's scream as another is taken to become a child soldier
...Fear of man in the sound of silence
...A mother's broken heart shatters as she sees no future for her family
...Ultimately, their hearts begging for hope.
Will you help us help the people of Myanmar rebuild their church? They say it will cost $8000. Please join us. The People of Myanmar need YOU! Please help us help those who were devastated by the cyclone last spring...
Send checks to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Write checks out to "Adventures in Missions" and in the 'for' line write "World Race Ministry – Myanmar".
If you prefer, you may click here to donate online through AIM's secure website. Please indicate "World Race Ministry - Myanmar" in the box.
They will be posting more media, videos, & news as it comes. You can follow the links below to read more. Thanks! Your prayers are being heard...do not forget that!
...Luke 18:27 says, "what is impossible for man is possible with God." (Zach from team JOY)
On May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis relentlessly hit the Irrawaddy Delta in Myanmar killing over 160,000 people and left 30,000 missing (Tara from JOY)...
A Video (Katie from team Kiatera)...
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 11/16/2008
I met her at the New Life in Christ Church after helping teach a class we were called to work for in the city of Phnom-Phen. This was the 2nd class I was helping in & even though it was my 1st time in this particular class, I was asked to explain The Easter Story--Yes, the Easter story. This is when Naomi came into the classroom late. She smiled & told Luke, the teacher, why she was late. "I just came from a job interview." she said out of breath, but with a large smile on her face. I assumed she got the job.
We talked after class & immediately I knew I had a new friend! Naomi shared with me she had become a Christian 2 years prior & she wanted to learn more about the bible. She especially wanted to study it in English since she had already read thru the entire bible in Khmer. Naomi was a hard worker & could speak English fluently. Her weak area however, was in grammar. Naomi could not read or understand English as well as she could speak it. Our 1st day together was Mon., Oct. 13. Naomi & her sister Roni planned to take us across the river to an authentic Cambodian restaurant out on the dock! These 45 minutes on the back of a Moto was well worth the trip to this place! Krystle, my fellow squad-mate, & I spent the day with them & it was wonderful! Naomi shared her heart & past as she cried. This took us both by surprise, since we knew many Asians do not usually show a lot of emotion, especially when you are just starting to get to know them! Roni also shared a little bit, but was much quieter than Naomi. She could read & write English well, but was not so confident in conversing in English. Naomi & Roni were complete opposites! We asked Roni some questions & by the time our food arrived, we learned she was not a Christian. She said she was open to God, but she just was not sure yet. Immediately, we told her we were so glad we met her & her sister. We also told her we loved her & just wanted to spend as much time as we could with the both of them.
Meeting these 2 special ladies was a huge answer to prayer! You see, before I met Naomi I had talked with my team (& the other team w/us for the month) about how I felt God wanted me to pour into young adults while here in Cambodia. This I knew would pull me away from the orphanage, but God wanted me to serve the church in this way, so I was glad it worked out that I could. I knew even if I just found 1 girl to befriend & share life with, this World Race trip was well worth it. Within a day, God had sent just the right girl to me named, Naomi!  Not only that, but Krystle had shared with me that same desire that I had for ministry! The gifts & passions I have for discipleship & teaching were answered! I would get to grow in those passions & giftings & I was stoked! It gets better-b/c of Naomi & Roni's schedule, both were free to meet with us every day! I met with Naomi while Krystle met with Roni. We studied some lessons, but mainly studied the book of John. Every time we met, we would read a chapter together & then talk about what God was teaching us. We would pray, talk about life & culture for hours! I would also get to see them again later that evening for class (Naomi was in my class).
The church we were staying at also had a school. During the evenings, I was asked to teach English. This was lots of fun! I had a class of about 15 students & they were patient with me as I tried my best to teach them how to speak, write, & comprehend English. I learned many skills & now am very grateful for that experience.
Roni's Story: Krystle had talked with her about what she believed & what her thoughts were about what would happen to her after she died. I know Roni had questions about Christianity & Krystle did as best she could to answer them. It's a long story (you can see Krystle's blog The God of Pursuit http://krystlelongmire.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-god-of-pursuit ),  but the short version is Roni made the decision just after a few days! The night the church had a youth service, she & her sister came along. After Krystle & I shared our testimonies, our team put on a Drime (drama to music without words). Something happened that night & after the event, Roni decided she wanted to become a Christian! She was ready to believe, trust, & live for Christ! This was a HUGE answer to prayer! Praise God!
The 4 of us spent the next 2 weeks together! One day, Krystle could not make it & so I was blessed with the chance to meet with both Roni & Naomi for discipleship time. During our time of prayer, I asked, "What do you need prayer for?" Roni said, "I pray the whole world would know about Jesus & follow Him!" While crying, I agreed!
1st Times: I was also able to celebrate my 24th Birthday with them! They each gave me a little gift bag full of goodies!  I received earrings, 2 bottles of nail polish (one I am wearing now, its electric blue), & key chains. On our last full day together, they joined us to go be a part of a Revival going on in the Slums. (See this blog for more) I underestimated the huge ways God would use them during this out-reach! I thought they would be shy & uncomfortable, at least in the beginning, but I was wrong! They jumped right in when we arrived & started talking to anyone & everyone! Naomi was able to share her testimony for the 1st time in her life! I was able to see Roni worship the Lord in music for the 1st time EVER! Both girls were needed to help translate Khmer into English & for the 1st time, I saw Roni share the gospel! Roni shared to w/a young girl about what Christ did & asked her if she wanted to believe. She was not ready. Roni so loved to her & just prayed for her.
As for Naomi, she had been thru a lot & her story is still being worked out. Even though she looks like she is in her early 20's, she is actually 37 years old! Asians are blessed with youthfulness & magnificent beauty I have come to realize! So, Naomi has a husband & son who no longer live in Cambodia. She has not seen her son in 2 years & he is now about 5 years old. Her story is filled with brokenness, more than I can write...not because I am not at liberty, (she gave me permission to write about her & what happened) but I just do not want to tell more than what is truly necessary. I will say, God's redemptive hand is still needed! I remember 1 thing Naomi clearly said to me, she said "I'm tired of fighting with God. I just want to do what He asks me & follow Jesus." She does not know what to do anymore & her heart is so broken. She cries every day. Early on she & I talked about this & how to sift thru this. I felt the Lord wanted me to share the truth about how her heart was not alone, but was in Gods heart. If anyone was ever to try to get to it, they would have to seek Gods heart first. So, on my birthday I found the perfect gift to give her! It was the keychain you see below! I also bought one for myself which is hanging off my book bag. Every time I look at it, I am reminded to pray for her & thank God for how He crossed our paths in Cambodia.
It was hard to leave when the day came.  We left early in the morning on the Fri. the 24. Both Naomi & Roni made sure to meet us & say goodbye! We hugged, welled up with tears, & exchanged many hugs & gifts. I want you to know how thankful I am for this story. God is still doing a mighty thing in both of them as they are continuing to be disciple by a longer term missionary couple at the Church. Thank you also for financially & prayerfully helping people to know & experience the LOVE of CHRIST abroad.
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 11/10/2008
These pictures are of some other sights we saw around the city of Phnom-Phen. This is a continuation of our culture day (I realize I have now done three blogs based off of just one day...overall, I thought it was best so that there was not 35 pictures + on one blog post.)
Above, is the Buddhist temple we visited. This temple is in the heart of the city.
This city is the Kingdom's capital.
Most Cambodians are Theravada Buddhists. Although, after being here in this country for a month, I found many people say they are Buddhist, but do not know much about it.
This peaceful country is not what it seems. It is actually among the 3rd most corrupt nation in the South-East Asia area. Laos & Myanmar being second & first. It receives international aid (yes, from the US, among other countries) where the financial aid is being transferred into private accounts. (BBC) I was sad to hear of this corruption, & more, from talking with two contacts of mine. The information of the corruption is more than I can write, about what has & is still going on today w/in the government.
I did not take picture of this, but many children are perched about this location, begging for money or trying to sell you something.
The only elephant I saw in Cambodia.
Please pray for this nation & its people. Pray many will be able to hear the gospel of peace. Pray for the poor, especially the elderly who are alone or are a burden to their family. Many Cambodians who are poor, do not have help or hope.
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 11/10/2008
We visited this place on the same day as Toul Sleng. It was the last stop on our Day of Culture. The Killing Fields were numerous sites where people were killed & buried under the Khmer Rouge. Below is the stupa filled with the skulls of the victims in this field. They ask that you would take off your shoes & have a moment of silence in rememberance of the victims before you stepped into it.
There were a couple trees in the field that were so beautiful, yet used for the cruelest of intentions.
They did there best to conceal what they were doing to the people that were being dropped off at this field. At least 200,000 people were executed under the KR (not counting the vicitms of disease & starvation).
I'm sorry, some of these pictures are very detailed & hard to look at...
People were sent to Tuol Sleng & the fields if the government saw them as a threat. Sometimes after two warnings--or no warnings at all--they were sent for "re-education". During "re-education" they were encouraged to confess any "pre-revolutionary lifestyles & crimes." This usually meant some kind of free-market activity, having contact with a foreign source, such as a US missionary, or international relief or governement agency, or contact with any foreigner or with the outside world at all.
This is what a mass grave looks like. Typically a deep, not too wide, ditch.
Since they wanted to save on ammunition & cut-down on the noise, the executions were often carried out using hammers, axe handles, spades, or sharpened bamboo sticks. Some had to dig there own graves..their weakness often meant that they were not able to dig very deep.
Next year will mark 30 years since this all happend.
Below, is a picture of a sign from the ditch a couple pictures above this one.
The clothing of the victims was stored below the Stupa.
That is what I saw. It is not a place I would want to go back to, but a necessary site to see. I still have a hard time believing these things happend.
(If your are in Seattle, you can go to The Killing Fields Museum. A survivor of the genocide founded one there.)
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 11/9/2008
During our time of briefing in Cambodia (Monday, October 6) we had a 'Day of Culture'. For short-term missions, learning about the culture & visiting historical sites is a great way for missionaries to be more effective out on the mission field. What I learned here helped me minister better, as well as connect with the Cambodian people we lived & worked with.
The pictures you see here in this blog are specifically ones taken from the first place we visited, a place called Toul Sleng. Toul Sleng was once a school, however under the Khmer Rouge, it was a station in the city to torture, execute, starve, & force labor upon those the reign saw as a threat to the new political party of Communism. This sign was posted at the entrance.
Below, was a picture of just 1 of the torture stations I saw. To the right of this sign was The Gallow. If you can imagine, two poles connecting to eachother at about 2 stories high--they would pull the prisioner up by the robe which wrapped around the top connecting pole.
There were boards full of pictures of each prisioner who stayed at this camp. The Khmer Rouge was the communist party of Cambodia, which was from 1975-1979. It was responsible for the massive genocide of about 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE. I never once learned about this in school.
I went thru room after room & was shocked to find the youngest prisioner was not a toodler, but a small newborn. I do not know what happend to this baby.
I hope you can read the short documentary below on Pol Pot, aka "Brother number 1". Those the committee chose to exterminate during the KR were:
Anyone with ties to the former government or with foreign governements.
Professionals & intellectuals (included almost everyone with an education, or even people wearing glasses, since the regime thought those who had glasses were literate).
Ethnic Vietnamese & Chinese.
Christians, Muslims, & Buddhist monks.
Homosexuals & the Handicapped.
& those guilty of "economic sabotage" (many urban dwellers, who had not starved to death, were punished due to their lack of agricultural skills).
Pol Pot also saw fit that children be separated from parents. At this camp in the city, the children were taken away, brainwashed to socialism & taught torture methods, practicing on animals. They were also given leadership in torture & executions.
Hanging sign in the hallway of the building. The motto of the party, "To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss."
The barbed wire was placed so prisioners could not committ suicide.
The city of Phnom Penh was completely abandoned, except for processing camps like this one, because all people were forced out into the countryside to work the rice fields & other labor camps. These specific rooms contained more cells to hold prisioners. I think there were 3 large buildings on this campus, each building having 3 floors.
This Genocide Museum is a place that was hard to visit, but a necessary place to see. Seeing things like this, only confirmes my opinion, man is NOT inherently good.
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 11/4/2008
These pictures start off with our travels to debrief in Cambodia & the rest are taken while in Sihanoukvilleis. Sihanoukville is a beautiful place & I think it has been my favorite place of our debriefs thus far. We had about four days total to debrief & to get ready for the next. month of ministry in Cambodia. It was Tuesday, September 30 to Friday, October 3 (for those who wanted to know) & Karen & Seth Barnes (our coaches) flew in to spend a few days with us to help & give us some more tools to practice while out on the mission field.
Me on the bus. I think this was a short ride--about 6 hours.
Krystal & Ashley on the bus.
This was actually our last day & visiting this island was a gift from the Barnes Family. It was the best & most memorable day!
This flag was on the boat we rented.
The married men trying to walk on water!
We took a trip into a neat part of town to a Christian fare-trade shop. This was us on the tuk-tuk.
After walking back from the shop we stopped to take pictures with the huge lions. (Not real)
Visited the beach close to sunset hour.
ALL ABOARD!!!
Tossing the kids into the air while we waited for the boat to leave.
They snorkled, I tanned =)
The End.
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 11/4/2008
On Sunday, September 28 we decided to each invite one of our Asian friends to a night of Karaoke! We did this when I went on a mission trip to East Asia two years ago & thought it would be great to do it again, here in Vietnam. Although, it took about an hour to get to this side of the city, it was well worth it. Once we arrived in our room, we started searching for our favorite songs to sing. We sang English songs & Vietnamese.
He was our translator/tour guide at the college I got to go to a couple times for ministry.
Team Pi--except for Josh & Dan. I think Dan had to step-out during this song...probably because it was a room full of women singing in the highest keys they could possible hit for two hours...just a guess.
I met her on the first day of out-reach.
Tara hates Karaoke, as you can tell.
You could almost smell the sweat dripping off Celine Di...opps, I mean Natalie ;-)
Three very high-pitched Asians singing!
My British teamie, Jen & old Vander Cru-er , Sara belting it out.
I just did one song. Sorry, no picture. But, it was with my Kara & we sang, "That's What Friends are for." Well, I hope you enjoyed seeing this kind of out-reach; it's a wonderful event to host. You get to have fun with the people you are ministering to while also losing your voice!llow-ship is a wonderful gift!
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 11/1/2008
Below is a collection of pictures from our visit to the orphanage/hospital we visited in Vietnam (which I blogged about earlier). These specific pictures show one kind of ministry we did--they are our World Racer girls working hard--each with a special, little, newborn baby we got to hold & pray for. Some of the girls were able to visit this place on a regular basis during our two weeks of ministry.
This was Thursday, September 25 & we had only five more days left.
& so on our night-off, we played hard! Our whole squad went out on a dinner boat ride down the Saigon River! It was amazing! I had never done anyting like this before & I will always remember it!
I got really close to my team-mate, Kara & my accountablity partner, Marissa while we were in Vietnam.
I LOVE YOU BOTH!!!
Marissa being serious =)
How can you not play around with chop-sticks?!
We needed a night together out & I am so glad we did! If all you did was work with your team & never have fun, then we might just pull-eachother to shreds by the end of the month! & we don't want that, so we try to always have fun with whatever it is we are doing!
It's good to build great memories w/my lovely WRace fam. We actually like eachother ;-)
Jennifer (above) is "Ball-er"! I hope I did the ghetto-spelling right? I'm not from the block, as you can tell!
Leaving for Phnom Penh--well, not for a few more days from our dinner on the boat.
GOOD NEWS: We are exactly half-way thru all the picture blogs I have been posting recently! That means only 6 more & then I will be done! I will write you all a blog about my time in Cambodia when I finish up. I really loved Cambodia & I want to share all that God did while I was there!
To sum-up, I hope you all are enjoying getting to see what I have been up to on this crazy missionary adventure that I am on. The Race has been filled with days that are so very full of surprises & I love it! Hard on the heart sometimes, but good! I still have a long way to go...this is month five & I have 6 more to go! We did some house visits today & a service. We just arrived at our location for ministry here in Thailand yesturday...so there is more to come, lots to write about, but now it is time for me to go to bed. I am quite tired.
Night Night!
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 10/30/2008
Thursday, September 18 as apart of our cultural orientation to Vietnam, we visited a Caoist Temple just outside of the city. Although I majored in Philosophy & Religion, this was my first encounter to Caoism (as far as I can remember anyway) & this was the only time I met & talked with Caoist believers.
As I walked closer to the Temple, I felt like I was entering Disney World.
These seats are for the dignitaries. The highest seat I presume is for their pope.
God is symbolized by the Divine Eye. Especially the left eye since Yang is the left side & God is the master of Yang.
I have no pictures of the followers & Temple keepers except for this one below. You can see one of them in white. You are not supposed to take pictures of them (they told us we this after we had snapped a few when we first arrived).
Below is a relief of Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Lao Zi, Guan Yin, & Guan Yu.
Inside, the use of so many bright colors & designs of the columns made this room feel like Willy Wonka & Walt Disney made a castle.
Below, is a painting depicting the Three Saints signing a covenant between God & humanity.
These signs were hanging up in of the Temple--feel free to read them.
After visiting & talking with the Temple keeper, I realized how many false teachers there have been in the past, who will say anything & if its convincing enough, people will follow.
Hebrews 13:9 "Do not be carried away (mislead) by all kinds of diverse & strange teachings."
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Posted in General Articles
by Kira Guerke
on 10/30/2008
We often went to Sozo to an event they called, Tea Time . Many students & people in the community would come-out to Tea Time & enjoy playing games, speaking english, & relish in the yummy food SoZo would prepare. On this particular night, they asked us to host an evening of acting.
So, we did! This event took place on Wednesday Se,ptember 17--which was just over a month ago. Many of the students that came to Tea Time, signed-up for this work-shop.
The girl above was the translator for the night.
Our focus on hosting an Actors Work-Shop was comedy. We did skits & games that focused on just having fun w/acting & eachother. About 30 people showed up!
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