Hip Hip Horray!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

E. and I were invited to a Canadian families house for Thanksgiving last night. We gathered all the Canadians we knew for a special "family" dinner! It was great. (E. and I brought buns...lame...but very important!) It was nice to have English filling my ears ALL night. Our new Canadian friends from church also were there. Lot's of laughs and funny discussions about "The Office"...they are also fans. I tried to do an impersonation of Angela but I think I can blame my awful performance on the fact that I am ill....(it involved apple cidar)

On our way home from the event my bag was almost stolen. A man on a motto drove up behind us (E. and I were doubling on a motto) and grabbed it while I was pointing to something (probably a kitten;)). I quickly pulled it back and he was unable to get it! It had my wallet, camera, phone and keys in it! The strange thing is that he was a MAN! And I'm Kimmy...with pipes the size of, let's say; a smokey! How did I do that? And how could I be so quick to react? I am surely THANKFUL!! My heart was a poundin' when we got home!

This week has been extremely difficult for me. E. and I have both started to feel ill beginning on saturday and I have gotten worse. On Thursday a dear little 7 year old girl came to me in the clinic and said her tummy hurt. Thank goodness my translator was there to ask more questions. She went on to tell us that not only did her tummy hurt but also her vagina. She told us that in the night three "ghosts" that looked like men took her from her home and held her down by her neck, hands and legs. She said that worms were on her. I have a couple ideas what they could be. She was so scared when it happened that she kept her eyes closed and didn't see who it was. I was able to do a rape assessment on her and confirm that she was indeed assaulted.

We were able to have her gramma agree to give her to us and to make a long story short, we have found her and her older brother a lovely place at Place of Rescue to live, with Marie Ens!!

This was very hard for me. She is an innocent, gorgeous little girl who shouldn't have to worry about things like this! She was very distraught and sad when she first came to me. Chantrea, my translator/counsellor and I took her to the counselling room and we were with her all afternoon. Chantrea got her to use teddy bears to explain what had happened to her. I wasn't able to understand what she was saying in Khmer but by watching the actions of the teddy bears alone, I was able to get an idea. I watched her little mouth moving and high-pitched sweet voice speak and I wanted to take this all away. This day will go down in history as a day of pain AND freedom for her! "Out of ashes, there is beauty"....

I started to pray for her. I prayed that her pain would be taken away. And that if it was possible, I would shoulder her burdens. At around 3pm I started to feel awful. My back and legs ached tremendously. My head pounded. Even my jaw was tight. Another counsellor named Elizabeth from Switzerland told me that often caregivers who pray for physical pain to flee their clients will sometimes begin to feel that same pain in their bodies. I was exhausted when I got home. And teh next morning I woke up with a terrible migraine and I was fevered. I had to stay home from work.

I still am not 100% again but I am sleeping well at night and resting as much as possible.

I am amazed that what I thought were my own small plans for a Cambodian Adventure were actually all part of a bigger plan. And I am so thankful that my little girl could trust to come to ME and share with ME such horrific things.

My prayer is that not only am I placed on this earth to live, but to help other's to survive...

Love your Shy Birdie X