This is my last 'HUG' to you all for a while!  : ) We are all entering into a mandatory 4 week internet blackout once we cross into China tomorrow-- the secret police is REAL we just found out. It is so crazy the level of precaution we have to take while in China -- I am so excited for this.  My team is going to an unreached people group!!! This is such an overwhelming opportunity, can hardly stand it!!! : )  This means, we really need your faithful powerful prayers this month.... I know you all will keep our teams extra covered. Pray for extra grace and wisdom for us. For safety. For God's literally 'unspeakable' love to be so evident in us, etc.  Ask the Spirit, He will tell you what is needed. He's awesome like that.

Also, I think AIM will be writing little updates concerning our welfare. ; )  

Much love to each of you... enough to last until I can contact you again when we return to Hong Kong.

With joy!

hannah

Hello from Bangkok again!!! (this is a hefty blog, so gear up for the ride. : )

Some of the Racers just got back from a month in Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA!! Tomorrow we head off to Hong Kong and then into mysterious places all over China to do...... no one's really sure yet. But it's going to be awesome, no doubt about that. ; ) Smiles.

But, before I start into Cambodia and all the amazing and wild tales from that place, I want to mention something fairly important about China -- just so you all are in the loop. China is a closed nation which means 'Christian things' are not acceptible. In order to protect our China contacts, I'm pretty sure internet will be extremely limited. The goverment sees all is what I hear, so you may not hear from me via blogs, emails, Facebook, Skype, etc. for about 4-5 weeks (which Im sure none of you will think is strange at all since that is about my usual blogging frequency : ) I thought you would like to know anyways.  

Onward to CAMBODIA! : ) As some of you may have heard through the grapevine, Cambodia started off a tad rocky  for me. I have to be honest, it was shocking to leave the 'lap of luxury' (note: everything's relative for World Racers, 'luxury' means something different to us... wink) which was Bangkok only to arrive to Phnom Penh and be greeted with the most heinous green stench coming from the alley leading to our first few nights of non-air-conditioned lodging. This was the most acutely i have felt shocked by any culture to date, no lies here.  I slept sweatily (read that word carefully) that night, woke up the next morning, headed down the alley of nightmarish smells, stepped over mounds of soggy garbage sitting in organized piles all along everywhere, and promptly observed the veritable sea of motor bikes pouring down every road and every which way. I was baffled. Then i saw a lady and a girl on a motor bike get wrecked into by another motor bike. Horror. Maybe 5 minutes later, another motorbike balancing the biggest basket you've ever seen filled to the brim with grapefruit flew by me unsteadily and then... ohhh..whooop....aaaay... the the basket came a-tumbling over scattering citrus balls all over the sidewalk and road. More horror. Sortly after that, I was crossing what felt like 18 lanes of temporarily stopped but freakily vollatile motor-bike traffic with I think grocery bags in hand -- just as i had mustered the courage it took to send myself into the road, one of the motorists made a 'vroom!!' noise. I jumped. He laughed. It was funny. I have to admit it. ; ) But I was still mad at Cambodia!!!

The next day my heart was softened quite a bit. All of the World Racers toured Toul Sleng Torture Museum where thousands of black and white, numbered mug shots of Cambodian and a very few foreign men, women, nursing mothers, boys, girls, and babies were hanging on wall after wall -- every face we saw was someone who was tortured and killed at that very location only 30 years ago.   Next we went to the Killing Fields (google it). It was beyond words. We could still see deep trenches in the fields, now overgrown with grass, but it was horrible to think of the millions of beautiful people whose executed bodies once filled the ditches. We saw bones, teeth, and pieces of colorful clothes that had been unearthed by the rain only recently. You guys, I know this part of my blog is solemn, but it was really significant to witness all that true horror. I only found one tiny flower around all those trenches --  so, I picked it and put it in my journal. To remember. It was truly grievous.

Moving along, team 61 worked alongside New Life Fellowship Church for the month. Awesome place! This church is jammed packed with mostly junior-high through twenties-aged people, so it was like instant friends for us : )  Still though, I was in a funk of just feeling bone-weary with everything. The ninth month of World Race hit hard for quite a number of us. Which leads me to my 25th BIRTHDAY!!! Thanks to so so many of you who wrote me the most unbelievable emails and picked up the phone when i called you for my birthday, the beginning of my 25th year was a fabulous turning point!! From the bottom of my very soul, THANK YOU for believing in me and encouraging my heart with poems, Facebook gifts, birthday wishes delivered straight from God's heart, funny and witty little emails, cheers, book burnings (my brother Calvin whose not even reading this), etc. etc. You have no idea -- REALLY -- how much of a blessing that was to me. Huge Hugs to all of you (that means ALL of you, even if you didn't wish me happy birthday. So much love all around. Wink.)

Cambodia got so much better after that. I got to visit the slums twice a week with a couple of the other Racers, pray with some of the mothers, and just hold babies and darling filthy little kids.  That is where my heart comes alive. I love the grime. I just cant explain it, it was priceless to spend just a few hours playing slapping-hang games with the children. They have so much spunk and personality. The moms were awesome, too. Although, they kept on offering me their children.... as in, to HAVE!! I politely declined, however much i wanted to accept. Smile. HaHa. (pics of slum below : )

Many of the same slum kids I got to see each thursday at JOY CLUB. Its a 3 hour kids program that the church puts on once a week. So that was another opportunity to hang out with those awesome sticky kids and try to show them that they are so worthwhile. They were sooo worth my while.  (some Joy Club pics are below)

(I hope you loved these HUGE pics. They wouldn't shrink for me ; )

Not only did we get to hang out with the incredibly young and truly cool staff at the church, but we also got to be a part of the English classes that took place on the roof of the church from dawn til dusk every weekday. College students come to church all day for free English lessons, so it s a perfect opportunity to make friends with them and really open up a door to their heart. So that's the other thing that poured a ton of my time into, those hillarious Cambodian college kids. : ) I taught the whole class only twice -- they wanted to know all about new home sales (my previous job), basements, attics, about Christmas in America, reindeer, elves, magic fairy dust, and anything at all. It was so cute to hear their questions.

There is so so much more I could tell you all about Cambodia!! But this blog is already dangerously long for the average reader, so I will try to wind it up with a humongous heart of gratefulness. Again I find my heart just exploding in thanks to God for His patience and faithful loving mercy this month and really all year. This month was tougher than I even let on in this blog, but in all of it I am finally getting what the famed 'good news' is. At least for the time being, I have been able to see that God's love is practical and merciful and so faithful even when I am a snob, a pathetic doubter, a wrong-doer, a volcano of harsh words, or just a wreck . He has shown me that He is there every time I call on Him for help. I know Im a different person now than when i first began the Race. I needed to be different. many of you know -- haha; ) Now I'm preaching, but it had to happen. Smiles. Thank you for enduring this far. : )

KIND OF URGENT!! One last thing before more pictures. : )  As of the last time I checked, my World Race account balance is still about $2,500 short of the full amount. I really need some help erasing that number from my future. Ahhh!! Anything you give is tax-deductible, so that is good. Anything you give over that amount will be reimbursible to me after the race so Im not completely broke as a joke when I return to the home farm. Wink. Email me at hannahchynoweth@yahoo.com if you have any questions at all. The easiest way to give is through my homepage; on the upper left side of this page is a "support me!" in red letters. It is so so easy from there.  I love you guys so much; thank you for so much love and support you have already sent in abundance my way this year.  I'll see many of you in 40 DAYS!!!!!! God is so wonderful!!

 Support me... or ELSE! wink. smile. ; )

   Angkor Wat Temples.  

With so much joy,

banana

Hello and all my love to you wonderful, beautiful people reading this blog. : ) Hugs all around. 

Today is August 27; almost all the racers have reconvened here in Bangkok (where I and 7 other girls have been all month) -- tomorrow we head out for debrief.  It's fun having everyone together, there are some new blondies and some bushier beards since we were last saw each other. It's a beautiful thing to see the change in everyone. wink.  And I am here at this internet cafe where i have spent many many hours sipping my 33 cent iced coffees and writing little updates and emails to many of you. : )  However, I have seriously been up since 5.45 a.m. churning about the one thing i have neglected to do.  So I am doing it now. (Better now than never, is what everyone always says : ) So here i go.

I need to explain something to you all -- raw Hannah needs to come out for a moment.  ; ) -- I promise i won't belabor, but this is so i can sleep better at night. haha.  For some reason it has been somewhat difficult to write blogs from my soul this month in Thailand.  Some of you may have seen my last blog about the Gwen Stefani show we went to on Aug. 19 here in Bangkok -- loads of fun for sure. That was easy to blog about.  It's far less complicated to put words to those funny fun times.  But, honestly, i have been at a loss for words about what we have witnessed this month. And i recently realized that for all YOU guys know,  I have been pop-star-concert- hopping, waterfalling, karaokeing, buddha-templing, and just internetting the month away over here in Bangkok.  Eating BonBons and sipping coffees for Jesus.  And so I am genuinely sorry for not being more thoughtful about how my blogs (or lack thereof) are coming across.

We have actually been doing real outreach. : ) We just cannot post pictures of it due to the nature of our environment.  Taking photos inside the bars is prohibitted, no faces of the girls are allowed to be posted, and we do not want to post photos of the NightLight ladies, just out of respect and their own preference. That encompasses the entire scope of our most meaningful moments in Bangkok, and i am so torn that i cannot show you all the faces of so many amazing women that have become our friends this month. Sniff.   (browse a few photos and continue below: )

For the past three weeks the TRibe 61 and Salt girls plus Anne from Revolution have been working together with an organization called Night Light.  (For more on Night Light, check out Stacy's blog.)  : ) stacyutecht.theworldrace.org

Essentially, it is a jewelry business that exists to provide alternate employment for the women who want to come out of working in the Nana bars.  Currrently there are 81 employees; many but not all of the women we worked together with at Night Light now follow Christ!! Which is so encouraging to see in such a deep-rooted Buddhist culture... God has literally given them a new life. : )  Anyway, during our days, we basically helped with about everything that has to do with beads and jewelry: counting beads, taking inventory, etc.

Our nights were the best part, though! We headed out to the world renown " NANA Entertainment Plaza" and actually went into the bars to meet the girls that worked there. The word "Bar" has a somewhat different meaning over here than what you might envision in the States (lots of TVs with live sports, beer on tap, maybe karaoke). No.  People don't come go to these bars to hang around and get drunk with their buddies; the come to get girls. To pay for a girl -- to pay an $18 fee to take a girl home. It is something i can't find words for.  (it's grievous.)

But we went there to make friends with the girls and that's basically what we did! It was absolutely awesome!! I found one particular bar that i just 'felt at home in' and went back there several times to hang out with my friends. The girls initially think you are there for the same reason as everyone else, but you cannot imagine how amazing it is to see their face light up when we tell them they can just be normal with us.  No shows, no seducing necessary.  Just hang out, we'll buy you a drink (thats bar protocol) -- and let you see a different love. I loved it!!  And i know the Holy Spirit used all of us to plant seeds in those girls hearts.  He planted the seed, and i know He will be faithful to watch over it!! Bless God.

www.nightlightbangkok.com

Thanks for reading. And I really hope you are encouraged to know that God is showing up over here in so many ways. I know He is doing deep things in my heart -- that's what he does. If nothing else, I am leaving Bangkok with something I didnt have prior to being here.  I am leaving here with a deep precious confidence in God's faithful love -- His mercy that covers and redeems anything!  My heart explodes with gratitude, it really does.  I am so thankful that God uses a broken and pretty quirky person like me to show His spectacular love -- in the process, He allows me to grasp His deep love.  Bless God. (3000 x)

Many smiles with joy

hannah

Ps. i didnt proofread, and i apologize for the awkward picture sizing... i was experiamenting

  This blog is primarily for my exquisite 'sissy' (below).  smile.

        Aug.19.2007. GWEN STEFANI

 in  BANGKOK, Thailand!!!! 

   WE WERE SOOOO THERE!!!!     

... and it was also my sister LISA's birthday, so the TRibe 61 'gurls'  joined together outside the show to spell her name with our arms... "L-I-S-A(-N-A-S)" ....  (kinda like "B-A-N-A-N-A-S", : ) wink. Get it? hahahaha. ( I was always and ever thinking of you.)

  So, with all my heart...... HAPPY THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY, SISSY!!!! Thanks for being there for me all my life. : )  Thanks for also being so beautiful and funny and dear!! You are worth a whole blog!! Winks.   

(and for those of you who really want to know about the ministry side of what we are up to here in Bangkok, check out my wonderful teammates and Salt-teammates blogs... they have captured it really well:

stacyutecht.theworldrace.org

candicehill.theworldrace.org

morganmckeown.theworldrace.org

emiliejanson.theworldrace.org

katiebischoff.theworldrace.org

(Tribe 61 gurls flashin' the   3 0 for Lisa.)

   "Get it, gurl! Get it, get it Guuuurl!!" (Katie, Stacy, and me in the moment with Gwen.)

  above:  Us with Gwen before the show 

  below: Us with 'Gwen' after the show... big smile.

"B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!!!" While we were in queue for the show, we found this lovely backdrop-- a giant, lighted beer sign -- as the perfect photo op. : )  We made a moderate scene, but 'the picture is always worth it' ... is what i always say.

   Jesus led me to this little hot pink tank amongst the mounds of clothes in Bangkok --- (i really think just for you, SISSY!!)  For your birthday!

Love your sister,

the Banana

(p.s. this blog also goes out to my favorite Uncle -- wish you were there with us. Love ya, UNK.)

Cusco, Peru. April 07

Found in a coffee shop in Pana Jatchel, Guatemala on Lake Atitlan. Feb. 07  laughs. : )

Misol Ha waterfall. Chiapas, Mexico. Jan. 07

Arroyo Palinque, Mexico. Jan. 07.  (My clothes have since improved since those first grundgy days... gray on brown accented with purple.  wow.  What was i thinking. Take special notice of the camera case cleverly attached to the stretchy belt.  THis was my all-time accessory in mex. Winks.)

Arroyo Palinque, Mexico. Jan. 07 She was my doll!! o how i loved this girl.

Palinque, Mexico. Those first days of the race (jan).  Oh my, those were rough... but these men (Seth Barnes, Andrew Shearman, and Gary 'Dark One'  Black - not pictured) helped me through.  Much respect and appreciation. : )

San Juan, Guatemala on Lake Atitlan. Feb. 07. From left: Katie, Morgan, Becca, and yours truly.  This was an unforgettable day of girl bonding on the beach down the way from our hot pink hotel.  I love us!! ; )

Arroyo Palinque, Mex. Jan.07. These were some of our river buddies. We splashed around in the afternoon together.  These were some of my favorite little friends from that village. Pardon the mascara mess.

Lima, Peru. March (?) 07.

Becca and i and our shark friend.  haha.

Palinque, Mexico. jan. 07. Training days. Some of the girls camped on the roof, many of us (me included) got flooded out when it rained for three days straight. : (

San Juan, Guatemala. Feb. 07. Our living accomodations on Lake Atitlan.  God heard my cries after mexico!! I love God. : ) I didnt even think to ask specifically for hot pink, but He knew. wink. : )

Lima, Peru. March/ April. 07. Becca and me on the beach.  We loved doing ministry on the beach; it honestly was fruitful.  No lies. : ) The little sun-kissed glow was an added perk.

Cusco, Peru. April, 07. All the Racers debriefed here for a few days before visiting Macchu Picchu. A group of us went on a 5 hour mountain mudding ride through the mountains on one afternoon off. This is me and Andrew (Jake coming up next).  This was awesome, so awsome we went through again. woo Hoo.

Cusco, Peru. April 07. The brave girls.  

Our fine men.

The whole awesome crew.

Macchu Picchu, Peru. April. 07.  I know, almost not believable. So beautiful.

WynaPicchu overlooking Macchu Picchu. Having a moment of closeness with God ...or posing. I cant remember.

Buenos Aires, Argentina. April 07. Pidgeons at the fountain. Dtown BA. I couldnt believe i took this pic. I might frame it, Im so proud.  Jeannine and Daniel, if you are reading this, i thought a lot about you in this city. I did love it, as you said. : )

Buenos Aires. April, 07. Tribe 61 at a Boca Jrs. Futbol game.  Jimmy and Katie not pictured. 

London, England. EUROPE!! (yes, we squeezed in an extra continent for 12 hours). Becca, Spano, Andrew, and me in front of Buckingham Palace.  My Reefs broke minutes after this photo was snapped.

I am out of time. Gotta go.

  More to come soon!! I love you all in a big way!  With joy.  your hannah

It is always a glorious thing to happen upon an internet opportunity!!  Today, we Tribe 61 girls came into Mbabane, Swaziland's capital, for the day... and i didn't want my small slice of time here to float by without sending a piece of my heart to you all, whom I love much and miss. : )   

(Below is the only pic I could download today.... me and Em looking sassy in Swazi ; )   Lisa, I am working on downloading our fun shot together.  Love you much my sistas!) 

As you may remember, quite a large number from my FAMILY and some dear Colorado Springs friends were together with me and the other Racers in Manzini for the month of June.   Well, they have since left -- sniff. sniff.  That was almost too surreal for words to wake up each day and see my sisters, neices, nephews, etc. here in Africa.... however, it has been nice to rejoin my team girls again (Jimmy is scouting Asia for our next leg of the race so he isnt with us. We miss him. "Jimmy! Jimmy! He's our man!!" : )  But, worry not. We girls are in good hands.  Gary Black and Tom arranged for us to spent the remainder of our time in Swazi working alongside probably the most successful endeavour to redeem the lives of abandoned orphans here in Swaziland.  Lighthouse Ministries works together with Teen Challenge (as I understand it) to create homes and families for 37 HIV/AIDS affected and some infected children.  They grow vegetables here, raise bunnies, run a pre-school, have Bible lessons, etc.  Its a FARM in the mountains.  We love it!!

Yesterday was the first day I really got to know the kids here... we were occupied with painting, sorting clothes, and other random tasks for the first few days.  But Kevin Ward, the Director of this project, intensely inspired us that we really have the opportunity of leaving a significant impact on these kids despite the briefness (sp?) of our stay here.  These children have a Swazi mother figure and some of them a father figure that live in their home with them, but they need to feel and know that they are WORTH IT!!  Worth what?  Worth our time, worth us remembering their names, worth helping them with math problems and English (which I am doing in the evenings -- I get to be  a tutor, which is I think a consistent sweet spot for me-- woo hoo : ) Those sort of practical, hands-on ways of loving children are what make me come alive, you guys!   Many of you are, once again, not surprised by this.  Maybe I need to be a teacher in some capacity.  Maybe here in Swazi.  I'm praying about it.  But who knows.  Smiles.

These children are special.  They have been severely rejected and yet are persevering and even THRIVING.  I personally understand some of what they are up against.  And so I just ask you all to pray that my actions towards these children will be bursting with God's healing love and acceptance.  How can I so thoroughly adore children I've just barely met?  It must be God's heart already alive in me!!  So thank you for remembering me in your prayers, you all.  Your prayers are being heard and honored, and they go far beyond me.  Praise God!!  He is a genious!!

And I have come almost to the end of my furious unedited typing escapade.  : )  It's not my best blog, but I wanted you all to have a glimpse of life for us here.  Bless the LORD!! 

Sending a huge hug your way.

Hello All.

This month is Swaziland has flown by much too quickly.  It has possibly been the MOST unbelievable month of the Race so far... maybe I say that about EVERY month, but i really mean it each time.  Smile.  My family, the Irwins, the Blacks, and many other friends from home got to experience Swaziland together, and I am just so over-full of sweet and bittersweet memories from such a unique time of side by side ministry with some of the ones I love dearest in the world.  My 2 older sisters, Lisa and Emily, and I got the joy of dressing countless little orphan children in new clean clothes the other day at a really desparate carepoint over an hour outside the city.  Praying over their lives as we slipped a pretty new dress or a pair of pants without holes on their cute little bodies.  I watched my nieces and nephews jump right in and start picking out outfits for the kids, as well.  Picture that!  : )  It is still a bit surreal.  And there are scores of stories like this one.

On the car ride home after one such day I was having the thought, 'Oh, I think this is where my life is changed forever.'  It was a funny moment for me because, of course, I've heard some form of the phrase 'Your life will never be the same after this trip' about a hundred times from all of you.  But it is true, i really think you were right on there.  :)  We have held AIDS orphans;  many of the children we have have kissed  on the forehead are infected with HIV, or blind, or crippled in some way, or just abandoned to roam around all the day long.  There are so many stories.   Thanks for listening to me share.  I love that about you all!  Wink.  ; )  

OK, on to less earth shattering news.  : )  I just wanted to send a quick reminder to my amazing SUPPORTERS that I am running a bit behind on my pledges (so I heard from AIM last week).  I know it is hard to remember with the scores of bills each month, and so I thank you for adding me to your pile.  Wink.   But i am slightly concerned about getting stranded in Thailand. ; )  Email me if you have any questions; And I will respond whenever I get internet access.  Also, my heart is bursting over with thanks to all of you for making this trip even a possibility for me.  I feel blessed and grateful beyond what I can express. 

I love you all.  Remember that God is fabulous!  winks.  Love from SWAZILAND.

Hannah Banana

It's me again!!  Hello from SWAZILAND to all my dear readers.  It has been a while.  Know that I miss you all.  And, by the way, thank you all for your 'Sweet Things' you left on my last blog from Mozambique: )  We were truly out in the villages with very very scarce internet access for the month of May, and it was unbelievably encouraging to be recieved back into BLOG-land with all those lovely words from all of you!!  Some of you were first-time-commenters (sp?).  Yay.  WooHoo.  Especially thanks to my 'long lost' ACU friends and roomates (Kirk and Susan : ) some friends from past employment (Marilyn and the Monbergs... say a warm hello from Hannah to the others) and an old shopping acquaintance (Peggy... I have thought of you, my dear Marshall's friend!! You'll be seeing me nearly as soon as I arrive back in the Springs, no boubt.  Winks).  Anyway, that was very heart-warming.  Big Thanks to you all.

I want to write a minute on Mozambique.  Later Swaziland, because I am so far behind!! 

Mozambique was really TRIBE 61's (my team) first experience with orphans!!  And that was the most difficult place to say goodbye to because of it.  Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Argentina, South Africa.... I honestly left those places without any real challenge at all.  Call me heartless, but I dont think my heart has sunk once from leaving a community... not the way it did when we left this one village in Mozambique.  AHHHHH.... i can still feel that ache.  Sniff. Sniff.  It is a good ache though.  Its the kind of ache that lets you know you have a heart.  Smiles.

Imagine this.  All 25 of the Team A Racers arriving in into Vilanculous, Mozambique after a heinous 26 hour travelling nightmare (even on Dramamine ; ).  Our jam-packed pickup pulls into out first host Village and we are greeted by about 20 orphans singing these lyrics (sound it out):    ' We ahh heppy to be to-ge-duh... we ahh heppy to be to-ge-duh.  OOHHH!! We ahh heppy, heppy... We ahh heppy, heppy... We ahh heppy to be to-ge-duh."  It was priceless.  I love working with orphans....AND MY RIDE IS LEAVING... so I will have to leave you with that!!

I love you all.  Amen.

Winks. And Smiles with JOY!!  Hannah