God's Beautiful People:

Journal Entry: May 23rd/24th

Fly 3 hours. Get off in San Fran. Get in line. Leave line. Go get boarding passes. Get back in line. Go through customs. Board flight. Wait 45 minutes. Take off. Fly for 12 hours. Currently I am on the plane with five and a half hours left. While the rest of my group are all sitting in the general vicinity of each other, I am closer to the front of the plane by myself. Yes I can get up and go talk with them, but for the most part I am away from my team for the time being. It is a people watchers paradise, so to speak. Matt Martinez and Kurtis Vanderpool, I really wish you were here with me right now. The flight is literally 90-95 % Asian. It is fascinating. These people are so beautiful, especially the children. Not one looks the same. Everything about them is fascinating, and the fact that all the stewardess' are bilingual is amazing! Within the first minute of sitting down I started observing people, watching their behaviors and reactions. Then I started to think: "How many of these people believe in God? If they do believe, how many practice or live out their faith?" My heart began to yearn for these people. I really wish I could sit down and share my faith with all of them.

I have a Middle Eastern man two seats down, and an Asian girl around about my age sitting next to me. I haven't really caught either one of their names. I had a chance to share with the man, at the beginning of the flight, where I was heading and why? He seemed really intrigued and interested as I shared what we were doing. He asked all about what we were doing in Cambodia, the organization I was going with, and you should of seen his reaction when I told him we raised $24,000 in a week and a half. He doesn't eat meat either. Which makes me wonder: "Is he a vegetarian, or does it have to do with his religion?" The observant person I am noticed that the girl next to me had a Fight Club DVD in her computer. "Fight Club?" I asked. "Yes, it is my favorite movie!" she replied. Well that is one thing in common! Other than that, she doesn't eat the meals on the flights because it makes her nauseous, and she has literally mastered the art of sleeping on an air plane! It is 10:33 p.m. Louisiana time and I haven't slept a wink. I should ask her for lessons. I think she flies a lot. Either that, or she has done this 12 hour trek a few times. Whatever it is, I am kind of envious of her ability to literally just fall asleep. That is most of these people actually. Within the first five minutes of boarding the flight, I could count at least ten people that had fallen asleep. How do they do it? I think its just my terrible sleeping habits.

Anyways, I have written the question, on my hand, "Where have you met God today?" I definitely have seen Him in His children. In all of these people. I have also had a mini worship session with the last 50% of my computer's steadily dying battery. It has been good just listening to worship music and actually listening to the words instead of just singing them. A lot of times I sing the words, but never really rest my mind on what the words mean, or what the song is saying. Here though, when I don't really have the opportunity to sing aloud, (without looking like a crazy person) so I have been able to listen. It has been great! "Love of God, overflow, permeate all my soul! Fill me up God!" These are lyrics from Fill Me Up by United Pursuit Band. It is actually what I have playing right now. This is my cry everyday! I am going to constantly need to be filled for the 27 days in Cambodia! "Open up your heart and let Me in; I am aching with LOVE for you. Open up your heart and let Me in; I am longing for you!" This is from their song Let Me In. This song is like God calling to us, and telling us to open our hearts. Some other parts of this song say: "Look My way, look My way, My love." and "It's going to be wild, it's going to be great, it's going to be full of ME!" This fills me with so much joy! God is constantly calling us to open our hearts and let Him in! I want my heart to constantly be open, I want Him to constantly step in! I know I don't even have to say it, He is already there. That literally sums up what these 27 days in Cambodia are going to look like! It is going to be full of Him! I can not wait to see what He has in store for me, my team, and these people of Cambodia that we interact with daily! As for now, I am going to try and get some sleep. Doubtful, but it doesn't hurt to try. I am going to leave you with this last lyric, because music seems to be the theme of this post. "It's wrong to say our hearts won't change as long as YOU are here!" That is so true! It is wrong to say that none of these people's hearts won't change, that I can not change and become more loving of people in general. Believers, non- believers, white, black, hispanic, asian, children, adults, EVERYONE! We are all subject, and should be open to change. With God present, it is going to happen. We just all need to have an open heart to it!

--Discerning the Call
Chase Fallin