Myanmar and Home

Hello From Colorado,

I just got back to Denver with my family yesterday after a lot of traveling and flying. It feels really good to be home with my parents and I can sense that it is the right time for me to be back in the US and moving onto the next season in my life. I'm enjoying it here and am excited about going back to school, although I'm STILL waiting to hear back from Duke. I'm still hopeful though as I am trusting God to open the door there and provide for the costs of it all. (Prayers for that would be really appreciated).

Between the last update I sent however we were able to venture into the beautiful country of Myanmar. We really had to trust God from arrival into the country as we arrived with just enough money to cover the cost of our visas. Upon using our last bit of cash, we entered the country only to find out there are no ATMs in the entire country! Thankfully however we found out that there were about 4 hotels where if you were a guest you could also withdraw money from a credit card and were able to go to one of those hotels. We withdrew a limited amount of money and so we had to be very watchful of how we were spending the rest of our time in the country.

Our time in Myanmar was great. Despite the oppressive government, the country is beautiful, the people are really friendly and hospitable, and the food was amazing. We spent most of our time in a city called Pyin Oo Lwin at an orphanage called St. Matthew's. During those days, we spent our times with the kids there, we taught English, music, and led some of the devotion times where we able to share what Jesus has done in our own lives. The days we had there were very fun and all the staff at the orphanage were incredibly kind and humble. And while I enjoyed our time in the country, I was ready by the end to be on my way home.

This is probably one of my final updates considering my African experience has come to a close. I will send an update when I know my next step 100%. But thank you all for reading, supporting, and praying over the past few years, I really appreciate it. Love - Ryan