Before I tell you about our ministry I need to rewind back to month 2 in Romania. I was in Craiova, Romania talking to my dear friend Christina Eichler about her favorite ministries while she was on the race. She began to tell me about her ministry in Cambodia where she worked with street kids. At first I thought ‘oh that would be cool’ but as she began to explain how they would pick kids up off the street, hang out with them at the center all day, to then drop them back off on the streets at the end of the day. I said “ I wouldn’t be able to handle that.”
I didn’t think much about that ministry because I thought “what are the chances I will actually go to that ministry.” As my team leader started to read off the description for Crossing Cambodia I became super nervous because she was describing the ministry Christina told me about. I was excited to be working with kids, but I had no idea if I could actually handle leaving those children back on the streets.
When we arrived at our ministry our days looked like:
Waking up at 5:45 am, leaving at 6 am to pick the kids up from the street(we had to find them and wake them up), bring them to the center for breakfast and to help them get dressed for school(sponsorship provides food and private schooling), the older kids would go to school and we would trade off hanging out with the preschoolers or helping to wash dishes, and that was all before 8 am!
8 am was then a time of devotion for us and the staff and we would have worship or read a piece of scripture and talk about it. From there we would help watch the preschoolers, wash laundry, and prepare lunch for when the older kids got there at 11 am. As the older kids arrived we would serve them lunch and get to know them and love on them as much as possible. We would assist with bath time and get them ready for the second part of their school day.
Then came the hardest part of the day.
The older kids would come back to the center at about 4 pm and we would help put them back into their street clothes and load them into the back of the truck to take them back to their piece of street they lived on where they would begin to beg for money.
Our contacts wanted 2 people to pick up and drop off everyday. And I can honestly say that I avoided dropping off at all costs. Picking them up in the morning was easy because they were coming to a safe place. It wasn’t until like maybe half way through the month when one of my teammates asked me to go with her (shout out to Kortney) that I decided to see if it was as bad as I imagined it would be.
It was.
By the time I went to do my first drop off I had gotten so attached to all of our kids. There were 3 siblings that I got especially close to and as I sat there in the truck about to leave those precious little boys on the streets. I called out to the oldest and told him I would see him the next day.
And as he turned around I could see in his eyes how he was going back to the kid who had to survive on the streets until morning came. He couldn’t be the sweet little boy like he was at the center he had to be the sole provider for his younger siblings and he was only 8 years old. He turned around and walked away from the truck and we started to drive away, but one of his younger siblings started to run after the truck and thats when I just lost it. Tears were pouring down my face as I waved at my little friend.
My month in Cambodia is one I will never forget.
Your financial support is putting me in direct contact with these beautiful children. Please consider partnering with me again (or for the first time) as I try to raise my last financial goal!
With love and respect,
Andie Cortez
Also there is a part 2 of this blog post, so be on the look out!
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29
