Hey everyone, I just want to apologize for not posting a blog in awhile. You just dive into the World Race life and before you realize it, a couple months have flown by.
And while yes, I am wrapping up my time here in the Philippines, I definitely wanted to let you into my time in Cambodia.
Now, before getting to Cambodia, I honestly didn’t really know much about it other than the fact that it was going to be the hottest time of the year there, clothes were dirt cheap, it was a dirty country, and they experienced a genocide around 40 years ago that wiped out around half of the country’s population. And as soon as we arrived I quickly realized all of these thing were true. It was hot, like triple digit sticky humid hot. The hottest place i’ve ever been. Yes, clothes were really cheap too. I ended up picking up some new sandals and a Michael Jordan Tune Squad jersey. It was also very dirty. Trash was everywhere and in some areas it smelled really bad. And then as far as the genocide goes, there were still a lot of families and areas still affected by it being that it was not long ago. We were also going to be teaching English at a school which was going to require long hours and early mornings. Now all that being said, I knew it was going to make for a long month. And it did, just not completely the way I was expecting it to be.
Given some of the reasons listed above, Cambodia ended up being one of the hardest months, but also one of my favorite months. The reason it was so hard was it way hotter than any of us were ever used to, and sleeping in a barn with no air flow did not help the matter. Those two things in combination with roosters and dogs going crazy at all hours of the night, resulted in not much sleep. Also, a week into our time there, myself and the rest of my team got all kinds of sick off and on for the rest of the month. We also had a teammate go home half-way through because her mother was extremely sick. All of it was really rough and took a big toll on all of us.
But you know what? Despite the miserableness of all that, I personally took so much more good away than bad from our time in Cambodia. If you know me, you know that I love kids, and for the most part, they usually love me too. And so I was very excited about teaching English and Bible this month. I was blessed with the opportunity to teach most excelled kids class in which their ages ranged anywhere from 9 to 14 years old. And let me tell you, from the moment I first met them, my heart was already won over. One, they are hands down the cutest kids I have ever met, and i’ve met a lot of children from all over the world. Not only are they the cutest kids ever, but the amount of respect they have for their elders was more respect than I have ever seen out of any child before. These kids literally come having little to nothing at all. A lot of them only ever see their parents once or twice a year because they can’t find work and so they have to go to Thailand. A lot of these kids families couldn’t even afford a dollar a month to go to school. But the school takes them anyways because they believe in them. Sometimes the teachers don’t even get paid because the funds aren’t there, but they show up anyways to love love and teach the children. But you know what? They were some of the most joy filled children I have ever met. They don’t take anything in their life for granted, they see almost everything as a privilege. It was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.
Yeah, I was able to teach these kids a few things in english and the proper way to say things, but man, the taught me a whole heck of a lot more than I think I taught them. I learned a lot about selflessness. I realized I took way too much for granted, like parents being there, clean water, access to healthy lifestyle, education, and many many more things. They taught me to find Joy and laughter and thankfulness in the smallest of things. I also honestly hope that one day their country would reopen adoption, because I would be honored to adopt one of those children one day. They have forever stolen a place in my heart and I am completely okay with that.
I am currently wrapping up my favorite month here in the Philippines and preparing to head into the final 3 months in Africa. So prayers would be appreciate for that. No promises as to when, but I will be writing a blog about my amazing time here in the Philippines and the amazing ministry we got to be a part of.
Thank you!
Andrew
