So this month has been full of uncomfortable moments for me.
In all honesty I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons that have not been fun to learn. I know they are making me a stronger person in the long run, but boy are they hard to walk through. Have you ever been in that same position? This post is an overview of what my month in Cambodia has been like.
Unforgettable Moments this month for me:
- Flies literally attacking me during meals and other moments of the day, I do not know what breed they are in Cambodia but I have never encountered such vicious flies in my life
- Going to bed to the sound of a wailing/croaking crazy animal sound…I thought it was going to eat me and almost jumped on Alecia in the middle of the night.
- Walking down the street daily to a chorus of “HELLO, HELLO, HELLO” from every child we pass, they will shout it as many times as it takes for you to respond, once you do respond they will continue to repeat it about 10 more times 🙂
- Sharing a loft house with 2 rats, TONS of lizards and geckos, several bats, and many many many many large spiders, beetle bugs, gnats, ants, and mosquitoes. We have had to go to bed at times declaring dominion over the bugs so that we can even get to sleep. We sleep on the floor under mosquito nets in a one room wooden loft.
- Riding full speed down a Cambodian highway on the back of a motorbike to church in a skirt…good times!
- Hanging out at a gas station at 7:30am with Alecia eating Ice cream cones and drinking green tea/pomegranate drinks on our day off and carving pumpkins to celebrate fall!!
- Milo is a kind of ovaltine type drink, it comes in powder form and you can drink it dissolved in cold or hot water. Every morning we are greeted with a large steaming mug of Milo and it’s been fantastic. Occasionally we’ll treat ourselves to a second cup later in the day which has been a huge blessing while living at Solar Cafe.
- Having a brand new definition of ministry developed within me and experience true freedom of living under Christ’s love and not my own “great expectations” of what I think ministry should look like.
- Helping to tear a widow’s hut down and having spiders falling all over me and actually not caring because I knew we were making a difference. Getting thanked with my first ever fresh coconut.
- Being incredibly humbled as our students washed our feet after we walked through sludge to come teach them English and Bible stories.
- Feeling completely safe walking back at night to our home with only one small 15 year old child as our guide- God was very present
- Literally having 5 minutes to put together a full on sermon for a Cambodian church service. Preaching 3 sermons (25 minutes each) in 3 different church services and declaring God’s Is Good…All the Time using a translator…very empowering moment, God is so cool 🙂
Amidst all of these unforgettable moments I am continually reminded that God has been so present with us at every moment this month. He called us here very clearly, and had great purpose in doing so. He has protected us multiple times, helped us get through really uncomfortable places, and yet made us so strong as individuals and as a team. We have made a huge impact for the Kingdom within Boray District and encouraged Sokun’s ministry greatly. I’m so glad we’ve had this unique month to be stretched and blessed in so many unforgettable ways!
