CAMBODIA
1. What were your living arrangements like?
We slept in tents this month with squatty potties and bucket showers (we got our water from a pump because we were without electricity and running water).
2. What was the food like?
The food was cooked for us every meal by our hosts! We had delicious Khmer and Philippine dishes. Rice: its what’s for breakfast, dinner, and dessert. I loved the fried spring rolls and veggie meatballs (yummm)
Typical Lunch
3. What is the culture like? How is it different from ours?
Village people spend most of their days (and nights) outside, they cook over a fire, shower without walls (dump a bucket on their heads), and eat ants regularly.
4. What did you learn about yourself?
Among lots of other things I learned that I was viewing ministry as my job to bring people to Jesus and that is not true. It is my job to love people and plant seeds but it is God only who can change people’s hearts.
Buna (our translator) cooking breakfast
5. What did you learn about how the culture effects the way the people understand the gospel and live as Christians?
To be Cambodian is to be Buddhist as we were told many times; If you are Cambodian born and you choose any religion other than Buddhism then your neighbors and relatives will no longer see you as Cambodian. This message is rooted into Cambodians at a young age so presenting the gospel is challenging for anyone because no one wants to go against their culture or family. But thankfully it is God who changes hearts and we just plant the seeds!
6. What was your most memorable moment from this month?
New Year’s Eve in Cambodia! We went out to dinner and spend countdown on Pub Street (the Times Square of Cambodia).
Fruit walk at Cambodian wedding
7. What was the hardest thing about your month?
Learning how to be obedient to God and do His will and not my own.
8. What was the biggest lesson you learned?
Learning how to be obedient to God and do His will and not my own (haha).
9. What did you see God doing among the people of Cambodia?
God is chasing after the people of Cambodia hardcore. He is knocking on their hearts and calling their names but they are hesitant to run towards Him. God is slowly but surely making himself more and more known to Cambodians and He wants to save them all and heal them.
The dirt road we lived on
10. What did you learn about the community and the people you served?
Our ministry has strong people who aren’t afraid to live for God and his will. They are patient and steadfast and won’t give up on God. Almost all of the people I met in Cambodia believe in the power of the Lord so they know God is calling them and the people I worked with will be the ones to show everyone it’s worth stepping out of ourselves and into Jesus’ plan.
11. What FUN activities did you get to do?
We got to attend a wedding our first week in the village! It was full of traditions including a Fruit Walk that we participated in. We carried trays of fruit, dessert, and Khmer treats down the road to deliver to the parents of the bride and groom. We also got to experience Angkor Wat (a wonder of the world) at sunrise and worship at the ancient temple.
12. What one thing surprised you the most?
How easy it was to get used to squatty potties!
13. Explain your “typical day” this month.
We would wake up around 6:30 and have group worship with our hosts and then eat breakfast together followed by quiet time. Morning and afternoon would consist of English classes and guitar classes. I had the privilege of leading Bible study for a family of 4 women who had just accepted Jesus. They were the first family in the village to do so. The second Bible study I lead was for a family with a wide age range of children, some were younger and could remember everything about the Bible that we taught them and some we didn’t meet because they are in Monk school. After Bible studies we would have dinner and team time and go to bed in our tents pretty early!
Bible study with the ladies
14. What different projects did you work on this month? I did the two Bible studies; my teammates did English class, guitar class, and another Bible study. We cleaned the yard for our hosts to make a garden too!
15. Name one main difference between this month and previous months?
In the previous countries everyone seemed pretty open to Jesus and if nothing else open to discussing religion or accepting prayer. We asked to pray for someone one day in the village and they didn’t want to receive it because they knew that Jesus would heal them and if they were healed they would have to stop being Buddhist and didn’t want to do that.
16. Where are some places you saw the face of Jesus in Cambodia?
The ladies at Bible study when they greeted me, the children who loved to play games, the teenagers who gave all of us earrings before we left, and our hosts and translators who took such good care of us.
17. What customs did you have to follow in Cambodia that we don’t have in the U.S.? We had to take our shoes off before entering buildings, we did the lotus “prayer” with our hands as a sign of respect, we pretty much always sat on the floor – eating, teaching, worshipping all on the floor.
Bible study at Om Con’s house
18. I know Cambodia was a tough country for most of your squad, tell us about some of those struggles and what God was teaching you through the tough times.
Cambodia is full of spiritual warfare and darkness; Satan has reign over that country in extremely oppressed ways. They believe in spirits –good and bad- and therefore get attacked by evil often.
19. What was it like living in a remote village with no electricity or running water?
It was like camping! The hardest part of not having running water is bucket showers.
20. This was the first month with your new team, how was it? It was fun! My team likes to hang out and play games and I really like that about them.
21. What are you looking forward to in Malaysia?
Living indoors!
22. This is month 6! Does it feel like it is going by fast or slow???
Depends on the day really; looking back everything seems like it’s going fast.
Cambodian girls
