**I'm in Vietnam (a closed country) hence the wording.
In Cambodia….
There were two villages we went to in Cambodia. The 42 house village and the “Muslim” village that wasn’t Muslim at all. (Some where there was a mix up of what the village was actually called… miscommunication or “lost in translation” maybe? Who knows…but anyways we weren’t told until our last day of being there that the village was not Muslim… sooo “Muslim” village it is.) But I will start with the 42 houses.
42 House Village…
The first day we arrived at the village kids swarmed us! They were everywhere! And my heart was so HAPPY! Coming from a month in Thailand where we were with kids everyday….I was a little sad leaving because I loved being with the kids, and going to Cambodia I didn’t expect to have kids at all! So when we arrived at the village and kids came running down the path to greet us, it was like Christmas Day!
These kids stuck to you like glue! Every day we went there I had at least 3-5 kids attached to me (One in each arm, one on each leg, and usually one was hanging on my back), and then there were 3 more standing in front of me wanting to play a hand clapping game. Multi-tasking was a must! Sometimes we would play soccer or volleyball with the older kids. With the little kids… we would play duck duck goose, or ring around the rosy, hokey pokey or just swing them around, or you know teach them the Macarena dance (Hey, you have to get creative!
So after the first day at the village we learned a little about it. These people live in huts (basically small chicken coops), and you can find multiple families living in one. They are on government owned land, and basically the government does not want them to live there anymore, so they do not help these people at all. These people are outcasts.
While we were there we learned that one of their water wells was broken and that it would cost $300 to repair the well.That night, my team decided that we would have to talk to Papa. We all had it on our hearts that this well had to be fixed! So we did. We asked Papa to provide the funds to be able to fix the well. And let me just tell ya something…Papa hears us IMMEDIATELY. Talking to Him is not like sending an email or text message to someone who never checks his or her inbox. No. He hears us right away, and He’s always listening. And here in Cambodia, Papa was moving fast, answering one request after the next (He was even answering things that were not requested). He is so good! He provided the money for the well to be fixed literally within 24 hours! We were so excited! We got to help these people fix their well! And best of all got to tell the people how this was even possible. We got to tell them who (Papa) made it possible, and why it happened. (Basically the book of John was coming alive right in front of our eyes).
After the well was fixed we would come to the village everyday prepared to bathe the kids. I have never seen kids so happy to be able to take a bath! I think most of them ended up taking about 3 baths (they just love soap!!! The funny thing is after they were clean they would itch their heads…not because of lice, but because for the first time they’re heads were clean and they had dry skin). After their baths they were given clean clothes to put on, oh my gosh it was just so cool! And yes you better believe those kids were smothered in kisses and hugs after their baths!
We loved these kids, and we all built strong relationships with them. I know one particular little girl stole my heart. Her name is Ginan, she is probably about 4 years old. Everyday I told her that I loved her. And these kids will pretty much repeat anything you say…so she would say back to me, “I love you.” But what I really wanted was not for her to say it, but to truly know what it meant. By the end of the month, I wanted her to understand what love was. I wanted the entire village to know what love was.
Because honestly, the first day we were there, they were a little violent with each other. They fought a lot, hit and kicked each other, and it’s because that’s what they were taught. That’s what they know. I will never forget when we asked one of the mothers what love was…and she showed us by spanking her child on the behind. So every day we were there we discouraged any kind of fighting, and ya know what there was a complete attitude change in that village by the end of the month. Instead of fighting….the kids tickled each other, and the grown-ups were more open and inviting and actually had smiles on their faces.
And right in front of my eyes…I saw it happen. I saw the kids in the village experience love, and they began to understand. This time when I told them I loved them, I got a big hug or kiss with an “I love you” right back.
So many awesome things happened in this village. Things that are not possible without Papa. And I just know Papa has His hand in this village. And I know that because my last day there…I was not sad or broken hearted. I had joy in my heart, and I was at peace because I knew that these kids, this village has experienced Papa’s love for the first time, and that He is with them.
**Check out my teammate’s blog about a lady named Som, you can find her page on the left hand side of my page. Megan Kennedy. Also check out her video of Cambodia.
