I hear the faint beeping of my watch alarm go off just as the sun peaks out behind palm trees right outside the church window. I crawl out of my tent and make the morning trip to the squatty potty, essentially a hole in the ground where we dispose of our waste. Coming back inside for a cup of 3-in-1 coffee (Asia’s favorite), I take my Bible and journal and head out to the porch for some brief solitude before the day begins. My heart rejoices in thankfulness over the beauty of this place. Secluded in a remote village in northern Cambodia, we are at least an hour away from any internet and farther still to any major shops or markets. God is so good. Our pastor’s wife shows up bearing this morning’s fruit: bananas, clementines, and dragon fruit. Taking a slice of dragon fruit, I plop back down and let the soothing words of Paul’s letter to the Colossians wash over me.
It isn’t long before kids start riding by on their bikes, off to school in their white button ups and navy slacks. Some of the younger ones wander over and seeing me, they come to play. I read them some Scriptures as they repeat back to me whatever English words they can pick up on. I’m reassured God’s Word never returns void.
Pastor Nean peeks his head around the corner indicating it’s almost time to go. I go back inside and get the camera ready for today’s community visit, sending up another quick prayer that we would see some fruit from our labors today. Somnang is coming along for the visits today and our whole team is delighted. Somnang lost his leg in a motorcycle accident leaving him with a stub just above his left knee. We have never met anyone with such joy despite such dire circumstances. Because of his injury, Somnang is no longer able to make the long distance to school so at the age of 16 he has stopped his education. We recognized his brilliance from the first day teaching English and have spent many hours doing 1-on-1 English lessons for him.
As we walk to the first house, we silently pray for courage and boldness to proclaim the Gospel and for hearts open and willing to receive the Good News. The first man we encounter has lost all muscle in his legs and has to be carried from his bed onto a chair where we gather around him to share about Jesus. We understand some of what Pastor Nean is saying via our translator, however even though not everything is translated, we can visibly see the genuine love he has for this man by his eyes and by his hand, affectionately placed on his back, making the man chuckle here and there. At the end of the Gospel sharing, we gather around and lay hands on him, pleading the Lord to bring this child of His into relationship with Him via His Son Jesus. We leave with the promise to return and visit him again the following week, mentally committing to pray for him until that time comes.
And so the morning continues, going house to house, engaging with the community and sharing with them about the love of Christ that compelled us 6 girls to fly all the way across the world just to spend time with them and tell them about the great Love we’ve experienced. At noon we head back, tiring from the swelling afternoon sun, and regain some energy through the delicious meal our Pastor’s wife has waiting for us: rice, veggies, and chicken. After taking a quick nap, we head out to the church porch for afternoon English lessons with kids in the community. Today’s lesson is on colors and we come up with a color game where the kids have to run all over the lot finding different objects that match the colors we assign them. Many laughs are had before we release the kids back to their bamboo homes for dinner.
My teammate Lauren and I go for an evening jog down the dirt road we call home. As the sun casts dreamy rays of orange and pink across the sky, we run rejoicing in the handiwork of God all around us. The bucket showers aren’t so bad after getting all sweaty. I actually relish in the cool water running down my face as I pour bucket after bucket over my head, doing my best to get clean. Dinner awaits inside: rice, eggs, and a pineapple veggie stew. We pull in for our daily team time, encouraging and sharpening each other in feedback. Margot shares her testimony of God’s faithfulness throughout her life, giving us insight into who He made her and how she got here. We wrap up the night in playful girl talk, just before crawling back into our tents and hitting the lights, praising God for another wonderful day in Salachhes Village, Cambodia.
