For the past week we have been staying 45 minutes outside of Phenom Phen, which is a big city in Cambodia. We are staying with our host, Theven, his adopted daughter, and His friend (and our translator), Dom. They are hilarious and gracious and we have become fast friends with them.
Theven is part of a small group of people that plant churches around the area. He also spends time volunteering at a few orphanages and we have been able to spend time there as well this past week.
This week, Cambodia has been celebrating Khmer New Year, which is a Buddhist holiday. This means many people have left the city and traveled back home to their villages to celebrate with their families. With that said, ministry has looked differently this week because everyone is celebrating. But we have had the honor in celebrating with them and partaking in some of their traditions, like dancing to the same two songs on repeat and throwing baby powder at each other.
One night we even went to a faraway village and spent the night there. I got the privilege of preaching to them about grace and how the Lord has changed my life. We got a taste of living in poverty but we were also overwhelmed by the love and graciousness we received from the village people.
Today, we are heading to a village to stay for a week. We will be staying at an orphanage with the absolute kindest man that we call, Pastor. There we will be working with the children and teaching them English and about Jesus. We will also be doing a little traveling and evangelizing to villages.
I am asking for prayers of safety and that the Lord will continue to meet my needs in, yet again, a new place. Pray for joy and energy for my team as we live and work with children who deserve to feel loved and valued.
