Thank you to all of you who prayed for R squad’s Siem Reap debrief! We had a fantastic time. God moved powerfully in our teams and in our individual lives. We reached new levels of freedom in areas we’ve struggled in, developed better communication, more trust and openness in our relationships, and had lots of opportunities to make sweet memories. A HUGE thank you to Di Dinnis, Tim Dixon, April Payne, and Matthew Poole for their time and effort in putting it all together!! 🙂
One of the highlights of debrief was a trip to one of the seven wonders of the world: Angkor Wat. We arose early to catch the view of the main temple at sunrise. It was beautiful! (But I’m still partial to a North Dakota or Montana sunrise!) J
After sunrise a few of us walked over to a little stand and sat down for breakfast. I walked over to the restroom and on my way back was distracted by one of the most beautiful sounds there is….children singing. It melts my heart to think of it today! I couldn’t not walk over to where the sound was coming from. I found myself at the bottom of a few steps looking up into a large room with an open front. I could see 8 or so boys kneeling on a mat with hands pressed together at their chests singing while many Buddhist monks sat on the floor before tables eating their breakfast.
There I stood with a huge grin on my face observing this scene.
A few of the boys noticed me and we exchanged smiles. Then they began to wave me in to the room. I started walking in and they immediately started gesturing for me to stop and pointing at my feet. Oops! No flip flops allowed. J I ran back and took my shoes off and then entered the room. The boys cleared a spot for me on their mat. I kneeled down next to them and we started talking. After a few moments one of the monks turned to me and said, “Eat rice? You, eat rice?” I froze. I didn’t expect this. He repeated himself and the boys chimed in. The next thing I knew they were laying out pots of rice and little fish and bowls and spoons on the ground near the mat.
I had the privilege of eating breakfast with these precious boys. I didn’t take very much food and when my bowl got close to empty, they took the liberty to heap more in. I was so overwhelmed and blessed by their hospitality and generosity. I mean, really, I keep being challenged by it. I can’t shake it, and I don’t want to. The openness and spontaneity; the generosity; the way they welcomed me and made me feel completely at home with them.
I love welcoming people into my home and believe I have a gift of hospitality, yet it’s on my terms, it’s the people I choose to invite. It’s when I feel like it or it’s convenient for me.
I’m so thankful for the generosity and hospitality (without the limitations I sometimes place) that is present in Cambodian culture and the privilege to enjoy it, and I pray I carry it back to the States when the Race is over.
