Well the final month of The World Race has come and is
quickly passing by, actually ministry is officially over and we are able to
have a couple days of much needed rest before our final debrief starts in a
couple of days. Really it is hard to believe this chapter of my life has almost
come to an end. With the end of the trip so near it has definitely taken more
of an intentional effort to stay focused, however it has been a great month of
ministry here in Cambodia.
The ministry we are working alongside is called ‘Children At
Risk’, and is run through YWAM Cambodia. As the name would suggest, a large
focus is working with children, (infants to ten years old) but more than that
this ministry has done a great job of reaching out to not just the kids, but to
their families and the community as well. The ministry used to be located in
the slums of Phnom Penh (the capital), but a few years back the government set
up alternative housing just outside the city and moved the people to the new
location. For the most part, a lot of the kids in the community aren’t able to
go to school, partially because of money but also there just isn’t enough
schools set up for the amount of kids. The ‘Children At Risk’ program (are at
risk of prostitution, gangs, and just growing up on the streets) has set up a
variety of activities to pour into them positively, from club programs, to
short English lessons, to teaching personal hygiene, and mostly just hanging
out with them and giving them the love and affection that they so desperately
need. It has been draining at times, but it has been very rewarding and has
been a blessing to be able to spend time with them, as the kids immediately
love anyone who is willing to give them any sort of attention.
Our contacts have been able to build up a great reputation within
the community over a number of years, by also starting and having practices for
an organized youth soccer team, holding cell-groups for Believers and those who
are interested, and by visiting families not to preach to them, but to first
get to know them and find out what their needs are. By finding out what the
specific needs are, they have also been able to do their best to meet some of
those needs. While we were there, a Church from Texas raised a few thousand
dollars, enough money to buy the materials needed to build six small houses for
families and widows who are in desperate need for better accommodations. We
were able to help build two of them during our time here. The houses being one
12×15′ room, and raised off the ground to avoid flooding, were not much to look
at, but nonetheless the people who were given these homes were overjoyed and so
thankful for being blessed in such a way. It has been a good example to me of
Christians seeing a need in a community and then doing their best to help the
people by meeting that need.
Living
conditions have been very easy this month as we have been staying at the YWAM
base, and also there is a lot of ‘North American’ food nearby as Phnom Penh is
a popular stop for tourists. I hope that this month will help with the
transition back to the North American lifestyle, as it is now very near. But
until then, it will be nice to relax a bit and to also work through and process
some of what I have seen and experienced over the past eleven months. Thank you
for your prayers up to this point, and it would be great if you would continue
to pray for me during this time of transition. Looking forward to being home
and sharing my experiences with you all.
Justin
