I cannot even begin to describe my time in Cambodia.
It was a month full of surprises, miracles, and faces.
Lots and lots of faces.
To summarize my month into one blog or even multiple blogs would not do it justice.
Instead I’m going to show you those faces.
And tell you what they mean to me.
How they pushed me to grow in ways I never knew I could.
This is Achu. (Ahh-choo).
Yes, God bless you.
This little nugget was an extreme bundle of joy.
Every time I entered the 42 village she would run into my arms,
With by far the biggest, cheesiest smile I think I have ever seen.
My heart would literally melt every time I saw it.
I loved knowing I was going into that village with her waiting on me.
We most definitely had a language barrier, but that did nothing to stop us.
This girl makes so many different faces, like 24/7.
And if you know me, you know I make some weirrdddd faces.
It didn’t matter what we were doing, we would literally be giggling the entire time.
I will never forget that precious laugh.
Achu taught me how to enjoy every little thing.
To always be full of joy,
But invite people into that joy.
My team couldn’t help but smile and laugh along with her.
And those lips, I mean have you ever seen such an adorable kissy face?
This is Sreynoun. (Sr-eye-yawn). I don’t think I’ve ever met someone more diva than myself…
Until I met this precious little girl.
The first day I simply asked, “What is your name?”
She proceeded to ask the same question to me, in English.
I asked again, she asked again, and so forth.
It was a game we began to play, every. single. day.
I had flashbacks of that Full House episode where Michelle went around mocking everyone.
If you can picture that, but a Cambodian version, and even more hilarious.
My heart is literally smiling now, just thinking about her.
I can picture her, with her baby sister on her hip, getting all sassy with me.
Honestly, I fell in love with her.
But it’s a love I have never ever felt for anyone before.
It’s the kind of love I feel like the big man has for us.
One that wants to see His children grow in favor with Him.
And in that growth to succeed, accomplish, and become great.
I want good things, no great things for Sreynoun.
If I could have dumped all my belongings in the village and just taken her with me…
I would have; in a heartbeat.
But I can’t; it is actually illegal.
(I did say I thought my team would be the first to get arrested…
and we may have come close a few times this month, sorry momma).
I could continue to tell stories of this amazing little girl,
because I may or may not have spent almost every second with her.
And even in saying that, it conveys even more what I learned.
The big man upstairs wants to spend every second with us;
He wants to tell stories about us; He wants the best for us.
And that become evident to me in the 42 village, through this little girl.
I got a glimpse of Him. Of His love. And I’m forever grateful for that.
My experience with the people in 42 village is hard to put into words.
I was humbled, I was stretched, I was loved, I was overwhelmed.
But must of all I was full.
Full of hope, joy, and compassion for these people.
His people.
This village made an lasting impact in my life and even more so in my heart.
***
The big man did not stop there, we also reached out in the prisons.
First off, I’ve never seen so much hunger for the Word than I did in there.
They were shy at first, but when given one-on-one attention could not keep quiet.
Their biggest question though, could only be answered when they had their own Word.
As we began to study with these prisoners,
I never saw my team or myself as any different than them.
They of course all wore the same clothing and looked well, Cambodian.
I wore whatever was clean and modest, and compared to ALL Cambodians I’m superrrr white.The point I was getting at…
Is that we are all sinners.
Regardless of the sin committed, we are all equal.
And in this case, all believers.
We sat down, in a prison, with Cambodians, worshipped The Lord, and studied the word.
Can you say Hollaaaa?! (insert my teammates saying “lujah”)
This was probably one of the most rewarding moments in my life.
These woman…are warriors.
They are by a huge amount the minority in the prison.
But they are also the strongest people in there.
In particular a woman named Sreymom. (Sr-eye-mom).
Our first day there we split off to get to know the prisoners,
and thankfully she was in my small group.
If at any point someone started acting out,
with no hesitation Sreymom put them in their place.
Then quickly turned, looked back at me and just smiled.
I knew that day we were gonna be BFF.
She always made a point to stay behind or wait on me at the end.
We would attempt to chat in what little English and Khmer we both spoke.
Then just laugh, hug on each other, and exchange “I love you.”
Sreymom would lead a separate devotional study for the women in the prison every day.
She was so hungry to spread His love to her fellow inmates.
That hunger was one of the most encouraging things I have ever witnessed.
She literally thirsted for more, and took in everything we shared with her.
Sreymom taught me to always want more.
To always be hungry for more.
To never be fully satisfied.
But to also lead others to Him.
This woman was gleaming with the love of the Savior.
She exuded a love that could only come from Him.
These are only a few of the faces I saw in Cambodia.
But some that will be forever imprinted in my heart.
I learned way more than I ever thought I could in month 2.
And because of that this country will always be “Ocha”
(That means awesome, btdubs).
Peace and Blessings.
