I never knew that I would miss having seasons so badly. Pre-world race, the thought of endless summer seemed so ideal, but in actuality its not all its cracked up to be. I cannot comprehend that its mid-December already because its still 90 degrees in Cambodia, along with everywhere else we have been so far. However, God has now revealed that He has blessed me with a different kind of seasons. He is revealing to me that I have just come out of a season of preparation and am now entering a season of change. I was very blessed to have three solid months with team Hephzibah and learn from them and grow with them. A month ago the thought of ever not being with those girls on this race would have brought me to tears and been the source of much anxiety, but God has really been working on my heart. He has been speaking to me that change can be a good thing, and I have such a peace now that I know came straight from Him. So I am entering my season of change with Team Eleutheroo. This word is Greek for “make free, deliver”, something that we felt God was speaking over us and being prophesied into us from the moment our new team was formed. I am so excited to experience this freedom and be apart of my teammates experiencing more freedom in Christ. On my new team, I am still with Carmen Record and Amy Heiser (our team leader!), along with new team members Jenny Ellis, Michelle Cook, and Ashley Bronkema.
Now, onto where we are and what we are doing. I won’t lie, I wasn’t very excited about coming to Cambodia. I think it was mostly due to the fact that I did not know very much about this country. but it has been a country of surprises already. One of my first surprises was finding Dr Pepper in Cambodia of all places. I probably got a little too excited when I found it, but when you find these little tastes of home it becomes very exciting. One of my next surprises was to learn how ignorant I have been when it comes to the history of this country. I had no idea that in a mere four year span in the late 1970’s approximately 2 million Cambodians were killed in a genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. And only for the past 12 years has there been peace in the this country since that time. I hate rediscovering yet again how much I have lived in my American bubble pretty much my entire life.
Our ministry this month is helping to teach conversational English to university students here in Phnem Phen. They ask us questions to practice their english, so basically we just have conversations with them for a couple of hours. Literally the second question I received when we broke into small groups was “why do you believe in Jesus?” talk about being caught off guard. It turns out the guy that asked me the question was actually a Christian, but I found out that 4 out of the 6 in my group were Buddhist. So, I am very excited about the incredible opportunity we have this month to share our faith with these very curious university students. We are free to discuss our beliefs and ask them why they believe what they believe. I have already been asked many questions about my faith, and even though it is hard at times to know how to respond in basic english, I love that my teammates and I are getting this opportunity to share with Christian and Buddhist students alike.
I am excited for this season that God has given me, and the chance to learn from and grow with these new sisters and new team. As he continues to grow and stretch me everyday, I cannot wait to see what the next season holds for me. But I am confident that just as He was faithful to prepare me for this new season, He will prepare me for the next as well.
