Ministry comes and ministry goes. Some are amazing and some you can’t
wait to leave. You never know what you are getting yourself into as you pull up
to the ministry site for the first time and get out of the car. I expected just
another month in Cambodia, but the Lord had other plans!!!
This month, the boys of Teen Challenge stole my heart. From the moment
I got out of the van, the Lord overwhelmed me with love for them. I immediately
started playing with them (even though it was raining). The first day on the
job, we worked side by side with the boys. Even though most of them could not
speak English, laughs were shared and walls broken. As the month progressed,
each person started opening up to us. The boys would scream our names when we
arrived in the morning, fight over who got to hold our hands, constantly asks
us to sit beside them, and some even shared their testimonies with us for the
first time ever. At month 9, I didn’t think I had any love left to give. But with
every story shared and testimony told, my heart grew even more.
Finally, it was time to leave. I was dreaded this moment. I wish I
could take each of them home with me to give them a new life. Why did I love so
much knowing I would have to leave in just a few weeks? Why does it hurt to say
good-bye? With every hug, a little piece of my heart was left behind. As we got
in the van, tears streamed down my face knowing I would never get to see them
again.
But joy filled my heart! Hope overwhelmed me! I was used by the Lord!
The boys and me will never be the same again!
“The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good
news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
freedom to the captives, and open prisons to those who are bound.” Isaiah 61:1
Working in the Rice Fields
Teaching
Playing Games
Free Time at TC
Declarations
The Village Life
The Whole Crew the Last Day
Pitbull, Samuel, and Chelsea (3 of my favs)
