February is quickly flying by and its hard to believe that we're already more than halfway through the month. But don't I say that every time? I still remember watching my family disappear from view as I took the escalator down to the trains in DIA and thinking, "How am I going to do this for eleven months?!" Yet here I am, almost halfway through this journey. I'm beginning to see that looking at the entire eleven month journey is too overwhelming, but I can focus month by month, day by day, ministry by ministry and find that every day is new and fresh and exciting.
So here we are in Cambodia. At the beginning of the month, we had our four month debrief in Siem Reap. This is basically a time to rest, worship, learn from one another, check in with our leaders, and enjoy community. We had the opportunity to do some sight-seeing, including going to Angkor Wat.
In front of Angkor Wat!
In the Jungle Temple at Angkor Wat
When our brief time at debrief was over, Team Siloam departed for our ministry with the Rock Foundation Cambodia near Phnom Penh. We're placed with another team this month, which means there are currently fourteen of us sharing three bedrooms and a small common living area. The bathroom consists of a large basin of water and a toilet. Bathing requires a bucket, as well as quick reflexes to avoid the plethora of mosquitoes that inhabit the water basin. Its incredibly hot and humid here, so we're thankful for the fans (when the electricity is working, that is).
Our first day of ministry, we had the opportunity to visit Choeung Ek, one of many Killing Fields from the Khmer Rouge regime of the late 1970s. It was a sobering reminder of the recent past of many Cambodians and the many issues the country and its people still face as a result of the genocide.
Our day to day ministry has included visiting a number of villages where our contact works. They are all poor squatter villages that our contact Brett and his right-hand man, Thyvenn, have been pouring into for a year or more. They lead Bible studies, discipleship opportunities, and often bring food to help feed the hungry families. One of these villages is simply called the Rock Village. Its a community that lives in a rock quarry, chipping out rock and crushing it into gravel to be sold. Seven days a week, 365 days a year, these people work to make a mere $30 a month. We've been able to help prepare a meal for them on Fridays, which is often the only good meal they'll eat all week.
The Rock Village, an illegal squatter village located in a rock quarry.
Chipping away at the mountain in the rock quarry
Some of the other villages we've been working in include: the Flooded Village, which is located in a ditch that floods 6 to 7 feet deep in the rainy season; the Dump Village, where families dig through the nearby dump in order to collect wire, electronics, and other objects to sell; and the surrounding homes where we live. (Side note: I have never seen so many naked children running around until Cambodia!) I've learned that its a fun, easy, and entertaining ministry to let kids draw on your arms with pen and that I am surprisingly skilled at drawing Angry Birds tattoos.
Angry Bird tattoos with kids in the local village.
In the evenings, we've been teaching a free English class at the chuch, as well as helping with Bible studies and church services on the weekends. Our schedule has been keeping us busy, but I'm really enjoying our time here, our ministry contact, and the work we've been partnering with. If you would like to learn more about the Rock Foundation Cambodia, you can check out their Facebook page or visit their website at: http://www.rockfoundationcambodia.webs.com
Team Siloam and Team Salt Shakers at the Dump Village.
You can look at more of my photos from Cambodia at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150533956512085.372510.512522084&type=3&l=01158bcc82
