I can’t believe we have already been in Cambodia for a week. Week one has flown by. When I think about the “typical” mission trip, I realize that we would be preparing to go home now, and I am so thankful that this is not a “typical” one-week trip. I feel like we are just now starting to build relationships with the people around us and we are just starting to adjust to the culture and language. So I am really glad that we still have three weeks to spend here.
So far, our ministry has been doing a lot of research for a project we are putting together for the ministry that we are working with. We have spent a lot of time at coffee shops (which makes me feel right at home) using the free wi-fi and enjoying some coffee while we work on research and send e-mails. It s definitely a different schedule than I had been expecting, but they have told us from day one at training camp to be fluid people: flexible people can still be broken, but fluid people flow with whatever comes their way. I have to admit, I expected to be working within the walls of a ministry organization and building relationships with girls, so at first it was really difficult for me to give up thse expectations and be okay with spending most of our ministry time sitting at coffee shops and working on our computers. But the Lord has been challenging me to serve Him where He has placed me now, and if this month that means sitting at coffee shops researching for a project, then I need to put my whole heart into doing that.
(My suffering for Jesus…haha! Everything is so intricate and beautiful here…even the coffee!)
Looking back on this first week, I have learned a lot. The things I have learned are different from what I expected to learn, but I am glad that my expectations have been challenged right from the beginning of this trip. I know that God has a lot more for me to learn on this trip, and I am excited to continue learning and being stretched over the course of the next fifteen weeks.
