While walking along pub street one day a girl ran up behind my teammate Emily. I was convinced that she was going for her purse but instead she grabbed the back of her leg and let out a high pitched giggle. She joined us for ice cream that day and since then we always found ourselves running into the same girl named Sophia.
Sophia began to find a place in each of our hearts. She is incredibly outgoing and loves to laugh at everything that we do. Before we knew it our time in Siem Reap was coming to an end we realized that we needed to say good bye. As we sat in the Blue Pumpkin and shared ice cream one last time, I realized that this was really it. I tried to hold back my tears as I realized that I was going to be leaving a little piece of my heart in Cambodia that afternoon.
At training camp previous racers told stories of how they left tiny pieces of their hearts scattered around the world. One of our squad leaders said that her biggest regret from her race was not giving away more of her heart. As I think back on those stories I am reminded of the song “Pieces” by Bethel Music. Before I left Boone I would grab some Chick-Fil-A and drive out to the parkway while listening to that song on repeat. This is not a joke I could listen to this song for hours and never get sick of it. The words are so true, I usually tear up by the time the song is over. The lyrics “you don’t give your heart in pieces” tell us about the Father’s heart. He never hides anything from us or gives little pieces of his heart away, it’s all or nothing. God doesn’t hide from us to trick or tease us.
As dramatic as it sounds, I feel like a tiny piece of my heart was ripped out when I hugged Sophia for the last time. I just wish I could continue to pour into this girl who desperately needs to be loved by someone! If I felt that much pain by giving just a portion of my heart away, imaging the love of the Father as he graciously gives his whole heart to us.
Try to describe a love more perfect than this:
Unreserved
Unrestrained
Wild
Proud to be seen with me
Not passive
Never disengaged
Not a troubled mind
Unashamed
Isn’t anxious
Not insecure/selfish
Pure
Update time-
-Half of our team is just arrived in Poipet, Cambodia (one of my teammates is sick so half stayed in Siem Reap, we’ll meet back up later this week).
-Saying goodbye to ministry at Overflow was so so bittersweet.
-When we got to Poipet we immediately got in a van and were taken to a Thai casino (confusion is an understatement). I ate squid that also happened to be the spiciest thing I’ve ever eaten…..I breathed fire it was great.
