Over the course of this year spent overseas, and especially this month in Cambodia, the Lord has been proving how important my family is to me. In Bulgaria during my first month, I hit my knees in prayer for my family to know the Lord more intimately & for them to know more about how deep & wide & high His love is for us. I also joined my team as a prayer warrior for my grandfather’s battle with cancer, a battle that we won! During month three in India, I continued praying specifically for my brother to discover his fullness as a man of God and develop a deeper relationship with our heavenly Papa. In Africa, I interceded for my dad’s mission trip to Cameroon and prayed that he would be blessed with God’s eyes and heart for the people there. As the months have passed and this year in the mission field is coming to an end, I still find myself very focused on my family despite the many things around me that also weigh on my heart.
During my five years of college, I struggled with being seven hours away from my family, but I knew I would be home for holidays and special occasions. The following year, my first professional job took me to Wyoming, where I spent two years longing for “my people.” There were plenty of perks to living out West, but they didn’t outweigh missing out on birthdays, weddings, and holidays like Thanksgiving. After two winters out West, I decided it was time to get back to my family & friends. I moved down south to the beach where I had everything I wanted… or so I thought. I was a short drive from home, I saw my family all the time, and I was back in the same town as my best friend for the first time since high school. I was happy, but God still had more for me.
When the Lord spoke to my heart and called me to the mission field, I was torn. I had just gotten settled and didn’t want to leave again. I didn’t want to uproot my life, I didn’t want to leave my family and friends, I didn’t want to throw another kink in my career path, I didn’t know what to do with my dog, and I didn’t want to delay the opportunity of meeting Mr. Right for another year. But I did want more of God and his fullness for me, and that meant being obedient to the calling he placed on my heart.
This month in Cambodia I've been teaching children's English classes and doing house visits. I’ve gotten to watch these people love their families so well. Many adults go to other countries such as Thailand to find work to support their families, so children are often raised by their grandparents, siblings, or other family members. I met a 12-year-old girl who cares for her four-year-old twin sisters because their parents have been working in Thailand for three years. Each day the entire village gathers around our volleyball court to watch the young men battle it out, and each day I smile as I watch the three-year-old little boy from next door love on his grandfather who raises him. Families cook together, eat together, & play together. It’s been so beautiful to watch their everyday lives.
These people live so simply. Between the mango trees, coconuts, and rice, most of them seem to have enough food to eat. Each home collects rain-water for drinking, and some are lucky enough to have ponds as well. But their joy and contentment is sustained by their love for one another. The children take care of one another. The elderly work hard and help care for the little ones.
I won’t say this year has been easy, but it has changed my life. It has changed me. It has made me realize that God gave me a family that I love dearly. He blessed me with family that I actually love to be around; not everyone can say that. I believe he wants me to enjoy that blessing to the fullest. I miss them so much. I long to hug them and talk to them, to share my heart with them, to watch my little brothers play sports, and to sit around the table as a family. As I cuddle the kids and let them hang all over me, I long to have my own children to hold and love on. I'm looking forward to seeing God's plans for me and for my family.
some of my little friends
