Welcome to House of Joy! We get the true pleasure of spending this
month at a day centre for children, on a small island somewhere in
southern Cambodia. I honestly couldn’t tell you exactly where we are!
House of Joy certainly lives up to its name, as there is a constant
flow of people from about 7:30am until 9:00pm. We only have
electricity by generator at night, and are all sharing one room, with
lots of windows, and no curtains. We’ve each set up our tents to at
least give the illusion of privacy! Squatty potties, bucket baths,
sporadic internet, and constant noise are part of what make up our
time here. It’s a stretch for many, but to be honest, I absolutely
love it! Yes, there will be times when I’m uncomfortable, but of all
our months/ministries so far, I’m most excited about this one, and
feel the most at home.
We will be teaching two classes of children every day. There are about
25 kids in each class, and we get to teach them Bible and English.
I’ve already picked out a couple kids I’d like to take home with me!
Every evening, we teach English to a group of incredible high
schoolers. They are so much fun, and I can’t wait for those
relationships to develop! Some of them have even started teaching me
Khmer, and I’m almost succeeding at remembering things!
The beginning of this month included all-squad team changes, as
leaders were pulled up and people were shifted around. Of all the
teams, ours remained mostly the same. Katie has been moved to another
team, but we’ve gained Ryan Hughes as part of our family. We’ve taken
on a new name as well: Surge12:9, referring to a power surge and the
verse in 2 Corinthians. Though this is a difficult transition in more
ways than one, I’m excited to see what God has in store for us.
Please keep my team in your prayers. Pray for opportunities to share
God’s love and words with people, and pray for the boldness to step
into those opportunities. Please pray for our health too. I’ve learned
firsthand that winter sicknesses are not limited to cold climates!
