Love carried me through Cambodia
It was LOVE that carried me through this month.
At times it was hard, and at times I felt I was in a dream world.
From the moment I stepped across the border, a heavy spirit set upon me. Children were begging for money and food. Men, women and children would approach me carrying anything from sunglasses to books in hopes of selling their merchandise to me. Motorcycle and tuk-tuk drivers were desperate to take people places in order to earn a dollar. When I would step my foot out our front gate, I felt attacked by people wanting something from me – and all I had was love. Throughout the month, there were many times when all I could do was bow my head and pray to my Lord asking Him to hear the deep cries of their heart – cries I don’t know and cries they might not know. As I look deep into their eyes, I see is a longing for hope. I have to trust my Lord and Savior to draw them under His wings and provide the love, the hope, and comfort so many of them desperately need.
As girls opened up to our team about their lives, my heart began to break. These girls have found the hope in Christ Jesus, yet are unable to speak Christ into their household. These girls suffer beatings when their parents find out they went to church to learn English. These girls pray in hopes one day they will be able to attend youth group on Saturday and church on Sunday to learn more about Christ. I thank God when I hear the opposite stories – stories where the parents encourage their children to live for God and have found the hope for themselves. These are the stories that God allowed me to find hope in.
I traveled by either moto or tuk-tuk three times a week to ‘be’ with the orphans. When I go places, I enjoy having random projects for the children to complete. This was not the case this month. I would think of a creative idea to bring the orphanage, and before I knew it, it was time to go back again. All I would bring is a comb and rubber bands to braid hair – and maybe a balloon or two. God taught me that it is not about the items your bring, but it is about the love. He taught me to live moment-by-moment, and He is enough. With a teacher from Germany already teaching English at the CPCDO, our team’s mission became to just spend time with orphans and workers…to just be.
Every night, I would look forward to teaching English at Bethany. We prepared only minutes before we left, again – living moment-by-moment. This was a place where I could go and feel a slight heaviness lifted off of me. Every single child and adult greeted us with a smile and eventually a hug. The children desired to learn and would study before every lesson. The last Saturday, our whole team was invited to a lunch – my favorite meal thus far. The fruit of the Spirit filled the air in this concrete center, where people worship Christ and orphans are cared for.
As I look back over my month, I see God’s LOVE woven throughout it. With difficult times, He was there to show me His heart and allowed my heart to break for the people. I’m thankful for love, support, and prayers – for without it, I can’t imagine how much more difficult things could have been. For it was truly was LOVE and GRACE that carried me through this month.
*To see pictures of the month, click “Check out the pictures…” I posted quite a few 🙂 *
