The Lord did an incredible amount of things this past month in Cambodia. The first being that He showed me how to find joy in simplicity. What’s more simplistic than living in the middle of nowhere, eating the same (delicious) food every day, and having no internet ? The answer is not much and I’m overjoyed God brought me across the world to Cambodia to show me the simple life with Him.
More often than not our Thanksgiving days consist of delectable food, enjoyable conversations with family, naps, and football. Oh and sometimes we remember to be thankful. What would it look like if we were in a constant state of thanksgiving ? So often we focus on the blessings and not the blesser. So as I write this on a 7 hour bus ride on dirt roads that would only take an hour in the U.S. I am humbled, and so thankful for all God has and will continue to bless me with.
What has The Lord blessed me with in the month of November ?
– A wonderful new team who has so much to offer.
– A new brotherhood.
– 22 new inspiring and encouraging Cambodian brothers and sisters in Christ.
– An awesome Brother/Friend in Pastor Kimeng and his wife.
– Overwhelming appreciation for Chickfila.
– A new appreciation for laundry.
– A place to play soccer everynight.
– MY FAMILY. I love y’all !
– Sting and Green Tea ( you will be dearly missed ).
– Incredible rice field sunsets.
– Stars, stars, and more stars.
– Adventure.
– Lots of time to spend with Him.
The list goes on and on, but the last point was pivotal for me this past month. My last blog talked all about two points The Lord had brought up in my heart. One being that I wasn’t going to Him to be filled up. The second was how I filled my heart with things The Lord wanted to fill with Himself. Well coincidently enough, those are two things He drilled into my heart this month.
It all started with the worst day of my race thus far, November 8th, 2015. Team Changes. It came out of nowhere and to make it worse 4 of my old team remained together. So here’s where I had a choice, where you often have the same choice.. When feces hits the fan do we turn to God and give Him our Yes or turn and cower in fear. It wasn’t easy, and it’s often had to be a conscious decision since, but I’ve given God my yes. God pulled me from my comfort zone and sent me to the middle of nowhere to teach me all the things He had brought to light the month before. Along with all the things He’s taught me He’s shown me a whole new side of himself. Now as I head to South Africa with the news I will be in Cape Town, near Hillsong Church, and the beach with two other teams (one being the one that was so hard to leave) I realize that it’s always best to say Yes to our Father and realize He truly has your whole world in His hands.
– Take it easy, macaroni and cheesy y’all. With Lots of Love – Parks
