My month in Cambodia was crazy awesome month. I really do have a Cambodia-shaped hole in my heart, I miss it so much. I will forever thank God for everything He has done for me in just that short amount of time. Let me start off by telling you about my ministry. We are working at a place called Shelter of Love. It is a place that takes in and adopts kids who were neglected, abused, abandoned, or who’s parents died. At the shelter they are schooled and raised with so much love and care. The moment we walked into the shelter i was flooded with so much love and joy in the form of multiple kids running up to my team and me and holding our hands, sitting on our laps, and having us hold them. The shelter has a piece of my heart and always will.
Now that you know what I’ve been doing, I’m going to tell you about some of the incredible people I’ve had the honor of meeting and the amazing things I’ve done! Here it goes, I’m going to do this list-style:
An incredible man of God named Jonathan. He was born and raised in Kansas City and now lives in Chicago. As soon as we met him on our first day there, I was flooded with relief at the sight of another white person who could help us. Man, he sure did help us and so much more. Jonathan started going to the shelter 10 years ago on a missions trip, he fell in love with the place and one boy in particular and couldn’t stay away, so he’s been going back on and off since then. This time was his first time being there in five years and this e kids love him so much, its so amazing. He helped us a lot with learning about the culture and how to adjust, with the language barrier (he speaks a bit go Khmer, definitely enough to help us out), with what kind of work to do, and more. He also built a personal relationship with my team and me. He shared a little bit of his testimony and now, knowing a little of his story and the impact that the shelter has had on him and he has had on the shelter is so inspiring. He is an incredibly strong and powerful man of God, I am so lucky to have gotten to know him and learn from him.
A beautiful woman of God named Jamie. She is basically a second mom to Jonathan and lives in Chicago as well. She visited the shelter for the first time during our first week there. I was able to immediately feel drawn to her. She radiates God’s love and grace, she would light up around the kids and it was so beautiful, she constantly had a crowd of kids following her because they loved her so much, she loved on and encouraged my team, she has so much grace and love in everything she does, and she reminds me so much of my mom. I am lucky to call my mom one of my best friends, with that luck I am missing a best friend and mom all in one. Jamie reminded me so much of my mom in so many ways, and having that constant reminder of my mom was so helpful because I was able to focus on my ministry and have this mom-like figure around me. Mom, I know you’re reading this. Jamie did not replace you, don’t worry, she just helped me out a lot. Anyway, this woman was not just an inspiration and strengthening presence that week, she continues to pour out to me and I am so grateful for that.
Two little twin boys who are gifts from God named Chempi and Chempa (I think I spell their name wrong every time I wrote them out, so I’m not promising those are spelled correctly). On our first day in Kampong Thom, after a stressful first interaction with our ministry host and figuring out where we were going to live for that month, he took us to go on a tour of Shelter of Love. Were immediately greeted by several kids and after our tour we got to spend tim playing with them. I spent that time playing patty cake and chasing those boys around the front go the shelter. From that day on, they were attached to my hip . . . well, they were more attached to my arms, legs, and back, than they were to my hip but you know what I mean. They didn’t speak much English but we were able to communicate through some of the other kids translating for us, or by not speaking at all and chasing, ticketing, or just goofing around with each other. Although they didn’t speak my language, they had their ways of speaking to me and our time together was priceless. Those boys made an impact on me that I don’t think I can put into words. They left a mark on my heart that I am so grateful to have now.
A wonderful woman of God named Pheara. Her and Her husband, Puna, made a vow to live and work at the shelter until they are no longer physically able. That alone shows how incredible of a woman she is. She cooked all the meals at she shelter, helped my team feel welcome and loved, loved on all the kids, and did so much more. In case you did not know this about me, I have been a vegetarian for about five years and I made the decision to continue to be vegetarian thought my race. Going into our time at the shelter I was nervous that I would not be able to continue with that diet but Pheara took extra time prepping and cooking just to prepare me a separate vegetarian portion for every meal. Now, that may not seem like a very big deal to many of you, but for me I was filled with gratitude and love every time that wonderful woman came out of the kitchen with a smile on her face, brought my me meatless food, and gave me a big, warm hug. She was constantly pouring love onto my team, she always had a smile on her face and a hug to give to every one of us.
A beautiful creation of God’s that was a little baby named Lydia. This little baby is nothing short of a miracle. When we met her we were told that she was 9 months old, which you would not have guessed by the look of her because of her size, that she was abandoned by her mother, neglected and abused by her alcoholic father, and seemed to have some health issues that they did not know of. After about a week and a half at the shelter, Lydia spent some time at the hospital in Phenom Phen, which is about 45 minutes away from Kampong Thom, and that her health issues were more serious than they thought. After some time of communicating with several people who had broken English, we learn that one of Lydia’s chambers to her heart was very dysfunctional/under-developed. She spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital during our time there and the hope for her to continue living was becoming more and more slim. Since finding out her medical issues, we were very hopeful that if God had kept her alive this long already, we could find a way to help her. One of my team-mates, Hayden, has worked very hard and we have all prayed for that sweet little girl so much and hope is surely rising. To read more in depth about her story an what is going to happen you can go over to Hayden’s blog (haydenschwarting.theworldrace.org). God already has and is continuing to do some wonderful things for that girl.
A little son of God named Timothy. When we started our time at the shelter, Jonathan told us that Timothy was one of the main reasons he had one back to the shelter after his first time there. After getting to know that boy a little bit, I knew why Jonathan fell in love with him so hard. That boy is way too mature and wise for his age, which is obviously a gift from God. He speaks fluent English, which meant it was very refreshing to be able to have a conversation with him after struggling to talk with most of the other kids who spoke much less English than him. He was a translator, a reckless boy, a comforter, a helper, a friend, and so much more. Throughout our time at the shelter, I definitely had some hard days and I am not very good at hiding my emotions with my facial expressions. I played with the kids on those days and tried my best not to be a downer for my team but Timothy was able to pick up on my down times and treated my with such love and care. Who knew a 12 year old boy could comfort you and bring you out of your emotional slump by doing the simplest little things? That boy is going to be such a strong man when he grows up and he is going to do some really big things, I know it.
Alright, before I get carried away and end up writing a list telling you why all 60+ people at the shelter impacted me I am going to stop at 6. I think I’ve gotten point across that so many people in Cambodia left a mark on my heart. The Shelter of Love is nothing short of a sanctuary that God has worked to create in Cambodia. If judging the place by it’s title means you judge that it is actually a shelter full of love then you judged correctly. I will never forget that place and I hope to go back someday. I fell in love, hardcore, and I thank God every day for that.
