As much as I love writing and the meaning words can hold, sometimes words just don’t measure up to the beauty held in the eyes of child or the smile of woman in the village so here is a glimpse into our month in Cambodia. It was by far my favorite month on the Race so far for so many reasons but most of the people and their welcoming hearts. Never did I feel like a stranger in their land or an outsider that didn’t understand their culture, they welcomed you into every part of their lives.
We arrived in Cambodia and I had no idea that the place I was stepping into would grip my heart so deeply. I had no idea that there was one boy in particular that was waiting for me to love on him in the deepest way I have loved. I thought I was just walking into another fun month, for learning and serving a new culture but little did I know my heart was going latch on to every person I would encounter.
Before heading to our individual team locations for the month we were able to visit Angkor Wat, one of the Ancient Wonders of the WORLD! There are so many times on the Race that I literally have to step back and ask myself, “how am I getting to this?!” How can little ole me from small town Kentucky get to experience this incredible adventures?! It amazes me and overwhelms from Papa’s goodness to bring me on this journey.
I give you: Team Flock Seven Deep! Going into Month 5 we had team changes and I was given a new family to bond with over these next who knows how long months (haha, you have to love not knowing anything on the Race!). We gel so well together and we all have different gifting and personalities and it’s awesome that we are able to appreciate those differences in one another. Our name means that we are a flock in that we take care of one another and stay together in unity, there are seven of us, and we are diving into deep pursuit of each other and pursuit of Jesus.
Welcome to Hope for Children home in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. Within this house there lives 25 kids that will completely overwhelm your heart with love and joy. They will teach you what love looks like and how to serve others and how to do it all with a cheerful heart. Our days looked different from day to day but most were spent waking up for morning devotionals with the kids followed by helping them do their house chores (one of my favorite things about each day!), playing with the kids (morning time cuddles and bedtime hugs were the best), visiting villages all over the province, helping teach English at two different schools, and church services.
And I give you some of the sweetest, most handsome boys that walk the planet. Everyday we would play marbles, have tickle fights, watch Thai tv shows, practice english/khmer words, and most of all laugh together. When they would look up at me and call me sister and then in their sweet khmer voices ask for a hug or a kiss. I could hang out with these guys all day, every day.
A few months ago I picked up the ukulele and have been learning to play it since and last month I was able to teach some of the kids in the house how to play. I was so humbled and overwhelmed at the timing of God’s purposes. If we would have came to Cambodia on month one I would not have had a ukulele yet and wouldn’t have had those opportunities. Borey was one of the first kids to show interest and this guy has major talent. He picked up five chords in just ten minutes and could play a song all the way through — he has such a gift with music and he LOVES to sing. Sokhoin (in the second picture) was like a brother to me. He can play the bass guitar so I told him to try ukulele and within two hours he was playing three worship songs and singing them in english. We spent a lot of time singing and playing together and the times we shared were some of my favorite. I believe in his present and future.
Village Visits. Three days of each week we visited local villages and spent time sitting in the dirt with the people. Village life is my favorite. I love the simplicity of life that they have and how they carry such joy in their hearts with so little. Our visits looked different each time but usually always centered around playing with kids. We would play tons of games, take pictures, learn khmer words, teach Bible lessons, pray for them, and most of all just get to love on them.
Meet our incredible, Jesus loving, protective brothers we gained this past month. Sam, John, and Nehemiah were such a gift to us the whole stay. They welcomed us into Cambodian culture and let us into the lives of the kids in greater ways than we could’ve on our own. We laughed a lot together, taught English every day, crashed weddings, ate good food, and grew a bond that could not be broken. Then on one of our last nights they surprised us with a cupcakes and a cake. It was a night I will truly never forget in my life. They always made us feel so loved and protected and for that we could not be more grateful.
And last but most definitely not least: Joshua. This is the boy that has stolen every piece of my heart, he has been what triggered the past two blogs I have written. He calls me mom and I call him son. I will fight for him with everything I have. Everyday away from him and the time that increases since I last saw him breaks my heart but every so often I get to hear an audio Facebook message from him and my heart is so full. If you want to hear more about him just check out the past two blogs! I didn’t expect to go to Cambodia to fall in love and definitely didn’t know my son was awaiting me. He is my favorite and every moment with him is the best moment.
Needless to say, Cambodia was my favorite month so far on the race. I fell in love.
