I had no expectations for Cambodia. I didn’t expect to be miserable, but I also didn’t expect to love it. I didn’t really know anything about Cambodia, besides their constant struggle with war. I didn’t even know what language the Cambodian people spoke (It’s Khmer, by the way). What I learned is that the Cambodian people are still recovering from war. Over 80% of the population is under 30 years of age, because of the genocide and killings during the wars. A couple days before we arrived in Cambodia, they had one of their first free elections, and riots and protests shook the country. But I have been here for less than a week, and I have fallen in love with this country and its people. This month, I am in a village called Douch. It’s in the middle of the Kampot Province of Cambodia, which is in the middle of nowhere!
Everything is green, and we are surrounded by beautiful mountains and rice fields.
Sometimes we eat Dog for lunch. It actually tastes like a Pot Roast.
The closest internet is a 20 minute tuk-tuk ride.
We are always eating with and surrounded by cows, chickens, ducks, roosters, geese, and dogs. When people in the village are thirsty, they climb way up in a coconut tree and drink from a coconut. I tried to climb one today, with not much success, but I have decided I am going to climb it everyday, and make a goal to reach the top for a coconut by the end of the month.
We rely on rainfall for our daily (weekly?) shower.
When I have to go to the bathroom, I use a squatty potty (which is extremely tiring).
When we want chicken for dinner, we find a chicken and kill it that morning.
It will be a busy month. We have only been in the village for two days, and I have already preached on Sunday morning, taught a few English classes for kids in the surrounding villages, and built the foundation for a grass hut kitchen.
These things are great, but what I love the most about Cambodia and Douch village, is getting to spend time with some of the orphan boys who live in the village. All the kids call me Patta, probably because they can’t pronounce my name, but I love it!
The boys don’t use their real names, and they all have English nicknames. Let me introduce you to a couple of the boys. Kevin is twelve years old and works very hard around the village trying to make money because his grandma, who lives in the city a few hours away, is very sick. He showed us around the market yesterday and helped us buy things. What strikes me though, is that he isn’t a kid. He has gone through and seen so much that he acts like an adult. He has never been a kid. Then there is Eddie, who is thirteen. We usually like to sing together. He likes to take my guitar and play some worship songs that he knows and we sing together (oh yeah, I can play guitar now, and I got one for super cheap in Thailand). It’s been awesome just hanging out in hammocks and getting to know these boys, and pouring love into their lives.
Then, there is Vuthy. He’s awesome, and has such a passion for seeing Cambodia become a nation that thirst for God. I will talk about him a lot more in another blog, but last night he was mentioning how he felt stuck. How he didn’t know what else to do. He wants to reach the country but he feels so tired and often feels like he is failing. Then, he asked for help. He asked to be taught more about the Bible, and to give him advice on how to grow a ministry.
Why did I come on the World Race?
Because of Kevin, and Eddie, and Vuthy. They need help. They need love. They need encouragement. I have been so blessed with my knowledge of the Bible, and financial resources and financial supporters to be able to come here and reach out to these people. God is using me and the World Race in incredible ways, and it’s only month two.
In order to be able to continue sharing stories like these, and growing the Kingdom across 3 continents and over 11 countries, I need more financial support! I need to raise another $2,700 by October 1st to continue on to Africa. Please consider partnering with me! I need your help!
