Our white skin stood out in the dusty streets of Cambodia. The colorful fruits and vegetables stacked high on unstable tables made the tin-roofed shacks noticeable. Dirt was kicked back into our eyes as rocks slid in between our sandals. Being cautious of the hundreds of motos speeding past on the narrow street, I saw the frail bodies of these beloved people. My eyes were immediately drawn to the faces. Breathing deeply, I took a step back to take it all in. As I quieted my soul, so did the world around me. Then my thoughts were disrupted by a joyful noise. “Helloooooo!” I looked up and my heart melted. Children sprung to their feet at our sight after sifting through dirt with their fingers. Their voices were so pure. So innocent. Like a celebrity, we walked as they gawked. Little girls shyly giggled when we waved back and said hello. Mothers and fathers smiled wide as their toddlers on their laps shrieked with excitement. Boys jumped and laughed trying to get our attention. In the midst of feeling dirty, smelly, and sticky, they looked at us and saw beauty.
Hello was the one word we all understood. And to think such a basic, insignificant word in America can make the day, even the week, of a little child here in Cambodia. Our presence means the world to these people. Literally. In preparation for living among the impoverished, our sweet ministry host explained how they view white people. When they see “people like us” taking a tuk tuk drive down the street or buying their food on display, they see a solution to their deepest desires. They view us as an answer to all their immediate needs. It’s not natural for them to have self-discipline and to think for themselves. They see a problem, and seek us to give them money; to temporarily satisfy them.
So now, when I see that sweet, silly face of a little boy name Panha sitting at a cafe with us, my heart breaks a little. But then I remember Him who satisfies. I remember that what the Lord has given me to give to these people is so much more than money. I am here to give Truth, not money. The Gospel gives the Cambodians so much more than what they thought they ever needed. And I have the beautiful gift of sharing that with them. Because I have experienced the Lord give me what I truly needed, over what I thought I wanted, I now get to stand here as a testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness in my life. I have found satisfaction and joy in my Father, and I am so blessed to get to share that with the beautifully broken Cambodians.
