Well, again, time has slipped away from me and I’m already in the next country before I’ve posted a blog about the previous country! (Please forgive me! A goal of mine for 2019 is to write more than one blog for a country!) So to catch you all up to speed, last month I was in Battambang, Cambodia and now I am currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I will write a blog soon about what we have been doing in Thailand, but, for now, here is a recap of our Christmas in Cambodia!
MINISTRY:
Last month my team and I worked with Ezra Ministries, which consists of a library, a café, and an English school. In the mornings, part of our team would work in the café and the other half of us would volunteer at a hospital. In the afternoons, half of us would work in the café, while the rest would teach English to school kids. During the month, I was able to volunteer at the hospital and the café. In addition every Sunday afternoon we would also have a conversational English class for adults and Buddhist monks.
HIGH:
Volunteering at the hospital was my high last month. I have been wanting to do something medical-related while on the race because I am a nurse back home, so when I got the opportunity this past month I was stoked! The hospital we worked with is the only trauma hospital in Cambodia and is supported by the Japanese. Many of the patients are there because of motorbike accidents, as well as landmine accidents. Many bombs are still buried in the ground from the Vietnamese War time, so many people, specifically rice farmers, will accidently walk over a bomb that will detonate. If they do not die, they most likely will end up at this hospital to receive care.
We specifically volunteered with the activity program to provide an outlet for caregivers. This is because doctors and nurses at this hospital only care for medical needs, while the rest of patient needs are left up to the family members. This means family must feed, bathe, ambulate, and look after their family member while in the hospital. As you could imagine, this can become burdensome for families, so we would give them a break, talk with them, and play games with them.
In order to fund the activity program, the program coordinators make paper to turn into greeting cards to sell. One of my favorite days volunteering was when we had the chance to help make paper!
LOW/WHAT GOD HAS TAUGHT ME:
To be honest, this past month I was struggling to have a desire to do my quiet time with the Lord. This was a bummer because I had such sweet times spent with the Lord the month before in Vietnam. I don’t really know why, but I just didn’t really want to; however, the cool thing is that whether we feel it or not, the Lord continuously pursues us and is faithful. So I asked God to renew a desire within me to spend more time in His word and to listen to His voice more attentively. And He did just that! Now in Thailand, I crave more time with Him and am pressing into what He has for me.
BUFFALO:
While traveling to Thailand, I saw a motorbike drive next to our bus. Now, I have seen a lot of motorbikes in Asia carrying quite the assortment of things – from drywall to fruit. But this was the first time I had seen a motorbike transporting pigs! There was not one or two, but THREE pigs on the back of this guy’s moto! I didn’t get a chance to take a video of it, but just picture three little pigs flipped upside down with their chubby legs just jiggling on the back of this guys moto! It was quite the sight!
FUN FACTS:
1. One Saturday my team and I were on a hunt for ice cream and stumbled upon Snow! Ahhh it is sooooooo tasty! It’s super creamy like ice cream, but is soft and flaky like snow. So my team and I joked around that we got snow in Cambodia for Christmas!
2. Christmas is not a holiday in Cambodia, which is predominately a Buddhist culture.
3. Buddhist monasteries provide free education to young men who want to go to college, but cannot afford it. In return, they practice Buddhism under the monkhood. We had the opportunity to teach English to some of the monks and share the Gospel with them! We also learned that many of them like American pop culture – one of the monks loves Ariana Grande!
4. First They Killed My Father (a Netflix movie about the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide – if you have no clue what this is click HERE) was filmed in Battambang where we were staying!
5. Cambodian weddings are typically celebrated on the streets. They will close down an entire street for several days to set up a tent to have their wedding ceremony and reception. It was so interesting to see!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray that our team will press into all that God has for us in Thailand – in both ministry and personally.
- Pray for the Cambodian people and that the missionaries there would be able to share Christ’s love with those they meet.
- There are still a few people on my squad that are not yet fully funded. If you or you know someone who would like to donate to their trips, please click these links – Laney, Sharonne, Hunter, Tyler, Matt, and B.
