I’ve been in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for close to 10 days now, more or less (those 13 hour flights get me all mixed up in the head). The past several days have been full and engaging. Month 1 is training camp for us, so my team is getting a sense for what the World Race will really feel like on a day to day basis, while simultaneously getting to know each other, and getting to know Cambodia.
It’s been a whirlwind. New relationships are being discovered and deepened. Our teams have finally been formed, so I now know that I’ll be spending the next couple of months traveling around with a team of 3 other guys (more to come on that later)! We’ve acclimated ourselves to a new kind of traveling lifestyle, moving from place to place, carrying all of our belongings, and getting used to the heat. We’ve gone over information about how to move well within new cultures, showing respect to those we encounter. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the ways that God communicates to us and comforts us through his Holy Spirit. And each day moves us closer to the goal of learning to do life together, and following God’s voice wherever he leads us, sharing our hope and joy with whoever we encounter.
Here’s what most days have looked like during training camp:
- I usually wake up around 6:30 in the morning (after waking up 2 or 3 times during the night. Thanks a lot jet lag…)
- I’ll then spend the morning with God in different ways. Sometimes I read, sometimes I’m in prayer, sometimes I’m playing my ukulele, or listening to music. These times have been some of the most refreshing for my spirit so far.
- After our group has breakfast we set out on our walk to our training location, about 2 miles away. Exercise is a normal part of our routine, since we’ll be so mobile throughout the next year. One morning, we did this walk with all of our belongings to test our fitness.
- Once we arrive at our training location, we spend time hearing from our squad leaders and coaches. The training has covered a variety of topics, but we’ll usually have a few training sessions a day, divided up by meals and break times.
- As part of those training times, we’ve spent time out in the city doing “activations.” Activations are opportunities for us to experiment with different ways of hearing God’s voice or being mindful about who he wants us to interact with along the way, as we move throughout the city. In one of my favorite activations, we were given a bottle of cold water to take with us as we walked around the city. Our goal was simply to find someone to give it to, and to be mindful of who God might be leading us toward.
- Most evenings, our group will spend time either hearing another teaching, or worshiping together, before heading back to the our Hostel. At the hostel, we spend time either getting to know each other, or resting up for the next day!
It’s been a full start to our time in Cambodia, but it’s been enlightening, refreshing, challenging, and inspiring. We’ve already seen some of the pain and darkness in this place, but in many of those dark places we can see that light is already starting to break in. God cares deeply for this beautiful place and these people, and if I’m paying attention, it’s not hard to see God’s image in each person, and to catch a glimpse of the hope God has for Cambodia.
As I walk through these streets, I’m mindful of a quote that came up, in my liturgy, at the start of our time here:
“Men invent means and methods of coming at God’s love. They learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble, sometimes, to bring oneself into the consciousness of God’s presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?”
-Brother Lawrence
So much of our training camp has been devoted to learning to live every part of our day wholly for the love of God. Every interaction, every meal, every color in nature, every smile, every sound, and every thought is an opportunity to mindful of God’s presence, and to live our day in the presence of a loving, relational God. This is the life that others will be drawn to. This is the life that will give us hope to share with those we encounter. My hope is that my stories over the course of this year will point to the one who loves us and who is worth loving with our whole selves.
