Ministry:
My team and I are continuing to teach English on Mondays through Fridays. This week we taught about animals, body parts, colors, numbers, and months/days. As we entered into week 2, it has been challenging. As a team, we became too comfortable where we were which led to us being distracted and passive in our ministry time. As we took the time to recenter and remind ourselves of our purpose here, the Lord reminded me that I’m not here for myself. In times of things not going “correctly”, I need to stay patient and release my sense of control. In times of frustration, I need to lean on His grace and love. In times of thanksgiving, the glory goes to Him. We realized that the remainder of our time here is very short and we want to give all we can before leaving.
Instead of teaching on Friday, February 15, we got the opportunity to go to a nearby village and do some evangelism. Most of the people in the village were either Buddhist or Hindu so our mission was just to go, listen, and love them. First, we got to ride some of the kids’ bikes to the village because it was a bit too far to walk. As I pedaled down the dirt roads, I got to see and take in more of this country. Although it is simple, it is beautiful. There was such serenity to the land that I loved. The village that we went to was a lot poorer than ones we’ve previously seen and visited. We went to three separate homes where each family had a different story. (see blog post on Evangelism).
This week I got to lead my team in our bi-weekly prayer walks throughout our village. I felt the Lord place groups of people on my heart to intercede and fight on behalf of. The groups that my team got were men and women in human trafficking, young fathers/mentors, and survivors of the genocide/older generation. It was so cool to see God give each team member a unique group but ultimately highlight the need for us to fight for His people. Please continue to pray for justice in this country and its people. As we walked and prayed simultaneously, we were greeted by “hellos” and warm smiles from the people of the village.
For our last week at New Hope for Orphans, we will continue to teach our afternoon sessions of English but will no longer be teaching in the morning. Instead, during this time we will be helping our host, alongside the kids, to build a fence around the ministry site. Please keep us in your prayers for physical strength in the heat and for servant hearts. I am excited for this change in schedule and to give more.
Miscellaneous:
On Saturday February 9th, some members of my team and I got the opportunity to attend a Cambodian wedding. In the morning we attended the ceremony where they sang songs, lit candles, and the bride and groom received blessings from friends and family. Despite the fact that we only knew a handful of people at the wedding, we were asked to be in every single picture. It was overwhelming but also so much fun experiencing such a different culture. At nighttime, they had the reception which was filled with traditional and modern Cambodian dancing and music. I got to dance with all the kids and teach them how to sprinkler and whip while they taught me how elegantly arrange my hands and feet while dancing.
I’ve also been trying a lot of new fruits which has been such an adventure. One of the most common during our meal times are called longan or mien (hybrid between a grape and lychee). I have been eating these like candy. We’ve eaten milk fruit (creamy apple looking but pulpy fruit), tamarind (which is sweet, sour, and chewy), longsat (some team members thought it tasted like grapefruit, others strawberries but had the texture of the inside of an orange mixed with lychee), jackfruit (my personal favorite because it tastes like banana laffy taffy), a fruit I forgot the name of (tastes like a chocolate fruit leather within a tree bark), and lots of mangos!
Me:
Physically, my body is adjusting to the food here and as we’ve been eating rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, my stomach has not been happy with me. Let’s just say I’ve taken a lot of tums and pepto because my body is confused and carb filled. I also have not been sleeping very well. It’s been taking me a while to fall asleep and then I’ll wake up for an hour in the middle of night. Prayers for rest and proper body flow would be greatly appreciated!
Spiritually and emotionally, I am no longer in the honeymoon phase of being here. I have been challenged by my team, myself, and God allowing growth and transformation to take place within it. I’ve been struggling to find the balance between serving, resting, caring for myself, and being there for my team. I’ve been pushing myself to be vulnerable with my team and God while not letting shame or lies get in the way.
Today, Saturday our rest day, we went to Santuk/Monkey Mountain. We hiked up 1,000 steep steps and never exercising here, I thought I was going to pass away. At the top of the mountain, there were temples and statues. They were beautiful and the architecture was so intricate. You could see the country for miles and miles which was incredible. Despite all this, I could feel the darkness and heaviness that was there. It was wild seeing the boys as young as 8 years old living as monks to honor their family.
We leave Kampong Thom on February 26th(10 days) which will not be easy. Please send prayers for myself, my team, and our ministry as we prepare our hearts to say “see you later”, have God continue to move these last couple weeks, and for more growth.
–Steph from Kampong Thom
