Thank God it’s Tuesday.
A statement I’ve found myself saying almost every week here in Cambodia.
The past three months, since our alumni team leaders went home, I’ve been the team leader for my team, team Jaimasi. Along with three others from our squad, Nicole, Brooklyn, and Nathan, who have also been a raised up TL for their team. Basically this means we communicate with our ministry hosts. At least that’s what we expected, however when we got to Cambodia everything was very different. We were no longer living on a adventures in missions base with base staff like we did in Costa Rica. Our first day here, our host took Nathan, Nicole and I to show us the market and grocery store. (Brooklyn was in Siem Reap)
It ended up being that our host scheduled in time during ministry every Tuesday for us three to go grocery shopping for the house. I don’t know about you but I had never shopped for 20 people before. Our first week shopping alone without our host I swear Nathan, Nicole and I were running around that store like chickens with our head cut off. As we tried to plan decent meals, get enough ingredients so everyone could eat, and stay within budget we leaned on each other. If I’m being honest, before Cambodia I’m pretty sure I had only ever said one word to Nicole. The next week we went we decided Tuesdays wouldn’t just be about grocery shopping but that they’d also be about getting to know each other and talking through what the Lord is teaching each of us. Tuesdays very quickly became my favorite day of the week.
Grocery shopping isn’t the most fun task. It took me a while to understand what our host meant when she said that grocery shopping was a way to serve our squad. Then one day it just made sense. My ministry every Tuesday for the past three months hasn’t been at the school with the kiddos. It’s been in the grocery store smiling to the women who checks us out at Luckys each week, it’s been in the market visiting the sweet vegetable women who so kindly writes our total on her hand, and it’s been doing some behind the scenes sorta work for my brothers and sisters. Tuesday ministry for me has been getting to know Nicole, Nathan, and Brooklyn on a deeper level. It’s been processing what the Lord is doing in our lives and joking around in the aisle of a grocery store.
I’ve spent a lot of time at Luckys Supermarket over the past three months. I never imagined that some of my best memories of the world race would come from time spent grocery shopping. I’m thankful for this season in Cambodia because shopping taught me how I can show Jesus to people through the small things in life- like the women you see at the store and the market. This week marked our Tuesday shopping trip. Thanks God for Tuesdays because I now have new and strengthened friendships from it.
Some things I learned:
- budgeting is important
- Nicole is incredible & the best gal to carry home 15 watermelons with
- Never try to buy a ton of anything if the price isn’t labeled
- When you have 3 shopping carts you’ll get weird looks
- Nathan Chandler will pretend like he’s clueless unless you ask for help then he’s smart
- The market is way cooler than Whole Foods
- Brooklyn can make any situation funny
- 19 girls can EAT
- Shopping is actually so fun
- Never shop when you’re hangry
Here’s a look into the life of a Tuesday for me in Phnom Penh:)
