So my team, Deep Waters, is finally all together. The boys, Nathan Boaldin and Justin Jue, joined us after their month of “Manistry� and we joined the squad to travel to Cambodia. There were a few hiccups during our travel days (parentals, there will be a charge on my phone for calling the US Embassy in Cambodia), but we all arrived safely in Pnomh Penh and spread out to our ministry sites.
Deep Waters is working with a ministry in Kampot province in Toch village. Our contact is an amazing man of God. I could come up with several fun ways to write out his name-VTwo, VeeToo, Vetu. I’ll leave the pronunciation up to you. I feel like I should write a biography on this guy, but I’ll try to mix it in here.
V-Two (Totally in not any way how it’s spelled-I’m sure-but so much fun) runs a ministry in his home village. Coming into his village a few years ago as the only Christian, he’s begun a transformation in this place. Right now this ministry is centered around V-Two’s parents stilt-house. Within the last couple of years, a church and additional building (currently housing our team) have been added to this glorious in-the-middle-of-nowhere.
Rice fields all around. The harvest season just recently ended, so the dried stalks are cut down to about two feet high. Still, they are gorgeous. Palm trees all around. It’s the middle of winter, so although the days can get somewhat hot, the nights are cool. Last night I fell asleep in a tent (thanks for sharing, Elle) staring up at the brilliant stars through the leaves of the palm trees around us.
Our ministry is fairly straightforward. Tuesday through Saturday our schedule involves visiting houses in the village and teaching multiple English classes throughout the day. Honestly, I can’t say the idea of “teaching� excited me. But the chance to spend time with these children who love to smile and laugh… Sundays hold “Kids Club�, church and bible study.
Small picture from one of my favorite moments in this ministry…
Last night after Bible Study we were told we were playing a game. So grouped in with the kids, we were broken up into four teams. Four guys stood out in the middle of the rice field holding dried out stalks of palm leaves (they kinda looked like the ‘swords’ of sword fish). As they began to explain the game in Khmer (the local language), I had to laugh. Bat spin! Run out to the middle of the field one at a time, grab the ‘bat’ and put your forehead to it, then spin around in a circle five to seven times before running back to your team while attempting to stay upright and in a straight line. Tag the next person and they get to engage in the same craziness.
In the middle of this crazy American game, I had an overwhelming feeling of joy. Watching these children run and play. Turning a rice field into a playground. These 11 and 12 year olds have probably spent months of each year working these fields with their parents. In this moment, they get to play. They get to laugh. They get to feel love poured out on them by these followers of Jesus who have dedicated their lives to this ministry and others.
At the end of this game, I found myself sitting next to Saren. I met her the day before in one of the five English classes of the day. She has a captivating smile and a freedom about her. As we were sitting there, everyone began to gather up their things and jump on their mopeds or bicycles to head home. I started to put on my shoes and get up. Only she stayed sitting. It doesn’t take words to understand some things. I sat back down with her and she wrapped her arm around my knee and leaned her head against my arm. We got a few words back and forth. And then pulled in V-Two to help translate. She was sad because she was missing Elizabeth, a girl I’ve never met who was recently in the village with a YWAM team. And so we sat there. Exchanged a few sentences. And I ended up surrounded by seven or eight girls from thirteen to sixteen years old. I laughed at one of the questions, reminded that there are many similarities in girls around the world-“Do you have a boyfriend?� We sat there and laughed at the attempts to talk to one another. Towards the end of the time we had sitting by the rice field, Saren said “I love Elizabeth. I love you.� God gives an amazing capacity to love. Honestly, having to tell her that I would not be in the village for a few days was hard. I want to be there with her. Maybe just sit next to the rice field with her for a few more minutes. I’ll be heading back to Toch soon, knowing that she will remember my name, hoping I can greet her with a huge hug.
