Team Changes: Well holy moly…it happened again. It was a refreshing yet unexpected change. I am on an all-girls team again with 6 other amazing woman. The events leading up to the team I was placed on were all specifically from the Lord and I truly feel that His hand was guiding each person in the decision-making. As much as the new team is wonderful, it was crushing to realize that I wouldn't experience the rest of the race with some of my closest friends. Now they would have adventures and memories where my part could only be as secondhand observer. Yes, change makes us grow and strengthens us, but it does become exhausting. Although hard,the change was unquestionably better for all involved and the rotations will lead each of us into a further depths of the Lord.
A Name: After much debate and concern (and an incorrect posting on the website)my new team chose the name 'The Janes'. We want our identity to be found solely in Christ, not in what we wear or what we do, what we eat, where we live, who our family is, what kind of car we have, how many countries we've been to, or where we work, etc. From an outsider's perspective we want be unidentifiable like Jane Doe, having nothing that makes us who we are except Christ. We want there to be so much of Jesus in us and through us that that is what people notice first and continually see through meeting us.
Cambodia has seen a lot of hardship in its recent past. Many of the adults had been greatly affected by the Kmer Rouge and had seen much pain. While in Phnom Penh, we went to visit the Killing Fields. This landmark acquired it's name because of mass genocide that took place specifically in that area. The Khmer Rouge would transport hundreds of people each day to this area and kill them, in many barbaric ways in order to save bullets.
As we arrived we were given headsets and allowed to roam around the grounds, little did we know what atrocities were about to enter our imaginations. As I began to listen and hear the depths of depravity that man is capable of, I sank further into sadness. But as I wandered, the Lord's voice became louder than the recording, reminding me, 'why are you wallowing in the sadness where there is no hope of escape? These people are gone, they made their choices, they are already dead. As sad as it is, the real sadness is that there are people are around you that are going to join the Khmer Rouge in Hell, ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The real tragedy is that you're not telling them about the hope they have in Christ.' It was a sobering wake-up call.
Our ministry in Cambodia was in the city of Phnom Penh working with Pastor Joe and his wife Liza at their church. We did various childcare and discipleship ministries. We were blessed to meet many people and see such a beautiful part of Cambodia, where many Christians are on fire for Christ. My teammate Liz and I worked on a mural for the nursery and that provided a few opportunities to get the college students to chat with us.
My favorite was when we went to a extremely poor village and played with children, loved them, bathed them and gave them lunch. One of our friends told us that the kids at the village were referred to by the locals as 'the untouchables'. Even though they are dirty, smelly, sometimes naked,with various open sores, lice and probably sickness of all sorts, this didn't make much sense to me because they stole my heart within seconds.
