God, all I want for Christmas are children to love.
I prayed those words before leaving Thailand and have gotten just that. This month has been an amazing month. I love Cambodia, and the people are amazing. The staff, the teachers, and the students have made my time here so enjoyable. Some only speak a little English, but God has really shown me there are no barriers on love. I can love the children and staff whether we speak the same language or not. The children speak to me as if I know Khumer, I just smile and nod. Sometimes, I can figure out what they are trying to tell me, but most of the time they just want a smile, a hug….they want love. It is simple but so beautiful!
Even in those little things God has purpose. I saw his perfect timing the other day. I work with Phanana, a young preschool teacher. This past week, she lost her mother to illness. God wrecked my heart for her, and I barely know her. Her family live in a province two hours away, so I didn’t go to the funeral. Two days after hearing the news, I had run upstairs to give some Christmas coloring pages to my second graders. As I was walking down the stairs, Phanana was at the bottom of the steps. I came down to her and opened my arms; we stood there tightly embraced for a few minutes. I felt her body tremble and begin to cry. I just held her, as I felt the emotions welling up in me…and still as I write this. I didn’t know her mother, but I knew Phanana. She is so precious, and I bet her mother was too. God knew she needed love that day and sent me to show it to her. It was so powerful. She asked me to pray, and I did. She hugged me again before we parted ways. I walked up another set of stairs and began weeping. I felt God’s heart breaking for her. His love is BIG! God loves us so much, and we are so blessed!
