We’ve officially been at the women’s home for one week now. It’s been a hoot getting to know these women and watching their personalities start to come out.
The women are absolutely enthralled with dancing, and have three favorite go-to beats. These dance parties don’t quite look like any jam session I’ve ever been a part of, but we have a good time with it. There is a lot of swishing your arms around and slowly stepping in a circle. I’ve tried to introduce a few new moves but, for better or worse, nothing seems to stick. The only person that seems to dig my style is my little buddy Somnang. Haha.
A part of our ministry here is “cutting the grass”. Translation: grab a hoe and wack anything green. It feels good to actually do some physical labor, and we’re steadily making progress day by day.
Okay so here’s the deal: my team loves mangos, and the women are catching onto us. The yard is overgrown with mango trees and the girls have started to bring us fresh-cut mangos in an attempt to hang out with and love on us. For example the other day after we had finished our yard work two of the girls came racing over, eager to distribute their mango gifts. They both wanted us to eat of out their bowl so we tried to not play favorites. So much pressure, lol. But seriously, we’re going to have to start discouraging this trend before we get mango-ed out! If that’s possible 🙂
In the afternoons, before we lead our daily Bible study, the girls get to work with
sewing. Part of Teen Challenge’s goal is to equip each woman with a skill that can employ them once they’ve completed t
he program. This includes cooking, cleaning, gardening, sewing, jewelry making, and hair and make-up. It’s fun to see them concentrate and work hard to accomplish something. We all need drive, and these women are finding theirs as they learn everything from basic hygiene to good work ethics to various skill sets during this time.
The director, Koy Chhim, has a long-term vision of becoming self-sustainable by opening a restaurant, beauty salon, and farm that the women can all work at. I love listening to Koy share about his plans for this place because his heart for the Lord and for these women really shines. You can’t help but get excited for them, and want to be a part of it all. It’s good stuff!
I joke about our critter invasions and pond baths, but in all seriousness it has been a stretching week for our team. When I get overwhelmed I like to remind myself that these people live here, like this, every day. If they can do it, so can I! And with God’s grace we’ll stay healthy and unharmed. In the meantime, we continue to dance like the song says, and “learn as we go.”
