Well, even though my team is staying in Battambang for the remaining 2 months in Cambodia, we are moving on to different ministries than the manual labor we did for month 1. God has got big things in mind, I’m excited to share. But before that, I finally have some more photos of some of the things we worked on for Month 1:
So, we loved working at the church, and an elder told me Sunday that the church has revitalized, inside and out, as a result of the work we have been able to do. It will be hard leaving what feels like a second home for us, but it will be a good change as well.
For month 2, we were given some more freedom to choose ministries that appealed to us, and I will be very busy doing some good work with Monks, Bikes, and Kiddos. The theme of these ministries in our team has been Luke 16:10, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” We have been faithful in humbly serving the local church by doing dirty manual labor, and now it seems as if God is trusting us with bigger things. So, here is what my days will consist of for the next foreseeable weeks.
Mornings – Monk Ministry: Background info: Cambodia is one of the darkest places in the world when it comes to Christianity. It is estimated that 95% of the population is Buddhist, most of which are animist as well. Because so many people are animist and are in tune with the reality of spiritual forces in the world, there is a lot of spiritual warfare here in Cambodia, some of which we have already witnessed firsthand. But Jesus has told us that we are meant to be light to a dark world, so after spending time in prayer and deliberation, my team has decided to head to the front line and battle in the Spirit in the centers of Buddhism in Cambodia: the Pagodas.
Pagodas are essentially temples, and sometimes universities, where Buddhist monks and lay people worship, pray, study, and even offer sacrifices and gifts. There are three bigger Pagodas in our town that we have zeroed in on, and for the remainder of our time in Cambodia, we will be heading into these dark places to pray and to build relationships with the monks.
In our first week, we spent a lot of time researching Cambodian Buddhism and praying outside of the Pagodas before even heading in. We have been very intentional in getting our minds right, battling in the Spirit, and making sure that we are operating out of an overflow in places where Satan has dominion. As a result, in the couple days we have gone into the Pagodas, God has pulled through and already created promising connections for us to build into. At the same time, a lot of the guys on our team, myself included, have been experiencing spiritual oppression in and around these places. We need all the prayer we can get. Pray for revival in Cambodia, for hearts and minds to be attentive to the gospel, pray for the darkness to be overcome by light, and pray for protection on my team.
I am so eager to see what God has in store for us through this ministry. I’ll post updates as often as I can.
Afternoons – Bike Ministry: It’s astonishing how much this type of stuff has come up since I have decided to do the race, considering biking was one of the things that I thought I would have to give up, but the Lord has been faithful in giving me the desires of my heart. In addition to the fact that I was given a mountain bike by a local in Siem Reap, I also have been given the opportunity to buy tools and work on both our Squad’s commuter bicycles and any ministry connections’ bicycles who we meet. I have already done some of both, and it has been incredibly humbling and rewarding seeing God use the gifts he has given me to bring Kingdom in an unusual way. Now this will probably be my lightest ministry, and will really depend on how much work needs to be done day to day, but I am more than excited to take on this challenge.
Evenings – Teaching Children English: So I would say this is actually the biggest surprise for me in terms of ministry. Coming into Cambodia, I found out that the main ministry our hosts do is teach English for local kiddos, most of which have poor home lives. I thought it was a cool idea, but from the start it was never something I really wanted to do. Seeing some of the women on my squad teach confirmed that suspicion; it seemed like it would take a lot of work and energy to deal with the children day to day. But the Lord has a sense of humor and the best way for me to be able to do bike ministry and still be able to help out elsewhere was to join my teammates Christian, Luke and Travis in teaching 2 boys classes each evening. They are 45 minutes each, and we have about 30 or 40 boys between the two. More than that though, we play a lot of soccer with the kids outside, and all the little ones demand piggy back rides and to fly like superman. So far, it has indeed been exhausting, but also incredibly rewarding. I’m eager to push into the discomfort and look for Jesus in the little things. Pray that I can see the kids with more compassion every day, that is something I feel I am lacking in.
So, I’m excited for what these next months hold. It will be a lot, and it won’t always be easy, but I know the Lord is good and he wants to do a lot through us. Remember that you are partnering with me in bringing His Kingdom to Cambodia in every prayer you pray and every dollar you send. I am so grateful.
Thank you to everyone who has partnered with me in fundraising! That said, I still need almost $5,000 by January so that I can continue on to Central America.
Pray about it, and if you feel like you want to contribute and partner in the work the Lord is doing around the world, Please donate!
God is good ya’ll. Thank you.
