Dirt Roads. Overloaded Tuk Tuks. Coconut Tree Climbing. Mango Trees. Red Ant Infestations. Hammocks. Squatties. Bucket Showes. Children. Naked Children. Cows. Chickens and Roosters. Rice. Heat. Termite Friends. Scorpions. Howling dogs. Outdoor English classes. Bible Studies and Prayer Meetings. Dehydration. Clinic Visits. Month 7 Struggles. Sunrises and Sunsets. Howling Dogs. Wedding Music. Ear Plugs. Bug Bites. Language Barriers. Vegetable Chopping. Simplicity. Fruit Smoothies. Lake excursions. Beautiful children. Hard work. High fives and waves. Washing Hands and Hair. Card Games.
This month in Cambodia I have been blessed to live the village life, and I have absolutely loved it. I honestly don’t even mind the bucket showers, squatty potties, bugs, constant dirt and sweat that is caked to my body, and the sun beating down on me. I never thought I would adore teaching young children with limited English as much as I have. But in living this village life and teaching, I have been taught far more in return.
The children hands down have taught me so much this month alone. These children live their days in simplicity, many of them never leaving their small village and getting glimpses of the outside world. They are some of the most joyful children I have ever met. Their bodies and clothes are dirty and tattered, but their spirits are always high. Every day I am greeted constantly by “Good morning Teacher Cara, how are you?!!” They have bruises, scars, and wounds from the village life, but I have yet to see them cry over them. They run barefoot throughout the dirt in total freedom. They are just as happy playing with tires afternoon after class than children are at in the states on their devices. They stick up for each other and have each others back, whether that’s helping each other out with their English or picking out lice from each others hair, or brothers carrying their sisters around to and from class. It’s incredible.
Then our contacts. I have seen what incredible faith in God and a servant’s heart looks like. Our contacts were never ceasing in working for what the Lord has called them into. And they do it always with praise on their lips. I never once heard them complain. Not when Deb got typhoid and was out for a week or when Roger crushed his toe under a cart from a scorpion scare. They classified our coming to work alongside them as lifting a burden, yet I rarely saw them resting.
One night I awoke from sleeping in my hammock, most likely due to my bladder from constantly hydrating throughout the day. Before I drifted back to sleep after a visit to the squattie in the moonlight, I thought, “I could do this”. I could live this life, and be completely content. My contacts and this village have completely filled me this month. A month with little to no internet and civilizations except for weekends in town. A life without plumbing, hot water, air conditioning, television, web access, cold drinks. And so I thank the Lord for blessing me in so many ways this past month.
