After two weeks in Cambodia I am finally adjusting. Things are finally starting to settle into a
kind of normal. The only problem with
that is that we only have one more week here.
Ugh.
via overnight layover in Kuala Lumpur (amazing city!) – which turned into
a very restful night of pillowy hotel sleep in an air-conditioned room…with 6
other people. We even had time to take over
the local Chili’s for a little surprise party for Erin Crain. In all, the night in Malaysia was an exciting
detour.
adjusting and cultural training before our team traveled to Sihanoukville –
a small resort-ish beach town on the Bay of Thailand where we have
been
helping
out an
orphanage and teaching English. The town itself is
beautiful…kind of. it is an amazing little bungalow town with lots of
little restaurants and huts, many nearby islands inhabited only by fishermen
and weekend travelers, screen-saver worthy beaches, and perfect sunsets.
But it just kind of has this haze over all of it. It’s just not as bright
as is should be. Not really literally, but maybe spiritually. It’s just tough to describe. Under the
surface there are all kinds of crazy undertones of lust, confusion, depression,
ignorance, poverty, and a kind of desperate greed that weave their way
throughout the city – it’s just everywhere. Young Cambodian girls with
older white men…backpackers from all over the world searching for life,
answers, drugs…children literally being bought and sold…and all of it
happening in the middle of what should be a really beautiful place – a would-be
paradise. There are some really amazing people here trying to do what
they can to impact this place and these people, but sadly, it is mostly just a
town full of lost, confused people suppressing true life. All if it isn’t really a surprise considering
the country’s war-torn history of violence and genocide (google: Khmer Rouge,
killing fields, Pol Pot, etc.).
Cambodia is definitely the most unique place I have ever visited. Most of Cambodia (about 93%) practicesTheravada Buddhism, with an eclectic mix of animalistic spirit worship, Chinese
ancestor worship, and Hindu symbology thrown in. It’s kind of a “cover all the bases” system of
theology. About 2% of the population
(less than 300,000 people) are Christians.
A few people speak broken English, but the blank stares that say, “I
have absolutely no idea what you’re asking me,” are more common than anything
else. One of my favorite things about
the country is that it is completely normal to see women walking around at all
hours of the day wearing pajamas – it’s like a constant slumber party. The primary modes of transportation are
motorbike and kind of horse-drawn carriage-looking thing where the horse has
been replace with a motorbike called a tuk-tuk (pronounced tuuk-tuuk). I love it.
Our ministry was simply described to us as “working at an
orphanage,” but upon arrival our first week of ministry transitioned to
teaching English – which I love – at a school during the day, and at an
orphanage at night. The kids range in
age from 5 to 20+, and I often feel like the English “teachers” are learning
just as much, if not more, than the kids.
Week two was a change – insert: Cambodian New Year. Essentially the Cambodian New Year is a week
long holiday, really it’s just the 13th-15th, but the
school is closed and the last thing anyone wants to think about is
English. For the past week we have been
spending time just playing with the kids at the orphanage during the day and
teaching an English class at night. We
have even had a couple opportunities to go with the kids to the beach. This has been an amazing time of just pouring
into these kids and God using us to be a “father to the fatherless.” Despite the language barrier, the days have
become exciting times of games and laughter, and the night classes are hours of
worship, bible study, and teaching English through telling the story of God’s
love for his children.
these kids and daily I’m impressed by their resilient, joyful spirits in the
face of their unjust histories and situational hardships. These are children who have been abused,
mistreated and abandoned by their biological parents, but whose stories are
being redeemed by their heavenly father.
I am so blessed to be a part of that process. We only have one more week of ministry, but I
am doing my best to continue to take things a day at a time and enjoy the
ride. I love my life.
