I finally understand what a lot of my friends are talking about when they go crazy about Cambodia. I loved Thailand for sure, but there is just something extra special about Cambodia! I just love it. :]
So first in the news, Tricia (my fearless Hephzibah team leader) was pulled up to lead our entire Q-squad. I know that she is going to rock at it too! I am very sad that she will not be a part of my team anymore, but I am also really excited that the rest of my squad is going to benefit from her leadership and what she has to offer all of us. If I were selfish, I would have kept her to myself. Excitingly though, now I not only get to have her but the other 37 people on my squad are able to know her more as well. So really it is a win, win situation. :]
But as a result of Tricia and Andrew (our other new squad leader) being pulled up, meant that more changes were going to happen amongst all of the teams. I was really nervous about being split apart from my Hephzibah girls who have shared life with me these first 3 months on the World Race. But all I could hear from God was that I was “getting too comfortable”. I wasn’t called to a lifestyle of comfort here on the World Race. The girls on Hephzibah know my heart so well and still love me so much despite all of my dirt. I couldn’t imagine being split apart from them and losing that safe footing that I had with them. But God had other plans for us. Hephzibah girls will most definitely still have a very special place in my heart for many many many years to come. :] I believe that our time together was a time of preparation for future ministry on the race. And I am actually pretty excited about what is to come! :]
Saying that… *drum roll please* …
Meet Team Eleutheroo (pronounced El-yoo-tha-ro, BUT I originally pronounced it & therefore I prefer saying Eh-loo-tha-roo accompanied by a British accent ;]) !!!
Ashley Bronkema Kelly Brooks Michelle Cook
Jenny Ellis Amy Heiser (our new team leader!)
Our team name, Eleutheroo is Greek for “to make free” or “deliver”. We believe that God wants to and IS going to bring more freedom to our team of women! I can promise you right now that even within these first few days of being a team, God has already blown our mindset of how much freedom He really wants to establish within our team and within each of us!
To give you a heads-up about our ministry this month, we will be working with a ministry center called Agape Shalom here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We spent our first day with them on Thursday and it was incredible! We will mostly be teaching English as well as leading Bible studies/church services. On Thursday, we spent most of our time in conversation with some university students around the ages of 18 to 24. It was so awesome to be able to share with them about myself as well as hear who they are, etc. I even got in to conversation about Christianity with some Buddhists, who actually started the conversation and seemed genuinely interested in Jesus. Yeah! God is totally going to use us as we teach these students English and share with them about our Savior Jesus Christ. I am really looking forward to this month and making some new Cambodian friends!
