ATL : “Ask the Lord” Literally, ask the Lord what you are supposed to do. Each day. Each week. The entire month. NO PLANNED MINISTRY.
UNSUNG HEROES: A campaign where we are trying to find new contacts for future World Racers.
This is what my month looks like in Cambodia for my team. No planned ministry. No planned contacts. Asking God daily to show us the way.
We started the month by being in Phnom Penh (Capital city) and did a few days of research to find new contacts. After being tired of sitting on the computer, we decided to get out and ask God to lead the way. God led us to an organization that teaches life skills to women who want to get out of the sex-trafficking industry (Daughters of Cambodia).
The next day we attempted to go to an international church. Upon arriving there really late, we were told it was closed for morning service. At a loss of what to do for the day, we sat down outside of the church and hashed out some team stuff. Just as we finished working through our personal stuff, a random Cambodia woman named Mary came to us. We aren’t sure if she was trying to meet a friend or pick up Gospel tracks at the church building, but she invited us into her office for coffee and to share her medical ministry with us. That afternoon, we spent 2 hours with Mary where she shared coffee, peanuts, vegetables, her life and her medical ministry with us and then took the time to take us to lunch. We will be learning more about her ministry at the end of the month.
Currently, we are now in Siem Reap, another tourist city in Cambodia. We just arrived last night and are only here for three days. We have two meetings with ministry contacts on Friday and are waiting to see what is next. On Sunday we will be traveling to a town on the western coast of Cambodia on the beach and then will return to Phnom Penh for the last week.
What I REALLY wanted to share with you was what happened to me this evening.
As I said before, we are in a VERY touristy area. There are tourists EVERYWHERE. Seeing all of these tourists gotten me to think more about the culture and the area. It’s interesting/confusing to me to see local people doing everything they can to make money (massage places, tuk tuk drivers, restaurant servers) as tourists walk passed them as if they aren’t even there. Tourists get annoyed as tuk tuk drivers are walking up to them every minute asking if they want a ride, but this is how these men put food on the tables. Men tourists get mad when women who work at massage places come right up to them trying to get them to get massages when all these women are doing is trying to feed their babies. 10 year old children are holding infant babies asking for milk for the baby, but will not take the cookies and candy that we offer them. His story doesn’t quite make sense.
All of these things are what I saw tonight. In an hour and a half time span, I probably had 15 men ask me if I wanted a tuk tuk. I saw that 10 year old boy and he walked with us until he realized all we were going to do was give him cookies and candy. I saw the massage women look defeated when I was just another “no” as I walk passed them.
God, What are we supposed to do????????
Well, Brittney and I had a plan. Between the two of us, God was laid children, tourists and young women on our hearts tonight. We bought chocolate and cookies with the intention of giving them to street children. After only finding one kid who wouldn’t take our food, we saw the Lord leading us in another direction. He lead us to the women who were outside of the massage places. We handed out candy and cookies to them. Their faces LIT up. They are never treated this way.
We stopped specifically at one place where we met four women and a man who were all in their 20s. We found out about their husbands and children and how they work 10 hour days, but don’t get much business. We saw them stop talking to us and run up to random single men (VERY CLOSELY) to try to entice them to come and get massages. We saw the reality of their lives. We talked with them for a few minutes, took a picture and went on our way. We will be going back the next two nights.
I don’t really know what else to say here. I am still processing how I feel about all of this. It makes me angry, sad, confused, and happy all at the same time. This whole month we will be in tourist cities and I don’t know what that means, but I know God does. He will show me which massage women, tuk tuk drivers and street kids to talk to. Until then, I will just trust that God’s plan is bigger than my own.
