Well I’m officially out of Cambodia now. Month 1 is over and that’s crazy and surreal. But I’ve realized I may not have given you a lot of information about our time in Cambodia. I tend to like blogging more about what God is teaching me than the details of what my life looks like. I’ve hinted at things we’ve done this month, and the ways your support is changing the country, but in an effort to answer the questions I was asked all month, I’ll post a daily life blog for each country this year.
So here we go.
If you don’t know the history of Cambodia, go do a quick Wikipedia search. I knew very little until arriving in Cambodia. There was mass genocide during 1975-1979. People were separated from families, forced to work in labor camps, and many of the educated people were brutally killed. Because of this, there is an entire generation missing now, and the education system needs some improvement. The state religion is Buddhism, but despite all of this, there is some incredible hope.
This month I lived with my team (those six lovely ladies on the side of your screen) in Siem Reap, a popular tourist destination since it’s so close to Angkor Wat, one of the wonders of the world. We lived next to the school, sleeping in hammocks and playing cards late into the night.
Our main ministry this month was teaching at a school. In the morning and afternoon we taught classes for elementary and middle school ages. Adrienne and I taught the little kids, and thankfully her degree is in childhood development because I know English but that doesn’t mean I know how to teach it. So we taught lots of letters and sang lots and lots of songs. In the evenings we all taught the high school and university students. This was really cool because we taught English to the teachers at the school who teach the kids English. So our ministry is sustainable even after we left.
Speaking of teachers, we LOVED the teachers at the school. There were five Cambodian women all around our age. They had attended the school when they were younger and came to know Christ through the Pastor and his wife who ran the school. Most of the girls are the only Christians in their family. While we were there we got to pray with one of the teacher’s father as he accepted Christ! We shared our stories with them and heard theirs’. We grew up on opposite sides of the World, but we’re really not that different from each other. We hung out a lot with them, riding on their motorbikes, going to the floating village together, and just hanging out. They were also awesome translators for us all month and the most amazing hostesses.
In addition to teaching, we went into the villages several times. We would do a church service out there, play with the kids, and teach English. We would pray for people in the village, and we saw a family give their new born baby a name, Phillip. We’ve learned that laughing, games, and Zumba don’t require translators. And my team is pretty strong after having to push the van three times.
Once a week instead of teaching English at the school, we taught Bible. We did youth group on Sundays a couple of times. Once meant walking to chicken farms and eating fried spring rolls, and another time we climbed a mountain and hung out by ancient temples. Again songs and Zumba are always crowd pleasers.
Some nights we would go into town for various reasons, banana pancakes, three dollar pedicures, or prayer walks. We’ve met some amazing friends there and got to love the people others rarely notice. There are many things I don’t understand, and my heart is broken after loving street kids for weeks never to see them again. But I’m learning to lean into my own brokenness and trust God to handle the rest of it. It wasn’t our determined ministry, but it was my favorite part of the month.
We’ve gave our testimonies in villages, at church, and on mountain tops. And then again together as a team with much more details and tears. I’ve lived with six girls who I didn’t really know a month ago and now I consider them family. We learned what it looks like to challenge each other, encourage each other, and share a bathroom.
I can’t believe my first month is over. I know I have lots to process, but I’m not entirely sure what that all is right now. I’m resting knowing that God is their Savior just like he is mine. And just because I’m leaving, it doesn’t mean that he is leaving such a hope filled country. In the meantime, I praise my incredible God for how good he is and for such an fantastic month.
