An hour and a half from the village we live in–the oh so beautiful ocean before me–brings me to the first computer I’ve seen since Cambodia greeted me. Well, maybe not the first computer…but internet for sure! We’re back in the bush and for the most part, we’re loving it! It’s hot; it’s humid. It’s sticky; we stink. But for whatever reason, we still love this place we’re calling home. There’s so much going on here that really, I can’t fit it all in one blog; BUT, I wanted to write something to let you all know we’re alive 🙂
sweating: So, we sweat. A lot. it’s been a common theme for most throughout Asia, however, as some of you know, that’s not the case for me. For over 4.5 months my body did not sweat. Not in Africa. Not in Asia. In Thailand, I had the pleasure of getting fevers daily thanks to the fact that my body couldn’t cool itself down. Well, aparantly Cambodia is the cure. Because I sweat. A lot. Praise God!! I actually do lie in bed praising God some days just for the pure fact that I sweat…and then I usually get up from the pool of sweat I’m in, shake my head, and have to laugh. Gotta love it!
teaching: Our main ministry this month is teaching. Whether it be teaching English or teaching worship songs, we tend to find ourselves teaching a lot. Our contact has taken it upon himself to teach the children and youth of the village English so being able to help him out in whatever way we can is incredible. And, because he’s such an amazing translator, it really provides us a lot of freedom in sharing our hearts. Just Saturday Matt and I taught the youth how to sing the song, “You Won’t Relent,” and well, when Matt and I are together, we tend to get a bit passionate so what started as a simple lesson turned into preaching the Gospel and a sermon on worship. The Lord really is working through us to touch the youth. Big things are going to happen in this village!
playing in poo: Our first day in the village, we had the opportunity to participate in a favorite pasttime of the local kids–running through the field in the rain. With it being the rainy season right now, rain is not uncommon. In fact, I think we’ve only had one day it didn’t rain…if that! Anyway, playing in a field in the rain is great and all, until you take a moment to look what was in the field before the rain (and probably during the rain). Our favorite field to slide face first in, tackle each other in, kick water at people in, throw frisbees and cocunuts in, do cartwheels and somersaults in, and simply run around in happens to be the very field the cows like to poop in. It’s the same field the ducks and the chickens and the dogs and the snakes and the frogs and all the animals of the area like to spend time hanging out in…you know, doing their thing. It’s the same field that, 11 months ago, none of us probably would have stepped foot in. So when the rain fell the first day and the kids ran right in, we did the most logical thing–we joined them! We didn’t think of it as poop. In fact, it wasn’t until at least half an hour and a face full later that we even remembered it was poop, not mud, squishing between our toes. But it’s okay. Because, as Matt said in a great analogy that night, it represented what this month has the potential to be if we let it. We’re choosing to get dirty, to get in the crap and have fun anyway. It’s not until we take our eyes of the fun we’re having that we even recognize it as crap.
So there you have it. We’re battling through bug bites, enjoying the squatty, eating more pork and rice than we know what to do with, but somewhere amidst it all, we’re falling in love with this place in our own special way.
(Consider this your post for the month. The internet place that’s 30 minutes from the village is “out of internet” so I don’t think I’ll be posting another blog until debrief. Until then, may God bless each and every one of you with uncontainable, unexplainable joy!!)
