I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most consistent blogger out there. And there have been many times this past year where I thought to myself, “I should write a blog about that.” But then the days and weeks pass by and all of a sudden I’m in a different country, surrounded by new experiences I should be writing a blog about.
With my time on the World Race coming to a close, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the past year. And I’ve come to the realization that a lot of the amazing moments I was blessed to witness, were never told. And what good is it to be living an unforgettable story and not tell anyone about it?
So here is the first of two stories, out of many, that will be remembered when I look back on this crazy year.
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Meet Felip.
He’s an adorable little cutie that I had the pleasure of seeing almost everyday in Cambodia. His precious mother was part of the Shalom Ministry, one of the ministries we worked with that month. This ministry worked with women who had left prostitution, found Christ, and now wanted a better way to support their families.
Everyday four beautiful Cambodian women would come to our house where we started the day with morning worship and devotions. The rest of their day was spent learning and practicing their new trade, sewing.
But the fun part about this ministry was that the women all brought their children to work everyday. Every time I stepped outside my bedroom, which was right off of the area where the women worked everyday, I would find at least one little baby or toddler to pick up and hold.
It was one of the highlights of that month. I love children. Especially just sitting and playing with them, because let’s face it, I’m still pretty much a kid at heart.
But there was one child in particular that stole my heart. And his name was Felip.
He was almost always smiling and giggling, and being a toddler on the move, he was always finding something to get into that he probably shouldn’t have been in. But the most exciting part about Felip while we were there, was that he was on the brink of becoming a certified walking machine.
Everyday I would walk up and down the balcony holding his little fingers while he practiced his one-foot-in-front-of-another technique. He would get so excited when he could pull himself up onto his feet by himself and start the first step.
I was seriously like a proud mama with this boy. I have more than a couple pictures and videos on my camera and phone of him parading around the balcony. And I of course would try to show anyone who looked in my direction, the latest video of him laughing while trying to pull himself up on his feet.
One of my biggest lessons I learned in Cambodia was about God’s love. And I saw a lot of that love through Felip. I can only imagine how proud God looks down upon us when we do something to glorify his kingdom. And the way God cheers us on when we’re so close to figuring out a lesson we’ve been needing to learn for far too long.
I will never forget the way Felip would bring an instant smile to my face whenever I saw him. I didn’t have many bad days that month, and a lot of that credit goes to those adorable little Cambodian faces that I would squeeze and kiss several times a day.
Those children gave me something to look forward to with my own children one day. If I was this emotional and excited about Felip learning to walk, how much more memorable would it be with my own children?
Cambodia gave me a fresh perspective on love. Receiving love. Giving love. Seeing love. God revealed how much love I really do have in my heart. And Felip was lucky enough to be one of the firsts to truly start receiving my renewed passion for love.
