Have you ever thought about going to Cambodia? Have you ever even thought ABOUT Cambodia? For those who lived during the 70’s you probably thought about it a long time ago, but for those of my generation you probably don’t even know where Cambodia is. That’s about how I felt. I knew where Cambodia was and I’ve always wanted to go to Angkor Wat, but that’s about it. Let me tell you though, this place rocks, and not just because of Angkor Wat or the cheap stuff! Cambodia rocks because it’s people rock! I’ve always loved Thai people and I still feel they are some of the kindest people on earth, but there’s something different about Cambodia. If you were thinking about doing a missions trip to Thailand, but not exactly sure, check out Cambodia before you make a decision. This country is dying for Christ, while the enemy’s arm is strongly wrapped around this place.
Our contact here in Phnom Penh made a comment to us on day one about how certain struggles you may deal with in other places will be greatly magnified here and/or struggles you didn’t even have in other places will pop up while you’re in Cambodia. Two days into our month I found this to be absolutely true, but we confessed our struggles to each other on the team and have fought against the enemy together. It feels so good to know the devil considers us that much of a threat that he has to send reinforcements to attack us. Praise the Lord! In the word Paul talks about how he rejoices in his weakness because in them he can find strength in the Lord. This never really made sense to me until this month. In my weakness I am strong because the Lord is with me. There is power in my weakness. So I am growing in my walk, but you still have no idea what we’re doing.
So this month we are teaching English to Cambodian youth with ages ranging from about 13 to 25 for 6 hours a day. We also play games, sing songs, Natalie is teaching dance, and other activities. We took the kids to the zoo yesterday, which was awesome! I never thought I would like teaching English since I never really liked the subject in school, and as an engineer I haven’t taken an English course since I was 18, but the fact is I love teaching these kids. To see them understand and hear them get their pronunciation right brings so much joy to my heart. Through teaching we have developed some strong relationships with the youth and have been able to give the gospel in different ways on many occasions. The classes are held at a church and some of the youth who come are actually believers, but most are Buddhist. Please pray we have more opportunities to speak life and Christ into these kids.
I want to talk about two more things, one serious and one hilariously strange. We are staying in a “guest house” this month, which in Cambodia is like a motel. It’s actually really nice and I’m not complaining about the actually conditions, but the atmosphere is concerning. What is alarming about the “guest house” is how the rooms are rented. You can rent for a full day, but you can also rent on the hour. Now sex trafficking is huge in Thailand, but it is often just as bad or worse in Cambodia, and it is fairly obvious why these “guest houses” charge by hour. We pray against the spirits we know surround us in our home for this month, but it is still eerie to know what is going on around us. Please pray for our protection. So now on to the funny news. Here in Cambodia there is a counter culture to the US. Cambodians want to be WHITE! Crazy right!? Here they have beautiful dark skin that most white Americans would kill for, but they wear pants and long sleeve shirts everywhere all day to protect their skin from getting dark in the sun, and it’s HOT here! I thought it was hot in Thailand, but this place is like the sun. I don’t know how they do it, but I guess beauty is pain.
So that’s my Cambodia so far. Please pray for our team and for ears to hear. Love you guys!
