Halfway Point …
Wow! I have just one more full week of ministry here in Cambodia (month 6), and the halfway point in this entire 11-month world race experience has officially passed. Committing to the race over a year ago, I expected to be taken out of my comfort zone, serve others through various acts of service, grow in my relationship with Christ and eat strange foods … all of which are true. But never did I expect to find so much freedom from my past, develop a new level of trust and begin to truly feel and embrace the unconditional love of my Heavenly Father. I am a changed person, not because the world race is a life-changing experience. Rather, I am a changed person because I have opened my heart and allowed God to slowly peel away the hurt, the fears and the emotions of the past which once weighed me down. I have discovered a new level of joy in all circumstances. As I press forward into the second half of this journey, it is my prayer that God would continue to unveil those things that are preventing me from being fully confident in who I am in Christ, fully trusting Him and being completely obedient to His leading in my life.
“…being confident in this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 1:6
Ministry in Cambodia…
This month, my team and I are living in a village almost two hours outside of the capital in Takeo, Cambodia. We are working with Joy Community Center which is a part of the larger University of the Nations ministry in Cambodia. Their primary goal is to share God’s love and empower Cambodian Christians to help in disciplining their people, nation and world. It is about helping these Cambodian people to grow in spirit, mind and body with Jesus Christ being the central focus in all that they do. This is done by means of training and educating youth, developing the community and providing programs and environments to enhance growth in children.
So, what kind of ministry are we actually doing? We teach, preach, build relationships, pray and LOVE.
Our morning varies from day to day, but we have had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of ministry opportunities. A couple days a week we prepare a VBS type of children’s ministry which includes sharing Bible stories through drama, songs, crafts, games and snacks. Oh, and don’t forget the unexpected lice shampooing treatments that we gave to the children at one of the ministry locations too! On Friday mornings we attend and lead an adult/youth bible study where we share our testimonies and preach truth from the scriptures. We also have spent time visiting families and praying for the sick, believing that in God’s timing healing will happen. Once a week, we also spend time at a drug addiction rehabilitation center where we share and teach about the Bible. Don’t forget church on Sunday mornings too, where we participate by preaching, sharing testimonies and sometimes singing! Finally, every weekday afternoon we find ourselves becoming English teachers for approximately 1-2 hours to approximately 30-40 children and teenagers.
God doesn’t call the equipped, but He equips the called and this month has certainly been a testament to that! As a team we have been stepping out of our comfort zones, overcoming fears of public speaking, and learning to be obedient to the Holy Spirits leading. When we haven’t known what to pray for or what to preach, the Holy Spirit has spoken through us, and allowed us to be God’s vessels to bring glory to His name. We have seen people find forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ, experienced God’s healing power and rejoiced as we welcomed new brothers and sisters into God’s Kingdom!
