Kampong Cham, Cambodia. What can I say about this place? What can I tell you that would give you a realistic impression about where I have been and what I have been doing this month? One thing I will say is that Cambodia is beautiful. After we left Africa I was beginning to think that I would never see a sky that would take my breath away again. But the skies here are amazing. They are clear blue and stretch on and on for miles. Huge cumulous clouds billow in the sky every day, foretelling the inevitable rain that is to come. Green and tropical the landscape rolls on and on for miles, spanning anything from rice fields to tropical forests to farmland. And then there is the Mekong. The Mekong River starts in China, flowing through Laos down through Cambodia and Vietnam, and finally emptying out into the South China Sea. It is big and vast, flowing ever so slowly and steadily. It speaks of the Fathers glory. Being in Kampong Cham we had the luxury of seeing the Mekong almost every day. Every time we drove over the near mile long bridge that goes over top of it I was taken away by its beauty.
Then there are the houses. As we rolled into Kampong Cham after our four hour bus ride from Phnom Pen I stared noticing that many if not all of the houses were on stilts. Usually they had a downstairs storage area where they kept things but it was pretty obvious that the main part of the house was upstairs. As the month progressed I found out why. During the worst part of the rainy season which is around October and November there is so much rain that it floods and many places are turned into “Floating Villages.” One of the villages we went to which was an island on the river gets completely covered in water and the only way they can get around during those months is by boat.
Then there was ministry. We began the month staying at YDC which stands for “Youth Development Center.” It is a YWAM (Youth with a mission) base where some staff live and some staff work. The staff takes teams who help them facilitate community outreach programs such as teaching English, giving guitar lessons, and doing community outreach. They have teams from YWAM and the World Race come through almost every month that help them teach the classes and go to the villages in the morning. For us, our daily schedule was as follows:
8:00am: Do an hour of intercessory prayer or worship. Pray for staff, team, students of YDC, villages, and overall direction from the Lord.
9:00 am- 11:00 am: Go to various villages spending time in fellowship and service to the communities. Build relationships, pray, and play with the kids and people in the community. Teach those that want to learn about Jesus. Also for a week while we were here we got to go to the prison which is where my other blog “There is freedom behind this chain-linked fence” was inspired from. There we spent time with the prisoners giving personal testimonies, leading worship, and inviting people to share in the glory of the Lord.
11:00am to 12:00pm: Eat a delicious lunch that either Cecil or Kim has made. Usually some kind of noodle, or “noodes” we like to call them, coupled with vegetables and chicken or pork. Sometimes if we are really lucky we get springrolls. J
12:00pm- 3:00pm: Freetime! Take a nap, have quiet time, journal, read, watch a special on Discovery Channel (the last half of the month we were staying in a hotel and had cable!) or just relax.
3:00pm- 6:00pm: Teach English and Guitar classes to local students. Build relationships with them and just have fun doing something you have never done before.
6:00pm: Eat a delicious dinner prepared by Cecil or Kim. Equally as delicious as lunch but usually bigger and with some variety of noodles, but always served with rice. Eat YDC out of Sweet Chili and soy sauce. J
7:30pm- 8:30pm: Team time. This month we started studying Proverbs beginning a quest for wisdom as a team. We will be carrying that into next month.
So there you have it. Our ministry schedule for the month. What I can say is that I genuinely enjoyed ministry this month. It was not redundant or boring and felt intentional and spirit-lead. We were not stretched to the point of exhaustion nor lacked guidance or direction from the staff. We were cared for, loved, and were able to willingly and generously meet the needs of the staff, students, and people in the communities we came into contact with. Overall this may end up being my favorite month, but we still have four more so I will have to see.
What I can also say is that I love the YDC staff! They are absolutely amazing people who love the Lord and are very patient with foreigners such as ourselves. Kim, Maricel, Cecil, Daro, Sokto, and Rachna all hold a special place in my heart that I will cherish forever.
Thank you Lord for an amazing month!
Also we just found out that we are going to be in Ho Chi Minh city next month in Vietnam. We are going to be working with a coffee shop doing English classes, helping with a youth program, and more. I am so excited for it and can’t wait for what God has next for myself, my team, and my squad! Keep us in your prayers and thank you again for all your loving support from back home!
Love you all!
