I’m Emily Werness and we are now at our third church in Cambodia. We began at New Life Church, and then went to a Methodist church, and now we are at Revelation Word Baptist Church – about an hour from Siem Riep. It’s been a lot of moving around and packing/unpacking, but I am thankful to have gotten to see so much of the rural countryside and be among the first foreigners to come to this province. It is such a strange phenomenon to have everyone stare at you – I think this is truly one of the first times I have really felt what it is like to be in the minority and stand out a lot physically. It is uncomfortable and a bit unnerving. At the same time, it is pretty hilarious when the kids and even some adults just look at us, giggle, and say “Hollywood!” HAH. Yeah, sure sure.
Here at this third church we have been teaching English lessons in the afternoon, had worship with some of the local women (all of which was in Khmer), and walked down several dirt roads to visit the homes of church members. We would just straight up walk into their front yard area, exchange warm greetings (the whole foreigner thing is pretty rare here) and they immediately pulled out every chair they own and wiped them off with their own clothes so we had a place to sit and rest in the shade. One woman even gave us a bowl of candy! No one speaks English here so I bet they were thinking, well, it doesn’t take much to entertain these Americans – just keep feeding them! And boy, have they been feeding us! Benyes, bananas, bread with condensed milk, so much rice, veggies, and wait for it…INSTANT COFFEE. I am blown away by the hospitality we have received without question everywhere we go. Especially here, at our third church, the pastor’s wife Navi is a beautiful reflection of Christ. From her glowing smile, sweet giggle, and constant attention to the details, she oozes Christ. She always offers us their very best without hesitation and it is not begrudgingly – it is with such joy!! It makes her truly happy to see us full and to worship our Father in Khmer and English together. She is filled with joy whenever she is serving – whether it is us, the church members, or her own family.
An example of her big servant heart revealed itself this past Friday night when we were having “spa” night with our team, just relaxing and treating ourselves to some nail cutting, painting nails, shampooing each other’s hair, etc. At dinner, we were trying to ask Navi for some nail polish remover and it took about three trips to and from her room to get it (the whole no English thing), but each time she ran away with a huge smile, each time coming back with bug repellent, then nail polish, and then the remover. Some of us were outside shampooing, and we urged Navi and her granddaughter to join us inside for spa night, thinking it would be really fun for us to paint their nails and give them some royal treatment. I had just finished clipping my nails and painting my toenails and had just started brushing some fuchsia on my thumb when Navi came in with her big smile and sat down. Immediately she looked down at my thumb and with furrowed brows, she shook her head and said, “No, no!” with a laugh. Without asking she gently took the bottle from my hand, took my hand into hers and began painting my nails. She was so meticulous and careful, working hard to do a thorough job. But it didn’t stop there. She also put a top coat on and then proceeded to file my nails, all under the light of my headlamp. I hugged her, thanked her, smiled, and hugged her some more – no words were needed. But then, a few minutes later she looked down at the ground and saw the questionable job I did on my toes and laughed. Before I knew it my leg was up on her chair and she proceeded to paint a top coat on my cherry red toes as well. I was so touched and felt so loved in that moment. She was helping me feel fresh and beautiful and once again put me before herself. This moment is such a beautiful reflection of Christ’s servant love and gives new meaning to the image of Christ washing his disciples’ feet in John 13, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (verses 14-15)
I’m Emily Werness and it wasn’t with water or a towel that Navi washed my feet, it was with fuchsia nail polish and a smile.
