As I’m writing this, my team and I are riding in a van down a mountain to start our travel to Cambodia. After saying final goodbyes to our students and the teachers we’ve been working with, the van is filled with silence and heavy hearts. This was our third set of goodbyes and easily the most difficult. Leaving the people I’ve been doing life with for the past two months has left my heart in pieces. However, I’m more than okay with this pain. How much leaving hurts means that I gave everything I could during my time here – all my joy, all my love, all of my time. I poured out to them to the best of my abilities.
During the last week at the school, one of my students told me that she had loved having me as her teacher because I didn’t feel like her teacher, I felt like her friend. This instantly reminded me of a chapter from John when Jesus calls His disciples His friends – “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15). Despite being an all powerful God walking on Earth, Jesus was a friend to everyone. And this is what I want to be to everyone – a genuine, loving, kind friend.
My time in Thailand was 2 months of revelation after revelation. I seeked harder than ever to know Jesus more so that I can walk more like Him, and with this, He kept revealing more and more to me about who He truly is – His faithfulness, His goodness, His relentless pursuit of me. He is both our savoir and our friend, and that is what He calls us to be to people. To make them aware of our God and all that He can give to us if we say yes, yet still be a friend in the process and always meet people where they’re at. I didn’t get to see any crazy once in a lifetime holy spirit led conversion of one of my students, but I did get to share parts of my testimony and how God has worked in my life, the gospel (praise Jesus that it was holiday season), and love that hopefully reflects that of the Father. Thailand was more than fulfilling. I am thankful for hard goodbyes.
Update!!
Due to travel days and mid-debrief hecticness, I finished writing this blog over the course of a few days, so now I am currently in Siem Reap, Cambodia! We are at something called mid-debrief, a time for reflection, rest and teachings from our leaders. In a few days, we will be traveling to Battambang to begin ministry. My team is working with Ezra Ministries as the flex team. This means that we have no set ministry schedule and everyday will look different. We are essentially on call for whatever the community needs on that specific day or hour. This could mean hospital visits, manual labor, working with people in poverty huts along the river, teaching English/leading bible studies, café ministry, etc. After working in schools for the past two months, I am so excited for a change of scenery and new ministry opportunities! Every day will be completely up to God. More blogs about what I will be doing as flex team will surely be coming!
