Well everyone, we only have a few days left here in Cambodia. I have been thinking a lot about social media lately, and about how to present everything that has happened here in a way that is honoring and uplifting to myself and my team, and also to the children and the people here. It all feels somewhat private, like a special tucked away gift. But at the same time I want to paint a picture of what it is like. So in an effort to do that, here are a couple stories from my month here:
Kind Woman with Tea
Multiple times throughout each day my team walks past a table on the way to the orphanage. One of the very first days there, we were introduced to the woman who owns and works at the table, she makes drinks. She also speaks little to no English. Our relationship with her consists of smiles and “thank you!!” She makes us tea and coffee multiple times a day and we are able to pay and bless her in return. She always has a huge smile on her face and a whole lot of sugar that we desperately need. She graciously dumps it all into our red tea. It’s delicious and she always brightens my day.
Taking Your Shoes Off
Before going into to any home or building, you must remove your shoes and leave them outside. I am actually obsessed with this and think I will implement this in my own home someday. It is such a beautiful way to establish a sense of family and togetherness, as well as show someone honor and respect. Especially when entering the home belonging to someone you have never met before. That small piece of intentionality and respect can go a long way when meeting someone as a white person in their country. It can open up doors and tear down walls. And also it’s fun to be barefoot all the time.
Rescuer
So basically my team lives in this room that used to be used as a school. It is large with 4 walls and a metal roof, but with a good-sized gap between the walls and the roof. And windows, but those are just open holes in the walls. So- there is some air flow!! and it sounds really nice when it rains!! (Which is every afternoon) But also a lot of bugs come in… some of them extremely large. Like the size of my hand. Anyways, there is this boy who works for our host family- they pay him to clean and run errands and do whatever needs to be done around their property. (p.s. our host family is soooo kind, if I have not already mentioned that! And they play such an important role in the village- They supply so many jobs for people and really go above and beyond!) He has worked for them for many years and he is so kind! He always helps us out, especially with the bugs. He always runs in and will kill any sized spider!! He is the best!! He rescues us every time!!
Wiping the Tears Away
Along with our gracious and considerate hosts, there is also a young man here from the states. When he first came, he told them he would take it year by year- He has currently been here for 3 and sees no end in sight. He does so many things, from conducting worship on Saturday nights, church on Sunday, any manual labor, helping wash the children’s clothes, etc. He has a room with a bed down the road, yet he chooses to sleep on the floor in the kitchen of the orphanage in case the boys need something. His heart is to love and be with people. Through these years, he has been able to form these beautiful relationships with the boys, built on trust and steadfast love. And it has been an honor and a joy to get to support, uplift, and come along side of him while we have been here. That is our whole purpose, to breathe life and encouragement into the already existing work taking place. There was one day where one of the much younger boys was sad because he wanted to go home like many of the other children do while on holiday from school, but due to his family situation, he could not. He is quiet and sat in English class that day and would not say a single word. After class, he called the little boy over to him and softly spoke over him in the language the boy could better understand. The little boy’s tears began to stream down his face and he would just gently wipe them away for him. It really struck me in that moment, watching this take place. I thought, what a beautiful picture of what Jesus does for us. He softly speaks directly to our hearts in ways he knows we will understand. And he gently wipes our tears away.
The Brothers
There are a set of young brothers here who are the cutest things ever. They are also not going home due to their family situation so we have gotten to know them well, especially through English class. (In case you are wondering, we have been learning nouns, verbs, and adjectives- they love saying the word “adjective”) They are extremely intelligent- and know quite a bit of english, though they will try to convince you otherwise. And they so desire to be seen and loved. They are gentle and kind, making bracelets and drawing pictures. They are extremely talented. We play soccer together in the pouring rain and look at the Bible in Khmer, their language. But they also, like many of the children, struggle with knowing how to receive love. They often respond with aggression, not necessarily in a harmful way but in an effort to try to grasp the situation. That is all that they have known or seen. You compliment their drawing and they may smile and smack your arm. Their redemption story has already begun though, and being able to live at this home with this community is just a glimpse into how Jesus is transforming their hearts.
Monopoly deal
We play a lot of cards here, especially Monopoly Deal. If you have not played, I highly suggest it. Even though we speak two different languages, we can still get a good game going. Jesus spent a lot of time just sitting with people and that is a lot of what it is like here. In this time, loving looks a lot like- laughing, slapping your cards down, and drinking some red tea together.
For some of these stories you may be thinking, “Emily, that does not seem very significant, someone killing bugs or making a tea” but I want to tell you that each of these pieces from the last month are real life. These are some of the tucked away moments that make up each day. It is sweet. And it is peaceful. There are also so many more moments that would take too much time to share- walking around huge lizards to get to the squatty potty at 2 in the morning. Or carrying a huge bucket of dirt on a bamboo stick over your shoulder to fill in holes in the road. Or being chased by a white cow. Or waking up under your mosquito net to realize that WAIT how did bugs get inside here?!? Or worshipping in another language. Or a girl on my team going to the doctor and then getting miraculously healed. Or eating meat, rice and greens every meal and LOVING it. Chili sauce on rice is my new favorite. Or the chickens everywhere that have just become the norm. Or handwashing clothes. Or Nancy the cat at the WiFi house. Or walking into the meat section of the market and having to turn straight around. Or waking up in the middle of each night to the chanting music from the temples. Or showering with a bucket maybe twice a week. Or becoming a pro with chop sticks. Really could go on and on. Is it hard? Heck yeah. And I am so thankful for every single moment of it all.
Joyfully, Emily 🙂
