MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
It has been such a blessing getting to spend Christmas here in Siem Reap, Cambodia! After skyping with family back home, our team gathered together in the morning for breakfast in our hotel and then opened our “stockings,” (filled santa hats) together! Candy, peanut butter, a bracelet, a face mask and other awesome tidbits were exchanged. We even wore our “No Tuk Tuk Today!” shirts as a family – only funny if you’ve experienced the nature of the wonderful Cambodian tuk tuk drivers, whom consistently press that they can drive you around for the day.
(This tuk tuk is an abnormal one – they are usually red and
somewhat run down, but this one was a treat! The driver even wore a batman shirt!)
They are somewhat of a mix between a golf cart and a motorbike. So fun, but would never be acceptable in the States, sadly!
The rest of our day consisted of hanging out with teams that had come to visit. We were all able to enjoy dinner together at a wonderful restaurant with food that resembled the closest thing to a home cooked meal in the heart of Siem Reap. It was delicious!
We were able to share fish massages after dinner. What’s a fish massage, you ask?
Well…it’s best described as sticking your feet in a big fish tank while the fish attempt to “eat the dead skin” off of your feet. Disgusting, I know. It was the craziest experience! Our feet felt no different after the fact, but hey, it’s a great tourist attraction! We enjoyed a REAL foot massage for only $2 once we had enough of the fish. 🙂
While we walked around the city, we were able to love on people and share Christmas joy with them through a small gift. I was able to sit next to one of the prostitutes we had talked to earlier as we got our feet massaged.
Her name was Alyssa. The language barrier was somewhat difficult at times, but she shared that she had no family and lived alone. A group of us took her to get a bite to eat and were able to have further conversation with her. After a while, she hinted towards expectations that she was used to people having when conversing with her. We had to explain that we were just there to love on her and were able to let her know that Jesus loves her, too. Beyond that, she wasn’t able to understand much and didn’t truly understand why we didn’t want the same from her that
others usually did.
It was an eye-opening experience to the realities of the problems in the world. But, it made for an amazing Christmas in getting to spend time being intentional with those around us that truly need to feel loved.
Teams of K-Squad were able to do a variety of things for the Cambodians on Christmas! At the end of this blog is just one story from Team Refuge of how they were able to bless street children in Phnom Penh. I hope it touches your heart and speaks to reminding us all of the TRUE meaning of Christmas!
Let us not forget the ultimate gift — Jesus Christ, our Savior, who was born to save US!
