word: siem reap
It is Christmas time and I am now in Cambodia! I arrived here on the 7th and we started our ministry work here on the 12th! This month will be a shorter one due to travel and Christmas, but I’m doing some cool things here that I wanted to update you all on! Here it goes ~
Who am I with?
Starting this month and for the next few months I am with a brand new team of 5 people! This is a very big deal. I will now be eating, sleeping, working and spending a lot of time with these people. We go by the name team BOB! Here is a picture of how we introduced ourselves to our squad earlier this month. (from left to right: bob dylan, bob saget, B.o.B., bob the builder, bob ross, and bob marley!)
Where am I?
Siem Reap, Cambodia, a fairly touristy town in the north of Cambodia that is largely known because of the famous ruins of the ancient city of Angkor. The ancient city is full of intricate stone buildings and temples! The city of Siem Reap has many cute shops, markets, and a lively nightlife on Pub street!
What do I do?
This month we are paired with Victory church. The church has two locations, one in the central part of Siem Reap and one in a more rural village about an hour outside of the city. We help with both of the churches. Wednesday through Friday we travel out to the village for the day and teach 3 english classes as well as lead a Bible study for a group of women. These days go from about 9am to 6pm. On Saturday, we serve in the afternoon at the church in town with anything needed there. This past week we helped with gardening! Finally, on Sundays, we travel out to the village in the morning to lead Sunday school for little kids, and in the evening we attend and help with two other Sunday schools at the church in town! Monday and Tuesday are our weekend days for rest and adventure!
Who is hosting us?
Our main host here is Ronald Castillo. He is the head pastor at Victory Church in town. He is actually from the Philippines! Ronald is married to Cynthia and they have two cute children! They are a missionary family who moved here to head up the church. We also have another host who leads us when we go out to the village who is from Cambodia named Sam! The two are both very fun and light hearted. (Below is Ronald & Cynthia and Ronald & Sam)
Where do I live?
I live in an Adventures in Mission (AIM) owned hostel here in Siem Reap. It is called Overflow Guesthouse. It is located about 15 minutes outside of the city. We are surrounded by ponds with lilypads, dirt roads, and some cows! We also have an amazing pool in our backyard. I am living in a room in bunk beds. We also got festive with our room and created a homemade Christmas tree plus other decorations! A small part of our work here this month is to also assist with some of the hostel duties. We sometimes have to open and close up the hostel.
What do I eat?
Because our hostel is not right in town, I usually eat at the hostel. There are many great dishes offered with rice, meat, and veggies.
Currency?
The money here is called Cambodia Riel 1 USD= about 4,000 riel. Fun Fact… most of Cambodia also takes USD so we have been able to pull out our good old American bucks here! Feels like home.
Transportation?
We take these things called Tuk Tuk’s everywhere around here. They are basically a motorbike connected to a covered carriage. There are lots of motorbikes here as well! We take a tuk tuk for an hour there and back each time we go out to the village. Makes for pleasant and windy rides!
Tourism?
So far, I haven’t done too many touristy things here. We have been busy with ministry and I also came down with a sickness that led me to go for a first time visit to a foreign clinic… a very nerve racking experience for me! They helped me to recover quickly. We plan to visit the famous Angkor Wat tomorrow morning for sunrise. Can’t wait to see more!
Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays 🙂
