Cambodian nights.
Upon arriving in Phnom Penh at the beginning of December, my time as a team leader was coming to a close, and I was welcoming this new season with open arms. I don’t regret my time as a leader for a second, as I learned an abundance of life lessons and wisdom through its trials, but I was ready for a change.
We would be staying as a squad in our hotel for a few days for debrief, meaning that we had some time to hang out with other teams, explore the city, and just relax a bit. One of the first nights there I joined some squad-mates on a night out on the town, which entailed hopping in a tuk-tuk and praying that the driver knew where he was going, because obviously we didn’t. We were planning to meet up with members of another squad that were actually on their way out of the country, merely high-fiving us on our way in. My friend Ashley had a friend from that squad, and it was great for them to be able to catch up while on the race.
We went to a place called the Pontoon, a club downtown that attracts many foreigners in search of a good time, and also some World Racers in search of a good time, with completely different intentions, of course. Some may call it bar ministry, but I call it fun. I have had some amazing moments in bar ministry on the race, but this one so far is my favorite.
The five of us pile into the place, it’s still quiet but the night is young. It is very clean, and inviting inside. A great big dance floor met our feet and introduced us to its friends, the lights, fog machine, a great big bar and a DJ ready to get the party started. As the minutes passed and we waited for our friends, the main crowd trickled in to find their favorite seats.
Some of it was hard to watch. Retired men in groups would congregate around the VIP section, their gazes fixated on the young girls they had hired for the night. Young men would find themselves at the bar, looking for fleeting moments of happiness at the bottoms of bottles. I’m not one to judge though, as I’ve been there before. We instantly began to pray for the people in the room. As we prayed, I remembered that we didn’t go there to succumb to the heaviness and darkness of the mood that was offered, but rather, we were to bring the light and hope that we have into places like these. We weren’t subject to our surroundings, but rather we influenced the atmosphere around us. With that, in walked members from the other squad, and after a few introductions, the dancing began.
If you don’t already know, I’m not the most conventional dancer. My motto is, “If nobody comes near you on the dance floor, you’re doing something right.” I began to flail about in my usual routine, allowing my unpredictably rubber-like limbs to accentuate every beat and electric pulse that the airwaves carried. It looks something like a photosensitive seizure at best, but hey, I have a good time. Just keep your distance and you will be safe. 🙂
Upon arriving in Phnom Penh at the beginning of December, my time as a team leader was coming to a close, and I was welcoming this new season with open arms. I don’t regret my time as a leader for a second, as I learned an abundance of life lessons and wisdom through its trials, but I was ready for a change.
We would be staying as a squad in our hotel for a few days for debrief, meaning that we had some time to hang out with other teams, explore the city, and just relax a bit. One of the first nights there I joined some squad-mates on a night out on the town, which entailed hopping in a tuk-tuk and praying that the driver knew where he was going, because obviously we didn’t. We were planning to meet up with members of another squad that were actually on their way out of the country, merely high-fiving us on our way in. My friend Ashley had a friend from that squad, and it was great for them to be able to catch up while on the race.
We went to a place called the Pontoon, a club downtown that attracts many foreigners in search of a good time, and also some World Racers in search of a good time, with completely different intentions, of course. Some may call it bar ministry, but I call it fun. I have had some amazing moments in bar ministry on the race, but this one so far is my favorite.
The five of us pile into the place, it’s still quiet but the night is young. It is very clean, and inviting inside. A great big dance floor met our feet and introduced us to its friends, the lights, fog machine, a great big bar and a DJ ready to get the party started. As the minutes passed and we waited for our friends, the main crowd trickled in to find their favorite seats.
Some of it was hard to watch. Retired men in groups would congregate around the VIP section, their gazes fixated on the young girls they had hired for the night. Young men would find themselves at the bar, looking for fleeting moments of happiness at the bottoms of bottles. I’m not one to judge though, as I’ve been there before. We instantly began to pray for the people in the room. As we prayed, I remembered that we didn’t go there to succumb to the heaviness and darkness of the mood that was offered, but rather, we were to bring the light and hope that we have into places like these. We weren’t subject to our surroundings, but rather we influenced the atmosphere around us. With that, in walked members from the other squad, and after a few introductions, the dancing began.
If you don’t already know, I’m not the most conventional dancer. My motto is, “If nobody comes near you on the dance floor, you’re doing something right.” I began to flail about in my usual routine, allowing my unpredictably rubber-like limbs to accentuate every beat and electric pulse that the airwaves carried. It looks something like a photosensitive seizure at best, but hey, I have a good time. Just keep your distance and you will be safe. 🙂
During the first round of the dance floor shenanigans, a couple guys joined us, and decided to partake in the fun. This lead to some good conversation, and the making a couple of new friends from New Zealand and Australia. They were about our age, early 20s, and just travelling the world, trying to find something new before they went back home, finished school, and found themselves in their careers. I respected them for that. I was on a similar journey. The difference was that they were in search to FIND joy, and I was travelling in search to SHARE joy. Sounds cheesy, but whatever, it’s true. 🙂
We sat down with them for a breather before heading out for round 2 of our Cambodian dance-off, and that’s when the conversation went to a new level. We started sharing with them why we were in Cambodia. They were a little confused to see missionaries boogying down in a bar, but intrigued enough to keep asking questions. It wasn’t before long that one of them asked for prayer over his life, and in the middle of what many would call a “dark” place, a man let God’s light in.
I loved this night. It was unconventional, wild, and not the usual target for missionaries to hit, but when I think about Jesus’ ministry, He didn’t shy away from the darker places. He went in boldly and shed His light. On this night we went in and influenced our surroundings for the Kingdom, as Christ did to this world during His life.
We sat down with them for a breather before heading out for round 2 of our Cambodian dance-off, and that’s when the conversation went to a new level. We started sharing with them why we were in Cambodia. They were a little confused to see missionaries boogying down in a bar, but intrigued enough to keep asking questions. It wasn’t before long that one of them asked for prayer over his life, and in the middle of what many would call a “dark” place, a man let God’s light in.
I loved this night. It was unconventional, wild, and not the usual target for missionaries to hit, but when I think about Jesus’ ministry, He didn’t shy away from the darker places. He went in boldly and shed His light. On this night we went in and influenced our surroundings for the Kingdom, as Christ did to this world during His life.
