So, I’ve spent the last few blog posts talking about what the Lord has been doing in my heart, but haven’t spent much time sharing what we do on a day to day basis. So, here’s to what we have been up to on the day in and day out.
Phnom Penh / Training Camp – One of my fav parts of the trip thus far! I’ve touched on it in previous blog posts, but man my mind and views and thoughts were really stretched and I loved it. I was challenged in how I view worship, experiencing God, what life is honestly supposed to look like, how to just be, how to sit still, and so many more things. During training camp, we would walk through the streets of Phnom Penh, listen to leadership about our Race, God, and the logistics of how to operate on the Race. We spent time as a team, we reflected on our past, and we Sabbathed (my fav!). More to come on that in my other post ‘Heart of Unscripted’. We were also split from our squad of 18 into smaller teams, of which I have a team of five (Hannah, Sam, Ronny, Lindsay, and myself). I have honestly been touched by each person on my team, leadership, and serve team in some way or another. We then said goodbye to the larger squad and set out to our first city.
Battambang – Our first city as a team and figuring out what life looks like together for the next few months. During our time in Battambang, we stumbled on an orphanage and asked the house mom if we could come back the next day. We played soccer, volleyball, danced, and just hung out with the kids. We went to nearby village to see what the countryside and village life was like in Cambodia. We spent many nights in the night market, often times eating with fellow travelers we had met along the way. Some of the best relationships formed during my time in Cambodia were actually fellow travelers from Battambang. One of my favorites was with a guy, named David, from Italy. We met him briefly in Battambang and had the opportunity to meet up with him again in Siem Reap (our next city). After multiple meals and all day at some floating villages near Siem Reap, David and I were able to have a neat conversation about work, corporate, what he was wanting to do, etc.. He was super knowledgable about my line of work and the agencies I worked with. It was neat to see God use my story to connect with him. It was an amazing relationship and one that I cherish deeply from the last month and a half.
Siem Reap – We made our way to Siem Reap after Battambang and the thing that I cherished here were the relationships made with locals. I had the opportunity to visit the same smoothie stand each day, the same lunch/dinner stand multiple days and get Lok Lak (one of my fav Cambodian dishes), and visit a cafe regularly while we were there. Because of that, I had the opportunity to build unique relationships with the locals and engage with them through conversation and/or a warm smile. I loved walking up to my favorite street food stand and just watch the sweet lady’s demeanor change as we neared the stand. These were only a portion of the relationships and conversations had. We also had the opportunity to visit a church while in Siem Reap. During this service, they announced a new church planting that was taking place in Phnom Penh. It was sooo neat getting to see the excitement of the people in the church. They started going crazy and shouting for the new church that was going to be coming. So so neat to see the hunger and excitement the young people of Cambodia have for the Lord. I also met Cecil. He is from Ireland and he supported this lovely family by helping them open a shop to help them provide for themselves. His story is amazing and I loved his heart for small business and making a true, deep impact on a family.
Team Deep – Yep, these guys are awesome! I have a team of five, including myself. Hannah, Sam, Lindsay, and Ronny. We come from Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, and even New Zealand. It’s so neat to watch the Lord move through our group, bring us together, bring us through challenges, and refine us through each other to look more like Christ. Every single one of these guys have had an impact on me and made me more like Christ and for that I am super grateful.
