98 degrees. Humidity. No air conditioning. Lots of bug bites. Eating rice every day.
These were the rough parts of my month in Cambodia, but amidst the negative, God showed up in big ways.
First off, Cambodia was a month of change. Our squad had team changes. I’m no longer with Team Surrendered. My new team is named Team SONshine. We chose this name because when praying about our new team, we got the words laughter, light, sonship, love, sisterhood, and empowerment. We believe “SONshine” embodies these words. I love all of these girls so much and am so thankful the Lord put me on a team with them.
For ministry, my team was partnered with a church named Victory Church. It was planted by a husband and wife from the Philippines. The husband, Ronald, actually used to be a gang leader in the Philippines until he found a relationship with Jesus. I love this church dearly. They are very Holy Spirit led. On our first day of ministry, one of the first things we did was worship together. It was beautiful and one of the most powerful worship sessions I have ever been a part of.
The main thing my team did for ministry was teach English to children in a village, pray for people in that village (most of which who have never heard of Jesus), and help to lead some bible studies. God led my team to wash and de-lice the kids’ heads. Although we couldn’t get all the lice (there was a TON), the kids loved getting their hair washed and were giggling with excitement. My team also hosted an event where we washed the feet of the mothers in the village. We asked them to imagine Jesus washing their feet, not us. Through this act, we wanted to show the women the way in which Jesus loves them. It was a very moving time that led some of the women to tears.
Another form of ministry my team and I did with Victory Church was outreach in the city. We went to a park and did free face painting and balloon animals. We would talk to the people who would come up. Sometimes we would just chat with them, but one time I was able to share the gospel and part of my testimony with one guy. It was the first time I shared the gospel with someone who had never heard of Jesus!
My favorite part of this month was definitely the kiddos in the village. They were by far the kindest, most loving, and friendliest kids I’ve ever met. They never got sick of high fives, hugs, and being carried. They genuinely only wanted love and I was so happy to be able to give it to them.
My team is now in Albania, which I’m really loving! I’m very thankful to be out of the extreme heat and into chilly temperatures. We even have hot showers this month! I’ve been sick the last several days with a bacterial infection I got from some vegetables I ate that weren’t cleaned properly. Please say a prayer I am fully healed quickly!
If you have any questions about anything, feel free to message me or comment below. Also if you have anything you’d like me to write a blog about, please let me know!
Love you all! 🙂 <3
