Hello from Cambodia everybody!
Once again I’m sitting in a, “There’s so much to say, I don’t even know where to start”, moment. Vietnam was an amazing month full of lessons that I’ll be trying to unpack for months. But here I am, sitting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, typing this blog safe and sound. Good news..
I'M FULLY FUNDED!!!!!
I will forever be thankful to all of you who made it possible for me to partake in this life changing trip. You all have my word that I will take what I’ve learned on this trip and use it for the good of others. God’s been giving me so much clarity on what He wants out of my life and what I can do to play my part in changing this world.
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That’s one cool thing I’m learning as I see more and more of this world we live in. I’m learning that we can’t tackle every problem by ourselves.. we're not supposed to. And if you try, you’ll immediately come to the realization that you are a limited, finite human being. But here’s the thing.. we can and should play our part, and play that part faithfully. I’ve met many, many special people on my journey so far, people that nobody will ever remember. Their names will soon be forgotten, but their legacies will forever change the lives of those whom they touched. And it’s funny how this works.. it seems like the people who are less concerned about being recognized by others and are more concerned about helping those who don’t have a voice are those who actually leave a lasting mark in this world. And that is what I love about our generation. We just want the kingdom to come and we don't care who gets the credit anymore. And though one person can't fix everything, I’ve heard it said, “There are many small people, doing many small things in small places.. and they’re revolutionizing the world.” And I’ve been a witness of this. Pastor Ezekiel from South Africa, who is helping bring hope through education to the townships of Momelodi. Miky from Ethiopia, who is saving youth from the streets of Addis Ababa and teaching them how to be leaders. Sharon from the Philippines, who has invested her life into seeing transformation in the lives of Antipolo street boys through a boys home called Children’s Garden. Elvis, who does all of the maintenance for an orphanage called El Shaddai in the mountains of Swaziland. Hai from Vietnam, who is committed to seeing a movement for Jesus in Ho Chi Min through a coffee shop. All these people are playing their part in brining back Shalom, that is, the peace of God and His loving order back to this world. Jesus prayed to the Father, “Your Kingdom come, in this world as it is in Heaven.” That is an extremely powerful prayer. Jesus longed for His Father’s order to be restored to this world, that His Kingdom would come. And the Kingdom of God has no hunger in it, no shame, no abuse, no oppression, no hatred, no depression, no loneliness. This is a Kingdom where we can trust the goodness of the King. And we’re actually given the chance of playing a part in seeing this Kingdom advance, today. We just have to be faithful in our small role and simply bring love and mercy.. wherever that might be. So know that there is no small, insignificant role in the Kingdom of God. If you work at a taco stand, have your prayer be, as Willard puts it, “God, have your Kingdom come in this taco stand. And do that through my life.”
I’m going on 7 months now being away from home. It’s crazy to think about.. but it really is blowing by so fast. Although I’ll be home in a short 5 months, the lessons I’ve learned so far will no doubt last forever. And I’m thankful for that, despite how hard it has been at times. There have been some surreal moments on this race that I probably will never truly be able to express, but I do want to share a few of those with you guys the best that I can.
So I’m starting a little blog series talking about some really awesome moments I’ve experienced so far. I’ll share a story every other day. So here’s the first one! It comes from month 2 on the race.
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THE SWAZI HOUSE VISIT
Month two, my squad and I stayed at a Children’s Home called El Shaddai. It was located at the top of a mountain in Swaziland which made the scenery absolutely breath taking. It was pretty easy to marvel at the beauty all around us every morning, but it was as also difficult to take in all the pain and sorrow on that existed on that mountain. Many people lived in mud huts around the area with no electricity, no running water and a very scarce supply of food. We would visit these families during the day, sometimes embarking on an arduous hike to get to them. There was one house visit that will forever be a vivid memory of mine from this trip. After walking down the mountain for about 30 minutes we finally arrived to an old mud hut right on the edge of a small mountain. We met the owner of the hut, Michael, and he gladly walked us in to show us his situation. As we entered we immediately saw his wife laying on the floor who had just suffered from a stroke a few weeks before. She was in a lot of pain, and Michael seemed very distraught but hopeful at the same time. He had to care for his 3 children, his property and his sick wife all at the same time. He was tired, and although he has visitors, he couldn't hide it. What was supposed to be maybe a 20 minute visit ended being 3 hours. We did what we could to encourage Michael with the Word of God and prayer. Rachael, who worked at the Children’s home, thankfully came with us on this house visit. She studied nursing in the past so she knew how to treat a stroke victim. She was able to teach Michael very important information on how to handle his wife that he did not previously know. She taught Michael how to stretch her, how to clean her, and how to encourage her. And then.. we prayed. And in that moment all 6 of us prayed with big faith. Faith that didn’t just pray out of courtesy but actually dared to believe God can do the impossible. We laid hands and prayed for over an hour. There was an atmosphere change in that hut when the faith started to rise. Towards the end of our time there my squad mate Kiersten asked Michael if she could lay beside his wife. He gladly said yes, so she did. I'll ever forget that moment when the woman looked up to see who was stroking her hair. At first, she had a look on her face that said "Who is this crazy foreigner who is laying next to me and why does she have tears in her eyes?" Kiersten continued to comforted her, run her fingers through her hair and showed her that she was loved and cared for. That she wasn’t alone in her situation. Then, the woman looked into Kiersten's eyes and did something she hadn't done the whole 3 hours she was there. She smiled.
After we prayed my squad leader Hanna wasn't satisfied with just praying and leaving. She dared to believe that God was actually listening to our prayers and wanted to move through our faith. We prayed with expectation, not with defeat. It was that week that, together, we were learning how to operate out of faith and not out of fear. So Hanna asked the woman if she would try and stand up. The lady looked hesitant but she wanted to believe too. She go to her feet and stood up the longest she ever had since her stroke. With Michael assisting her with a huge smile on his face, she was standing on her own two feet. He was filled with hope again. We left that place full of faith and joy more confident that God is just waiting for a people who would believe He can do what He says He can do. Rachael continued to do what she could to help her throughout the month, but that day will always be a special one for me on this race. God wants to remind people that they aren't alone in their situations. And although we might not be able to fix everybodys hard problems ourselves.. we can at least make ourselve available and present. And remind them that they aren't alone.
