What in the world did I just get myself into?!
This was the question I asked myself the first night in Cambodia. It didn’t help that I had just been on a plane all day across the other side of the world. As I laid there, the reality really hit of me not being able to see my family, the soon adjustments I would have to make and the things I would have to surrender along the way.
Well thankfully, I had a good night sleep and was in a much better thought process the next morning. For the first 2 days my squad and I stayed at a “guest house” basically like a motel. We had some more preparation to do before the teams split off and started working with their ministries.
Wednesday morning came and my team and I departed to move on site of our ministry. For safety reasons I can’t say the name of our ministry or any names. But I can say that we moved to a home where about 30 girls from ages 15-4 live. These girls have not been trafficked but were rescued out of a home where they were subject to it.
So we take the 20 minute “tok tok” ride to our ministry and as the gates fling open to the home about 10 girls run out to meet us all smiles, giggles, and full of love. As we got off the tok tok the little girls started carrying our bags (heavy bags that is) they would not let us do anything. At that moment the tears started to come…I don’t know I was just so overwhelmed with the love and life in these little girls. Here we were strangers and they were so excited and received us so easily. I tried to wipe the tears real quick as they all jumped on me to give me hugs.
Our ministry here with these girls is sharing Christ’s love with them and teaching them English (if they know English they will be able to get better jobs). A lot of the older girls speak very well and you can carry on good conversations. The girls go to school in the morning and the older ones go in the morning and afternoon. But the youngest ones stay here all day, so we play lots of uno, color, paint, make jewelry…Oh and not to forget jump rope. I def. think I will be a professional by the end of the month. My team and I bought some English puzzles with letters and numbers on them and color books with English words in them, so it’s been cool just teaching them some English in everyday things, like playing.
For all of you who know my pickiness about my food…well haha, rice has been my breakfast, lunch, and dinner; there are usually some other things but I just stay safe with rice. Oh and I can’t forget about my bird friends…quail. They are right here in the yard and they kill ’em, pluck ’em, and then we eat ’em. Tastes like chicken so I got over the fact that it was quail. Oh and my sweet tooth isn’t being neglected either. Every day when the little girls come home from school, they bring me little candies. So that’s always a nice little treat.
The girls go to church, which we will go with them on Sundays, so they definitely know about Jesus. But we get to help them grow in their relationship with Him and their understanding of who He is and what He thinks about them. Last night me and a couple of my team mates were able to pray for one of the older girls, she didn’t think she was beautiful and was having self-worth struggles. So we were able to speak the truth that she is beautiful, and that God has formed her and knew of her before she was ever born. As I felt her teardrops on my hands, I was overwhelmed with joy for moments like that, when you can speak life into someone.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” -Psalms 139:13-14
More goodness to come…
