“It’s New Year’s Eve… and I’ve spent it singing worship songs, giving a message to a group full of 4 year olds and teenagers who may or may not have been listening nor fully understood what I was saying, playing duck duck goose, feeding 70+ kids curry and bread (after making it from scratch and pounding and chopping all of the ingredients all morning), serving water to super thirsty kids, spilling that water all over my feet then walking through the dust and dirt getting my feet even dirtier than they were before (& realizing I don’t even care & dirty dusty feet have become normal at this point), dancing to a crazy mix of American pop and Cambodian music (even “what does the fox say”… yeah lol), we watched the kids roast sweet potatoes over the fire they had built (they definitely weren’t smores but the kids loved em & it was my first time eating a purple potato lol), they made a Christmas tree out of sticks, string, and leaves (because New Year’s Eve was also their Christmas celebration), they asked us to make some American food so we decided to make chili which ended up being a lot harder than we thought it would be to find the right ingredients so it ended up becoming more of a Cambodian American chili thing lol, we ate fresh mangos dipped in chili pepper and salt with lime, and made a New Year’s cheers with our Cokes. After most of the kids had gone home, my teammate Amanda & I walked down to this little pond area and climbed a ladder to the top of this place where the kids like to jump into the pond from and we just sat and talked and prayed and worshipped and counted down to midnight.
Sitting in my tent now, I’m amazed and exhausted from the craziness of this day. I found myself multiple times today just looking around and having a hard time believing I’m actually where I’m at and doing the things I’m doing… LIKE WHAT? Never in my entire life could I have imagined something like this… I still don’t understand what God is doing and why He’s allowed me to see the things I’ve seen and feel and see His love in ways I never have before, but every day and every minute He’s teaching me more and more what it looks like to say “yes” and to trust Him with your year, your life, and your heart. Learning to be obedient before I even understand why has been scary at times (it still is some days) but He never fails to come through. The same God of Jacob, of Moses, of David, of Noah, etc, is the same yesterday, today, and forever… HALLELUJAH!”
“Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.” (Psalm 40:5)
– from my journal from last night… it’s already 2016 here in Cambodia (it’s lookin pretty good fam, can’t wait for yall to get here heart emoticon lol) HAPPY NEW YEAR!
