It’s the end of yet another incredible month. I can confidently add Cambodia to my list of countries that I’ve fallen head over heels in love with.
My team and I experienced so much of what God is doing in Cambodia and it’s people. It’s a country that has experienced overwhelming pain and heartache, but from what I’ve seen, it’s not dwelling in that pit of despair.
On our mission to find organizations and ministries that the World Race can send teams to in the future, we found Jesus.
Alongside the dirtiest, most heartbreaking, worst parts of Cambodia, we also saw the happiest, most joyful parts as well.
The Lord is sending countless people to this country in order to love on the people who need his love so desperately.
There was ministry after ministry – each one was so Christ-centered I couldn’t help but wonder what the heck we were even doing there.
Cambodia clearly didn’t need us, yet it was still so encouraging to see the ways that he was using ordinary people to change it.
There were so many different organizations spread throughout the country – from ones that fought against sex-trafficking, to ones that rehabilitated the women and ladyboys who were caught up in prostitution, to ones that were striving to break the cycle by loving on the street kids.
We saw the battle being waged in Cambodia, but we knew – and know – in our hearts that the war has been won.
It was exciting for us to be able to partake in the process of connecting the World Race to these ministries.
Many of them have been praying for God to send short-term teams to help out with the work that they’re doing, and they were overjoyed when they heard about our mission to find ministries just like theirs for the purpose of sending teams to help.
I have one story that begins in a hospital.
For several days, I had been at war with myself over whether or not I should make a trip to the doctor because of an earache that was quickly worsening.
In the end, the voice inside my head – to be accurate, it was the voice of Carolyn, one of my teammates – won out, and a couple hours later I found myself lying on a hospital bed hooked up to an IV.
It sounds dramatic, but in reality the ear infection had been a lot worse than I had originally thought and apparently required harsher tactics than simple oral antibiotics.
Anyway, as I was lying there with a strange sense of peace about the whole situation, a man walked into the room.
For some reason, Lauren seemed to think he knew what he was doing and asked him what was going on and if the IV was really necessary.
As it turned out, he did know what he was doing: he happened to be the guy who ran the place, and he also “happened” to be a missionary from Korea who ran a seminary as well.
Oh and on top of that, he had been earnestly praying for God to send short-term missions teams to help him at his school in teaching English to the students.
Wait a minute… weren’t we a short-term missions team looking for ministries exactly like his to send more short-term missions teams to…?
There could be only one guy behind all of this: God.
Sneaky guy.
Borrowed from Lauren Schraa – our friend Ezra Kim, the missionary from Korea who runs a seminary, a hospital, and who's hoping to also start a university within the next several years.
This is really only one example of the ways that the Lord absolutely blew the top off of the box that I had so naively placed him in.
He was all, “You only think I’m capable of doing this much? Well let me show you how much more I’m actually capable of doing.”
And now I’m all like, Jesus you just do your thang, man… Don’t let me stand in your way!
It’s funny how often I have to learn this lesson.
God always has been, and always will be, way bigger than I’ll ever be able to wrap my mind around.
Maybe I’ll never be able to accept that concept, but maybe someday I’ll learn to give him the reigns because I’ll begin to sort-of-kinda-a-little-bit realize how big my God really is.
Maybe someday.
I can only pray.
Speaking of praying, could you please keep in your prayers Team Teleios as they begin their month of Unsung Heroes in Malaysia? These amazing women of God are going to be used to completely take this country by storm. Pray that they find the ministries and organizations that are waiting to be found and that they see the Lord’s character in everything they do and experience.
