At the beginning of the month, I set out with one goal – to eat fried tarantula. Unfortunately, the opportunity never presented itself. Regardless of not accomplishing that goal, God blessed me with an amazing month, with more than 11 favorite moments. It was a struggle, but I narrowed it down …
1. Prayer Buddies! It's amazing how this simple idea has created intimacy within the team and changed the course of each day through simple, thankful prayers and heartfelt requests.
2. Our tree house! It was a blessing to live in such a peaceful environment and lead a simple life this month.
3. Family Game Night! Especially Kirby's attempt to illustrate the word "zoo"!
4. Waking up at 5am when Elizabeth hollered, "wake up and get outside right now, you won't want to miss this!" I proceeded to do as I was instructed. Once outside, I stumbled upon an amazingly bright, cloudless, star-strewn sky! I also saw a shooting star!
5. Fruit! Dragon fruit, mangosteens, jack fruit, mangoes, pineapple! Yum yum yum!
6. During feedback one night, a BAT swooped through the room and in unison, we yell, "Umong!" He comes out of his room with a rather large stick, follows the bat outside, beats it with the stick and hollers to us, "I GOT HIM!"
7. Nary told us we would enjoy the beach more than Angkor Wat because Angkor Wat is, well, JUST STONE! We decided to check out both!
(Sihanoukville, Cambodia)
(Sunrise at Angkor Wat)
(Angkor Wat)
(Angkor Wat)
8. Since Umong and Nary are the only two Christians in their village, we held our own church service and invited team Joyous Noise to join us. We worshiped together, encouraged one another, had a devotional, and prayed for each other.
9. During worship on evening, the electricity suddenly went it but it didn't even phase us. We continued to praise the King of kings in the dark. Who needs actual light when you serve the light of the world!
10. The kids! Teaching English, playing with them, chasing them, riding bikes together, praying together …
11. Divine appointments! While traveling home from a weekend trip to the beach, God gave us an opportunity to meet his sweet child, Heng, a survivor of the genocide during the Khmer Rouge. She lost her husband and two children to starvation, but she and two other children survived and were sponsored by Americans through World Vision. She has lived in the States since, but comes back to Cambodia regular to spread the Gospel. She met Jesus in a refuge camp! It's amazing to see how God has brought her so much joy despite the tragic circumstances.
