The rain has skipped beyond a pitter-patter and is now pounding on the tin roof. I should be sleeping, but the feeling of joy I have at this moment was so overwhelming, I just HAD to share it with you.
I am counting my blessings in Kampong Speu, Cambodia. We are teaching English to beautiful children who are hungry to know more about the love of Christ, and planting gardens in some serious jungle-heat, but the beauty of it is that I am gardening (Thank you, Mrs. Lochner, for the early garden training, mum and da for teaching me hard work-ethic on a farm, and Mr. Walker for allowing me to sharpen up my green thumb that summer in your colonial garden)! We have bucket showers this month, but thankfully the kids don't mind if I smell, and the Lord is providing ample rain to shower in when I really need to bathe.
And the rain right now… IT’S NOT HITTING ME!!!
Ra, our contact, lives in what could be described as a wooden shelter, and the rain falls right through the roof of the classroom and the rest of his house, but it’s not falling on me.
Would you like to know why? Because Ra serves us as if we are better than him (not that we are on any count). He loves us so well that He provides THE BEST, the rainproof tin roof, for his guests. He loves us so well that he provided a house with doors that lock for our safety, comfort, and protection. He and his family sleep exposed to mosquitoes and the elements while we are tucked away nice and dry.
When I first arrived here in Kampong Speu my attitude differed greatly from what you’re reading in this blog. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave Thailand. I knew my race had two more months in it, but leaving Thailand was almost as difficult as leaving Romania. I felt a sense of something unfinished there, and had to mourn leaving the relationships with the women that had been established. On top of that, in Thailand we were pretty comfy-cozy. We may not have had A/C, but we had a shower, a real toilet, and beds in which to sleep.
And then… we crossed the border into Cambodia. It was night and day from Thailand. I felt as if I was back in Tanzania. As we passed all sorts of life happening along the road leading from Siem Reap to Phenm Pehn, the Lord started speaking into my heart, “I may have given you a passion for Thailand, but these are my children too, and they need love just as much as Mine and Goi.” I saw everything out of that window: children, grandparents, horses being ridden, cows being grazed, people working in fields, people fishing… people were being born, people were dying, and it was all happening as I was just passing by. I was reminded that I was coming into lives that were being lived, but I was here for only a fleeting month and I should not waste it.
That thought didn’t sink in. We arrived in the village and soon realized it would not be an easy month. I quickly purchased a pair of cheap flip-flops because getting stuck in the mud would be unavoidable every time we stepped outside.
There were rats, dogs with fleas, smells we hadn’t encountered since Africa, it’s hot, there is no A/C, and our electricity works only half the time. This is what I was tempted to focus on the first two days I was here. I had to give myself a pep-talk just to make it to my bed at night. Our main ministry was to be teaching English, and two of my teammates were out of commission the first day, so four of us had to work in the field in the morning, and then teach from 12-4 and then again from 7-8. I was exhausted. I was hot. I was very quiet for fear of complaining.
The second night we were here someone had to fill in for the Bible class at the last minute. No one wanted to because we were all worn out, so…I volunteered. I arrived, and I don’t know why, but I told the children to start declaring what they were thankful for. These children go to school in the morning, they go home for lunch and an hour of chores, they’re back from 12-4, and then AFTER dinner and more chores they're back from 7-8 to voluntarily learn more English. Each of those beautiful souls said they were thankful that we came to them to teach them English and about Jesus. I felt about two inches tall. And THEN I taught about Peter taking his eyes off of Christ and being distracted by the waves of his misfortunes and trials. I didn't pick out the topic, but I knew it was meant for me as much as it was meant for the children.
My heart changed for these people and this place then and there. Wasn’t this what I’d asked for? I WANTED to be taken out of comfort to serve and love even when every bone in my body was rebelling against me. I ASKED to be taken away from every material thing I was dependent on so I could depend upon Christ alone. He had given me this golden opportunity, the desires of my heart, and here I was being ungrateful for His kindness to me! I was looking at myself rather than looking at every lovely moment that surrounded me. So this became my prayer; I knew I was at the end of anything I could physically put forth, so I prayed for His strength and to see with His eyes. I gave up so He could step in.
Now I see a multitude of blessings before me.
•I am sheltered and cared for.
•I have an amazing family of women with whom I get to live.
•I have a fan most of the time that I sleep, and when I don’t, the nights have been cool.
•Though there is mud, it’s because there’s copious amounts of rain and thunder, two things that I ADORE!
•Yes, there’s standing water all around, but the lily pads are bejeweled with gathered raindrops every time I walk by.
•I may be teaching English, but I am finding that I love teaching, and these are some of the most precious children I have ever encountered.
•We may not have a shower, but we have running water, and always have clean water to drink.
•Though there’re mosquitoes, I have malaria meds that a kind soul GAVE to me, and I have insect repellant!!
•I am sleeping on the floor, but thanks to a random donation from an elderly couple named Bob and Helen that walked by on the streets of Williamsburg, I have a tent to keep me and my Thai muesli sheltered and away from mosquitoes, rats, and ants.
•Though the pigs smell, the puppy has fleas, and little newborn rats keep falling from our rafters, the Lord knows I love all kinds of animals and I’ll take them anyway I can.
•We’ve found that our adventures with rodents, insects, and reptiles provide lively, entertaining nights, and hearty moments of laughter.
•I have breath in my lungs, I’m not hungry, and all of my limbs are sore but fully functional.
•I have a voice with which to sing, and feet with which to dance.
•Did I mention the food is exceptionally delicious?
This is a well orchestrated month to bless me richly and provide moments of bonding and memories never to be forgotten.
But, even if I didn’t have all of the aforementioned additional blessings, I have Christ, and He is ALL I need.rai
