Cambodia is a place of beauty that surprises you. It is lands of sand that is not yellow, but not quite red and it stains your feet with a fake orange tan. It has banana trees and drivers that honk for no apparent reason. I wish I could share all that Cambodia was, but instead let me share a moment. This was taken from my diary early in January.
“Yesterday evening I suddenly started feeling very ill. I had a migraine that started small but grew into something so painful that I became nauseous and sick very quickly. It sucked. I sat on the side of our metal building to escape the heat of my tent indoors and get some fresh air. Sarah my teammate came up and asked if she could help and after fetching a paper towel for me she sat down next to me so I wouldn’t have to sit alone. I was feeling terrible and her kind gesture started to break me down and I shared with her how I honestly just wanted to be home. I didn’t know if it was the sickess or the truth just flowing out in my brokenness.
Then Navi saw me on the concrete. Navi is a fifty-five year old woman with a servants heart and her smile is bigger than life. I can’t give justice to her even by sharing all she does, but I hope this story gives you some window into her heart. Seeing me in what must have appeared as distress she hurried over quickly to see what was the matter. She doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Khmer so she asked me questions about what was wrong and I replied using hand gestures that we both hoped made sense. I didn’t know in the end if she knew I threw up or if I had accidently communicated that I had sore throat. In a sprint she ran away and hurried back with her family to help. In a matter of minutes I was a patient of all illnesses. She handed me Tiger Balm to rub on my belly (that fixes everything here) and she started putting some white powdery substance on every single one of my bugbites. Her niece rubbed my neck and her husband was on the phone calling people asking them questions on how to help me.
I looked at Sarah and we couldn’t help but laugh. I felt so loved. I was reminded in that moment why I am here. I wish I had a picture of this moment. Me sitting against a building feeling I could hurl any minute with 3 people buzzing around me to help. To be quite honest I did hurl soon after that. Haha I am not telling you this to be gross, but I want you to know how awesome this woman is.
I walked away with speed behind the building to rid myself of the nausea and its source arrived quickly. Then I felt a hand on my back. There she was rubbing my back while I got sick. I was so embarrassed. Being sick feels like a very personal thing. When you are sick you at your lowest. You have to rely on others even if you don’t want to ,because you don’t have the strength to yourself. It looks ugly. It smells bad. You don’t want others to see the mess you are creating but you can’t do anything about where you are when it happens.
I found myself at this place and not alone. I was embarrassed. Then thankful.
This woman barely knew me, but loved me enough to be there with me in that moment. And not only her ,but soon Sarah came with paper towels to dry my face and Jenna handed me water to rinse out my mouth. I felt more loved in that moment then I thought was possible. After sending me to bed in my tent a plate full of various food arrived. Then a doctor showed up. He diagnosed me with “stomach-ache” and handed me 3 unknown pills to take. I asked if I should take them with or without food, but in the end the answer was still pretty unclear. They helped anyhow and I found myself eating a meal of dragon fruit, bread and bananas an hour later supplemented by an icy-hotish gel patch stuck onto my head and neck, courtesy of Navi.
I went to bed with more peace and love then I have felt in a very very long time.
Navi loved me without me asking using all her resources and all in she had in her power to make me well again. I wonder how often God does the same and it isn’t received because we are “embarrassed” like I was and don’t want to let Him in? I know she not only loved me ,but taught me to let myself be loved. “
And I can’t leave ya without some pics!
A litte girl who always stopped by to say hello name Lily
Jenna serving us our rice which is a staple here
The city of Phnon Phen where we got our visas for India
