Ministry opportunities happen everywhere. For me, I learned that they can take place on the crowded streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia on New Years Eve.
Our squad had a wild and fun adventure of riding in multiple tuk tuks (common form of transportation in Asia) to a lively festival where we celebrated the New Year. We arrived in an area that was playing loud music so of course we all busted out of our tuk tuks and in typical J Squad fashion, created our own dance party. We definitely caused a scene but hey, it was well worth it.
As we made our way to the bridge where the countdown was going to take place, I noticed my squad mate Justin sitting next to a blind man who was playing his guitar. This man had a can beside him in the hopes that others would drop some money in as they passed him. I noticed a little girl who looked to be about 4 years old sitting next to Justin and I immediately felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit to walk over to her. She was wrapped in a very thin blanket. Her head continued to rock back and forth because she was in and out of sleep. What she needed was to lie down, but she was without a pillow or anyone to hold and comfort her. We could tell she was hesitant to trust us. As I stroked her hair and scratched her back, her eyes drifted to sleep but then would soon open up again because she was trying to stay awake. We were both trying to sooth her and keep her warm (yes, it was a chilly night for Cambodia). I began to inch closer to the little girl and guided her to rest on my arm. She was reluctant but eventually relaxed her head against me. After a while, I began to position her so that she could lie down and rest her head on my leg.
Justin and I sat there with this precious child and we began to pray over her. The New Year came but we were not phased by the commotion. All that mattered was right in front of us. Eventually, it was time for Justin and I to meet back with our squad but all we wanted was for this girl to rest. She was sound asleep on my lap and I did not want to wake her. Luckily, her grandmother came by right before we needed to go. My hope was that she was there to take the little girl home. I don’t know if she even has a home. I don’t know where she laid her head for the night. I do know for a short while, she was comforted, loved on, and prayed over.
