Well, we’ve just finished up our last week of ministry here in Cambodia. Today we returned from the village of Tunkgea (a bumpy hour-long drive off the main road), where we spent the past five days doing ministry with the pastor and teaching English. Out of our three weeks of ministry here, this was definitely my favorite. It wasn’t even that we did much that was spectacular or incredibly memorable, and it wasn’t that we were able to share the Gospel with a ton of people. It was just…being there. I guess sometimes 
that’s all you need to do, just simply be where you are. We hung out with the pastor, I chased his kids (and swam in a potentially-disease-filled pond), we taught some English classes (head shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes!), and we visited villagers (“My name is Matthew. I’m 23. No, I’m not married.”) – good stuff!
I will say this though – Cambodia has been rough on our health! This was our third village…and this was our third time someone got sick. Jordan, Katie, and I got it our first week; DJ our second; and Chelsea and DJ our third. Most of the time the food was tasty, but man there was just something a little off occasionally! Janna is a lucky gal because she’s the only one who escaped the Khmer Vengeance (not to be confused with Montezuma’s Revenge). Needless to say, all our bodies are ready to get back to Thailand soon!
With all the sickness floating around this month, even though it has been rough physically, we have been taught or reminded of a few things. One of the most important things that this month reminded us of is the answer to the question Why are we doing this? Why are we taking these risks to our health? The answer, of course, lies in the fact that “the joys of comfort and home are nothing compared to the joy of being able to travel the World loving on people and telling them about Jesus Christ.” That was what DJ said in his blog entitled Sick or Taking Risks. Read it.
Alright, well for travel updates, we’ll be heading back to Thailand on the morning of the sixth…for debrief! We will be staying in the city of Hua Hin, which has a BEACH!!! I’ve been dying to go to a beach, and here’s my opportunity! It should be a great six days of relaxing with the entire squad and our wonderful coaches Mike and Patti, as well as an incredible time of rejuvenation and worship!
