Life feels normal lately. It’s harder to write when things aren’t noteworthy. It’s amazing to me that living and volunteering in a strange city 1/2 way around the world has started tofeel like everyday life. The highlight of my time thus far in Cambodia has been the Bible study that Emilie and I have been leading every night at the Hope Education Center.
H.E.C. is a college dormowned by a Cambodian Christian man, Pastor Chay,who allows students to live there inexpensively, but the students are responsibleto attending worship meetings or Bible studies twice a week. While living there a lot of the students decide to commit their lives to Christ and then help plant churches in their home provinces.
Emilie and I teach nightly on leadership, we have been going through the book of Nehemiah. I love that our small group has Christians and Buddhists, and that we are able to really discuss things, not just skim the surface. I’ve been learning so much from the students about the Cambodian culture and about what life is like here. The students seem to enjoy the group and havea lot to say, and many fun questions. Last night Pastor Chay had them get up and speak about what they had learned, they remembered a lot of what we had taught, which made me excited.
(Emilie and I with our students at H.E.C.)
The other day I got to help out with a very tough ministry, probably one of the most difficult things I have had to do thus far on the race. Iwas practically forced to help with apedicure ministry! I really had to take one for the team. One of the other team’s hosts are working on developing a spa to employ underprivileged youth, and I got the rough job of testing the pedicures and foot rubs. Sometimes you just have to suffer for the Lord =)!
(Team Salt on the big bed in the apartment)
(The girls room)
My team also has an amazing apartment in the city! For about the same price as we would have been paying we were able to find a high rise, beautiful, new apartment for the month. Two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, a shower, and a work out facility on the roof, did I mention I am suffering for Jesus here =)! It’s been amazing to have space and a nice place to retreat to. For more about what we have been up to day to day check out Emilie’s blog, http://emiliejanson.theworldrace.org/and our new teammate(at least for this month) Annie Bower has a great blog alsohttp://anniebower.theworldrace.org/.
(A bunch of Tuk-Tuk drivers trying to figure out where we are going, we get lost all the time.)
Tomorrow we willbe going out to the provinces with the students from H.E.C. to help with one of the churches that they have planted. Keep praying for good connections here in Cambodia. For everyone in Carlsbad, CA say hi to my beautiful sister Molly who just moved there. Thanks for the comments and prayers!
