It has been sometime since I have written to update you all on the adventures and work that I have been so fortunate to be a part of. I want to apologize for this absence, but I assure you that it was not out of a lack of stories to tell or desire to share, simply hours in the day in which to tell them. So here is a brief summary of ministry in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Cambodia
The best word to describe our ministry in Cambodia was fun. We spent this month teaching English at a church in Phnom Penh with a missionary team, Jeff (who is affiliated with YWAM) and Rachael (a former World Racer). We taught kids from the ages of 10 to 18. Our primary responsibilities were to lead the section 3 and 4 classes and assist with the section 1 and 2 classes. The lower numbered classes required translators or a good grasp of the Khmer language, which none of us had. We also were involved with a soccer outreach that was on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
Being back in the teaching position was such a thrill. Being able to interact with these kids and see the hunger and excitement that they had to learn English from a native speaker was infectious and soon we built close relationships with them. We had so many opportunities to share the gospel and to just love these kids and disciple those who were Christians.
For those kids that were Christians, our role as encourager and discipler was vitally important. Many of them faced persecution from their families for becoming Christians. For some it was verbal abuse and punishment when they were caught going to church and in extreme cases they were kicked out of their homes with no place to live and so our contacts had taken them in. That church was a safe place for them to explore their faith, a luxury that we sometimes forget we have as Christians in America.
On Sunday afternoon we would be responsible for running the church youth group as well as other functions during the main church service in the mornings. Being surrounded by such excited and passionate youth was invigorating and refreshing to see. To see kids that risked their reputations, their family relationships to follow Christ was convicting. Would I have done the same in their shoes? Would I do the same thing now?
Leaving Cambodia was one of the hardest things I have had to do on the race because of the friendships that were formed out of mutual trust and enthusiasm for worshipping Jesus.
Vietnam
My time in Vietnam was spent in Ho Chi Minh City. A city of 10 million people and 11 million motorbikes, Vietnam is a closed country and because of this I cannot share many details about the amazing people, places, or things we did here. I do want to share the hunger that this country has and the need for truth it so desperately longs for.
During my time in Vietnam the Lord impressed on my heart the importance of relying on Him as my rest instead of my surroundings. Those of you who know me well, know that I would much rather spend my time under a starry sky in the middle of no where than spend too much time in a city. For the last few months I had been at ministries in larger cities and Ho Chi Minh was no exception. I found the people and buildings stifling. Halfway through the month I felt as if the city was closing in on my head and I would be suffocated by the smog and cement. I pleaded with God to take me out of this place.
“I NEED to get to a beach God!”
“I NEED to see the ocean, that’s where I meet you and feel your presence the most!” “I NEED out of this city to the countryside where the air is fresh and you reside!!!”
False
“You NEED ME, Nate!” That was his response. That was when my eyes were opened to the smallest bit of life in the city. A flower growing in a crack on the sidewalk or a plant climbing out of a flower box and reaching towards the tops of buildings. He didn’t change the way I looked at the world or how I even encounter him. He just gave me eyes to see him in everything.
