In my most recent blog, I mentioned that I’ve been cooking for my squad! For the past couple of weeks and until I leave Cambodia in December this is what my ministry will be. So I want to give you all a glimpse into what a typical day in this ministry looks like!
The past two months, I’ve been doing ministry with my entire team or large groups of my squad. However, while cooking it’s just been my teammate, Sam, and I, and occasionally our Team and Squad Leaders, Luke and Luis. We typically get our day started between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning. Breakfast is always at 6:30, so that means a lot of early morning preparations. Once we’ve served breakfast, our team has to clean up the meal (we have a chore schedule, and my team always cleans breakfast every day). But once that’s done, it’s off to go shopping!
Grocery shopping looks drastically here in Cambodia than it does in the states. On most days, Sam and I bike to our local market to get what we need for the day. It’s usually a lot of vegetables and fruit from here. We’ve even begun to get to know some of the people that we go to for food (which makes sense because we’re the only white people that come there daily, so everyone recognizes us). On Mondays, we tuk-tuk in the morning to multiple supermarkets and stores to get supplies for the week, as well as go to the local market. After morning shopping, which is usually all the shopping we need to do for the day, we head back home.
Now, something that comes with this ministry is a lot of down time. Typically, when we get home from shopping, we have 1 to 2 hours before we need to get lunch ready, which is served at noon. This means that Sam and I have had to find ways to be very intentional with our time. We’ve started setting this time aside to be spent in the word and in prayer.
And, if I’m honest, the occasional nap.
But then it’s time to prep and serve lunch! Usually lunch is pretty simple, as is breakfast. Although we do sometimes surprise everyone with an exciting meal. Last week we made pancakes for breakfast, which did require us to get up a little extra early, but it was so worth it when everyone saw the pancakes. Those kinds of meals that remind everyone of home are my favorite to serve. And once lunch is all done and cleaned up (lunch and dinner cleaning switches off between the teams we are with) it’s time for… well, time for more down time. We don’t usually have to start prepping for dinner until around 4:30 or 5:00, depending on the meal. This gap of time, however, is usually spent with more than just the two of us. Everyone’s schedule is different on the squad, but there’s a group of us that have this time open before more ministry and that means we spend it together (except for naps and reading. Those are solo activities).
I’d also like to take a second to talk about one of our hosts, Chhady! She’s from Battambang, and lives with us and watches over the AIM base here in the city. In short, she’s great. Chhady helps Sam and I cook, and especially helps us get ingredients for the meal (mainly chicken. Lots, and LOTS of chicken). There’s been a lot to be joyful for while on cooking team, and she has definitely been one of them.
Anyway, we’ve finally reached dinner. The time of day that’s the most satisfying for Sam and me. Because when dinner is done and served, that means we can relax and look back on the work we’ve done for the day. What went well, what went bad, even whether or not we should do a certain meal again or not (we’ve put a strict ban on pasta salad). It’s also the time of day that we get to hear about everyone else’s day, which has been crucial for me as well as something I’ve grown to look forward to.
You see, being on cooking team means that we spend very little time in the community. Sam and I have focused on being intentional with the few people we do speak to each day, but it’s still very little interaction. We really don’t see results aside from the things we cook going into peoples’ mouths. However, we do get to hear about the fruits of our friends’ work. We get to hear about the progress of a monk learning about Jesus, about the games played with hospital patients, and about the children being taught. And I find so much more joy than I thought I would in the fact that I’m equipping these people to go into our community and serve!
I’ve still go two more weeks of this, and I’m beyond stoked for the ideas we’ve got coming for meals. So to my squad, get ready for the good good stuff.
Also, here’s a picture of us serving dinner. Sam (or as we call him, Bobby Flay), myself (Gordon Ramsay), and Luke (Chef Boyardee). If you couldn’t tell, we like to get a little dirty in the kitchen.
