Cambodia was such a challenge and a struggle with where we were doing ministry. With the holidays approaching, it was even tougher. What we did for ministry was fantastic but, more on that later. We partnered with an organization called BYKOTA House, (Be Ye Kind One To Another). There are a couple houses, one is where the kids live, the other is where the owners of BTKOTA live with there. The children of BYKOTA house has a few orphans and most of the children were taken from horrible home lives. Most mornings the ladies on my team taught and spent time with preschoolers & children with disabilities. Trent most mornings taught English to kindergarten, while I improved high schoolers English & taught them life skills like how to manage their money. In the afternoon the lades would do make crafts, cook, & get things ready for the christmas party we were throwing for the kids. Afternoons, Trent & I would teach English to jr. highers. During morning & afternoon ministry we would teach the most important thing the Bible & encourage and watch these kids grow.
This month was tough because where we did ministry, we lived there as well. It was easier to do ministry than it was to live there, it was almost impossible to leave. During break & evenings we could leave by taking a tuk tuk (local transportation taxi thing); we didn’t cause it would add up and it was a ways to town. When we were not doing ministry the kids who lived with our host were constantly screaming, running around & wanting to hang with us. It was difficult to escape.
The house was locked up tighter than a federal prison. The bars on the windows made squares instead of vertical bars like you see in a prison. With the bars you could hang things if desired, paddocks on every door that led outside, guard dogs, & guard at night. It was almost impossible to leave & I felt trapped like I was in jail. I desperately wanted to get explore & experience Cambodian culture. In other words free to roam. I was seeing pictures from other teams & became jealous of how they were free to roam, new fun things to try & ride, & fully get a Cambodian experience. Reason the building was like this is to prevent kids running away back to their home life they knew & to keep people out who would take them. I so wanted to get out, cause I felt like such a prisoner who has done something to deserve this. Truth is I didn’t, we all deserve to be free. Foundation & intimacy was just the start of what the Lord was teaching & doing in me.
Can you imagine being trapped or feeling like this and wanting so desperately to get out? Did the thought come to mind that why we would want to leave? What does Noah’s ark & Moses have in common? Think about this for a moment. They both are a type & a symbol of Christ. The more I thought & prayed about it, more real it was becoming. The house started to be a type & symbol of Christ for me. This house had three levels in it just like the ark; Father, Spirit, & Son. Teaching the importance of foundation & intimacy was the main point to make this house a type of Christ for me.
I began to feel safe there, I started to rest in him, I did not desire to want leave anymore cause i was in Christ. A verse in Colossians 3 came to life so much more, may the word of Christ dwell within you richly. Since i was in the building i was dwelling in him. I felt like i was becoming more of who the Lord is turning me into and turning into the man of God he desires me to be.
Why would we ever want to leave his presence? We are in this building (Christ) we should enjoy being in his presence, his love, his peace, & his hiding place. At first the place may feel like a prison, but in reality its a hiding place. In the shelter of the Most High, I will be safe & I will abide. What we all have a tendency to do because of our flesh is we want to step out and explore instead of dwelling in the Lord when he came to dwell among us first. A line from a hymn Come Thou Fount comes to mind it says;
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Heres my heart Lord take & seal it, seal for thy courts above.
Put to death the flesh and abide & dwell in the presence of the Most High. He will satisfy us, and longs to spend time with us. Find that place in your life where you can connect with the Lord the best. Just like Noah’s ark & this building only way to dwell with him is we need to get into him As we abide in the Spirit may his Spirit come alive in us; and may Colossians 3 come to life.
