Hey Guys! So this weeks blog is a Q&A blog, that answers all of your questions from the past few weeks. Enjoy!
On a regular basis, what’s the best part of the week for you?
Here in Cambodia, there are a lot of great parts of the week. Each night we have what’s called “team time”. Each night has its specific team time but on Sunday nights we to all squad worship, where we all come together for some awesome worship. Lately, we have been inviting members of the community and the size has continued to grow each week.
Also, as I am part of the cooking team, some of my favorite times are when we are jamming out to all kinds of music and cooking some amazing food (my personal favorite kitchen music is anything in Spanish, it just gives off a cooking vibe).
And also on a regular basis, what is the hardest part of your week, AND WHY.
The hardest part of the week is the slow times as sometimes I feel like I’m not being as useful as I could be. However, the Lord has been super faithful in this as he has continued to remind me that I don’t have to be going 100mph all the time to be doing His work.
Tell us more what you learned about an average day for a monk in the pagoda you served. Also, do you sense a receptive spirit to the gospel or Christianity in general from the local population since only 2% or so even go to a church?
So for month 2, the guys team was assigned to pagodas, with some of the guys continuing this into month 3. Most of the monks here in Cambodia become monks because they can get a free education and free housing. While some become monks to truly learn about Buddhism, this is not always the case. The pagoda that we were at was not very receptive to the Gospel, but other pagodas have been very receptive with monks asking to learn more, so its kind of a mixed bag.
What do you find most useful in trying to communicate with people who are so different?
Often times a smile goes so far. Once the other person knows that you’re not there to hurt them and that you only have good intentions they will often reciprocate. Also, hand motions are vital when you don’t know the other person’s language.
what is it like getting to know all the racers so well?
Getting to know all of my teammates and squamates is arguably my favorite part so far. We all come from such different places (literally) that you get to know so many different people and personalities. We all get along really well, which I did not expect, and being that there are only 3 of the 6 teams here in Battambang makes it a lot easier to get to know people on a deeper level.
what are the roads like full of Tuk Tuks and Motos? Do you see many accidents
The roads are definitely different here. There aren’t many traffic laws and you never see any cops. I can probably count on one hand how many traffic lights there are in the city and traffic just flows like water. Also, I have never seen an accident while I have been here which is remarkable. We all have bikes that we ride around town so it can be fun weaving through traffic during rush hour.
How many places have you been so far?
So far we have only been to Cambodia and we have visited the 3 biggest cities – Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and we are living in Battambang, another big city.
Are you homesick?
Homesickness is something that most of us have struggled with at some point so far. I was really only homesick during the first week here, but it has since gone away as we have gotten into the rhythm of things.
When do you go home?
The trip is scheduled to end at the end of May.
What do you think about Cambodia?
I love Cambodia. The people here are really warm and welcoming and love to strike up conversations even though most of the time I can’t carry them on. The kids love to yell “hello” when we are walking by and everyone makes you feel at home. It is a beautiful country that has had some hardships in the past but they are on the up and up!
Other than friends and family, what do you miss most from back home?
One thing that I miss a lot is being able to just hop in my car and drive to wherever and do whatever. While we do have a lot of freedom here to go and do things, we aren’t allowed to drive motos or cars.
How do the finances work for the teams? Are all your meals covered?
Each team has a designated treasurer who has access to a bank account and is in charge of the money for their team. Ours is Davis and he does a great job! Every person has a daily food budget of $4 and during the week that is given to the kitchen team so they can cook for everyone. On the weekends we are given our $4 each day and we are responsible for our own food. Surprisingly enough you can eat pretty well and stay under budget.
What is God teaching you right now?
God is teaching me a lot about patience right now as I am on the cooking team and we have a decent amount of downtime. Also, He is teaching me a lot about leadership as Parker and I have taken the lead on kitchen team and often plan out the meals and head up the cooking of them. We often have to delegate things and make decisions that others don’t.
What kind of food have you been eating?
During the week when we are cooking for the team, we make both Cambodian meals and American meals and it varies day to day. To give you an example, one-day last week we made Scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast, spaghetti for lunch, and sweet and sour chicken for dinner.
Also, as you can see at the top of this page, I am only $600 short of my fundraising goal! with that being said, if you or anyone else that you know would like to continue to support me financially it would really be a MASSIVE HELP!!
