With my friends in the childrens ministry in Phnom Penh I was able to go on several “slum outreaches” during our time there. I pictured us taking a drive to the outskirts of town when I heard we were doing a “slum outreach.” I was surprised when our tuk tuk stopped only 10 minutes from the church in the middle of an ordinary Phnom Penh city block. There was an opening in the wall and we stepped through a 6 foot concrete wall into another world. The houses are bamboo structures with tarp roofs. The walkways between are a mixture of crushed concrete, trash, and a black ooze that held it all together.
Our ministry there was simple enough: say some hellos, bible study with the women, play with kids, pass out cookies and pray for people. But being there changes you in ways I am not very good at articulating. It was one of those places when you can feel the pain but are overwhelmed by the joy and community that thrives in spite of living conditions.
Two of my teammates wrote awesome blogs about their experiences at the slums. You should check them out:
Slum Ministry and My Utopia Crushed
One of the reasons I liked being there was that in Phnom Penh nearly everybody tried to speak English with us. The opposite is true in the slums. The people in the slums had never studied English and there weren’t enough translators to go around… I think some amazing stories come out of situations of cultural submersion:
At each of the slums (there are 4) we encountered kids that come to Joy Club. It was humbling to see them in their element. Waving at us from tiny windows, hanging out in their homes, and running into our arms as we walked through. One of the Children’s Ministry staff was explaining a housing transition project as we walked through the first day when one of the boys started yanking on his hand, talking excitedly, jumping up and down and pointing. We asked him what he was saying and he replied “he wants me to tell you that’s where he lives!” This little boy was so so excited to show us which house was his and show us his life.
Another day, I found a friend who has as much trouble staying on task during bible study as I do. This 80 year old man ran out mid study and showed back up with his hymnals and his medical records. He had me read his chart (in English) and began taking off his shirt in the corner to show me his scars. Then we flipped through the hymnals and he got very excited that I knew Joy to the World and spent the next 10 minutes motioning to me that I should start singing it so everyone can join in. We also shared a moment as a rat large enough to have facial expressions made his way down the beam above Kyle’s head while he was speaking.
Then there was the time I accidentally named a child after myself. We went in to visit a family with a 21 day-old baby. Cham Brau told me they hadn’t picked a name yet and I turned to my teammates at the doorway and jokingly said “Sarah’s a great name.” I realized 10 seconds later that ChamBrau had taken it upon himself to translate this to the mother when he said “She says she likes that name and will think about it.” The next week when we stopped in I asked if they had picked a name and sure enough the reply was “Yes, they picked Sarah.” Although not my original intent, it makes a great story and we have been joking that instead of collecting something from each country, I can just name a child.
Meet the new Baby Sarah:
The slums were just amazing. I was surprised by how much I loved being there. Please keep the families, the outreach ministry, and baby Sarah in your prayers!
