On the Race, each month is spent with different ministries, and each of which is unique. This month, we stayed with a Cambodian family who has started several ministries. We were asked to participate in teaching English for the preschool, elementary, middle, and high school classes they have started with their school. In the middle of the month, we got to experience the Khmer New Year (a Buddhist tradition that the entire country celebrates), which threw us off schedule, but provided opportunities to learn more about the Khmer culture. We worked with our host family in their farm, picking bananas, peppers, and mangos, and separating the lemon grass from the elephant grass weeds.
I decided to steal the idea of another racer, and take a picture every hour for one day (while awake – obviously).
Our day usually started at 6:30, sometimes sooner. We lived on the floor of the two room house our hosts live in. The floor was great, since it’s cooler than sleeping on a bed, but also closer to all the bugs that live in Cambodia.
Each morning, we would eat breakfast at the crack of dawn before heading out to do whatever ministry our host asked us to do that day. Our meals were prepared by one of the sweet daughters we lived with – usually noodles or sweet rice cakes.
After breakfast we were taken to the church/school, to teach the preschoolers and work on the mural we painted for the church.
Each morning we were greeted by 20 something excited faces and way too many hi-fives.
Our incredible squad leader used her artistic abilities to trace a mural on the wall and we worked to paint it in.
One of the little boys was so excited about what we were painting that he told all his friends at home and invited them to come and see it.
When you think the puppy is cute but end up with a lot of flea bites…
I’ve slowly come to realize on the Race just how much I do not enjoy teaching kids, and how much respect I have for the people that do. However, even though I don’t enjoy it, I’ve still tried to teach as best as I could.
Our favorite drink: “orange drank.” Our host family introduced it to us and we were soon buying gallons of it for us and the family.
A past Racer came back to visit our hosts, and we enjoyed a big family lunch with everyone.
Around 2 pm is the literal worst in Cambodia. It’s when the food coma hits and the heat reaches the hottest point of the day. Thankfully, there is usually a built in siesta time to nap and try to escape the heat – or in my case, find the breeziest spot to lie in.
On the Race, we practice community in many ways. One of which is having a team time each day of ministry. Everyone on the team rotates every day in planning the team time activity. They can be unique – from playing games to worship sessions – but always include check-ins and feedback. Feedback was a new concept to me before the Race, but it is a time of openness to address any issues encountered, call each other higher, and to encourage.
This is a lion that was a part of the mural our squad leader designed. I just filled in some of the color.
Genesis 9:13 “I have placed my rainbow in the clouds, it is my agreement with you and all the earth.”
Joanna just graduated college with a degree in education and certificate in ESL. Basically the perfect person to have on a team when you have to teach a lot of English. She was amazing at incorporating the knowledge that each child already had and building on that.
She asked her students to draw her drinking “café tedako,” or Vietnamese coffee.
Sara challenged herself by teaching high school girls English grammar lessons.
Not pictured: when we returned home, and had dinner and prayer with our host family before bed.
