Hey all you lovely people, hope you’re doing well J
So after staying 17 hours over night in the Luala Lumpur airport, catching a flight to Singapore having a four hour layover there then catching a flight to Siem Reap going through security, getting back on the plane, then flying into Phnom Penh, loading 21 people into a van with all our luggage, having debrief, sleeping at the YWAM base, then taking a six hour bus ride to Siem Reap again we have successfully and safely made it to our destination Sien Reap (Angkorwat) Cambodia at the YWAM base where we will stay for the month woohoo, we have bunk beds and running water praise God!
So since ya’ll know that I am safe and healthy now I am sure you’re wondering what I will be doing..
Well I am not even sure what I will be doing exactly ministry ‘officially’ starts tomorrow, we will be teaching English classes from 8-11am at a pre-k school (which I am so excited about, investing in kids, if you know me you know kids and youth bring much joy to my heart yippie) lunch then either going back to the school or a village to teach more classes, possibly dance, and some people doing an art class, or helping out with the mothers in the village and their gardens. On Thursday and Friday we will be at a rehab center from 9.00-10.30am teaching and sharing our faith with them. And to get to each destination we ride our bikes its awesome, we get to explore beautiful Cambodia and transportation is free woot woot! Sundays are church in the morning we go to a church of new believers all in the Cambodia language but it is still wonderful to attend normally there’s an English speaker with a translator. Sunday nights is an English service with missionaries from all over the world so of course that makes us excited because after pouring and pouring into others we finally get poured into and understand a sermon! So these are days, please be praying for us as we begin our ministry here.
So Cambodia is definitely the most beautiful country we have been to, it is exactly what I expected and have been waiting for, as we drove to Sien Reap we started on main roads and I fell asleep but I was woken up by bumpy dirt roads, it was incredible. As we drove down the dirt roads we saw huts, houses small as my bedroom on stilts, girls walking through fields carrying stuff on their heads, cattle everywhere. Ya’ll are going to think im crazy but it was beautiful and it was something we haven’t experienced yet, I am so excited for Africa! The simplicity was beautiful, the scenery, and all the adorable babies running around and five people on one moped. It gets me so excited to be here.
So here are some facts about Cambodia..
Currency- they use American dollars but have their own change, its weird to get a shirt for two dollars with American money.. I LOVE IT! Everything is very cheap.
Monarchy- the current monarch is King Norodom Sihamoni his father gave him kingship in 2004, though he is king he isn’t high enough to make laws but can voice his opinion and people respect him.
Religion- 93% Buddhist and less than 1% Christian they also practice Animism, Ancestor worship, Hinduism, and Humanism, after they ‘accept’ Christ so they can have one more religion and one more Spirit to worship, but he often is NOT the only God in their life.
Monks- well they’re everywhere you will see them daily as you ride your bike around town, woman can not talk to them or give them gifts but men can, if a woman wants to give something to a monk she must give it to a man to give to him or place It on the ground walk away and have the monk pick it up.
Bargaining- lets just say I will miss this cheap benefit in the states
Angkorwat the world’s oldest temple and one of the world’s seven wonders is just a bike ride away from us.
It is beautiful here and we thank God for this place and giving us His children such incredible gifts!!
