So, I know that I’ve been horrible at keeping up with my blog so I will try and do better. This one is to catch you up with what happened in Cambodia.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Night and Day
During training camp, we were put into groups to do different activations to learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit. On this day my group was me, Josh, Jenna, Chelsey, and Kaelyn. We were just going to go out for lunch and listen to what God was speaking to us.
We decided to head to this park close by and eat but as we were walking, I just kept feeling we needed to go check out this market.
As we try and find the entrance, we walk down what looks like a dead-end alley way, so we go back to the main road and look for another entrance. When we get to another entrance it looks like a dark alley that doesn’t seem very inviting. The girls all got uneasy feelings about it and me and Josh felt we needed to go in. As soon as we were in there a guy started to walk with us and immediately escorted us out of the back entrance where we were down the alley way that we thought was a dead end. The guy was speaking English to us but as soon as Josh asked him what he did he said no English.
We felt there was something off, so we went back up to the front and went in the other entrance that was also kinda hidden and uninviting. We walked around and ended up back at the same alley way for the third time. I felt there is a reason we are in this spot. So, we prayed and walked around, played with some kids, and then left.
We continued to the park, but it ended up being an undeveloped grass field, so we decided to go get something to eat and drink and talk about what we were all feeling about that place.
The group all felt like there was some kind of trafficking going on in there. Like it was a storage locker for people. So, we decided to go back but this time through the back entrance and see if we can see anything without being followed. As soon as we walk in the back the guy who escorted us out is running around the corner and started walking with us again to keep an eye on us. This time he told us he was security. But for what?
As we are walking around the shops, we felt unwanted there. It was the first place we had been where people weren’t asking us to buy anything or saying anything to us. Something was off.
We walked out and just prayed for the place and the people in it. When we finished, we looked across the street and there was another market, so we decided to walk around it and it was completely different from the one we just left. Everyone talking to use and kids running around playing. Just a completely better vibe.
We were headed back to the house when Josh spotted a church sign, so we decided to go in and talk to some people. This is where we met Bunlin, Souka, and Soupan. We talked to them for a while and they gave us the best mangos I’ve ever had in my life! They picked from a tree on the front of their property. They invited us to a conference they were having that weekend and we wanted to go but we still were in training camp and had things already planned.
The next day we have a break in our activities and I just felt we needed to go back to the market and see if anything was different. I invited everyone to come join me and we had about seven people go. As soon as we get in there its completely different from the day before. Night and day. People were out, kids were following us around, no escort security guard, and it was like a darkness was taken out of the building. I couldn’t believe that this was the same place.
I learned that where ever we go spreading the love of Jesus the darkness will scatter.
Daughters of Cambodia
I feel like my whole purpose for me being in Phnom Penh was to meet this amazing lady.
Our whole squad went to the House of Prayer Phnom Penh for Sunday night service. Which was absolutely amazing! There were 15 different countries represented there that night and we all read the passage out loud in each language. It was powerful.
While we were there, we met this wonderful lady Ruth. She was the founder of the church but also, she was the founder of Daughters of Cambodia. Daughters of Cambodia is an organization that helps people trapped in the sex industry to be able to walk free and start a new life. Our group has felt called to do something with sex trafficking, so this just seemed like a divine appointment.
Later that week we were able to spend time with her and she was able to tell us so many stories of what she’s done and seen and answer any questions we had. It was very eye opening and wonderful to be able to talk with her. This lady has done some things that most people would never do. She lives in complete trust and obedience to God. It was good to see how God has used her and will continue to use her.
After training camp was over and we were completely on our own and our group spent three more days in Phnom Penh. We felt like we needed to go back to House of Prayer. It was great to see Ruth again. We were able to pray for her and her team and listen to what God had been doing in her the last few days. She shared about expanding the organization into the Philippians and Indonesia.
I don’t know what it is about her that I feel so drawn to her and Daughter of Cambodia, but I feel there is more for me there. I know sometime in the future I’ll be back doing something with them.
If you want to know more or help support, you can go to www.daughtersofcambodia.org
Siem Reap, Cambodia
T-Rex
I’m just sitting downstairs at our hostel doing some reading when all the sudden a little kid pops up out of nowhere wanting to play games with him on his phone. First, he asks if I have a credit card to buy him a new game and I just laugh and tell him no way. So, he starts to teach me how to play the piano by this game he has and YouTube videos. So, I just start talking with him and I find out that his parents work at the hostel and he comes every day for lunch between morning and afternoon school. I ask him what his name is, and he says to just call him T-Rex. Haha alright man whatever you want.
He notices my cross neckless that I’m always wearing and starts asking questions about it. I can’t even remember all the things he asked me, but they were all over the place but mostly about zombies and vampires. I ask him if he knows about Jesus and the cross and he says no. I explain to him about sins and how Jesus died for us. Then he was off to school.
I made an effort to be there every day during lunch just so I could hang out with him. After about three days of hangout and talking to him about Jesus I ask him if he wants Jesus in his heart. He says yes and we pray together and then he’s off to school. It’s funny all our days ended with his parents calling him off to go back to school. I probably spent an hour with him a day. It was definitely the highlight of my day and trip for that matter.
Our last day there we played go fish and Uno the Khmer way, which was nuts, I think it was just him making up rules but whatever it was fun just being able to hang out with him. I had a cross that was given to me during training that I gave to him. I know it’s the little encounters like this that make a huge impact. I hope one day we can run into each other again and I can see how God has impacted his life.
