We started our travel to Cambodia with the team of 19 being split into two groups. In the end, those two teams traveled for 5 days, spent 53 hours on the road, including busses and trains, crossed 2 borders while making our way across 1670km. We constantly thanked the Lord the that He had protected and provided for us during this time of travel. Thank you to all those back home praying for the teams as well, we appreciate it so much!
We arrived in Cambodia and were immediately welcomed by a very friendly host. He is from Australia and has been living in Cambodia for many years. It was refreshing to have a fluent conversation with someone who lives side by side with the locals. We learnt a lot about how the locals live, the best local coffee shops, and the renovations that have taken place over the years.
He has an English class in the afternoons for the local kids. They’re amazing and pick up on new words quickly, understanding instructions well. You can see that they’re eager to learn English. We played all sorts of games with them in the afternoon and helped them for a few hours with teaching new words and pronouncing the words correctly. Each one of them was a bundle of joy! They would run into the yard, kick their shoes off and quickly make their way up the stairs. It was a blessing to be surrounded by those precious children. They really have a contagious joy!
One of my (Madison’s) favourite moments was when I was sitting somewhere and this little girl came up to me and grabbed and pulled my hand. So I stood up and she held my other hand and looked up at me while swaying side to side. I looked down at her and smiled and giggled right back, and then I heard her say the most delicate words, “I love you.” I melted, I didn’t know how to respond to such a beautiful moment, saying “Aww, I love you too,” felt to weak for the amount of love I had for this little girl, but I said it back and gave her the biggest hug! I pray that she will one day experience the same amount of joy and love that I felt for her in that moment.
When we were not spending time with the kids, we spent the mornings helping our host with breaking down old Bungalows. These bungalows were made from clay and rice plants. Some days were more muddy than others, but we had so much fun none the less. Our team also had morning quiet times together which was such a beautiful way to start the day. Creating the space to speak with the Lord together. We also each had a turn at the end of every day to say how we saw the Lord work in our day. This is a great way to seek the Lord throughout the day and to see how often He moves and speaks to us. The small things that may seem irrelevant would be a space for the Lord to work. I encourage you to do the same in your space at home. It’s a great way to end the day, by standing with a heart of gratitude in seeing how He was present with everyone.
Our host made us some coconut smoothies some mornings, we also helped him make a dinner for us, and on our last night he blessed us with a lovely pizzia night! We can definitely see the generosity of the Lord in him.
Richelle put her experience beautifully, “The Lord showered His love over me in Cambodia. I had my birthday while we were there, and through everything that was said to me, I heard Jesus say ‘I love you.’ He revealed just a little more of His good and faithful character. He never leaves, His love never fails. I recognised the hand of God over my life, and felt like a spoiled child. My King cares for me, deeply, and my life is in His hands.”
It was such an amazing time in Cambodia. We almost didn’t get through the border to Vietnam…but that’s a miracle story for the next blog!
Lots of love, Cambodia
Eastbound