WOW I’ve been living in Cambodia for about 2 months and MAN has time flown by! First I’d like to apologize for not updating my blog as often as I should be, life has been super sweet and also super busy these past few weeks! Let’s chat about all the super cool things the Lord has been teaching me, and let’s talk about what life/ministry looks like here!
So for ministry I’ve been working at HOPE International school here in Siem Reap. It’s a Christian school for grades pre-10. The Lord has completely shifted my view of ministry while being on the race. Working at a school and serving in a community where the staff is majority Christian is NOT where I expected to be. But God is kind and His plan is far superior to anything I can create. He knew exactly what he was doing when he put me and my team at HOPE. The Lord has given me a passion long before the race of revival in christians who have lost their fire for the Lord. It genuinely sets my heart ablaze when I see people who have walked hand in hand with the Lord and then they let there earthly desires draw them away from Christ.
THERE IS SERIOUSLY NOTHING MORE FULFILLING THAN WALKING WITH THE LORD AND HAVING COMMUNION WITH HIM!!!!!!
Majority (not all) of the parents are missionaries living in Cambodia. We’ve gotten to grow closer to a lot of them and see what it looks like to be in ministry long term. MAN THE LORD IS GOOD! We have heard countless times how my team has been a fresh wind to HOPE school as they just closed permanently this past Friday. Being able to mourn with the staff and students and remind them of the Fathers deep love for them while in the midst of an extremely hard transition for everyone has been so challenging and yet so rewarding. HOPE School was the only christian school in Siem reap, and not having a christian atmosphere for the children of these missionaries is heart breaking. One of the main reasons long term missionaries do not stay over seas is not having a good education for their children. Being able to work alongside these families is truly what sustainable ministry looks like. I know little (basically none) of the local language and in these past few months I’ve been able to help grow the ministry of these families who have been building relationships for years. The community at HOPE is strong, I’ve felt that since the first day we walked through the doors and have experienced it these past couple months. Man, I love HOPE school. On the day to day, ministry has looked a lot like teaching English, Art, Christian Perspectives, and fun after school clubs for the students! We fill in as teachers for pretty much all the grades randomly, but it’s so sweet. Getting to love on the teachers and families is something I’ve LOVED while being here. We have a few days of ministry in the villages around Siem Reap with our local ministry partners coming up and we look forward to experiencing Cambodia in a different light.
As our time in Cambodia starts to dwindle I can’t help but reflect on the wonderful things God has shown me:
The Lord has been steadfast in reminding me of His deep and unwavering love for me.
He constantly shows me what it looks like to walk in communion with Him and to have a real relationship with Him.
I’ve been praying every morning that the Lord would captivate me.
I want my heart to be so in love with Jesus that all I can do is share about Him, a passion that runs so deep and is ignited by His unending love for me.
Being able to walk hand in hand with Him EVERYDAY is seriously the best. I’ve decided I don’t want to live a life next to Christ but a life intertwined with Him. I want to be so wrapped up in Him that when people see me all they can see is the beautiful fruit that he is growing in me!
What does it look like to be a woman who walks in the spirit of Shalom; how do I walk in peace and wholeness of Christ in my everyday life? It looks like a lot of reflecting and refining, choosing others over myself and humbling myself everyday. MAN IT TAKES WORK. But I know that leaning into His peace and wisdom is the best thing for me.
SEE YA LATER!!
Choum Reap Lir bong!
(Goodbye friend in Khmer)
