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Ministry Rundown

On October 2, my team departed from Kampong Cham, Cambodia.

It was a bittersweet moment; filled with the expected sorrows of any goodbye. We tearfully hugged those we served, painfully aware that we may not see their precious smiles, or experience their unconditional joy, until we are reunited in heaven.

There were tears. There were A LOT of tears.

In an attempt to acknowledge the amazing, incredible, praiseworthy ways in which the Lord overflowed into this month, I’ve organized a ministry schedule.

A ministry rundown…

8:00 AM – Breakfast

Depending on the day, breakfast could be anything from ramen noodles, to fried bananas, to packaged Cambodian “Swiss Rolls”. Our kindhearted, 14 year-old chef, Aiden, constantly shocked us with his unique “concoctions” that rarely functioned as nutritious breakfasts.

Pair any one of those quality options with 3-in-1 coffee, and voila… Cambodian breakfast.

8:45 AM – Team Time

10 girls, squeezing around a tiny community table, studying some of the overlooked, undermined women of the Bible.

This time developed group intimacy, empowered our discouraged hearts, and launched us, minds wide open, into ministry.

9:30 AM – Coffee Run

To my utmost surprise, the Lord provided a pathway to further His Kingdom through coffee shop ministry. (While additionally blessing me with wonderful coffee!)

Everyday, around the same time, our giddy group would push through the doors of Black Canyon Coffee, smiling brightly as we exclaimed greetings in an extraordinarily broken Khmer. We’d order, shower them with the kindness and love God repeatedly extends to us, and walk back to Vandy’s little white van, coffee in hand.

I pray that the Lord continues to water the small seeds we sowed in each of the lovely baristas.

12:30 PM – Lunch

Aiden absolutely rocked lunch. Yummy veggies, fried omlets, steaming soup, meat soaked in Cambodian spices, and, of course, white rice.

No Cambodian meal is complete without white rice.

1:30 PM – Walk to the Orphange

Water bottles filled, Chaco’s secured, and hearts ready to receive, we walked to New Hope for Orphans, where we were greeted with orchestras of “LaLa! Tina! Courtney 2! Margo!” And many more silly nicknames we developed along the way.

Each and every day with those children was a heart-racing adventure. On rainy days, we threw mud clods at each other, slipping and sliding in between the muddy crossfire. On cloudy days, we shamelessly danced to One Direction. On beautifully clear days, we played soccer barefoot, tackling each other for the slightest brush of the ball.

3:00 PM – English Class

The Lord taught me A LOT about patience… every Monday through Friday… at 3:00. 12 unruly toddlers speaking a foreign language tend to test your faith, and, on occasion, your tongue.

For 30 minutes every day, Victoria, my undeniably patient co-teacher, and I would herd 12 Khmer children into a circle in a tiny, agonizingly hot room, and introduce them to the disaster that was two American girls teaching English to Khmer students.

Here’s what they (hopefully) learned, along with how we taught the lesson:

  • Good morning

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-0o79IMmAYE Over. And over. And over again. 

  • Colors

After identifying colors of household objects inside our classroom (a pink chair, a green table, a yellow shirt), we allowed the children to distinguish the colors on other items. However, they associated the color with the actual item. They thought “chairs” were “pinks”. *Facepalm*

  • Boy, Girl Simple.

“Little dude over there, you are a boy. You, yes. Come here. You are a girl. Boy. *point* Girl. *point* Good? Understand?”

Now, here’s what I learned:

  • Sit down.
  • Come here.
  • Say… *point*.

You can imagine where each handy phrase was required.

4:00 PM – Workout Session with Danielle

Refer to my last blog, “I’ve Been Running”.

5:30 – Dinner

A similar depiction of lunch; white rice, meat, vegetables. All delicious, all cooked by Aiden.

7:15 PM – Worship at the Orphange (Saturday and Sunday nights only)

Torrential downpour, or impossibly clear skies, each of us would secure our headlamps and trek to the Orphange. Tearing down the language barrier, we’d sing praises, uplift each other in prayer, and, through the Word, speak love and life over one another.

And one night, in the middle of the muddy soccer field, amongst a spectacular lightning storm, both Khmer Orphans and American Missionaries worshipped our Creator, the one entity who entertwined our differences into a breath-taking mosaic.

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