Quick Update: Ministry & Being Sick

Apologies for the lack of posting lately! The last week was a lot for me – I got hit hard by some sort of cold (common here during the rainy season, I was told) that kept me down for most of the week, and then immediately had to turn around and get ready for a different ministry this week. It took me far longer than I would’ve liked to recover, but praise the Lord I’m doing much better now! The sweetest thing, aside from our host mom taking such good care of me, has been the Lord’s reminders to me through the whole time of being sick – both directly from Him and from my teammates:

• my worth does not come from what I do or my activity level, but in the fact that I am His child (I am a human being first, not a human doing)
• I am not, as pride would lead me to presume, the only one who is capable and therefore unable to take breaks; it’s okay to rest when my body needs it and let others fill in for me as I have filled in for others

In addition to a quick health update, I wanted to share an overview of what village ministry looks like during our time here! Half of our squad is currently partnered with our hosts’ main organization which visits and teaches in villages local to Siem Reap. Josie and I have been with this team up till this point of our being in Cambodia, so we’ve gotten to be part of the village outreach.

A typical day at a village looks like:

• group prayer at 7:15am before stopping at the market to grab lunch and riding an hour to the village of the day (Monday through Thursday are village visit days, a different village each day, and Friday is cleaning and prep day for the coming week)
• setting up a whiteboard with the day’s Bible verse in Khmer and playing a game or two with the kids once they all gather
• singing some kids’ worship songs and doing the motions with them
• listening to the Bible lesson (all of the teaching is in Khmer) and helping with whatever serves as a supplement to the lesson, such as coloring pages or a skit
• helping with the English lesson – demonstrating correct pronunciation of English words and helping the kids practice them
• packing up (as needed) and taking a lunch break
• depending on the day, there could be another kids’ lesson with another group of kids, an adult Bible study, house visits, and/or manual labor at the village base
• ride back and get home around 4:30pm

During our time here, the team is in charge of planning in advance how the English lesson will be led (with a translator helping) and adding a visual to the Bible lesson. Additionally, a crucial role we can play is being intentional to intercede during these lessons – that the seeds being planted would grow into lives rooted in God’s truth and love and a relationship with Him. (Kids ministry is SO important anywhere and everywhere in the world for this reason, I’m realizing!)

Though none of us know the language here, which means it’s harder for us to engage directly, it’s still such a privilege to sit in on these times of teaching. Through the Khmer believers here especially, God is turning hearts to Himself – in villages that haven’t heard the Gospel until just the last couple of years!! It’s an incredible thing to see the unreached being reached, and a sobering thing to realize how many still need to hear the Good News. Praise the Lord that He’s turning the tide of salvation in Christ even right now in Cambodia!!