Healing Mission

As I close this blog series on behalf of the awesome team of Plunge, I want to clarify firstly what definition of ‘mission’ we are subscribing to.  It will be a ‘nutshell’ version but it is important nonetheless in order to be clear on what this ‘mission trip’ was about.

Mission is primarily about God.  It is in His very DNA (if He ever had one) and this mission is a restored creation because of His Lordship (in a nutshell) – He makes things new.  So mission is not just for ‘overseas’ work but it exists in all of creation – yes, even in Australia.

So for Plunge, our trip was a mission exposure trip, for it opened our eyes to God’s kingdom mission work in Cambodia (which we were doing in Sydney on a weekly basis this whole year as well).  We engaged, we were made aware, we watched and we listened – we were exposed to His mission in a completely different place and culture to what we were usually familiar with.  God was already in Cambodia long before we stepped into it and God challenged our faith as His beautiful kingdom garden unfolded before our very eyes.

I am drawing on two different ways of understanding the blog title ‘Healing Mission’.  The first is regarding the need for healing on our western view of what ‘mission’ should be and the second is the healing/restoring aspect of mission in all creation.

A Healing for our Understanding of Mission…

I began typing this blog post on the flight back from Cambodia and going back home made me reflect why many of the ‘mission work’ I saw in Cambodia was so fruitful and holistic.  We wondered this together as a team and although we could not find a final answer (apart from God of course), we did see that the western mindset had many obstacles.  One particular obstacle is our view on mission.  We still have the old mindset (in some form) that we have the superior ‘gospel’ which we will take to the developing nations, in order to bring God there.  Now that may be a slight exaggeration but that is still the mindset of many of our churches to a certain degree. (Although there are great mission work happening in Australia as well)

Together as a team, we found healing to our very souls regarding what holistic-biblical mission looks like.  We found that God was growing a beautiful kingdom garden in Cambodia but the wildlife looked quite different to what we expected and what we would’ve brought.  In the process of shattering our minds, He brought healing to our existence by exposing us to His mission. It starts from a broken humble position, and with eyes wide open on the look out for His kingdom.  He reveals to us His glory in mission when we come to him in humility and dependence.  We hope to bring this healed perspective (little or big) back to our reality in Australia.

God’s Mission in Healing Humanity…

We witnessed poverty, sickness, human trafficking, corruption, dehumanisation, exploitation, death, darkness, and everything that was hell on earth.  There were times when the team felt so shaken that we felt paralysed by the situation we were being consumed by – BUT we also saw hope in hopeless situations.

We saw this Asian God (thanks Jeremy for this insight) who relentlessly pursues His creation to restore it.  We saw flawed human beings joining God’s mission, and we heard of the Father lovingly taking them to soaring heights – places they would’ve never dreamed.  We learned that God has this ‘sending love’ (from David Bosch) that persistently and graciously chases after His creation and, as His children, we also are sent out by this ‘sending love’.  We don’t join Him because we are good or because we are skilled – especially not because He needs the help – we join Him because we are His children and we are now infected by His sending love.

So, going home…

We head home full of God’s blessings and joy.  I use to wonder whether these mission exposure trips are just a consumer item for the rich western Christians because we seem to come back being richly blessed.  Now, however, I have let go of that guilt because I believe that God’s economy just works that way (but still against the consumer mentality of mission tourism).  Whether you are joining Him in His mission work, receiving His loving mission or just being exposed to His mission, you will be blessed!  Such is His kingdom.

Seeking to revolve your life around His Kingdom and Righteousness will always result in blessings (as well as sufferings but that is also a crown).  This mission exposure trip was about that, seeking His kingdom and righteousness first and foremost.  The trip is for the Plungers to be exposed to God’s Kingdom in places far outside their comfort zones.  In these uncomfortable eerie spaces, they learn to depend and trust in God and they forge these life-long lessons prayerfully and in community.  The trip pushes them outside their cultural wombs that has shaped them by osmosis (Australia), to come back to it birthing new life in their call from the Father.

This trip has given us hope in how to join Him in His mission – in a world where playing it safe is the preferred option and where the gravity of the worlds problems spiral us into a paralysis of action.  This trip taught us the discipline of looking for God’s beauty in all things despite how we feel or the darkness that confronts.  Beauty in Cambodia and beauty in Australia – beauty in all creation.

We now go back changed and responsible for the things we have seen and experienced.  As this Plunge year ends, our hopes are for the students to plunge back into their lives deeply rooted in Jesus and His cause for a New Creation.

Thank you for following us throughout our journey.  Please ask us what we have learned and what we intend to practice to keep us accountable.  This final video is only a glimpse of our experience with God’s kingdom in Cambodia and the community in mission that God has forged.

Grace and blessings!

Marbz

(Sorry for the rush job regarding video editing… much of it was on the flight back. Music by Gungor “Brother Moon”)

Goodbye Cambodia!

 

Wow, what a challenging, life-giving and all together beautiful two and a half weeks we’ve had together. Sitting at Kuala Lumpur airport I am sad that the experience has come to an end but have a heart full of praise for our God whose vast Kingdom we have only glimpsed.

Yesterday was our debriefing day, which focussed on preparing us for coming back into our culture in light of the relationships we’ve created, what we’ve learnt, and how we’ve changed. For many of us it was the opportunity we needed to lay everything before God and ask him for the deeper meaning, to get our heads and our hearts working in unison to discern His perfect will.

There are some difficult things to face when coming home. In our teams we have all experienced what it’s like to make sacrifices with and for one another, living in the kind of humble community that God calls us to. It’s hard to think of returning to our separate worlds where we might not have this same kind of relationship. It’s difficult to know how we can use what we’ve learnt to bless and serve others, rather than becoming frustrated that they don’t understand what you’ve been through. However, having the opportunity to work through these thoughts and think about some practical and Godly ways to respond really helped us to look forward to a fruitful future in relationship with our Father and all of his creation.

Yesterday we also finished up our personal debriefing and encouragement sessions that each person in our team have been doing. Being able to share our thoughts and emotions in our group setting, receive encouragement and prayer was a testament to how close our team has become and to the real blessing this trip has been for each of us.

This morning we talked about some of the deeper things as a bigger group. As we sat in the chapel we shared some of the beautiful stories that each group had experienced which made it easier to engage with one another again. Then the team leaders encouraged each person in their team with words of wisdom and a bracelet. To me the bracelet symbolised a binding together again of the larger team of plunge and brought final closure to a whirlwind of experiences, laughter and tears.

So now, there are two ways we could go about our return to reality. We could focus on the hard things that might be facing us when we get home, but instead I think God is calling us to be thankful for the amazing trip we’ve had and to use what we’ve learnt to praise His glorious name.

Shannon

Plunge Unified and Angkor

Imagine the streets you’re driving on are filled with water up to your ankles; you’re sitting in a tuk tuk (motorcycle wagon-type device) in a place where ‘Road Rules’ are just the title of an optional book you can read.

Well fortunately for us, we don’t have to imagine because we are here! We are in Siem Reap, battling the floods, rains and humidity and trying to love every minute of it.

Yesterday we ‘went’ to church. Because of the floods, the church we had planned to go to was no longer available so we had our own church. As a group we sung some songs led by our talented musicians, had communion and heard Marbz preach. After church we went out to lunch. This was our first experience of driving on the flooded roads. As you can imagine we got quite wet, especially because the occasional car that went past us was more than happy to send big waves of water flying our way.

After lunch we packed up and headed to the Spiritual Retreat Centre. This ride was a bonding experience to say the least because on the way there we pulled over to fix the tuk tuk and it fell over! We all screamed and then erupted into laughter. After driving a couple more hundred metres, we had to pull over again as the tuk tuk was completely broken. The driver pulled us out and we got drenched, since it was pouring with rain and the ground was flooded. We met some kind people who kept us dry while the tuk tuk was being fixed but still managed to lose a couple of shoes on the way back.

We finally made it safely to our new accommodation (even if we were a little wet!). Quickly we were reunited with the 3^rd group and lots of hugs were exchanged. The rest of the night involved some devotions, emotional debriefing and dinner.

Today we visited the Angkor Wat Temples. Our day started at approximately 5:30am, depending on whether or not you got out of bed on time! We travelled to the temples through the nice cool morning air. We visited 3 different temples and saw lots of different architecture, nature and touristy things.

Lots of people took away different things from our day at the temples. Some saw the amazing architecture and imagined the work that must have gone into it, some saw the beauty of the nature all around and some were affected deeply by the fact that the people worshipping at the temples were so lost and far from God in their search for spirituality.

This afternoon we continued with our emotional debriefs and went to dinner in town. Some of us ate ankle-deep in water with the occasional wave splashing up onto our clothes. After a little bit of shopping we tried to head to where the tuk tuks were picking us up. As the large Plunge group that we are, we headed single file through the narrow street in a lot of dirty water. I quickly made the decision that to make this more fun I needed to slip over and completely cover myself with the flooded water, saturating my clothes in the process. We all did arrive back to our accommodation safely even if we did look like drowned rats!

Love from the country where you have no idea what the weather will be like,

Alyssa

Suasday Siem Reap!

Yesterday (Friday 9^th September) we got up to have a breakfast of baguettes. This was the start of a long six-hour drive from Phnom Penh to YWAM in Siem Reap. This trip was quite possibly the quietest one so far, with Tegan’s and Ellen’s laughter/singing only punctuating the quiet occasionally.

On arriving to YWAM we were given a brief tour of the place and then after placing our stuff in our rooms we had free time until dinner. Shortly before dinner the A-team (the team lead by Andrew Palmer) arrived back at YWAM as they had been here for one night already. After catching up with A-team for a short time we had dinner and proceeded to the main street of Siem Reap.

Due to an exhibition that is currently being held in Siem Reap, the International Food Market, the city is currently flooded with people and it was slow moving through the crowd.

It was recommended that we try a banana and chocolate pancake so we stopped at the first street vendor that did so and ordered eight of them. They were incredibly sweet and were rolled up like a cigar to make them easier to eat. They were pretty good as a dessert and the guy making them was obviously a pro.

Also recommended were the various different massages or similar that could be found all around the city. We decided to go with an interesting foot exfoliation that involves hundreds of little fish eating the dirt and loose particles off your feet, also known as the foot-eating fish massage. It was pretty strange and tickled for the first ten minutes.

Finally we went to the night markets to buy a team shirt and decided upon one that said ‘SAME SAME’ on the front and ‘BUT DIFFERENT’ on the back.  That night absolutely poured with rain and most of the girls were out the front dancing in it, there will probably be pictures and maybe a video of that.

Then we all went home and went to bed.

The Next day (Saturday 10^th September) we had a short session with YWAM about the various local ministries that it does, followed by a lunch of rice porridge and chicken, from what I could tell most people were not impressed with both the head and feet being in the porridge.

At about 1:00 PM we went out to visit the various schools that YWAM runs. Apparently at this time there are no classes but many kids hang around the place anyway. We didn’t stay long at the first but at the second one there were many kids so we set up various activities for them such as painting, balloons and a couple of balls to play with.  Unfortunately we didn’t have the key for this one either and so couldn’t look inside. Last we went to yet another one that we couldn’t see inside and so hung around the front and played with the kids who were also around here.

Returning back to YWAM we had some free time before going back out to Siem Reap for dinner. We also went to a massage place and got an hour long massage for five dollars each, it was really good and seemed to help a lot of my team with tension that had built up over the trip.

Lastly we returned to YWAM for devotions and reflection.

I bid you goodnight as it is past midnight here.

Dylan

God’s beautiful garden in rough ground

The past couple of days have seen a shift in the focus of our trip here in Cambodia. Instead of doing things such as visiting villages and doing tuk tuk days in Phnom Penh, we’ve spent yesterday and today finding out what some of the many NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), here in Cambodia, do.

Mercy Medical Centre - http://mercymedcambodia.org/

Mercy Medical Centre is a hospital in outer Phnom Penh which provides affordable health care to Cambodians who, otherwise wouldn’t be able to receive treatment. (While you readers may have differing ideas on what “affordable” means, in this instance patients are charged about US$2 per visit.) It’s not only the price of Mercy Medical that is astounding to its patients: the respect that the staff have for the patients, despite their low income and social status, is something else which surprises them. These factors often lead to questions about why the staff are doing such things and means that the staff are presented with many opportunities to share their faith with the patients.

While there, we were given a history of the ministry and a grand tour of the new facilities (of which some parts are still under construction). We then got to have a chat with Steve West-Newman – a Global Interaction missionary and lead physiotherapist at Mercy Medical. He shared with us how he was a chicken and some of the struggles that are often not mentioned when talking about mission or to missionaries. However, it was clear to see that he was passionate and proud of the work that he and the Mercy Medical team are doing here as they train up Khmer counterparts to take over their positions and eventually to run the hospital and its outreach programs.

Peace Bridges - http://peacebridges.net/

Peace Bridges chooses the people in positions of influence within community groups and teaches them how to resolve conflicts using non-violent communication. Over the past three years the organisation has trained more than 150 peace builders and sent them back into their communities. As well as training, the ministry also has biannual meetings where peace builders can get the latest training and build relationships with one another. The ministry now has 15 staff and is planning on training another 50 peace builders by the end of the year.

After Steve rushed off to a meeting we headed to the Peace Bridges office in Phnom Penh. We arrived an hour and half early and so had a  bit of waiting to do, which we put to good use either journalling, reading or sleeping. The presentation itself was quite interesting as we learnt about the work that Peace Bridges does and how we too can avoid potential conflicts in our lives.

John and Karen - John and Karen’s GI Profile

John and Karen both work in the education system of Cambodia. Specifically they work with postgraduate students as they study and attempt to get study applications to Australia. Through this process they aim to ingrain a sense of moral right and wrong in the students and also to share the gospel with them. By targeting the future leaders of the country, they are trying to reduce the corruption that exists in the Cambodian government system and provide a better future for the country.

The team went to John and Karen’s place in the afternoon where we chatted about their story and their ministry. In the evening we took them out for dinner and continued our conversations. Learning about their vision and plan for their ministry was quite encouraging and it was interesting seeing a ministry that was markably different to the others we had seen so far.

Sunshine Centre - http://www.sunshinecentrecambodia.org/

The Sunshine Centre is a place where children from families who earn less than US$2.50 a day can go to get them off the streets and into school. The organisation takes about 100 children a year and ensures that they spent an appropriate amount of time at school. It also supplements their learning at school with additional classes, gives them two good meals a day, helps them afford school equipment and makes sure that their basic health and hygiene needs are met.

This morning we got to go to the Sunshine Centre and interact with the children there. Despite being surprised and asked for a program, Otto managed to save the day and soon the children were given free time, during which we were bombarded with pleas for attention! We tried to learn various Khmer children’s games – made difficult by our limited Khmer and by the fact that there always seemed to be three or four children climbing on us. Eventually order was restored by the teachers and we got to watch them sing and dance before we had to leave.

International Justice Mission (IJM) - http://www.ijm.org/

IJM is a group which focuses on ending human trafficking that occurs in the world today. Their Cambodian department focuses mainly on the trafficking of women and girls for prostitution and works with the police to shut down brothels and other places of prostitution, rescue the girls and women there and prosecute those running the organisations. As well as doing these things, they also help train the police in how to organise a case and gather evidence against people traffickers, as most Cambodian police officers have little to no training before they enter the field.

Arriving early, once again, our team was given the run down on the work the IJM is doing both worldwide and in Cambodia. We heard of some of the great successes that the team have had over the past few months, but also about some of the struggles that they’re coming up against as they attempt to stop this trade in human lives.

After seeing so many NGOs and listening to so many presentations, we were exhausted and so we had a chillaxing final night in Phnom Penh having some durian and dancing and dining at the riverside.

The past two days have covered a variety of different ministries which are running in Cambodia, serving different groups of people in different ways. It’s been great to see the number of people who are helping these ministries work effectively as they attempt to make Cambodia a better place, and I’m sure that the same can be said in many other places throughout the country. Thus, keep these organisations in your prayers as they continue to do good work with the Khmer people.

Tomorrow we head to Siem Reap where we begin to meet up with other teams and debrief on the trip and so pray for us to, as we enter the final leg of our trip, that we’ll stay focused and ready to put in the hard yards where needed!

Regards,

John-Jo

Tragedy and Tuk-tuks

Yesterday was unquestionably one of the toughest days of my life, and one of the most emotional. Just as Marbz has blogged, our team had a tough day of trying to work out where, or even if, God was present in the things we had learnt about. Visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields, we were bombarded with picture after picture of the victims of torture, rape and mass execution. The number of deaths totalled nearly 3 million during the Khmer Rouge.

For me, the breaking point was after seeing the Smashing Tree. This tree still stands in what was the Killing Fields of Cambodia. Against the tree, baby’s skulls were smashed. To see this tree, next to the pits that are the remainder of mass graves, broke my heart. And it was after this that I asked Alyssa, where is Jesus in this? After much debriefing, I think that Marbz answered this well; Jesus was dying for it.

What blew my mind is that in the Tuk-Tuks on the way back from the Killing Fields (which was a significantly quieter trip than the journey there), we continually passed Khmer people who would wave and greet us from the side of the road. How could a people who have been through so much pain and horror at the hand of other humans, have this much joy? I think that in that ride the joy, peace and generosity of the Khmer people really shattered my prior understanding of everything and showed me a glimpse of the amazing work that God is doing in the people of Cambodia.

All in all, it was a very “heavy” day and caused a lot of us to have intense emotional reactions, which may have subconsciously carried over to today. We left the guesthouse at 6 am to begin a day with Project Future. From the very start, it wasn’t a very upbeat day; we had reached the one week mark and began to struggle. Plans went a bit awry and timing didn’t work. But we got to experience the lifestyle of Phnom Penh from a Tuk-tuk, which was such a blessing! We split into two groups and had a list of places around the city to find and complete tasks at. After a moto breakdown, Dylan, Jarryd, Shaz and I spent quite some time waiting for our non-English speaking driver to explain what the plan was. But we made it to the Project Future office, where we heard about their ministry (ask us, we’ll tell you!) and visited the preschool they began this year.

I think that over these past two days, we can all say that God has worked in our hearts. Seeing God’s attributes expressed in the Khmer people is both encouraging and challenging to our own lives. I thank God for opening my eyes and I pray that I’ll do something with it.

Love and blessings,

Jess

P.S. We also had a fun lunch: all we could find were Western restaurants and we aren’t allowed to eat any Western food while we are here. We tried to convince Marbz to let us have a burger. He didn’t cave. 

Mid-Trip Reflection

Our mid-trip was marked today by a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields.  Although Jess will be the one updating you on today and tomorrow, I felt our experience today as a team needed some mention – if not a rant.

This was a fair question given the context of what we saw today.

The potential of the human hand never seems to amaze me.  We are capable of creating and innovating the most beautiful things – art, language, sports, technology, etc.  If we set an Olympic record at a certain time or height, we can zealously aim our minds and hearts on brilliantly breaking such boundaries so that our body will follow in pushing humanity yet to another level.  BUT, we are also capable of creating and innovating the most evil and disgusting devices to unleash upon each other and creation.  So we have limitless capacity to create and innovate, and we have appointed ourselves the arbiters of whether to partner that with good or evil.

Today, our team (like the other teams) visited a glimpse of the ingenuity of the modern mind, in its attempt to reach utopia.  It is the horrible idea of pushing humanity forward, with the greatest of all human intentions, yet resulting in a genocidal catastrophe – created and innovated by human hands and hearts.  Millions murdered, women and children shamed, countless thousands dehumanised through torture and mock trials – all for the sake of the dream of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge for a ‘true Cambodia’, but a nightmare for many.

I sat down on the bloodstained floor of one of the rooms of Tuol Sleng, overwhelmed by what happened in those very rooms 30+ years ago (what use to be a place for education).  Walking through photos of men, women and children looking emotionless at first glance but their eyes seemed to be screaming and reaching out to me for freedom.  Out of the countless thousands that had the unfortunate visit to S-21, only seven survived.  The final stop for many of these detainees (and other people) were the Killing Fields, where thousands found their ‘out’ from the Khmer Rouge through mass executions.  Their bones are all still there with no rest and I cannot go into detail here for the sake of the people who may read this blog.

So where is the hope?

Our team debriefed and (although we are not completely debriefed) we found ourselves at different places of processing what we saw.  I shared to them what I reflected on, especially in regards to the question ‘How can you say there is a God when this stuff happens?’  I did not necessarily have an answer but I did see this statement at the museum as well…

This is the tension we live in.  What I saw today was literally ‘hell on earth’!  It was the outworking of what happens when humanity partners with darkness.  Although that statement ‘Jesus Reigns’ seems like a naïve answer to something quite deeper and much more complex, it is still the truth.  Jesus indeed reigns and already has victory over evil.  The NGO’s and beautiful Christians we’ve met here who have fought for justice, developed humane living conditions, practiced love and grace are examples of what humanity looks like when they partner with light – heaven on earth!  These are the two realities at work in our world and we live right in the tension of it.  One thing is for sure, however, God has already won and is bringing about that victory throughout the world and human history, even though we cannot see it.

Our hands…

At the end of seeing all these things, I had the privilege of briefly meeting one of the men who survived S-21.  I shook his very hand that saved his life.  He was an artist and was only spared from the killings because his creative hand drew the best image of Pol Pot.  That made me think of what I did with my hands.

How much do I partner with ‘heaven on earth’ stuff with these hands? 

How committed am I to ensure the creative and innovative genius that God has placed in my hands are used for partnering with him? 

A more relevant question for all of us, ‘what are you doing with your hands – what are you partnering with?’

So where was Jesus during the Khmer Rouge atrocities?  I believe he was dying for it, so that humanity may have true life.  This is something we as a team are still humbly discovering.

Marbz

Our final days of Poipet

On Saturday we didn’t have a lot on but it was still a long day. We started off the day by taking a walk to the border of Cambodia and Thailand. We crossed over in to what is called ‘No Man’s Land’, the land between Cambodia and Thailand, which is basically full of casinos because it’s illegal to gamble in Thailand.

We then went back to Pip’s house to talk about what we were doing for the rest of the day. We were left there on our own while Marbz and Pip went shopping for gifts. While they were gone Jarryd managed to break a chair just by sitting on it, while Ellen and I sang to everyone. They loved it

We had to split up into groups and we had the option of either going to a sports recreation centre or going to a church/school. Marbz and Dylan went to the sports recreation centre to play ping-pong and hang out with street kids, while Ellen, Alyssa, Jarryd, Jess, John-Jo and I went to the church/school to play games with the kids and just hang out with them. The kids were extremely adorable!

There were also kids from the street, some of them couldn’t tell us how old they were because they had never been taught how to count, and one little girl wouldn’t talk at all because she had never been taught how to interact and socialise. They had a ball playing the games; we played ‘Dog Dog Cat’ instead of ‘Duck Duck Goose’ – because it was easier for the kids to understand. We would always underestimate the speed that the kids could run at and chose the fastest kids, especially Jess who would be casually running, look back, realise that the kid was gaining on her, freak out, scream, bolt, and then fall. It was great!! In saying that, a lot of us did that!

We left at 5pm so they could have dinner, and we went back to the Hotel to rest. Dylan did devotions, and it was such a blessing.

The next day we had an 8am start. We hopped in the van and set off to pick up Pip on our way to church. The church we went to was absolutely beautiful! There were some American missionaries there and the first thing they said to us was ‘So you guys are the Oussies (Aussies)’! There was a little girl who was the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life – she tried to get into the van with us as we were leaving, it was adorable!!

We then set off on our 8 hour van ride back to Phnom Penh. As always the conversations were hilarious and we all had a great time, especially John-Jo who was stuck next to me and Ellen in the back seat .

Once we got back we were all pretty exhausted so said our goodnights and crashed.

All in all it was an amazing two days, seeing the dedications of the people who volunteer at the school/church was incredible and extremely encouraging! Also seeing the passion that we saw at the church on Sunday was amazing. Seeing and meeting the missionaries that are doing Gods work here in Cambodia was extremely encouraging and just purely amazing.

I loved seeing God at work in everyone’s lives and it has been great seeing it from a different perspective!

Love Tegan!

Hope in Poipet

We were up at 6am to have breakfast and say our farewells to the other two teams. Then came time to get comfortable in the van that would be our transport for the next eight hours. Soon we were on our way to Poipet, 5 miles from the Thailand border.

The van ride was full of funny and embarrassing moments, random stories and question games to pass the time. The greatest source of entertainment ended up being the mega cross word in the ‘That’s Life’ and ‘Take5’ magazines, it started with just Alyssa and ended up with everyone, so if we win anything it’s a nine-way split. We stopped off in Battambong for lunch and are still amazed at how cheap meals are – around US$3 per meal.

After another two hours we reached Poipet, dropped off our luggage with Pip Miner and piled in the back of a very small van and drove for almost an hour to the village where we experienced possibly the world’s bumpiest ride. Our driver this time was the coolest Canadian man ever, he told us all about his ministries here in Cambodia and the crazy adventures he has been having, still saying that he’s got no idea what he’s going to do in his life.

A beautiful Cambodian lady had dropped her suitcase in the mud along the track so we picked her up and gave her a lift meaning Jarryd took a ride holding onto the back of the van. This is where the fun really began. It’s rainy season here and the tiny van we were in couldn’t make it all the way through the mud so we got out and experienced the real Cambodia with the mud squelching between our toes for the last 800 meters!

We arrived and were so warmly welcomed by the beautiful women and children at the ‘Hope Center’ (This is a village was set up by missionaries and the women that live there are HIV/AIDS positive or widows with children). We spent some time with the women and kids before dark and then had dinner, devotion and debrief with our team. Our lovely translator, Pern was great in helping us communicate, although sometimes just smiles and playing games was enough.

We slept in thatch roof huts, not the most comfortable but it was a great experience. It was very hot but then turned quite cold. With all the noises and the hard floor we didn’t get much sleep but we all actually really enjoyed it. The roosters thought it would be amusing to start crowing before sunrise – several hours before. Most of us were just waiting for the sun to rise and once it did we were all up and ready to start.

We had breakfast and were waiting for the pastor to come and lead the weekly devotion for the women. Tegan and Jess started off playing some hand clapping games with the kids and we all joined in playing fun little games with these beautiful kids. Soccer, skipping, hand games gave us lots of joy until the devotions started. The games started in the hut and were then moved outside when one of us managed to break their floor! Shaz knitted with some of the mothers, as they make things to sell for an income. We sang and listened to devotions even though they were in Khmer and we didn’t understand, Pern translated for us. We then spent some time in prayer and sang some more songs. Jarryd exercised his child entertaining gifts with the help of a furry orange puppet named Otto, together with drawing, making bracelets and chasing bubbles we had an incredible time playing games with these kids. Dylan was used as a child climbing facility as they loved jumping or sitting on him!

One of the things that stood out to us all was the infectious joy all of these people had. Hearing parts of their stories and the terrible places their lives had come from, yet seeing their utter delight at running around and playing games was such a beautiful thing. These women thanked God for all the food and clothes they have, which made us think if we ever did that – probably not – and they thanked Him for a second chance at life. It really was a place of hope and love and such a privilege to be able to be a part of it for a little bit.

Saying goodbye was sad but we knew we were leaving a place where the joy and love would not be stopping, because it came from the beauty of their community and because they love God. We were told that we had to walk the entire way back (let’s remember that it took about an hour to get there in the van) so we set off on our merry way through the mud. Turns out walking through mud is extremely fun! Along the way Pern found someone who was a van driver to come and pick us up, whilst we were waiting we experienced some true Cambodian hospitality, a woman invited us all into her yard to wash our feed with her somewhat limited water supply, we were all amazed at her generosity but Pern said that it’s just what Cambodians do.

After a long but very encouraging day we set off to the City Poipet Hotel for an afternoon of resting, walking around the city and an early and extremely cheap dinner. Then was some hanging out, devotion and time for bed! Tomorrow we split up and some of us go to another village to run some kids games/ lessons whilst the others go to a sport ministry. We’d love prayer for the health and well being of the team and for the lives of beautiful people we have met so far! Thanks for reading, Bye!

Ellen

First couple of days

Johm Reap Sua!

We are in the top story of Sunday Guesthouse in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. When we look out from the balcony we see palm trees, motorbikes and dusty streets (where the driving is insane!) It’s incredibly humid but our spirits are high.

This morning brought a hot, sunny day where we travelled to the Christian Care for Cambodia office to learn more about the missionaries we’ll be engaging with over the next two weeks. We learnt about the Khmer culture – 75% of the population are under 24 years old, and we were encouraged as we discovered what it meant to be a missionary through the stories of life in Cambodia.

We then stumbled through our second language session, learning how to count, say G’day and sing songs. Our Khmer was put to the test when we ventured out into the city without a leader or direction. Our only guidance was a $15 budget for six people. We tried everything from chicken feet to deep fried frog. We even saw a dog on the spit roast but we stayed away.

Our energy levels were higher today, compared to yesterday due to our jet lag and lack of sleep on the plane. By the way, we landed safely and applauded the pilot for every little thing he did. When we arrived Pip Miner, a long-term missionary who has been serving in Cambodia for 6 years, warmly welcomed us. After we were settled into our rooms, we explored the city, which gave us a chance to see the happiness in the Khmer community. We finished the night with a cruise on the river, which was a really nice way to start our trip.

Prayer points:

• That we might see the good that God is doing here
• That we stay safe and healthy
• That God will open our eyes to his ongoing work
• That we will engage with the community in humility

Tomorrow our team leaves at 7am for an 8 hour van trip to Poipet, a rural town on the Thai border, where we will be spending our first night in a village nearby. We look forward to building stronger relationships with each other as we leave the other teams, and to experiencing the more rural areas of this beautiful country.

Yours sincerely,

Jarryd and Shannon

(chicken feet)