Family and Friends! I made it to CAMBODIA! Our 5 days of travel had some hiccups but we all made it here safely with all of our luggage. We had an incredible first week of ministry!
I’m sure you are wondering all about life here in beautiful Cambodia. The weather? Sunny, hot, and humid – we are so very thankful for our fans at our base. Transportation? Tuk Tuks are just about everywhere and the drivers are very eagerly awaiting any foreigner that would need to go somewhere. Food? Lots and lots of rice, noodles, and chicken. Breakfast food doesn’t really exist here so it’s rice, noodles, and chicken, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My favorite thing here is the fruit! It is always so fresh and tastes incredible! Our hosts? Our hosts here are from Ohio and are absolutely incredible people and are able to teach us exactly what the needs of the people are, as well as how to act culturally appropriately.
My squad is split up into several different ministries here in Cambodia. Last week my team went to visit a few different villages. In the villages we were able to help teach some English lessons and teach the story of Adam and Eve.
We also did some house visits for several families. The way our ministry does house visits is over a long period of time. First they create a relationship with the family, then share Jesus with them and give them a Jesus StoryBook Bible translated into Khmer and or a portable radio with Bible stories on it, and then they come alongside them with medical and financial aid. The reason we give them a Jesus StoryBook Bible instead of an actual Bible is because most parents and grandparents do not know how to read as a result still from the Khmer Rouge. The Jesus StoryBook Bible allows an easier way for the kids to be able to read the stories to their parents and grandparents and share the gospel in that way. During our visits we also sing some worship songs together and pray together. In the medical sense we provide some basic help. A large percentage of the people in the villages have high blood pressure as a result of the food they eat. We are able to take their blood pressure and give them medication based on that. If they complain of stomach aches we provide them with parasite medication. We also give the occasional Tylenol and always the general encouragement to the Khmer people to drink more water.
On Wednesday we had to walk through some rice fields in order to get to our family, right now it only got about knee deep if you didn’t slip off the path, but during the rainy season our hosts walk through chest deep water to get to this family. The reason this family was so far out is because they were kicked out of their village by the chief due to a bleeding disorder the mom had. The way the government works here is that people receive their government aid through the village chief, however now that this family’s relationship with the chief is no longer, they do not receive their monthly allowance. This family is living by themselves, in poor conditions, relying solely on the land around them to get their food. And yet, when they saw us coming, their faces lit up, they had the biggest smiles, and they welcomed us with everything they had. This family truly had the joy of the Lord and were quickly learning everything accessible to them about the Bible.
God has already done so much and we are all so excited to see the miracles yet to come!
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. A top prayer request right now is health for the people on my squad. Many of my squadmates have been experiencing sickness from dehydration or eating something bad. Prayers for health would be greatly appreciated.
I pray you are all doing well!
Anna
