So What Are We Even Doing Here?
Good morning! (Or should I say good evening for everyone back in the US!) I’ve (Chad typing here) got a three part update for you this morning. This past weekend (Aug. 4th & 5th), Hannah, Connie, Stephanie, and I went to Siem Reap, the city where Angkor Wat and many other ancient temples are located, while Milah and Kayla stayed back and spent time adventuring in Phnom Penh with some of the staff here and a few of our readers. I was also thinking that we haven’t explained what we are actually doing besides exploring and having parties, so there is also a quick refresher on our work. I know that this is a long update, so feel free to read whatever parts you would like.
Part 1: What Are We Even Doing?
We are here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through an organization called Let’s Start Talking (website here: www.lst.org). The purpose of this ministry is to use English classes to share the Gospel with people in other countries. Each site for LST is partnered with a local ministry. Here it is Learn 2 Work, which equips university students with work place skills including using a computer for work, English language courses, and soft skills like self-advocacy and self-discipline. In the middle of this, they require students to attend Bible study, and through this method they have led 10 students to Christ in the last year alone! If that doesn’t sound like much, it’s 20% of the 50 students they take annually. God is moving here!
So, Monday through Thursday we come to Learn 2 Work and read through short passages from the book of Luke with our Readers. They learn new words and practice hearing, speaking, reading, and writing English, all through the Gospel. Each of us has six 1-hour sessions. On Fridays, we have parties to build our relationships and practice having English conversation.
Part 2: Adventures at Angkor Wat
Ok, so get to the stories about the ancient temples already! Well, four of us decided to take a 7 hour bus ride to Siem Reap, the second largest city in Cambodia, though trust me, it is much smaller than Phnom Penh. If Phnom Penh is Chicago, Siem Reap is like Grand Rapids. It is still a busy city, but it is build around tourism for people visiting Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. It is only 215 feet high, but the area is enormous! A moat - dug by hand - of over 3 miles surrounds the temple. The temple was built in the 12th century to the Hindu god Vishnu, though over time it became used (and is still used!) as a Buddhist temple. I think we were all struck by enormity of the building, but we weren’t able to climb to the top because the monks were celebrating a Buddhist holy day.
We did, however, get to climb a smaller temple that was built in the 6th century. Our guide told us the builders decided that climbing the temple was like climbing to heaven, and heaven should be hard to reach. Basically, that meant we crawled up very steep stairs (and back down, which was much harder). At the top, there is a small shrine where people would worship the Hindu god Vishnu and later Buddha when they became Buddhist. Some people climbed this temple every week to worship and meditate.
Sunday morning we got to explore outside of Siem Reap. Our tuk tuk took us down country roads, bumping us along as we overlooked rice paddies, cow pastures, and duck farms. Part of this Sunday driving was stopping at a woman’s house who made sticky rice. When I say house, I mean a one story wooden shack, a wooden pavilion, and some tarps held up by rope. The stick rice, which is made with coconut milk, rice, and black beans, is cooked inside bamboo over a fire. When it is done, they shave the outside of the bamboo down until it is paper thin. You can then peel it back with your hands and eat the rice from the inside. It was a long process, but this woman has been making these everyday for at least 60 years to sell in the city in the afternoon. This is her life.
These two stories bring me to one word I keep thinking to describe the Khmer (Cambodian) people: resilient. Even though many of them live in poverty, living day to day, they work hard to provide for themselves and their family. They are dedicated in their offerings to Buddha and are willing work hard to earn their way. What many of them do not understand though is the idea of grace. God does not require us to do good works to earn our way into heaven. He asks for our belief in him. Certainly, we should submit to his will and desire to do good works, but He does not weigh our good deeds against our sins in the the end. His grace is free, and this is true for every person in every tribe, every tongue, and every nation.
Part 3: Phnom Penh Pastimes with Our People
This past weekend Was all about adventure and fellowship. Kayla and I were able to hang out with some of our readers and friends in Phnom Penh. We engaged in a Bible study in which we studied Luke 4. The conversations that came out of it were amazing and deep. We walked by the river later, and then attended a prayer meeting. It was refreshing to have worship and prayer time. I have grown to love Lighthouse Christian Assembly. After that, our friends took us to a night carnival. Some of the rides looked like they could break down at any moment. It was thrilling. I rode the fastest Ferris wheel I’ve ever seen. It was just so FUN to be in their culture. We ended the night eating small crabs and snails in a circle at the night market. Riding motorbikes, especially at night, was a memory I will never forget. So thrilling! Sunday morning church was fantastic. Praising the Lord in the English service With my Cambodian brothers and sisters! We ate lunch back at the Learn2Work center where our friend Odam shared his full story. Throughout all of the undeserved blessings God gave us during the weekend, He showed us a few things. He showed us the joy that we can have with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are an ocean away from where we grew up. We have family all over the world who love the same God! I read a quote the other day by Christine Caine that spoke the exact words of what we felt like God was teaching us. “Be a good steward of what God has given you. What we do with our gifts, resources, and talents matters. We can’t let them waste away, unused- they must be put to good use for His glory!" It made us think about our own lives. Are we being good stewards of what God has given us? We met back up with our team in the evening when they returned and we were able to share our weekends and different experiences. We all had a jam-packed and awesome weekend. Cambodia means more to me than words can explain. God has blown me away completely. I had barely heard of it before, but now it has my heart. These people are so beautiful and welcoming. I have made so many friendships. Jesus is so kind and full of blessings. Cambodia is a blessing to me. God knows what we need, exactly when we need it. May our confidence be completely in Him and may He be the source of our joy.
Part 1: What Are We Even Doing?
We are here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through an organization called Let’s Start Talking (website here: www.lst.org). The purpose of this ministry is to use English classes to share the Gospel with people in other countries. Each site for LST is partnered with a local ministry. Here it is Learn 2 Work, which equips university students with work place skills including using a computer for work, English language courses, and soft skills like self-advocacy and self-discipline. In the middle of this, they require students to attend Bible study, and through this method they have led 10 students to Christ in the last year alone! If that doesn’t sound like much, it’s 20% of the 50 students they take annually. God is moving here!
So, Monday through Thursday we come to Learn 2 Work and read through short passages from the book of Luke with our Readers. They learn new words and practice hearing, speaking, reading, and writing English, all through the Gospel. Each of us has six 1-hour sessions. On Fridays, we have parties to build our relationships and practice having English conversation.
Part 2: Adventures at Angkor Wat
Ok, so get to the stories about the ancient temples already! Well, four of us decided to take a 7 hour bus ride to Siem Reap, the second largest city in Cambodia, though trust me, it is much smaller than Phnom Penh. If Phnom Penh is Chicago, Siem Reap is like Grand Rapids. It is still a busy city, but it is build around tourism for people visiting Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. It is only 215 feet high, but the area is enormous! A moat - dug by hand - of over 3 miles surrounds the temple. The temple was built in the 12th century to the Hindu god Vishnu, though over time it became used (and is still used!) as a Buddhist temple. I think we were all struck by enormity of the building, but we weren’t able to climb to the top because the monks were celebrating a Buddhist holy day.
We did, however, get to climb a smaller temple that was built in the 6th century. Our guide told us the builders decided that climbing the temple was like climbing to heaven, and heaven should be hard to reach. Basically, that meant we crawled up very steep stairs (and back down, which was much harder). At the top, there is a small shrine where people would worship the Hindu god Vishnu and later Buddha when they became Buddhist. Some people climbed this temple every week to worship and meditate.
Sunday morning we got to explore outside of Siem Reap. Our tuk tuk took us down country roads, bumping us along as we overlooked rice paddies, cow pastures, and duck farms. Part of this Sunday driving was stopping at a woman’s house who made sticky rice. When I say house, I mean a one story wooden shack, a wooden pavilion, and some tarps held up by rope. The stick rice, which is made with coconut milk, rice, and black beans, is cooked inside bamboo over a fire. When it is done, they shave the outside of the bamboo down until it is paper thin. You can then peel it back with your hands and eat the rice from the inside. It was a long process, but this woman has been making these everyday for at least 60 years to sell in the city in the afternoon. This is her life.
These two stories bring me to one word I keep thinking to describe the Khmer (Cambodian) people: resilient. Even though many of them live in poverty, living day to day, they work hard to provide for themselves and their family. They are dedicated in their offerings to Buddha and are willing work hard to earn their way. What many of them do not understand though is the idea of grace. God does not require us to do good works to earn our way into heaven. He asks for our belief in him. Certainly, we should submit to his will and desire to do good works, but He does not weigh our good deeds against our sins in the the end. His grace is free, and this is true for every person in every tribe, every tongue, and every nation.
Part 3: Phnom Penh Pastimes with Our People
This past weekend Was all about adventure and fellowship. Kayla and I were able to hang out with some of our readers and friends in Phnom Penh. We engaged in a Bible study in which we studied Luke 4. The conversations that came out of it were amazing and deep. We walked by the river later, and then attended a prayer meeting. It was refreshing to have worship and prayer time. I have grown to love Lighthouse Christian Assembly. After that, our friends took us to a night carnival. Some of the rides looked like they could break down at any moment. It was thrilling. I rode the fastest Ferris wheel I’ve ever seen. It was just so FUN to be in their culture. We ended the night eating small crabs and snails in a circle at the night market. Riding motorbikes, especially at night, was a memory I will never forget. So thrilling! Sunday morning church was fantastic. Praising the Lord in the English service With my Cambodian brothers and sisters! We ate lunch back at the Learn2Work center where our friend Odam shared his full story. Throughout all of the undeserved blessings God gave us during the weekend, He showed us a few things. He showed us the joy that we can have with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are an ocean away from where we grew up. We have family all over the world who love the same God! I read a quote the other day by Christine Caine that spoke the exact words of what we felt like God was teaching us. “Be a good steward of what God has given you. What we do with our gifts, resources, and talents matters. We can’t let them waste away, unused- they must be put to good use for His glory!" It made us think about our own lives. Are we being good stewards of what God has given us? We met back up with our team in the evening when they returned and we were able to share our weekends and different experiences. We all had a jam-packed and awesome weekend. Cambodia means more to me than words can explain. God has blown me away completely. I had barely heard of it before, but now it has my heart. These people are so beautiful and welcoming. I have made so many friendships. Jesus is so kind and full of blessings. Cambodia is a blessing to me. God knows what we need, exactly when we need it. May our confidence be completely in Him and may He be the source of our joy.
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