Hi friends!!
I know it’s been awhile and I haven’t updated you all! I am so sorry for leaving you hanging! The past couple of weeks have been nothing what I have expected them to be and I have hard time figuring out what to write. I am currently headed to Thailand right now which is so exciting, but as we left our base on Friday, there were a lot of tearful “see you laters.”
These last weeks in Cambodia have been super challenging both mentally and spiritually. I have felt some conviction about certain relationships, trying to be in the presence of God and for some reason it has been really hard for me to connect with the kids. Eventually, I got a better grasp on things, but still am in the middle of it all and would really appreciate prayer! This trip has definitely been something that can never be matched and has grown my heart more. So let’s dive in!!
Here is what a day to day looks like:
- Get up and have breakfast with the team. Two to three people go to the market everyday to shop for breakfast. It usually consists of fried bananas, dragon fruit and these little waffles.
- Kids have morning class and “recess”. We usually assist the teacher in their English studies and play with them at recess and dance to worship songs as a whole school. The ages for the school are 5-13 years old. The kids go back into class and then leave for lunch.
- We have team time/feedback and have lunch ourselves at our host’s sister’s house down the road from the YDC base.
- After lunch we have free time until 2 and then the kids come back for afternoon class. We then have recess and songs as well.
- While most of our team gets ready for soccer, I get ready for night class. The night class is for the older kids. And when I say soccer, I do not mean a pickup game. I mean full on drills, jerseys, and then a scrimmage. It’s insane! We had to travel to play against other clubs!
- After learning more about the kids and their needs, my friend and I decided to lean into the high schoolers more. I have learned that my heart is in teen ministry and I have loved teaching 13-21 year olds English!! We made a lot of progress which was awesome! Just talking to them is such a blessing and it was super hard to say goodbye to them.
- After class, we watch the rest of soccer and walk to dinner. After dinner we usually hangout or have a Bible study with our host. Everyone goes to bed semi early because we are so tired from the heat and chasing kids around.
please go follow the YDC_Chhukkampot Instagram/Facebook account! This is the social media page we set up for the ministry we got the honor to be apart of.
Some info:
Being in Cambodia has been more eye- opening than I expected. I tried to prepare myself as much as I could, but I am/was really surprised and gut punched. We are teaching kids that have handprints on their chest from getting hit. Most kids live with their grandparents and take care of them because their parents are either work out of town or are drunks. We have seen multiple cases of child trafficking which is something I can’t even explain how I feel when I see it. The Cambodian people survived a mass genocide 40 years ago that killed 25% of their population and are the hardest working people I know and have seen. We have walked through the town and have seen kids with adults who they shouldn’t be with. Every few blocks there are white men standing next to a small Cambodian child. It’s something that I had to try and not throw up when looking in that direction or thinking about it. These people have seen so much and yet have so much love and joy to give. These kids can’t protect themselves and some people have lost so many family members. I locked myself in a classroom one night and just cried out of frustration and sadness and confusion. How are all of these things possible? It has definitely been a rough couple of weeks, but God continues to show up and bring light.
My friend Mak asked me to help our host’s mom get some water. I thought we would be carrying the jugs of water back to the base. I was completely wrong. This woman makes bottled water that supplies the whole village. She does this everyday. This consists of grabbing empty water bottles, washing them, filling them, capping them, sealing the lids, labeling, and packaging them. The process was so cool and very eye opening. We packed at least 400 water bottles in two hours and that supplies the village plus the soccer ministry. It is actually crazy and I was so amazed.
I have learned a lot about myself which has been very cool! Everything is constantly changing and plans are getting rearranged always at the last minute. I am usually a type A person needing to know all the details and plans prior to things happening. However, during this trip I have learned to become more relaxed and go with the flow and truly it has been so freeing.
Currently we are in Thailand headed to our base. My team is separate from the rest of the squad this time, up in the mountains. I’m super excited to see how God shows up and the kids that we will be interacting with. Thank you for the continued support as I am halfway done with my trip. Feel free to reach out and update me on what YOU are doing! I seriously appreciate you all and love you guys. See you in the states in 29 days!!
Lord, thank you for this wonderful life I live, the amazing people you have surrounded me with and this beautiful, but temporary home I get to enjoy.
Amen:)
Love,
Rylee
