The final edition of things I’ve learned 🥹 It’s crazy that we’re here at the end of 6 countries already! Here are some things I’ve learned, and truths I’ve been reminded of, during our time in Cambodia.
- I am not the Savior. I am not anyone’s savior. Jesus alone can fill that role.
- Brokenness that leads us to the feet of Jesus is beautiful in the end (even if, in the meantime, beauty from ashes looks impossible)
- Khmer food is another addition to the long list of delicious food you can find in Asia. Lok lak is a highlight
- Camp for the sake of leading youth closer to Jesus is powerful wherever it happens, especially when it’s covered in prayer
- Weddings in villages last 3 days… and preparations start (at least from our experience) at 4:36am sharp when music starts blasting through the streets!
- Surrender only yields fruit if we truly give whatever it is to the Lord
- Leadership is love: choosing intentionality every day, regardless
- WiFi is both a gift and a detriment depending on your level of self-discipline! (Same with social media!)
- Once you reach a certain level of exhaustion, you just… keep going 😂
- Angkor Wat is a stunning archaeological feat, but also a landmark that can generate great sadness: it stands as another monumental representation of man trying to build their own way to God
- When you teach English at a basic level to non-English speakers, you end up over-pronouncing most of your words afterward 😂
- Khmer kids’ worship songs are really fun! (that might just be my opinion though, idk about the rest of the team – but at any rate some of those songs made it on my playlist now 😆)
- Homesickness can make any amount of time a turn into a countdown
- The people around you make or break a season
- Whatever shaking happens, God is still God through it all
- My best on my own is never enough, but that’s ok because it’s accurate – apart from Jesus we can do nothing (John 15:5). May our insufficiency drive us instead to the sufficiency of Christ.
- Cows and chickens roaming around are common pretty much everywhere except the States. Cambodia just adds more proof to this
- Worshiping the one true living God has power to directly impact the spiritual atmosphere, especially in places with heavy strongholds
- Every fire is not mine to put out, but I do get to take them all to the One who can and does (in His timing) put them out
- Followthrough is a choice when the going gets hard
- Church, and especially worship, is beautiful in every language and culture. Our Creator and Savior truly is the One who unites us all ❤️
- Fried rice is always a good option
- The way we live is a witness. Our responsibility is to recognize how powerful that is and to use that witness to intentionally point to the Lord.
- God is turning the tide toward Him in Cambodia – I’ve witnessed it and I’m believing for more to come!
- It’s easier to get distracted than stay focused, but progress and impact happen when we’re focused
- Agonizing over how fast time is passing makes it only go faster – and makes it harder to enjoy the moments you do have. Better in these moments to trust the process and the timeline the Lord has set, and so stay present where your feet are for as long as they’re there and as long as He leads you to do so.
- There is no replacement for time alone with God. Our relationship with Him cannot grow or be maintained if we don’t prioritize time with Him.
- Tuktuk rides are more often than not some sort of adventure 😂
- Rainy season means you’ll always be some degree of wet (feet especially), which is why sandals are essential
- Fasting can take us a lot deeper in our spiritual walk than we expect – even when our flesh REALLY doesn’t want to
- Our flesh can be loud and demanding, but whatever the Lord calls us to is truly always better, no matter how hard it is to believe in the moment of choosing. And there’s grace if we choose wrong.
- Community is a wonderful part of life and Christian living, but also something we need to fight for – to start and to continue in
- Our hope is not in our circumstances, people, events, or anything else of this world. The hope that is the anchor for our souls is JESUS.
- God is in every season, and has a plan for us through every start and end and middle
