Hello everyone!
We have completed two months already, and we are starting to feel a little more at ease. After spending the first two months traveling all over Cambodia, we feel like we may have found our place. We have been through a lot of stress and frustration, but we are beginning to see the sun breaking through the clouds.
Before I share a few snippets of our journey, I want to mention that we often think about all of you. You are in our prayers, and I also want to say how grateful we are for those who reach out to us. Sometimes it can feel lonely, so your messages and encouragement mean a lot.
When we arrived in Kampot, the place we were supposed to stay was not ready. It became a major inconvenience because we were stuck in the city with all our luggage and nowhere to go. We ended up staying at a place on the outskirts of town, but it was so far away that we had a hard time finding tuk tuks. The place was barely functional, and we later learned that it used to be a scam center that had recently been shut down.
All of this rubbed me the wrong way. I tried to pray, but I could feel frustration growing inside of me. It started to show, and it began affecting my family.
But God is good.
A couple of days later, we found a better place. It had some rats in the ceiling and some visitors in the morning, big fat cockroaches, but it also had a pool, which was a big bonus for the kids.
Part of my frustration also came from my inability to reach the Khmer people the way I desire to. This has been weighing heavily on me. My lack of skill in the Khmer language is a major hindrance, and because of it, I depend on others. But where do I find someone who carries the same desire and boldness to go out and be an ambassador for Christ?
God knows that I pray every night for help.
Marie and I have had many opportunities to pray and minister to people, including tuk tuk drivers, taxi drivers, waitresses, and clerks. The responses have usually been respectful, but often that is about it.
At one point, we decided to take some family time and go to Koh Rong Island to do nothing but rest and be together. I felt a weight on me, and my morale was low.
One night, my wife and I had a much-needed conversation. For a while, I had been examining my heart and seeing that many things were out of place. I often beat myself down during these “heart evaluations,” but my wife has a way of seeing the bigger picture and encouraging me.
She reminded me that this journey, these six months in Cambodia, is a testing ground and part of our preparation for the future. The character flaws being revealed in me may have only come to the surface through intense periods of pressure, much like olive oil is extracted under pressure and then filtered.
That gave me hope. It also gave me freedom to slow down and follow God’s lead, whatever that looks like. He is building something.
God also answered a prayer by sending us Krista. He is precious to us. He has a heart for this nation, and since we met, we have been going out into nearby villages to pray and share the Gospel.
The more time passes, the more we are starting to enjoy Kampot and make friends. Krista also made me climb a mountain to join a men’s fellowship. We reached the top, where there was supposed to be a waterfall, but it was completely dried up, lol. This specific area is also home to many durian fruit farms, which Kampot is known for.
We have now decided to go back to Samuel in Phnom Penh for one month, and Krista will join us for a week. Krista has also been asked to go to Mondulkiri to translate for a group of missionaries. I am weighing the possibility of joining him alone for a couple of days.
I would like to go because I want to meet the owner of the shop I saw in my dream. I also find it interesting that I already wanted to go there, and now Krista happens to be going there for a month. Maybe it is just a coincidence, but I am paying attention.
For July and August, we have decided to return to Kampot to continue what we have started. We would like to try different approaches. Khmer people can be shy and do not easily open up to strangers. Often, they communicate with their smiles.
I have learned a lot from Krista about Khmer culture and beliefs. Something needs to be done differently here. I know it, but I do not know exactly what it looks like yet. Still, I am ready to get my hands dirty and go into the harvest.
We are now realizing that God is building something, and it begins with us.
Please keep us in your prayers. Pray for the Khmer people, that God would reveal Himself to them. Pray also that we find someone that could mentor us.
Peace.
Thank you to everyone who take the time to read and prayer for us, we really appreciate it. There is a lot of needs here and Cambodia need to meet God.
Thank you for walking with us. If you’d like to follow our journey more closely, you can visit our main website at familyjourneywithgod.com.
If you feel led to support us and the work God is doing through our family, you can do so through our store at verseonwall.com.
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