Reflections of Cambodia

I have arrived in Thailand! We have had three full days of ministry so far and today is our adventure day! Next week I will share all about the ministry we’re doing here, but for today I wanted to share a poem just reflecting on my time in Kampot, Cambodia. A lot of things in here are memories only my team will understand, but I hope you still enjoy 🙂

CAMBODIA
Trying to encapsulate this trip into words feels like an impossible task.
“How was your trip?” I’m left speechless when I think about this question countless people will ask.
Where do I begin? My mind races like a raging river
I see their smiling faces in my mind and my lip starts to quiver
I take myself back to porta potties and tents
Yielding to the Lord when it didn’t make sense
I think of Brandi, Mary and sweet miss Ora Lee
Doing ministry in a grocery store and I didn’t care who could see
We arrive in Kampot to a little man in a Coca Cola sweatshirt
Quickly learning to embrace the bugs, lizards and dirt
Oh how the faces lit up as we ran around the soccer field blanketed with a beautiful sky
Oh how my heart melted to hear an ‘I love you’ as they looked me in the eyes
I see the hub for intercession, laughter, life stories shared, waters chugged, and a few toenails cut
Who would’ve thought so much life and love would happen on a little hammock hut
I hear the pages of bibles turning at sunrise, a sound so pure and sweet
I hear a mischievous laugh from Dara after the question of “what is this meat?”
The kids dodge my high five and think that they’re sly,
I learned there’s a double meaning to the word dragonfly
I see a little boy shouting “Uno!” as he holds ten cards in his hand
The sound of karaoke and Rasputin was heard all throughout the land
I see matching soccer jerseys covered in mud
Slipping and sliding, hitting the ground with a thud
I taste the salt in my mouth as I get slapped with an ocean wave
I feel electrified as we shout “I ran out of that grave!”
I feel God’s healing touch and His love all around me
The gravel is flying everywhere as we play 1,2,3
When I closed my eyes I saw a glimpse of Oklahoma, friends and family lifting me up in prayer
I’m snapped back to reality to see an intense game of musical chairs
I’m immersed in the moment, yet dreadfully aware
That my time here is short
I will soon leave the children and split up the cohort
The silence is deafening as we grieve
Why oh why Lord did we have to leave?
I wonder what they will do in life, what things will they achieve
I know we made a difference, I will forever know and believe
That the God who loves me is revealing himself to those kids every day
I see myself in Heaven watching God say
“Well done my good and faithful servants” what a joy so great!
As I watch my Khmer family run through the pearly gates.