“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would
see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of
good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”
Psalm 27:13;14. Somehow six months have flown by since my arrival October 2,
2014 full of long days but short weeks. God has had me in a season of trust and
I would have lost heart unless I believed in the goodness of God as I waited
each day to see His faithfulness even when I was faithless. I have learned to
believe 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 and not look at the things which are seen but to
the unseen; for the things that are seen are temporary but the unseen are
eternal. God is working in me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory
even though my outward man is perishing my inward man is being renewed day by
day.
Wait, I say, on the Lord. As Americans we love to do
, work
and be productive. Waiting is a waste. But, we as a team learned that the
Christian life isn’t always about doing but it is about being – being steadfast
in the Lord and faithful to whatever He sets before you day by day. I couldn’t
be more proud of Kaylee, Brittani and Izzy as I watched them board the plane
heading back to America. Kaylee and Brittani have faithfully completed their six-month
Ignite field time and Izzy humbly served as my assistant with all sincerity.
Life wasn’t easy for these girls from many aspects but if you ask them if it
was worth it, I know they would say in unison “we would do it all again to see
the goodness of the Lord.” These girls are grown women being sent back to
America to continue to live their lives for the mission of expanding God’s
Kingdom.
The goodness of the Lord. We saw God’s goodness in our
personal lives, the lives around us and through us. I learned to trust God in a
way I never have had to trust before, Izzy learned to abide – to remain in
Christ, Kaylee learned God is her hope- the anchor to her soul and Brittani
learned the vital need for prayer. As we formed relationships with the people
we were able to share the Gospel and God’s love with some young Buddhist
teenagers, encourage the church youth to read their Bibles daily and even start
a Bible study with a few of the youth girls. The Bible study with the youth
girls is amongst the most precious jewels to us of God’s goodness. Through
simple broken English we have begun studying Ephesians by simply reading God’s
word, explaining what is happening and how we can apply it to our lives. On
several occasions the Khmer girls have gotten shivers from the simple truths of
God’s Word. One girl even testified that she doesn’t have a father but through this
study and us she has learned what God’s love looks like. This is just a small
glimpse of the goodness we have seen! To God be the glory!
 |
| Kaitlin and Shelby |
Cambodia has two main seasons: dry season and rainy season.
We are entering into a new season both physically from dry to wet and I believe
spiritually as well. The rain is coming, the seeds will be planted and the
harvest will be ready to plow in due time. On April 15th, 2015 two
more Ignite interns, Kaitlin and Shelby, will be arriving to serve for their
field time and I am excited to see what God has in store for these next six
months! Until the whole world hears!
Happy New Year? Happy Khmer New Year that is – every April
brings in the new Khmer year where traditionally people return to their home
villages to celebrate with their families. This three-day festival is full of
celebrations through traditional foods, games, dances and visiting temples to
gain blessings and welcome the new Zodiac spirit for the year. Cambodian
Christians can still celebrate the holiday enjoying family and traditions
without the spiritual aspects. Our church had a Khmer New Year party where I
enjoyed learning new games, songs and dances. 
