Hey friends and family! I want to invite you to walk with me through today’s ministry in Kampong Tom, Cambodia!

During the week, my alarm is scheduled to go off at 6 o’clock am, but today the barking dogs, crowing roosters, and loud Khmer music had me up at the crack of dawn (around 5:30). I wasn’t too upset, simply because I was able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful pink puffy clouds from the sunrise through our second story window. During my quiet time this morning, the Lord had me in 2 Corinthians 4, where He reminded me to be a light, and share the knowledge of the glory of God through Jesus Christ.

My breakfast consisted of the peanut butter the Bobb’s got me from Siem Reap, bananas from the market, and milk and granola from a gas station nearby. At 7:10, our team circled up in the kitchen to pray over the day, that we would be overflowed with the love of the Holy Spirit so we can pour it out on the kids and staff at ministry. At 7:20 we made our way to the school, saying hello to the sweet man that works the fried rice stand in front of our house, and a few stray dogs and cats along the way.

Once at school, we were greeted with a chorus of children screaming “GOOOODMORNINGGG TEAAACHAAAA” as they play on the playground. The morning assembly starts at around 7:45, so in the meantime, we played soccer and hung out with the students. Assembly is a way for the children to remember what they learned in class the previous day, and exercise by dancing along to songs. It is always a blast, and you can never listen to Savage Love or YMCA too many times (or can you? Ask me again in three weeks). This week I have been assigned the Kindergarten 2 class, which consists of a gaggle of 5-7-year-olds, who can spell all of the months of the year and days of the week in English (a pretty big flex). Today I recited the story of Creation, drawing and spelling out the things God made on the whiteboard. The students giggled at my drawings of animals and weren't afraid to tell me that the cow I drew in fact looks like a pig. The school has a Khmer version of the Storybook Bible, so it’s fun to have them read it and look at the pictures while I read aloud the English translation. The teachers have been taking pictures of my lesson plans, so I pray that they continue to share glimpses of the bible with the kids long after our team has left. It has been so wonderful getting to know the stories of the teachers and continuing to build relationships with them as the weeks go on.

After teaching we had a meeting with our ministry hosts! We discussed our workload, how the days go, and ways we can make the ministry better in the future. They are so intentional and eager for us to provide them feedback on how we can work better together! After the meeting, we had space dedicated to lesson planning and time to make progress on our art murals! Our team finished the “rainbow sun” today, which was really exciting! We have some time allocated to hang out with the students while they play at recess, and one of the girls insisted I pull out the Storybook bible again to read her more stories. With the Khmer Storybook Bible in one hand and my personal bible in the other, I read aloud the stories in English while the children read along in Khmer. How beautiful are the words of the gospel in a language that is not your own. So powerful is the name of Jesus, pronounced in Khmer, “Yesoo”, which transcends every language!

At 11 we broke for lunch, which was served by our ministry host's lovely family. Today we had rice, chicken, tofu, and sweet 'n sour soup! Oh, and some bananas and watermelon for dessert. After lunch, we have a nice chunk of time to walk back to the house and spend an hour or so together as a team. Each day is different, but today we huddled around Sydney’s phone as it played music, singing melodies of worship, reflecting in our journals, and resting in the Father’s presence.

At 1:15 it feels as though the day starts again because we walk back to the school and go through the same schedule as we did in the morning. Assembly, teaching, lesson planning, painting. At the end of the day, each one of us teaches an evening class consisting of teenagers at varying English levels. The ages range from 11-18, and they are SUCH a blast to be around.

At 5:45 pm we make our way back home to make dinner (ramen and leftovers from lunch). In Cambodia, it is well after sunset, so only traces of red and orange hues are left on the horizon. We spend the rest of the evening playing card games, watching an episode or two of Friends, and head to bed early so we can be fully rested and ready to start the day all over again tomorrow.

So there you have it, a taste of the mundane parts of ministry and the little big ways God is moving!

Until next time,

Olivia