There is an
incredible conundrum in which I find myself: I set out for Cambodia with the
intention of serving – helping in whatever way I could. And yet I’ve quickly
discovered that it’s me who is being served! The brothers, sisters and
interested friends in Phnom Penh have been so warm and welcoming and I’ve felt
at home here at the Bible Education Centre. I am inspired by the enthusiasm of
the Ecclesia here and their eager friendship and love is encouraging. God is
calling out a special group of people here in Cambodia!
It’s amazing how
the shared Hope we have transcends all other differences! The people in
Cambodia, including brothers and sisters, face some pretty remarkable
challenges and have lives very different than my own, but the Truth is bigger. Within
only a few days we have our jokes and have enjoyed more than a few fantastic
laughs, especially amongst the girls...the kind which send Luke, Vitou and any
other males off to do something else, shaking their heads.
Of course, the common Hope didn’t stop me from being
more than a bit apprehensive when, after seminar on Saturday, all the chairs
were placed in a circle and rapid-fire Khmer words came my way! Following the
hand waving, we sorted out that we were going to play a name game – yikes. My
progress with Cambodian names is a slow and steady process: by Saturday night I
hadn’t even met everyone for the first time and now I was going to have to belt
out names gracefully at high speeds! But
you don’t have to be with the brothers and sisters here very long to realize
that they love to laugh and the game was a total blast. I managed to stay in fairly
long but I can’t claim any skill on my part with that: Cambodians struggle with
my name as much as I do with theirs!
The work going on at the BEC is remarkable in its
cohesiveness. There are many people here with a variety of skills and I’ve been
so impressed with the way everyone works together. Being here has confirmed my
belief that one of the most important attributes for anyone interested in
mission work in fields abroad is flexibility! I’ve also really appreciated how
the group at the BEC have welcomed Leah and I into the mix; in a couple of
hours I’ll be teaching my first lesson at the dorms. At the moment Leah is
sitting in on a small group lesson and is getting ready to teach on her own
tomorrow, God willing. Teaching is a big part of what goes on here, but it’s
certainly not all and I’ve appreciated the reminder and example of how we can
each use whatever ability God has given us to His honour and His glory! God
isn’t interested in ability but availability – He works with willing hearts who
present themselves for His use. And hearts like that abound amidst the brothers
and sisters in Cambodia :)
~ Rachel
Comments
Jonno and Ren
Rach