I have been in Siem Reap, Cambodia for a little over two weeks now! My month in Cambodia will be spent working at “New Hope for Orphans.” There are around 25 kids who live at the orphanage my team is staying at. Ministry is a BLAST here! Our days are composed of worship in the morning followed by English lessons for the kids. It has been really cool to see how excited the kids get to learn the new things that we teach them. It’s a good reminder of the value that comes from a good education and how often I take my own for granted. The rest of our days are full of games, piggyback rides, volleyball, and dance parties with the kids. Its been incredibly humbling just to spend even a week living with these kids. The severity of the poverty within Cambodia and “New Hope Orphanage” compared to Thailand is significantly worse. Although it is not the worst that I have ever seen, the short time I have spent here has served as a strong reminder of how truly blessed I am and also provided me with an opportunity to reconsider what I define as important and valuable in my life. Even if just for a short period of time, it has really been interesting to process and reevaluate my life from halfway across the world. Sleeping on the floor, not having cell service, and watching kids make up games with rocks and sticks can really put a lot of things in perspective for you. As I reflect back on what my life looks like back in the States, I can’t decide whether to laugh or cry when I think about all the things I worry about, value, and spend my time doing. The longer I spend outside of the States the smaller I have found that the idols I place on achievement, school, and even friends become in my life. As these things shrink, and as I step away from the constant distractions of text messages, social media, and American politics, the larger the importance of the Lord and his Kingdom become in my life.
I can’t honestly say that I miss “life back in the States.” I miss my family and I miss my friends, ….. but that’s about it. Yes, I consider myself extremely privileged by the life I have been given, and I don’t discount or take for granted any of the many blessings that have come from my life in the States. But if I say that the most important thing to me in my life is my relationship with the Lord, then I have to be honest with myself and say that the Devil has subtly and quietly begun to use the majority of the perks, comforts, and benefits that I have back home to pull my heart and attention away from the Lord. If living a life more fully devoted to the Lord means choosing to live a little less comfortably and reevaluating what I believe is important than I am definitely going to do that. Who cares if I don’t make a ton of money, get to go on vacation, or end up building a name for myself? Walking in obedience to whatever he asks of me is worth any sacrifice, no matter how big or small. I was reading 1st Kings 11 this morning and the story of how Solomon began to turn away from the Lord. In verse 4 it says, “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God.” Solomon, the wisest person to walk on this earth, was able to be distracted and have his heart pulled away from what he knew to be most important. I can see how the Devil has done the same in my own life so I pray moving forward that the Lord would give me a heart that is wholly true to Him and also steadfast in the pursuit of what is most important.
I only have two weeks left in Cambodia before my team and I start traveling back to the States. I would appreciate the continued prayers for my team and I as we continue to pursue what the Lord has set out for us to do.
