Humility

Thoughts Pre-Arrival

We’re coming to a broken country, a place that we see as needing help. A place that’s dirty, dark, and lacking God. We’re coming from a place that we see as liberated and privileged. We’ve been blessed with having and knowing our maker, and we come with the intention of sharing this gift. We come to help, to teach, and in some sense to serve. We’re driven by a sense of compassion and desire to help the less fortunate. But are we coming with the right intentions and purpose? That is to say, are we going to help others in order to feel good about ourselves? Are we there to say that we’re from GRX, we’ve raised all of this money to come, and we’re here to do something for you on behalf of our church?

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

-Phillippians 2:1-4, 14-18

I’m struck by Paul’s call for humility. A call to lower ourselves to nothingness. As I take what he says into account I’m faced with the fact that I, and possibly we, are coming with the wrong attitude. Perhaps we are part of the crooked and depraved generation that he warns us about. As we’ve been preparing for this trip I’ve been throwing around words like orphanage, sex-trafficking, donation, and non-profit in my attempts to explain to others what we’ll be doing in the hopes of raising money for this trip. Usually when I hear these words I feel a combined sense of guilt and sympathy fueled by a bit of superiority.

I think that sometimes we think that we’re there to help people and we forget that we are there to serve. I really like the quote from Bill Drayton, founder of the NGO Ashoka, says “Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” But even still I feel that is a bit pompous. I don’t think we’re there to teach or to help, but rather to serve. And beyond that serve with humility. Jesus, the Son of God, lowered himself to nothingness and didn’t even think twice about it. Can’t we do the same?

Thoughts Post-Arrival

Having been in Cambodia for the past 4 days I am taken aback by this country and the beauty of its people. Going into this project I had the notion that Cambodia was a place in need of help. A place that had been devastated by the Khmer Rouge regime. A place ravaged by poverty, pain, death, and hate. I came with the idea that this country was filled with brokenness. Yet, as I spend my time touring the city and meeting the people I see nothing but hope and I am overwhelmed by a sense of redemption. Everywhere I go I see constant rebuilding and renewal. Social welfare organizations cover every corner of every block in Phnom Penh and I see just how dedicated these people are to rebuilding their own country. With this reality in mind and the realization that I am gaining much more from this experience than what I'm giving back to the people, I am now struggling with the question of, "am I really serving the Cambodian people in the way they need?"

More to come as I continue to process this challenging journey....

- Chris