This being my (Eric) first trip to Cambodia, I felt it appropriate to name the title much like my expectations for the trip. Generic and blank.
..
As my teammates are starting to realize, my method of preparing is to overprepare and pack to be ready for any scenario. Upon further reflection, I believe I do this for two main reasons: One, it's a way of trying to control situations I cannot predict or control. Two, knowing my own limitations, it's a way of both pulling my own weight and being able to support others with health, understanding, and provision.
..
Flashforward to present circumstance. Day 6 of the grx cambodia trip. I'm still recovering from some infection/flu, was able to rejoin the team after sleeping all yesterday. Very thankful to be energic and able to be out with the team, spending time with the kids/teens at New Hope, and we also visited International Justice Missions to hear about their vision and work in this country.
One neat thing I've learned about NGOs, is that they add a very passionate yet purposeful vocation for those searching for a calling. For those unable or unwilling to stay at home, my previous two areas I lumped people into was the travelers and the expats. Travelers just travel, and expats want to experience the whole world in all it's glory. But now there's this NGO area that I'm aware of. Some religious, some secular, and it seems like quite a few Christian. They are the front line soldiers fighting for noble ideas, justice, truth, and fairness. I find the idea fascinating for capable/young professionals. Although I'm sure any age group could do it, I believe the easiest/best fit would be that group.
..
Cambodia is a beautiful country, full of color and life. Yet this beauty is marred by lingering shadows of sin. A sin that occured and I know I am capable of, that we all are capable of. Furthermore, a sin that we knew as a people and a country and did nothing. How does that speak to your legacy, America?
Yet hope remains. I see it in the stories of those here. Who choose hope and joy when they would not be faulted for choosing otherwise. Instead of complaining and blameshifting, they thank God for every blessing received, and want to give their lives in appreciation. Part of me is too jaded to believe it's true, but I'd like to hope this kind of pure faith still exists. And when I shake their gentle hands and warm hearts, and see their smiles, I am encouraged.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
It's the end of our Tuesday night and the mood of the team is great. We are really starting to work cohesively even with our mix of personalities and backgrounds. I feel a much deeper sense of unity amongst the team and many of our individual strengths and weaknesses are coming together allowing us to be the most effective servants as we can be for the teens.
For the girls group we have been able to build relationships with them through intentional hangouts where we can just..."chill" as us Americans would put it. Each day we would schedule a time slot where we take a few girls out on tuk-tuks and they would be able to show us some of their fav hangout spots or even just a little of their everyday life in Cambodia. Today a few of the girls took us out to what I think she tried to translate to as Monkey Mtn where it was a huge park and we were able to feed and pet monkeys, quite the scene, never saw so many roaming the park and climbing on trees freely before. Besides just the fact that they were so excited to show us their hometown, this really gave us an awesome opportunity to ask how God has led them to the place and state they are now. Because language barriers seemed to be an issue for these particular girls, I was very encouraged when one of the girls opened her bible to show me her fav passage. This was a simple act but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was something very amazing- Gods Word is universal and even language barriers don't hold back the joy of reading the Word together in both languages while bringing glory to the same Father in heaven.
Today the girls small group covered the passage John 15- the vine and the branches and the fruit they bear. We had each girl write a strength they possessed and then talk about how their childhood has brought upon or produced this trait. Because Amy, Carrie and myself felt that the specific needs of the girls were confidence and not getting easily discouraged from their past, we figured this might be the best way to empower them and really allow them to see themselves as a huge contribution to the Lords kingdom. The stories and testimonies were so inspiring. I think this time of sharing was really good for them because Many of the girls hold onto these dear stories and never get the opportunity to express how they really feel or how they have healed from it. Ive come to know and love these girls so much already that I'm already dreading the day we have to leave. I want to make sure I leave them all knowing that they are valued, treasured, princesses of God.
After today's session I am convinced that this team is following the road that God has paved for us. It would be impossible to say that it was any of our teams efforts that has caused the growth and the relationships that have formed thus far, it is truly God. The guys group have even taken the guys to their high schools just to see where they hangout and study everyday. There is finally a sense of trust and this was exactly the larger vision we had for this trip.
So as I close, just wanted to share a few of my personal thoughts. I wanted to thank all the prayer support back home. Besides the first few days being huge adjustments and culture shock for me, I really sense that there are and will continue to be many road blocks ahead for this team. Of course Jesus is strong at work within the vision of our team, but I also see many spiritual attacks on the team overall- sicknesses, conflicts, emotionally drained from different things we come into contact with..etc, but praise God that through these issues, Our team is aware of the importance of unity and teamwork as we go forth strong with Gods vision on our hearts. I wanted to thank everyone who has partnered with us and have continually been praying diligently for the teams. We are incredibly impacted by your prayers!! Our trip would not be the way it is without your prayers...seriously. Thank you!!
-Lizz
For the girls group we have been able to build relationships with them through intentional hangouts where we can just..."chill" as us Americans would put it. Each day we would schedule a time slot where we take a few girls out on tuk-tuks and they would be able to show us some of their fav hangout spots or even just a little of their everyday life in Cambodia. Today a few of the girls took us out to what I think she tried to translate to as Monkey Mtn where it was a huge park and we were able to feed and pet monkeys, quite the scene, never saw so many roaming the park and climbing on trees freely before. Besides just the fact that they were so excited to show us their hometown, this really gave us an awesome opportunity to ask how God has led them to the place and state they are now. Because language barriers seemed to be an issue for these particular girls, I was very encouraged when one of the girls opened her bible to show me her fav passage. This was a simple act but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was something very amazing- Gods Word is universal and even language barriers don't hold back the joy of reading the Word together in both languages while bringing glory to the same Father in heaven.
Today the girls small group covered the passage John 15- the vine and the branches and the fruit they bear. We had each girl write a strength they possessed and then talk about how their childhood has brought upon or produced this trait. Because Amy, Carrie and myself felt that the specific needs of the girls were confidence and not getting easily discouraged from their past, we figured this might be the best way to empower them and really allow them to see themselves as a huge contribution to the Lords kingdom. The stories and testimonies were so inspiring. I think this time of sharing was really good for them because Many of the girls hold onto these dear stories and never get the opportunity to express how they really feel or how they have healed from it. Ive come to know and love these girls so much already that I'm already dreading the day we have to leave. I want to make sure I leave them all knowing that they are valued, treasured, princesses of God.
After today's session I am convinced that this team is following the road that God has paved for us. It would be impossible to say that it was any of our teams efforts that has caused the growth and the relationships that have formed thus far, it is truly God. The guys group have even taken the guys to their high schools just to see where they hangout and study everyday. There is finally a sense of trust and this was exactly the larger vision we had for this trip.
So as I close, just wanted to share a few of my personal thoughts. I wanted to thank all the prayer support back home. Besides the first few days being huge adjustments and culture shock for me, I really sense that there are and will continue to be many road blocks ahead for this team. Of course Jesus is strong at work within the vision of our team, but I also see many spiritual attacks on the team overall- sicknesses, conflicts, emotionally drained from different things we come into contact with..etc, but praise God that through these issues, Our team is aware of the importance of unity and teamwork as we go forth strong with Gods vision on our hearts. I wanted to thank everyone who has partnered with us and have continually been praying diligently for the teams. We are incredibly impacted by your prayers!! Our trip would not be the way it is without your prayers...seriously. Thank you!!
-Lizz
Guerrilla Warfare
-- guerrilla warfare noun
irregular warfare, conflicts in which a small group of combatants uses military tactics, like ambushes and raids, to harass a larger and less-mobile traditional army.
irregular warfare, conflicts in which a small group of combatants uses military tactics, like ambushes and raids, to harass a larger and less-mobile traditional army.
When we started this trip six days ago (already), we came armed to the teeth with things that we thought we would need. Because of the unpredictable nature of the work we were doing this trip, we over-prepared and had contingency plans for almost every situation. General Victor said, this trip was like going to war, when going to war, we want as much weaponry as possible. We may not need the sniper rifle, but we want one on hand just in case we might need it.
Well, luckily for us, God pretty much dropped a bomb on all our plans and blew them to smithereens. What once was is pretty much no more, except for a few remnants.
Our vision for this trip was to teach the older orphans how to be missional. We wanted to teach them how to love and serve their community just the way they have been served and loved on by foreign missionaries. To do this we had prepared a series of bible studies and activities that taught them this vision. We expected to hold meetings with them each day and drill home this vision.
But that has changed. After the first few days of trying to execute our plan, we found out that it wasn't going to work. So like any good team, we had to make adjustments and we did.
-- guerrilla warfare noun
irregular warfare, conflicts in which a small group of combatants uses military tactics, like ambushes and raids, to harass a larger and less-mobile traditional army.
We ran into two major problems trying to execute this vision.
The first major problem we ran into was the age of the students we were working with. We were working with university students. And we were trying to force them to fit into the schedule and itinerary we had planned for them... Well, college students in Cambodia are very much the same (in some aspects) as college students in America, they are unpredictable and busy and have lots of things going on in their lives.
The second major problem we ran into was that we knew very little about the students themselves. How can we teach students ANYTHING of depth if we know nothing about them? If we know nothing about their pains, their struggles, their happiness, their hardship?
Hence, birthed the new vision of our trip. Part one of the vision is to find out the orphans stories. To find out about their background, their dreams, their pains. And then from this, build relationships that are hopefully longer lasting than just this missions trip. And also from this, to find ways to encourage and support the orphans to finish their college educations, because one of the biggest problems orphans face is dropping out of university (physically and emotionally). That is the new two part vision.
We immediately found out that trying to have a hard schedule for this type of work would not suffice. Hence, we switched to (Victor's favorite phrase of the trip)... guerrilla warefare.
Instead of trying to fit the orphans into our schedule, we embedded ourselves into theirs. We used smaller groups for versatility and gave each group the freedom to be creative and imaginative. For the last couple of days, we pretty much fit ourselves into their lives. This gave us the ability to get to know the orphans more closely and just see what a normal everyday life of a Cambodia college student looks like.
And this has lead the team to some pretty wild adventures. Some of us guys went to school with a couple orphans today (we took motorbikes, such fun). Some of the girls went to a monkey zoo today to hangout with some female students. Tonight, we took a bunch of kids to the local arcade to play video games that are twenty years old (no joke, they are still on Time Crisis 3, when Time Crisis 10 probably exists in the US). We've been spending time each day tutoring, hanging out, eating with them and just shooting the breeze. In those moments, we have heard some pretty amazing stories, some heartbreaking, some so inspiring, some making me ask how God can be so cruel, and others showing me how good God can be.
At times, it does feel like we are not doing much except chilling with the Cambodian kids in cafes or restaurant. At times, as a working American, i want to do more. To be active, to work, to be busy. But that's not the Cambodian rhythm of life. The Cambodian rhythm of life is a much slower than the busy-ness that floods us in the States. Falling into this rhythm of life has been a challenge for me, but I'm slowly adjusting. But by falling into this rhythm of life, we can hopefully better start to relate to the Cambodians we are trying to serve.
There are so many stories to share, but no time right now (i'll probably save that for my personal blog)... The wait will be worth it, I promise.
For now, i just want to thank you all for your support and your prayers. Carrie is pretty much 100% (that girl ate like a whale today) and Eric is back from the dead. Continue to pray for our physical strength as this team seem more susceptible to sickness than the last couple of years teams.
Steve T
Well, luckily for us, God pretty much dropped a bomb on all our plans and blew them to smithereens. What once was is pretty much no more, except for a few remnants.
Our vision for this trip was to teach the older orphans how to be missional. We wanted to teach them how to love and serve their community just the way they have been served and loved on by foreign missionaries. To do this we had prepared a series of bible studies and activities that taught them this vision. We expected to hold meetings with them each day and drill home this vision.
But that has changed. After the first few days of trying to execute our plan, we found out that it wasn't going to work. So like any good team, we had to make adjustments and we did.
-- guerrilla warfare noun
irregular warfare, conflicts in which a small group of combatants uses military tactics, like ambushes and raids, to harass a larger and less-mobile traditional army.
We ran into two major problems trying to execute this vision.
The first major problem we ran into was the age of the students we were working with. We were working with university students. And we were trying to force them to fit into the schedule and itinerary we had planned for them... Well, college students in Cambodia are very much the same (in some aspects) as college students in America, they are unpredictable and busy and have lots of things going on in their lives.
The second major problem we ran into was that we knew very little about the students themselves. How can we teach students ANYTHING of depth if we know nothing about them? If we know nothing about their pains, their struggles, their happiness, their hardship?
Hence, birthed the new vision of our trip. Part one of the vision is to find out the orphans stories. To find out about their background, their dreams, their pains. And then from this, build relationships that are hopefully longer lasting than just this missions trip. And also from this, to find ways to encourage and support the orphans to finish their college educations, because one of the biggest problems orphans face is dropping out of university (physically and emotionally). That is the new two part vision.
We immediately found out that trying to have a hard schedule for this type of work would not suffice. Hence, we switched to (Victor's favorite phrase of the trip)... guerrilla warefare.
Instead of trying to fit the orphans into our schedule, we embedded ourselves into theirs. We used smaller groups for versatility and gave each group the freedom to be creative and imaginative. For the last couple of days, we pretty much fit ourselves into their lives. This gave us the ability to get to know the orphans more closely and just see what a normal everyday life of a Cambodia college student looks like.
And this has lead the team to some pretty wild adventures. Some of us guys went to school with a couple orphans today (we took motorbikes, such fun). Some of the girls went to a monkey zoo today to hangout with some female students. Tonight, we took a bunch of kids to the local arcade to play video games that are twenty years old (no joke, they are still on Time Crisis 3, when Time Crisis 10 probably exists in the US). We've been spending time each day tutoring, hanging out, eating with them and just shooting the breeze. In those moments, we have heard some pretty amazing stories, some heartbreaking, some so inspiring, some making me ask how God can be so cruel, and others showing me how good God can be.
At times, it does feel like we are not doing much except chilling with the Cambodian kids in cafes or restaurant. At times, as a working American, i want to do more. To be active, to work, to be busy. But that's not the Cambodian rhythm of life. The Cambodian rhythm of life is a much slower than the busy-ness that floods us in the States. Falling into this rhythm of life has been a challenge for me, but I'm slowly adjusting. But by falling into this rhythm of life, we can hopefully better start to relate to the Cambodians we are trying to serve.
There are so many stories to share, but no time right now (i'll probably save that for my personal blog)... The wait will be worth it, I promise.
For now, i just want to thank you all for your support and your prayers. Carrie is pretty much 100% (that girl ate like a whale today) and Eric is back from the dead. Continue to pray for our physical strength as this team seem more susceptible to sickness than the last couple of years teams.
Steve T
Monday, June 28, 2010
Looking for the answers to the questions....and there You were
Today is Tuesday and it's already been 5 days since we've arrived in Cambodia and it has gone by in a flash. It's been quite tiring as 3 people have been hit with stomach/flu ailments along with the humid heat and untimely hits of jetlag. Despite these physical challenges, we are pressing on towards the goal of listening and living out His call to us while we're here. Please continue to pray for the team's health in the coming days.
I began this trip with 3 questions in mind:
1) Where in the world do I feel is home for me?
2) What should I do with my career in order for it to be fulfilling?
3) What is God doing here in Cambodia and how can I join him?
Ravi Zacherias - "Culture is the dress of religion"
During our visit to the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng prison, I unexpectedly gained a new perspective on my parent's trials of growing up in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. While the details of the genocide were gruesome, I feel desensitized to it all because frankly I've seen enough injustice in the world to not be naive. However, this is the first time it's been personalized and that's moved my heart and leading me to action. First, my relationship with my parents is difficult to say the least. My mother was born in Phnom Pehn however the past is rarely discussed and family history is really unknown to me. Up to this point, I had underestimated my parent's struggles and it's allowed me to see God's perspective of them rather than my own. Ultimately, understanding them is really about understanding myself, seeing what impact that had on me to this day, and setting me free on who I will become in Christ in the future. My mother is Catholic however she is Chinese and Confucianism after 4000+ years is a big part of who she is. Now I want to study Confucianism in order to understand more.
Jack of all cultures, Master of none
We visited Hagar International and House of Smiles yesterday. Hagar is a comprehensive organization that focuses on non-profit/social enterprise work who focus on sex trafficked women. They provide holistic care (food, shelter, counseling, rehabilitation) to those they take in and subsequently provide skills training and education to reintegrate them into society and rebuild their own lives. House of Smiles is a family shelter that caters to the mentally disabled (one of the most marginalized people in Cambodian society). It was very enlightening for me to see all that these NGOs are doing here and the struggles they have in fundraising, finding best practices, dealing with internal problems and finding the experienced people necessary to make their organizations function.
Many of these people who work in World Vision or Hagar are from around the world. They come and spend on average 1-2 years here so turnover is very high. Hearing their stories of their dynamic struggles from deciding when to repatriot to their come countries to where to start a family to having to make new friends over and over was actually one of familiarity rather than amazement. But what was amazing to me was how this expat community knows each other so well. It's a small world here. After hearing these stories, I felt this expat side of me has been the most important part of my life in who I am. It's a life that's difficult to understand unless you've moved and lived away from your home country. I'm an expat and that's how I feel most at home.
I immediately started imagining myself here long term. Cambodia is much like Vietnam and the language is more fun than I expected. I pictured myself working for Hagar or World Vision and interacting with the expat and local populations here. But most importantly, I'd be doing God's work here of contributing to fighting injustice in this country (and world). Law, education, psychology, and social enterprises have been the interests I've been thinking about moving into over the last year and a half. And to suddenly find they're all here in Phnom Pehn is mind-blowing to me. Perhaps this is God's call for me. Perhaps it's not.
We will see.......
Simon Tang
I began this trip with 3 questions in mind:
1) Where in the world do I feel is home for me?
2) What should I do with my career in order for it to be fulfilling?
3) What is God doing here in Cambodia and how can I join him?
Ravi Zacherias - "Culture is the dress of religion"
During our visit to the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng prison, I unexpectedly gained a new perspective on my parent's trials of growing up in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. While the details of the genocide were gruesome, I feel desensitized to it all because frankly I've seen enough injustice in the world to not be naive. However, this is the first time it's been personalized and that's moved my heart and leading me to action. First, my relationship with my parents is difficult to say the least. My mother was born in Phnom Pehn however the past is rarely discussed and family history is really unknown to me. Up to this point, I had underestimated my parent's struggles and it's allowed me to see God's perspective of them rather than my own. Ultimately, understanding them is really about understanding myself, seeing what impact that had on me to this day, and setting me free on who I will become in Christ in the future. My mother is Catholic however she is Chinese and Confucianism after 4000+ years is a big part of who she is. Now I want to study Confucianism in order to understand more.
Jack of all cultures, Master of none
We visited Hagar International and House of Smiles yesterday. Hagar is a comprehensive organization that focuses on non-profit/social enterprise work who focus on sex trafficked women. They provide holistic care (food, shelter, counseling, rehabilitation) to those they take in and subsequently provide skills training and education to reintegrate them into society and rebuild their own lives. House of Smiles is a family shelter that caters to the mentally disabled (one of the most marginalized people in Cambodian society). It was very enlightening for me to see all that these NGOs are doing here and the struggles they have in fundraising, finding best practices, dealing with internal problems and finding the experienced people necessary to make their organizations function.
Many of these people who work in World Vision or Hagar are from around the world. They come and spend on average 1-2 years here so turnover is very high. Hearing their stories of their dynamic struggles from deciding when to repatriot to their come countries to where to start a family to having to make new friends over and over was actually one of familiarity rather than amazement. But what was amazing to me was how this expat community knows each other so well. It's a small world here. After hearing these stories, I felt this expat side of me has been the most important part of my life in who I am. It's a life that's difficult to understand unless you've moved and lived away from your home country. I'm an expat and that's how I feel most at home.
I immediately started imagining myself here long term. Cambodia is much like Vietnam and the language is more fun than I expected. I pictured myself working for Hagar or World Vision and interacting with the expat and local populations here. But most importantly, I'd be doing God's work here of contributing to fighting injustice in this country (and world). Law, education, psychology, and social enterprises have been the interests I've been thinking about moving into over the last year and a half. And to suddenly find they're all here in Phnom Pehn is mind-blowing to me. Perhaps this is God's call for me. Perhaps it's not.
We will see.......
Simon Tang
Thy Kingdom Come
When I returned to the hotel room today I checked my email and a friend who was encouraging me about my time in Cambodia said "kind of crazy that you're almost at the halfway point of the trip already!". When I read this, I thought no way, my super-on-top of it friend somehow counted wrong. The reality is that I feel like we just got our feet wet. We changed our lesson plan three times, strategically decided to attack our vision from a different angle in the midst of acclimating to a new culture and environment. But we are all tired and "happy happy".
Over the past 4 days all of us have shared and faced so many challenges. These challenges vary from realizing the injustice of the academic system to the marginalized, witnessing sex trafficking at our hotel, facing physical sickness, dealing with processing a genocide and other mind bending experiences. To say that we are disoriented would only be scratching the surface.
I know must of our blogs have been about what we do on a day to day basis but I would like to share how powerful the movement of the Lord is, a movement that transcends the limits of politics, socioeconomic constraints and human will. Over the past few year I have been given the opportunity to meet people who are solely investing in the redemption of Cambodia. A women named Sotia who is dedicating all her energy and heart into providing education for the children in the villages and reaching out to their families. A man who works everyday to raise funds to keep over 70 orphans housed and sponsored. Another lady from New Zealand who is so in love with the holistic vision of recovery that anything short of that is unacceptable. Another little man who silently shutting down brothels in a very dark town. These are the faces of this story. God's army in Cambodia is praying, working and loving.
Being here I see bright lights that are beacons of salvation in the darkness. This salvation is pouring out little lights into the darkenss, lighting areas of Cambodia that are horrific but must be revealed. There is a generation of kids seeping into the mainstream community of Cambodia and making huge changes. These kids do not have any assurance but the assurance of His sovereignty. With that assurance they plan to be self sustaining but also to give back and serve the marginalized. "These kids" are the future of Cambodia. There is a college being built with crazy plans. Ultimately, they want to start to do small group with each of the students families in the rural villages. First by understanding their needs and meeting them. An almost completed women's shelter is going to open their doors to less fortunate kids to their preschool programs in their community. God is clearly victorious in Cambodia. He reigns.
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Over the past 4 days all of us have shared and faced so many challenges. These challenges vary from realizing the injustice of the academic system to the marginalized, witnessing sex trafficking at our hotel, facing physical sickness, dealing with processing a genocide and other mind bending experiences. To say that we are disoriented would only be scratching the surface.
I know must of our blogs have been about what we do on a day to day basis but I would like to share how powerful the movement of the Lord is, a movement that transcends the limits of politics, socioeconomic constraints and human will. Over the past few year I have been given the opportunity to meet people who are solely investing in the redemption of Cambodia. A women named Sotia who is dedicating all her energy and heart into providing education for the children in the villages and reaching out to their families. A man who works everyday to raise funds to keep over 70 orphans housed and sponsored. Another lady from New Zealand who is so in love with the holistic vision of recovery that anything short of that is unacceptable. Another little man who silently shutting down brothels in a very dark town. These are the faces of this story. God's army in Cambodia is praying, working and loving.
Being here I see bright lights that are beacons of salvation in the darkness. This salvation is pouring out little lights into the darkenss, lighting areas of Cambodia that are horrific but must be revealed. There is a generation of kids seeping into the mainstream community of Cambodia and making huge changes. These kids do not have any assurance but the assurance of His sovereignty. With that assurance they plan to be self sustaining but also to give back and serve the marginalized. "These kids" are the future of Cambodia. There is a college being built with crazy plans. Ultimately, they want to start to do small group with each of the students families in the rural villages. First by understanding their needs and meeting them. An almost completed women's shelter is going to open their doors to less fortunate kids to their preschool programs in their community. God is clearly victorious in Cambodia. He reigns.
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Will you pray for us?
Hey everyone,
I wanted to shoot out a prayer request to our friends and supporters. One of the members on our team, Carrie, is sick with a fever. It doesn't seem too serious at the moment but we are taking every precautionary measure, especially through prayer. It's important to note that we are all in good spirit here. I have no doubt that she'll be fine after a days rest and that God is working unexpectedly through this, as He seems to do in situations like this.
Please pray for:
1. Quick and complete healing for Carrie.
2. Greater awareness for the team of what God is doing through this.
3. Against the enemy as I'm positive he would love to use this in a variety of ways in disrupting our team and ministry.
Peace,
Victor
I wanted to shoot out a prayer request to our friends and supporters. One of the members on our team, Carrie, is sick with a fever. It doesn't seem too serious at the moment but we are taking every precautionary measure, especially through prayer. It's important to note that we are all in good spirit here. I have no doubt that she'll be fine after a days rest and that God is working unexpectedly through this, as He seems to do in situations like this.
Please pray for:
1. Quick and complete healing for Carrie.
2. Greater awareness for the team of what God is doing through this.
3. Against the enemy as I'm positive he would love to use this in a variety of ways in disrupting our team and ministry.
Peace,
Victor
Day 2
Hello friends,
So we finished up our second day in Cambodia and it's been another activity-filled but rewarding experience. As many of you know I came to Cambodia last year and seeing Phnom Penh for a second time I am continually amazed by the work God is doing in this country. This evening we met up at New Hope for Orphans for a prayer meeting in which many members of NHO came together to pray for the construction of their new orphanage. Specifically, the members wanted us to pray for continued funding for the building so they could finish up this project. As I interact with the people here I am constantly confronted with the reality that so much of NHO's success is based on an unwavering faith in God's provision. When I ask those around me about how I can help, the first answer I always get is to pray for them. These answers always blow my mind because, coming froma culture where everything from money, to clothes, to food, is available, I have been raised to think in terms of action steps. What do I need to do to get X, what things do I need to prepare to finish Y, how can I make everything OK? Coming from a culture of privilege I have become so reliant on my abilities and the materials that I have accumulated in order to give myself a sense of safety and stability.
Coming here to a country where you don't know what's going to happen the next day or where your next meal is coming from challenges all of my preconceived notions. I really feel that people here, through their faith in God's provision, live so much closer to Him than I do, and it is humbling.
- Chris
So we finished up our second day in Cambodia and it's been another activity-filled but rewarding experience. As many of you know I came to Cambodia last year and seeing Phnom Penh for a second time I am continually amazed by the work God is doing in this country. This evening we met up at New Hope for Orphans for a prayer meeting in which many members of NHO came together to pray for the construction of their new orphanage. Specifically, the members wanted us to pray for continued funding for the building so they could finish up this project. As I interact with the people here I am constantly confronted with the reality that so much of NHO's success is based on an unwavering faith in God's provision. When I ask those around me about how I can help, the first answer I always get is to pray for them. These answers always blow my mind because, coming froma culture where everything from money, to clothes, to food, is available, I have been raised to think in terms of action steps. What do I need to do to get X, what things do I need to prepare to finish Y, how can I make everything OK? Coming from a culture of privilege I have become so reliant on my abilities and the materials that I have accumulated in order to give myself a sense of safety and stability.
Coming here to a country where you don't know what's going to happen the next day or where your next meal is coming from challenges all of my preconceived notions. I really feel that people here, through their faith in God's provision, live so much closer to Him than I do, and it is humbling.
- Chris
Friday, June 25, 2010
From The Ashes ...
Hey everyone, this is Steve, I'll be your lead-off blogger for this trip. Again, this is the team blog and we'll try to update this probably once a day, so please keep checking back!!
Before I start this update, i have a personal prayer request. I just heard from back home that one of my really close friend got into a serious car accident. She has a broken leg and a couple of broken ribs, but according to the doctors, the surgery went well. She's recovering from the surgery now but still is having trouble breathing. Can I ask you guys to pray for her, her recovery, for her husband and for the doctors?
Thanks a lot, i literally just got the news via email about five minutes ago in the hotel lobby. It's shaken me up quite a bit.
----
Wow... So day 1 has been a whirlwind of non-stop activity. We got off the plane at 11AM in Cambodia and have been pretty much been going since then. It's 8:30PM right now and most the team is in their rooms preparing for bed. The itinerary for today was to visit the Toul Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields, something we usually do the first day of the trip. For those who don't know anything about Cambodia, the country went through a mass genocide back in the 1970s. Over 2.5 million people died. The Killing Fields and Toul Sleng Museum are two "shrines" to the catastrophes that happened 30 years ago.
Two things really amaze me. First it amazes me how far the city has come since the genocides. I have to constantly remind myself that just forty years ago, the capital Phnom Penh (where we are staying) was razed to the ground by rebel forces. It was completely obliterated. Here's a picture that one of our team members found giving a good look at Phnom Penh during the genocides.
And these days? Phnom Penh is a bustling commercial city with skyscrapers, traffic, restaurants and tourist. The turn around has been pretty amazing.
Secondly, even though most remnants of the genocides are gone, the memory of it is still pretty fresh in a lot of Cambodians. Happening right in the capital right now are war-crime trials for some of the people who participated in the genocides. The trials are followed pretty closely by most of the Cambodians we talk to, indicating a heavy interest in it. Most of the people , especially the older folks, knew someone who was a victim of the genocides.
That's the lesson i'm trying to remind myself of today. That even though things may look okay on the surface in Cambodia, it's not. The people are still struggling with pain, trying to forgive, and trying to overcome the past.
Anyways... the first day is always the roughest, since we're all travel weary and worn out. We look forward to sharing your more (happier!) stories in the upcoming days.
Steve T
Before I start this update, i have a personal prayer request. I just heard from back home that one of my really close friend got into a serious car accident. She has a broken leg and a couple of broken ribs, but according to the doctors, the surgery went well. She's recovering from the surgery now but still is having trouble breathing. Can I ask you guys to pray for her, her recovery, for her husband and for the doctors?
Thanks a lot, i literally just got the news via email about five minutes ago in the hotel lobby. It's shaken me up quite a bit.
----
Wow... So day 1 has been a whirlwind of non-stop activity. We got off the plane at 11AM in Cambodia and have been pretty much been going since then. It's 8:30PM right now and most the team is in their rooms preparing for bed. The itinerary for today was to visit the Toul Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields, something we usually do the first day of the trip. For those who don't know anything about Cambodia, the country went through a mass genocide back in the 1970s. Over 2.5 million people died. The Killing Fields and Toul Sleng Museum are two "shrines" to the catastrophes that happened 30 years ago.
Two things really amaze me. First it amazes me how far the city has come since the genocides. I have to constantly remind myself that just forty years ago, the capital Phnom Penh (where we are staying) was razed to the ground by rebel forces. It was completely obliterated. Here's a picture that one of our team members found giving a good look at Phnom Penh during the genocides.
And these days? Phnom Penh is a bustling commercial city with skyscrapers, traffic, restaurants and tourist. The turn around has been pretty amazing.
Secondly, even though most remnants of the genocides are gone, the memory of it is still pretty fresh in a lot of Cambodians. Happening right in the capital right now are war-crime trials for some of the people who participated in the genocides. The trials are followed pretty closely by most of the Cambodians we talk to, indicating a heavy interest in it. Most of the people , especially the older folks, knew someone who was a victim of the genocides.
That's the lesson i'm trying to remind myself of today. That even though things may look okay on the surface in Cambodia, it's not. The people are still struggling with pain, trying to forgive, and trying to overcome the past.
Anyways... the first day is always the roughest, since we're all travel weary and worn out. We look forward to sharing your more (happier!) stories in the upcoming days.
Steve T
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Countdown to departure
As I mentioned on this blog a couple weeks ago, I will be going back to Cambodia this year for a missions trip. This will be my third such trip and probably the most 'interesting' one I will go on. Before I share my thoughts on the trip, let me first give you the hard facts.
When : June 24 to July 3. Our team leaves SFO on Thursday at 2AM PST. We go feet wet at 2:15AM PST and arrive in Cambodia approx 15 hrs later. We will be on Cambodian soil for nine days after that. We return to SFO on July 3rd, 8PM PST.
Who : We have eight people on this years team. The smallest team we've ever sent. For the first time ever, half the team will be returning members. Me, Victor, Amy and Chris are coming for the second consecutive year. Carrie, Lizz, Simon and Eric are the newbies. This is us
Where : Cambodia, Phnom Penh. 90% of our time will be spent in the capital. We might make one or two forays into the villages.
Getting Updates : We will be updating the team blog throughout the trip. And I will tweet when I can. So follow us and RSS us if you wish.
Why : To change the world. And that's not me being bombastic (as I am sometimes on this blog). We have a fairly ambitious, never-attempted vision for this trip and that is to teach the orphans how to give love. The thinking behind this is that the kids who live in the orphanage are very accustom to people (missionary) coming into their lives and showing them mercy, whether it be giving gifts, spending time with them, or teaching them. All their lives these kids have been the recipients of many kind and generous acts from foreigners. We want to flip this model around just a little bit and teach them what it means to do the same in their (the Cambodian) community. One of the studies that we have planned is about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We want to teach them that even though they might not have much (physically, like the Samaritan), they can still do much for their community. And we want to teach them that loving your community is not optional as a Christian.
In addition we will also be visiting organizations like Hagar and IJM this year. We hope to learn more about the problems (like trafficking, poverty, unemployment) in Cambodian society and what these organizations are doing to help.
Me : How do I feel about the trip? My feelings for this trip fluctuated quite a bit in the last few weeks. At times I was excited, at times nervous, at times scared. I think i've settled into a quiet anxiety about the trip. The good kind of anxiety, of not knowing what's going to happen, but anxious to get started and see what God has planned. The planning for the trip has been nothing short of a hurricane (the leadership team was named Team Hurricane) as we juggled lots of unexpected personnel changes, plan changes, schedule changes and distractions, but somehow we have a plan for the next nine days. We put this trip together in less than a month, probably half the ideal time.
There is a high degree of uncertainty to this trip. The plan that we have for the orphans (teaching them to be missional) has (literally) never been attempted before (by our church, or any church, the orphanage told us this). We have no idea how this is gonna be received or how this is gonna play out. For all we know, this could be the biggest bomb in Asia since Hiroshima. Needless to say, this has added to my anxiety.
You know in sports how before big games sometimes athletes get nervous, but once the game starts everything is okay? I feel that's where I am at now. Nervous excitement. I can't wait for this trip to start... And i can't wait to write about it when I get back.
When : June 24 to July 3. Our team leaves SFO on Thursday at 2AM PST. We go feet wet at 2:15AM PST and arrive in Cambodia approx 15 hrs later. We will be on Cambodian soil for nine days after that. We return to SFO on July 3rd, 8PM PST.
Who : We have eight people on this years team. The smallest team we've ever sent. For the first time ever, half the team will be returning members. Me, Victor, Amy and Chris are coming for the second consecutive year. Carrie, Lizz, Simon and Eric are the newbies. This is us
Where : Cambodia, Phnom Penh. 90% of our time will be spent in the capital. We might make one or two forays into the villages.
Getting Updates : We will be updating the team blog throughout the trip. And I will tweet when I can. So follow us and RSS us if you wish.
Why : To change the world. And that's not me being bombastic (as I am sometimes on this blog). We have a fairly ambitious, never-attempted vision for this trip and that is to teach the orphans how to give love. The thinking behind this is that the kids who live in the orphanage are very accustom to people (missionary) coming into their lives and showing them mercy, whether it be giving gifts, spending time with them, or teaching them. All their lives these kids have been the recipients of many kind and generous acts from foreigners. We want to flip this model around just a little bit and teach them what it means to do the same in their (the Cambodian) community. One of the studies that we have planned is about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We want to teach them that even though they might not have much (physically, like the Samaritan), they can still do much for their community. And we want to teach them that loving your community is not optional as a Christian.
In addition we will also be visiting organizations like Hagar and IJM this year. We hope to learn more about the problems (like trafficking, poverty, unemployment) in Cambodian society and what these organizations are doing to help.
Me : How do I feel about the trip? My feelings for this trip fluctuated quite a bit in the last few weeks. At times I was excited, at times nervous, at times scared. I think i've settled into a quiet anxiety about the trip. The good kind of anxiety, of not knowing what's going to happen, but anxious to get started and see what God has planned. The planning for the trip has been nothing short of a hurricane (the leadership team was named Team Hurricane) as we juggled lots of unexpected personnel changes, plan changes, schedule changes and distractions, but somehow we have a plan for the next nine days. We put this trip together in less than a month, probably half the ideal time.
There is a high degree of uncertainty to this trip. The plan that we have for the orphans (teaching them to be missional) has (literally) never been attempted before (by our church, or any church, the orphanage told us this). We have no idea how this is gonna be received or how this is gonna play out. For all we know, this could be the biggest bomb in Asia since Hiroshima. Needless to say, this has added to my anxiety.
You know in sports how before big games sometimes athletes get nervous, but once the game starts everything is okay? I feel that's where I am at now. Nervous excitement. I can't wait for this trip to start... And i can't wait to write about it when I get back.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
GRX: Cambodia 2010
~~ Hello Friends ~~
Great Exchange has ventured over to Cambodia every year since 2006 bringing different teams each time. We have moved beyond visiting but into relationships with life-giving organizations. This is the official blog journal for the Great Exchange Fremont 2010 Cambodia Missions Team. (You will also find posts from 2009). We will try our best to post different stories, thoughts, events, feelings and anything else that will give you a deeper picture of our team's time in Cambodia.
Also, we want to extend our complete gratification to all those who have supported us financially and in prayers. We could not have done this without you. Thank you for being part of this story.
Let's Go!
Vision of our Trip:
To empower the young adults within New Hope for Orphans and continue to build upon our partnership their organization.
To learn and witness how God is using various organizations and people to bring restoration in Cambodia.
Who We Are:
Eight people will be stuck with each other from June 24th to July3rd, 2010.
About Cambodia:
Cambodia is a very broken country, still recovering from a mass genocide almost thirty years ago. Between 1975 and 1979, over 2 million (current population about 13 million) people died under the deadly rule of the Khmer Rouge. This act of terror wiped out an entire generation of educated Cambodians, and plunged the country into years of poverty, despair, and hopelessness.
Though the memories of the genocide will always remain in Cambodian adults, most Cambodian children are free from these horrific memories. These are the leaders of tomorrow that are the hope to lead Cambodia out of the darkness and back into the light. Cambodia is an open country, and we feel it is the right time to go in there and see what work God can do through us.
Partnering With:
This year we will be visiting and working with:
NEW HOPE FOR ORPHANS
At NHO, we realize that every child is unique and has a gift or gifts waiting to be revealed and nurtured. NHO seeks out each child's individual needs and addresses them with the love and concern that any loving and God fearing mother or father would. Our vision is to rebuild a new, young generation in Cambodia. And our mission is to nurture the orphan children through the Word of God in order for them to have a brighter future and to become a good citizen of the country.
This year GRX hopes to focus on building relationships with the young adult population at New Hope for Orphans in Phnom Penh. Recently, NHO has built a dormitory for the older individuals that house at least 40 young adults. The team has put together a loose curriculum designed to challenge the young adults' life mission and goals. We will be sharing stories, teaching one another and fellowshipping with them.
Additionally, our team will be meeting up with several different non-governmental organizations such as INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION and HAGAR CAMBODIA
Great Exchange has ventured over to Cambodia every year since 2006 bringing different teams each time. We have moved beyond visiting but into relationships with life-giving organizations. This is the official blog journal for the Great Exchange Fremont 2010 Cambodia Missions Team. (You will also find posts from 2009). We will try our best to post different stories, thoughts, events, feelings and anything else that will give you a deeper picture of our team's time in Cambodia.
Also, we want to extend our complete gratification to all those who have supported us financially and in prayers. We could not have done this without you. Thank you for being part of this story.
Let's Go!
Vision of our Trip:
To empower the young adults within New Hope for Orphans and continue to build upon our partnership their organization.
To learn and witness how God is using various organizations and people to bring restoration in Cambodia.
Who We Are:
Eight people will be stuck with each other from June 24th to July3rd, 2010.
About Cambodia:
Cambodia is a very broken country, still recovering from a mass genocide almost thirty years ago. Between 1975 and 1979, over 2 million (current population about 13 million) people died under the deadly rule of the Khmer Rouge. This act of terror wiped out an entire generation of educated Cambodians, and plunged the country into years of poverty, despair, and hopelessness.
Though the memories of the genocide will always remain in Cambodian adults, most Cambodian children are free from these horrific memories. These are the leaders of tomorrow that are the hope to lead Cambodia out of the darkness and back into the light. Cambodia is an open country, and we feel it is the right time to go in there and see what work God can do through us.
Partnering With:
This year we will be visiting and working with:
NEW HOPE FOR ORPHANS
At NHO, we realize that every child is unique and has a gift or gifts waiting to be revealed and nurtured. NHO seeks out each child's individual needs and addresses them with the love and concern that any loving and God fearing mother or father would. Our vision is to rebuild a new, young generation in Cambodia. And our mission is to nurture the orphan children through the Word of God in order for them to have a brighter future and to become a good citizen of the country.
This year GRX hopes to focus on building relationships with the young adult population at New Hope for Orphans in Phnom Penh. Recently, NHO has built a dormitory for the older individuals that house at least 40 young adults. The team has put together a loose curriculum designed to challenge the young adults' life mission and goals. We will be sharing stories, teaching one another and fellowshipping with them.
Additionally, our team will be meeting up with several different non-governmental organizations such as INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION and HAGAR CAMBODIA
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