Love-A-Village recently had the privilege of hosting two friends, Pearl and Yinglin. Though they are young in the faith, they stepped out of their comfort zones and helped to organise a 3-day children’s camp in Run Ta Ek to share the gospel with the children.
God honoured their commitment, working in and through them to bless the children. Through the three days, He demonstrated that with Him, all things are possible! May their reflection inspire you to be a blessing to others, regardless of your age or maturity in the faith.
Pearl’s Reflection
Being back in Cambodia for the first time after 5 years reminded me of how it felt to be a part of Love A Village and do God’s work in Cambodia. Back then, I remember always playing the supporting role and just doing what I’m told every time I traveled to Cambodia with the team and volunteers. This time, however, I led and planned the camp games with Yinglin. Instead of receiving instructions, I was the one giving instructions.
As a somewhat extreme introvert, this was a new experience for me. Seeing the children enjoy the games made me feel glad that I did it. Despite there being no prizes for the games, the children always made sure to give their all as they played. This reassured Yinglin and I as we were initially worried that they wouldn’t enjoy the games.
Additionally, being young in my faith, I also learned a lot from the Bible lessons that were taught to the children. Before this trip, I didn’t know about the miracles performed by Jesus. In some sense, I felt like I also grew in my faith as we were helping the children take their first steps into knowing and learning about God.
I am thankful for this opportunity as it has also helped me to grow and be better. If given a choice, I would definitely do this again!
Yinglin’s Reflection
This is my first time coming to Cambodia to help out in a Christian camp.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was the right person to organise the camp. I wasn’t strong in my faith, and I had doubts about Christianity. How could I lead people to know more about Christ when I was unsure myself? But then, I decided to just go and do some good deeds to contribute back to society. Just for once, I told myself to try since it’s about doing good, and I might not come back again too.
Throughout the camp, I saw how the church in Cambodia was sincere in worshipping God. It reminded me of my passion for God when I was younger. The little children were singing loudly and attended every single day of the camp. I was very encouraged by the church, and I didn’t know sincere Christians could be found even in more remote parts of the world.
After the camp, Janice organised some meet ups with other Christians in Siem Reap town. One of the ladies I met was Thavy, a staff member in SONOKO (the student ministry shared in the previous post), and I was particularly touched by her testimony on how God transformed her life inside out. Initially, she was quite resistant to Christianity, but after many months, she decided to accept Jesus because she found peace, and her wounds were healed. I saw similarities in our stories and I’m just glad to know that lives were touched and transformed by God.
During her testimony sharing, she sang the chorus of Take Me Deeper that touched her heart during her first church service and something about her voice just stirred within my heart. God touched me and I cried after hearing her story. It was a simple testimony, yet it was so beautiful.
Take me deeper
Deeper in love with You
Jesus hold me close
In Your embrace
Take me deeper
Deeper than I’ve ever been before
I just want to love You more and more
How I long to be deeper in love
Take Me Deeper by Don Moen
This trip was very meaningful for me and maybe something in my heart shifted. If you ask me whether I would come back for future mission trips, I would. It doesn’t matter where I am, whether physically or spiritually, what matters most is He is always there.
Pray with us
With tensions rising between Thailand and Cambodia, the Cambodians are concerned over their safety and future. Siem Reap is a 3-hour drive away from the Thailand-Cambodia border and the Cambodians in Siem Reap would be severely affected should matters escalate. The borders are currently closed, those who normally work in Thailand are left without a job.
Pray that the leaders from both countries would be able to reconcile and restore the peace between the countries.
Pray that the churches would be able to support their community through this tough time and that God will multiply their efforts to care for the villagers affected by the closure of the border.
Blessings,
LAV