Week 2 Recap: Ministry starts

Week 2 Recap

Once we landed in Cambodia after 56 hours of traveling,3 planes 2 layovers (one of which we almost missed), and 1 bus later, we got to our hostel for our first night in the capital of Cambodia. All 18 girls stayed in one room with our own pods and beds which actually was nice considering we all had been tent camping during training camp and sleeping on sleeping pads.

    Before leaving training camp our team of 22 people were split into three teams of 7/8 people. So the following day after arriving in Cambodia and getting a good nights rest we had to say goodbye to our teams. Two of our teams headed south while we headed north. I had only known this group of people for one week and I was in tears. I couldn’t believe how little time we had spent together yet was going to miss them so  much for the following few weeks until we meet back up in Thailand.

    After we had said goodbye to our friends, my team and I ( Team Zion) got in our first tuktuk and headed to our location which we would be staying for the next few weeks. They had set aside a single classroom with nothing but a desk and two chairs in it. We were humbled to say the least. We had no clue what our ministry would look like nor did we know how our living situation would be until this point.

    The Lord was quick to remind us we are not here to be comfortable. We quickly adjusted to our new living scenario and started ministry the next day. We are all teaching ages 3-21 years old and rotating the grade levels of classes every week. I started in the kindergarten class which was the sweetest thing ever! A year ago I had no experience with kids or thought I was good at teaching. I actually have been loving every second of teaching each level of kids.

Here I have provided a schedule of what a day of ministry looks like:

5:35AM wake up ☀️

6:00AM Teach English lesson for TA’s👩‍🏫

7:00AM eat breakfast 🥣

7:35AM Morning assembly with the kids🕺

8:00AM 20 minutes of teaching a lesson in English✏️

8:20AM help with other lessons and keep kids engaged.

10:30AM BREAK 💤

11:30AM Grandma makes rice + other dishes 🍚

1:35PM second class assembly 🕺

2:00PM 20 minutes of teaching 📝

2:20PM help teachers with other lessons

4:30PM BREAK💤

6:00PM 20 minutes of teaching ✏️

7:00PM Grandma makes rice🍚

7:45PM Team time. 👯👯

10:00PM lights out 😴🌃

Yes this is a lot. And yes the first week we were sleeping between every break we had.

   With the remainder of our days we get to explore the city. The main way to shop here is going to the outdoor markets. So the locals get everything from these markets like clothes, supplies, water and food. There is a nice river walk close by so we get to enjoy some beautiful sunsets. There’s also Beautiful temples to walk around in the area.

The culture here is very different from the United States of America but it’s so awesome to see. Some culture things that are customary here include: removing shoes when entering a home, always giving and receiving items with you right hand, not pointing with feet or fingers. The currently we use is reel which is 4000reel to 1 USD. Many homes have spirit houses sitting out front. 95% of this culture is Buddhist. Rice is cheap and filling so you will eat rice with almost all of your meals. The language they speak here is Khmer. I have got to learn a little of the basic greetings. The kids love talking to us in English though. I have really enjoyed learning about and experiencing this culture.

Two verses that I really enjoyed reading while being here are these two:

“And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.” Jeremiah 31:25

“I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:17

   I have been called to serve. Been called to be here by the power God has given me. He does not call the equips but he equips the called. By his unending love and gentleness he continues to remind me that this is not for me. This is for him and the kids and it is not for my own comfort, or reward.

I can’t wait to share the next weeks recap with you! Stay tuned!