January 16, 2018

c a m b o d i a ,

toch village, cambodia.

hot, humid, sticky – bugs and frogs – kids everywhere.

but somehow whenever i come to asia it feels like coming home.

location: toch village, one hour outside of kampot. it is very rural, dirt roads and people mostly get around by motorbike. we have a lot of animals around, including cows, a bunch of chickens, and a pack of dogs. it’s hot here, some days up to 95% humidity, close to sea level. very green with rice fields nearby and beautiful sunsets.

language: khmer (pronounded ka-mai) and english

ministry partner host: vuthy and his wife, who have started light of hope school here. vuthy has been a christian since 2007 and since that time felt convicted to come back to his home village and share Christ – he said it has not been easy, he was the only Christian here among 2,700 people for a long time and they mocked him and disowned him, and for the first two years he just went door to door trying to tell people about God. but God has opened up doors and given vuthy many dreams and his ministry in the last ten years is incredible – he has a school for children to learn english, he has a church, and he has a coconut oil production site where he employs 7 families who otherwise would not have work. he also hopes soon to open up a mercy clinic here for free medical care.

it’s rare to meet a Christian who actually lives a true missionary life and follows what God asks – but vuthy is one of them.

lodging: we are in two rooms with beds and bug nets and staying on the school grounds near vuthy’s family. vuthy’s sister is cooking for us which is amazing to get to eat authentic cambodian food. we are responsible for breakfast so vuthy takes two of us on his motorcycle to the nearby market every morning where we pick up fruit and bread. we have toilets and squatty potties and cold showers, which are filled with spiders and sometimes frogs.

what are we doing?: we have a busy schedule with only one day off a week (which we spend with his family and some of the youth). monday through friday we help teach english. we also help with maintenance of the campus, such as picking up trash, recycling, and tearing down some of the huts around here. we also do home visits to the elderly and the sick where we spend time with them praying, singing, and learning more about their lives. in the evenings we are responsible for several activities including bible study, worship, and intercession. on sundays we give our testimonies and preach messages and then run kids and youth club. at kids club we start by washing all their hair and clipping their nails and then lead them in songs and games. it’s definitely more of a go, go, go month!

this is an incredible ministry and vuthy and God are doing big things here to help the community. it’s amazing to get to be a part of this.