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Jewel in Cambodia Scarves for Cambodia Journals for the Journey

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

How great is our God! -- from Indiana to Cambodia

Hello from Cambodia - like 11 time zones away... weird.
Cambodia is ok -- I'm not sure Asia is my cup of tea. Things are very different - very different from the States, and very different from South/Central America. I am definitely out of my comfort zone, but that is a good thing. I prayed to be stretched and to be uncomfortable. I just really cannot find how I am supposed to ''fit into'' the work we are doing here. Our team is starting to grow closer I think. I just really haven't been able to connect in our ministry. I am praying to know what God is trying to teach me. It's nice to be with Tim & Tiffany. It was so great to see them waiting outside the airport gates. Having a special bond with them before they were missionaries and Cambodia, and seeing them in their element now has made me really think about how my life is going to change once I am in my true God-called element. I haven't felt too sick yet, but I don't eat much. I already almost don't like rice anymore. I did stay at the house sick yesterday while our team went to Teoul Slang and the Killing Fields (like a Cambodian Holocaust, only 30 yrs ago). It's hot here, but tolerable. I definitely feel like it was hotter in the Dominican Republic 2 summers ago. I can't understand a single thing the Khmer people are saying when they talk this asian language. I keep wanting to talk in spanish, but "Hola Zanda" just doesn't fit. I feel like I'm getting enough sleep, but we have been absolutely exhausted every dinner everynight, and getting to bed anywhere between 9-10 usually, with the exception of the night we arrived. Tomorow we are headed to Croche, about a 5 hr drive. We will be there for 5 days teaching English classes. The area has lost electricity, but we're hoping and praying that our hotel will still be functioning on a generator. Tim and Tiffany's house is very nice, but I usually "hold it" when we are other places. Pray that I can find my place on this team, my niche, that I can connect with some students and build good relationships. I don't feel "used" yet. It feels like it has been a two weeks but it has only been 6 days, which means 18 more. On our 1st day I went with Tiffany to the market, and it was really my first experience in the situation. I never went to the Dominican market, the Mexican market, the Honduran market, the Ecuadorian market. It was hard. The smells, the sights. The ground is absolutely disgusting, like the streets and yards and everywhere, and the tables and bowls and hands are almost equally disturbing. I know the vegetables and fruits and meats can be washed, which is ok, but it was difficult. I honestly stopped and thought and couldn't imagine doing this on a daily basis - food is a necessity. In 6 years I intend to be serving in a very third world country, married or not, and I WILL have to buy my food in a similar market. I was talking to Tim about how bothered I was, and he said something like: "You will be amazed at what God can do through you." God will help me overcome the difficult things, and there will be many difficult things. I'm so excited to learn more and see how God will work in me and through me now in Cambodia, and later in life at other places and in other opportunities. Praise Him. I will never forget what Ruben, our van driver in the DR, said one evening: "We are serving the same God in the Dominican Republic, in China, in Africa, and in the States." What an amazing thought. How great is our God!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Jewel! It was good to hear about your trip; now I know better how to pray:) I hope you find you niche soon.

Anonymous said...

jewelie poo!
this is soo great to read what you're thinking while you're there!
I totally understand when you said that you wish you could speak spanish but that's not the language there.. Jewel this is a great thing for you to experience. The market's are similar in Peru to what you have described, but the thing is that you need to understand that God put you in Cambodia for a reason, and i'm so excited to hear about what it is.
love you dearest and i'm praying for you and jess..
<3glenda

Anonymous said...

Hi Jewel,
You have been on my heart and in my prayers. I'm so glad to read an update, helps me to pray specifically for you. :) I'm asking God to accomplish His purpose in you and to overwhelm you with His strength and grace. Proud of you!
Love, Sue Wampner

Anonymous said...

I've been praying for you Jewel. I'll pray more specifically for you.
Can't imagine being there. I can sympathize with your food and other "issues". I'll keep praying!
love you!
David