Christmas in Reykjavik

On Christmas Eve we went to another city to help out the salvation army with like a Christmas dinner that they do for refugees and people seeking political asylum (its like people who had to escape from their countries because of war and they cant live with the rest of the population or work, so they like do nothing). Anyways it was one of the most meaningful touching Christmas experiences of my life! I started by just talking to some young men that were there, they were from all over, Africa, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Romania etc…they were so broken and hopeless. No one wanted them, loved them, and now they were stuck in Iceland! It was like prison to them. My heart broke for them because my dad was exactly like them. Here is my dads story: During the Vietnam War my dad was sent to Poland to study ship engineering. While he was studying he fell in love with the west and europe and freedom and he didnt want to go back. So he escaped and fled and spent many years running and hiding from the police. He ended up in a refugee camp in Austria just like these guys in Iceland. Then on Christmas Eve some YWAMers came to the camp and was sharing the Christmas Gospel with him and he gave his heart to God because he was so hopeless. A few weeks later he was accepted to go to Canada and thats why I am here now!

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So now here I am, 30 years later talking to guys who were in my dad’s shoes…on Christmas Eve! It was like I went back in time and was looking at my Dad! It was so crazy and I was so moved. Before the dinner I was asked to share the Christmas Gospel with them. When I was sharing it I almost started to cry because I thought that if someone like me didn’t come and share God’s love with my dad I might not be here or living a different kind of life. And then I read a part of the Christmas story that my dad says changed his life forever and I almost couldn’t read it cause my throat was all choked up! It was so so so amazing…remember how we were talking about how God prepares us? Even years before? It was what I was thinking, so amazing! How I was born into a family of an immigrant refugee, and now I can relate to these guys and have power to speak into their situation that others dont have! It was a huge blessing and some of the guys that were there were so encouraged and blessed and felt God’s love on Christmas to me I felt more blessed and God was so good and I felt so close to my father and my parents even though we are so far away.

 

Waka Waka – This is Africa

T.I.A – This is Africa. We have the hot African sun, shark infested waters off the coast, the southern most tip of the continent is home, stoplights are called robots, and we have all the time in the world. This is a little look at what has been going on.

Its a lot like home. From the moment we arrived in Cape Town we realized that culture is not very different than what were used to. Modernized, globalized, and even trendy are some of the words I would use to describe the environment, and who knew that they would even have indie/hipster food and craft markets too! The outward appearance seems similar but the people of South Africa are different. They have time, and value relationships higher than a planned schedule. They are friendly and willing to talk, which is really why we are here.

Our team of fourteen have been here since early Dec ‘’working the ground’’ in conversation and relationships, sharing life with people not as teachers but as learners. Our heart is to reach people, the rich, the poor, and anyone we meet. I feel like I have never talked to so many strangers in my life than my time here in south Africa. Its challenging. But here’s a little perspective.

I was in a group with my friends out for the day. It seemed ordinary and to be honest I wasn’t feeling very accomplished or even motivated due to my poor attitude, but I went out in faith that I had a message to share that is greater than my feelings. We pass an old wrinkled man who started to talk with us, trying to communicate his situation. He is a street sweeper. My friends started to talk with him, opening up, and showing compassion. I stood listening and watching his face. He was desperate and dry. And then the opportunity to share Jesus with this man came. I talked grace, forgiveness, and hope. It was simple and definitely not me. I felt the words I said were foreign or at least I wasn’t living them out in that moment because I was so concerned with my own issues and not concerned with the Savior. But here’s the incredible part. This is the reason why Im here. Despite my inadequacy in sharing the message of hope, it got through to him! It was as if, a light bulb turned on in a dark room, and there was for the first time a change in the man’s eyes. His demeanor had a look of mystery. He had never heard of such good news, that God wants to forgive him of his past! He drank in every word that was spoken. And a man who almost died of dehydration now had living water in him never to be thirsty again! I walked away with a deep sense of humility, for here I am a broken man ministering to another broken man. The only difference is that I found Jesus and I got to share him with the street sweeper.

Proverbs 25:25 “Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.”

The Filipino Files

Ever get the thought “I am going to remember me saying, I’m going to remember this moment.”? And three weeks later you remember yourself saying that? Wow that’s some serious Inception but it’s like remembering the moment of setting off on a journey when you are finishing it. Three weeks have gone by like a typhoon here and it felt like as soon as we landed we are taking off again, but this time home. The heat and our busy lives seemed to compress our time into a baked little brick.

Three weeks ago I was also a different man. Looking ahead I realized this was going to be hard and I honestly was not looking forward to spending myself out here. Yes, it’s hot and very sticky and there was stuff I didn’t want to do and if I had it my way, I would hole myself up to an internet hub and log out of this part of life. But there was another thing called surrender and as soon as I realized we would be in it for the long haul, I gave myself up, called myself a weak man and asked God for strength. It’s an amazing thing when we not only surrender our entitlement but also ask God to help us do it. He actually does! From there on afterwards, ministry became a lot more fun and exciting. It actually surprised me how so many times prior to, I had relied on my own strength and wisdom to convey the gospel. Sure there were results but I was so burnt out and unwilling to take more steps. But in light of actually including God helping me here has been a mind-blowing revelation! When we are weak, he is strong, oh so very strong!

 

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The rest of our outreach pretty much revolved around the same schedule of and afternoon ministry sometimes accompanied with either a morning or an evening event. We continued to nurture the relationships we built and played all-hard-out with the street kids. They all knew us by name, I forgot most – they were so many! We continued to do more evangelism and started up playing basketball with the all-stars of Pali-Paran. We also started connecting with the churches and youth groups of the community, encouraging and strengthening their resolves. I had a great opportunity to preach one Sunday and wanted to let the Filipino church know the mission fields are not just out in the world, they are right outside our doorsteps. I could see the youth right here having so much potential to shine out loud in Pali-Paran. Our final night in this city ended with a three-hour youth service from four different churches. It was so cool to see such a unity and diversity in talent. But what really struck me was the Spirit of God on this place, no different from home, no different from heaven.

And so finally at the end of all things this outreach draws to a close, a good ending at that. There were times we so looked forward to coming home and now that home is very near we look back and long at the things we could have done. But that is alright. The most important part is ending off right. I feel so content packing my bags and playing Outreach UNO for the last time with my team. Now looking back I realize here was where I changed so much, yet again, and three weeks later.

The Relentless Pursuit

As I turned the corner, that’s when I saw him. He was a small boy, probably no older then six. I noticed how he lingered. Walking at an incredibly slow speed, he made his way to the cross walk. This boy’s pace was unimaginable.

So little, so tiny, so slow.

He was so cute… then it hit me. Why on earth was a boy at such a young age walking the streets of Akureyri alone?

Without giving it much thought, I followed him. Accompanied by my three YWAM friends, we walked on the other side of the street following this young boy. I wondered if this was normal for most Icelanders. Most of the time I would see young Icelandic children walking home from school without an adult… but for some reason, this young boy caught all of our attention. We had no choice but to follow him, and make sure that he was ok.

After awhile, I’m sure the young boy noticed us following him. We didn’t want to scare him, after all, if I was being followed by four complete strangers, I’d be frightened too. We tried out hardest to steer away from the child, but it was impossible to do so, being this town wasn’t very populated. However, all of us froze as we saw the child make his way towards a house. Very slowly while dragging his book bag, he knocked on the door.

“Oh good, he’s home.” We all thought. We waited and watched as this young boy knocked and knocked repeatedly on the door. His little hands reached up and turned the door knob. No luck. The door wouldn’t open. Making his way down the stairs, he turned the corner and began walking towards a small wooded park.

We wondered if we should turn around, it was getting late and the other YWAMer’s would be excepting us soon. As we started to turn around, my eyes stayed with this young boy. As much as I wanted to leave, I couldn’t. Something inside of me was telling me to stay with this child. Each of us looked at each other, I could tell that we were all thinking the same thing. Instantly, we crossed the street and made our way to the woods.

At this point… we were relentless.

As we approached the woods, my friend Rachelle stopped. I looked at her not sure what she was doing. She mentioned the house that the boy previously knocked on. I thought back, it was strange. If the boy really lived there, then why didn’t anyone let him in. Then I wondered if maybe he knew someone who lived there. It was quite strange. Rachelle decided to go back to the house and see for herself. I was curious as well, so I decided to go with her.

I didn’t go up to the house like she did, but instead, I watched from the side. From where I was, I could see Rachelle and the young boy who still carried on down the path.

Rachelle made her way over to the house. Pushing open the black gate, she climbed up the front steps and knocked on the door. I was too far away to hear what she was saying, but by the residents reactions, I could tell they had no idea who Rachelle was talking about.

“Bless bless,” Rachelle said waving goodbye to the Icelandic residents.

We made our way back down the wooded path, trying to catch up with the young boy and our two other friends. I asked Rachelle if they knew of the boy. To no surprise at all, she told me that they didn’t. In fact, she said no young boys lived in that entire housing complex. This situation was peculiar indeed. Why on earth would that young boy stop at that house if he didn’t know anyone who lived there?

Eventually, we caught up with the others and told them what we found out. As we were speaking, a familiar tune caught our attention. Each of us listened carefully… the words were in Icelandic, but the tune was very familiar. Then we realized… this tune was coming from the young boy. He was singing.

“Frosty á Snowman var Jolly hamingjusamur sál, Með corncob pípu og hnappur nef Og tvö augu úr kolum!” He carried out this tune over and over again, gradually getting louder with each new verse. Each of us looked at each other smiling. The tune he was singing was Frosty the Snowman. I couldn’t help but grin. This moment was just to cute and almost surreal. Here this young boy was lost, yet, he was singing a happy song without any worries at all.

I looked over and saw my friends Andy and Cortnie dancing and skipping to the song. Trying not to laugh, Rachelle and I both joined in. At this point, this young boy stole my heart. I’m not sure where he was headed or who he belonged too, but I would stop at nothing in till I knew he was safe.

The boy must have noticed us again. He picked up his pace and turned another corner. We knew we had to be scaring him, I mean… we were following him. Instead of all four of us following him, we split into two groups. Andy and Rachelle kept going straight, while Cortnie and I kept following him. Perhaps he wouldn’t be as scared if he saw only two of us.

Then finally… he stopped.

Turning into someone’s yard, he laid down in the snow. He picked up a snow ball or two, then laid it back down in the snow.

“What is he doing?” Cortnie and I both thought.

Cortnie walked up to the young boy. He froze and looked absolutely terrified. Now in Iceland, English is their second language however, this boy was no older then six. Most Icelanders don’t start learning English in till they are somewhat older. There was no way this boy would understand us. However, we knew one word in Icelandic… and the word was perfect for this moment.

“Heima?” Cortnie asked with her shoulders shrugged.

The boy just stared at her, completely puzzled.

She asked again, “Heima?”

The boy sat up, and began speaking to us in Icelandic. He talked and talked and every word was complete gibberish to both Courtnie and I.

We both asked again, hoping he’d communicate to us in a way other then speaking.

Courtnie and I both looked at each other, then back at the boy. The boy was completely terrified. At this moment, I started praying. Something was stirring in my spirit… all I wanted, was to see this boy home. I didn’t care about anything else, I just wanted to know that this boy was safe in the arms of his mother or father.

Then up ahead, a car started coming down the street. It stopped right by us. Rolling down the front window, a women poked her head out.

We asked, “Are you the boys mother?”

Instantly, she said yes.

My heart was at ease.

She began thanking us for making sure he was safe. Apparently, this was his first time walking home from school all by himself. She was so worried about him, afraid that he would get lost… which he did. For us to make sure he was safe, meant so much to her.

We waved goodbye and watched as the little boy got in his mother’s car. They both drove away, down the road we just came from. Andy and Rachelle caught up with us also.

We weren’t sure what just happened, myself especially. Here we were, the four of us out exploring the small town of Akureyri, only instead to be sent on a never ending adventure. I thought to myself, there has to be some meaning to this. To me, this wasn’t just some random thing that happened, but something so much more.

The moment I saw that boy, my heart broke for him. I wanted to know where he was going, and to make sure he was safe. In doing so, we relentlessly followed him. Through parks and up the icy streets of Iceland… we followed this boy. Kind of similar to how Jesus pursues us.

The moment He creates us, He wants us. He wants to make sure were safe. In doing so, He follows us where ever we go. We go to house after house and knock on each door, hoping that this will be the place we can call home. When really, our home is with God.

People and places will reject us. Some won’t even acknowledge our presence. They won’t even open the door for us. We desire a place to call home. A place of safety, and a place filled with love. Through out these trials of life, there’s always one person there. He follows us and watches everything we do. He’s always been there and now, he’s waiting for us to acknowledge him. He wants to carry us home.

He. Relentlessly. Pursues. Us.

I didn’t realize this till weeks after this event happened, and now, it’s more clear then ever. The Icelandic word we spoke was heima. In English, heima means home.

Jesus is calling us home!

Jesus is relentlessly pursuing us every day and all the time. He is the home our hearts desire. He is our home… our heima.

Now it’s up to us. Will we let Him carry us home, or will we keep wandering the cold streets alone? Whatever we choose, there’s one thing I know for sure. He will NEVER stop pursuing us. His love is Relentless.

Absolutely Relentless.

100 Fold Studio: Site Visit To Ensenada, Mexico

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‘Jose, his wife Rocio, and their three children had been living on their property in a house with a dirt floor and leaky roof and walls. His daughters and wife were sick all the time and tensions were high, as his youngest daughter was critically ill. Constant stress was taking its toll, and no money was available to move his family or repair the house. Jose was ready to pack up his family and leave the area because of the hopelessness and constant anxiety. He felt inadequate as a father and husband that could not even provide for his own family.
As the Manzanillas Torres family walked out of the dilapidated house for the last time to say goodbye to neighbors, a truck pulled up with two Homes of Hope staff members. As the two ladies approached, one handed Jose a few papers, asking him to prepare his land for a new house that was going to be given to him. “I didn’t believe it was true!” exclaimed Jose. Now that Jose and his family are warm and healthy in their new house, they look back on the difficult time in their lives with such thankfulness in their hearts. “YWAM opened The Manzanillas Torres Family the door to Christ for us!” Rocio said.
With the new house, sickness is gone, work is better, their marriage is more fulfilling and Jose and Rocio are better friends. With a smile Rocio went on, “This house has helped us to learn to live in a home as a couple — and that everything is possible. Our relationship with God has taught us to trust people, and that has helped us a lot. I feel more organized here. It’s easier. I love my house — it’s comfortable — when I am in here I feel the warmth of all the hands that built it and know that I am not alone.” Jose could not stop smiling.” – Homes of Hope Testimonial: website
I love reading through the stories of all the lives that are being transformed through the organizations that 100 Fold  serves. The Manzanillas Torres family received a home that was donated and built by Homes of Hope in Ensenada, Mexico. In January, I traveled to Ensenada to help Homes of Hope with a strategy for developing their existing property as well as a newly purchased one. Homes of Hope receives hundreds of volunteers each year that come to build homes for impoverished families. All of these volunteers and the Homes of Hope staff are housed and fed on this property. The future, renovated campus that 100 Fold has designed will increase the amount ofsafe and comfortable accommodations, including kitchen, eating and meeting facilities. This will allow Homes of Hope to receive more volunteers each year and build more houses in the surrounding community! Additionally, the facility will serve as a meeting place for local churches.
As I have been learning more about the role 100 Fold plays in global missions, I think I had underestimated the value of good architectural planning for ministries that are trying to be good stewards of donated fundsHave you ever considered why the drawings architects do are called plans? I hadn’t. Until recently. I suppose it’s because they offer exactly that–a plan. The appropriate steps to take to achieve the best result. Decisions like what materials to buy, where to place a wall, where to dig for the foundation, are all informed by that plan. We all know that in the non-profit world, money rarely flows in large, steady increments. So for a ministry to be given a master plan that has been developed through a professional architectural lens, they are able to make better informed decisions with the resources that do come in. The hope is that the plan will result in safe, efficient and cost-effective buildings that can save time and money in the long-term (and hopefully in the short-term too!).
I’m definitely a planner by nature. I have been ever since I was little. When I do those personality tests, I always fall into “Type A” or “Beaver” or whatever category identifies the people that like to have all their ducks in a row! Those of you that join me in these categories will know the strengths and weaknesses of this personality type. But I take comfort in knowing that planning reflects a characteristic of God. He values plans too. The whole Bible is a story of God’s plan. His continual plan for our redemption. And thus, I trust that God is also the Ultimate Architect. One I can look to for wisdom and creativity about building designs & master plans, that will serve our ministry partners in the best way possible.

Opening Blind Eyes

The human eyes. They tell stories. They tell of heartbreak. They tell of joy. They tell of love. They tell of pain. They tell our secrets before we even open our mouths to speak. Light is in the eyes, and Darkness is in the eyes. Our eyes capture moments in life that shape us; for the good, and for the bad. I learned this during my DTS (Discipleship Training School) in 2009, when God took me as messed up and as broken as I was, and turned my life upside down.

While sipping on an iced latte at the Banyan Tree Cafe in Kona, Hawaii, God challenged me. He said to me very clearly, “Focus on the eyes.” At first, I was very confused by this. I thought maybe this was just a matter of capturing a “good” portrait? Or maybe God wanted me to focus on him with my eyes? Both of which are true, but as years have passed, I have realized that it is so much more than simple technique, and so much more than an instruction to pursue God.

As my teammates and I packed ourselves into the backs of a few trucks, with our gear strapped to the roof, and our hearts racing at the adventure that laid ahead, I remember trying to imagine our Panamanian adventure into the Gnobe tribes, and what was to be expected. Little did I know, my expectations were about to be surpassed. After our long journey through the bumpy dirt roads, and rivers that reached almost too close to the bottom of my feet, we reached a blue concrete school. I remember feeling excited as people emerged from their wood paneled houses and gathered around our vehicles and stared at us with wondering eyes. There was such an innocence about this village, about this people, that intrigued me from the very beginning.

I awoke from my somewhat restless sleep only to see eyes peering through the chain link that was our window. Untangling the mosquito net, and picking myself up off the concrete floor, I grabbed my camera and stepped outside. After taking a few photos, I turned around to see two smiling faces; a young boy with a daringly curious smile, and a petite girl with strength in her eyes. “Foto?” the boy asked, pointing at my name tag, and then pointing at my camera. Before even starting to shoot, the words ran through my head once again, “Focus on the eyes,” and as I took a few photos, I saw these words in a new light.

At one point during this divinely appointed photo shoot, I turned the camera around so the boy and girl could see the photos, and both their faces lit up with a smile that reached from ear to ear. It was in that moment that I knew there was more to photography than simple technique. Photography is more than getting a “good” photo. It is more than finding myself through the images I take. It is about relationship. It is about dying to myself; to fame, to fear, and to money. It is about reaching out and “seeing” someone. Finding out their story, and showing that through images. Where they have come from, where they are now, and where they are going.

The eyes reveal the soul, and when we open our eyes, and focus on the eyes of another person, something amazing happens. There is this moment of acknowledgement, of vulnerability, and of redemption. It says to one another, “I see you,” and God begins repairing another heart.

Through photography, my dream is to see hearts repaired, lives transformed, and hope instilled all over the world. Equipping photographers to go into missions and to use their photography, their eyes, to tell the stories of people; Individuals. To show the rest of the world the realities of brokenness, and the realities of the hope that Jesus Christ brings into every situation. All for the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Canada Update

The Apprenticeship program took a trip to the YWAM base in Turner Valley, Canada to help show their facilities staff how to make an estimate.  The base wanted to re-side the main building and potentially try to get another building.  Our focus was to help them get an estimate on cost for each project while teaching/showing their facilities director how best to get this work done so that he could do it in the future.  It was awesome to see the apprentices learning how to put estimates together and then explain to Turner Valley’s facilities director how it was to be done and the important steps in the process.  We went to another site where an old building was up on beams, which Turner Valley was pondering trying to move onto their site.  We were able to help them field measure the building in order to determine how to figure the future construction if they got the building. It was a great experience for both the apprentices and Turner Valley.

Montana Updates

Columbia Falls, MT (Habitat for Humanity)

The Carpentry Apprenticeship has been involved with Habitat for Humanity over the last year. In Columbia Falls they are building 16 Duplex 3 bed, 2 bath houses. Each week on Wednesday, we take our apprenticeship crew to the site where we jump in to the construction process. We have been able to make a great impact with our professional crew of apprentices and staff.

The Site Superintendent for the Flathead Valley has a heart for teaching and training. It is a great experience for our apprentices because they are able to take part in building the same house multiple times and see the process repeatedly. We will continue to use this outreach as a regular training time each year.

Big Sky Bible Camp, MT

Big Sky Bible Camp (BSBC) is a Christian camp on Echo Lake. They have summer camps and retreats year round for everyone from children to adults.

The Lakeside Carpentry Crew started 3 years ago working alongside their maintenance staff to take on a project at the BSBC facility. YWAM Montana and the Lakeside Carpentry Crew were able to donate the lion’s share of the material to build 2 new summer cabins and re-side the main dining hall. Like us, the staff of BSBC are all volunteers. It’s a real blessing to work alongside others working for the Kingdom, and move them along in their master plan. We have built long term relationships with the staff and will continue to bless and be blessed by them.

Her Story

There’s so much I could tell you about how incredible our outreach was , and the ways we saw God at work.  I want to share just one story of how the theme of discipleship played out, and how God is continuing to revolutionize a small village province called Preah Vihear to, in turn, impact the Buddhist nation of Cambodia.

Months before we left on our outreach, we wrote down personal and team goals that we prayed through and felt like God put on our heart before going to Canada and Cambodia.  Our team really felt led to make it our goal to ‘Listen. Obey. See God move.’ which quickly became our go-to phrase.  One personal goal in relation to this for me was to pray and watch to build one long-term relationship.  I had no idea what that would look like or how it would come to fruition.  Then on the long bus ride to Preah Vihear, I was talking with my friend and prayer partner, Katie, and telling her I just felt pulled towards being with moms, doing the everyday with them and helping them see God’s truth in their lives.  Again, I didn’t know what to expect or how that would look, but God kept impressing it upon my heart.

So when we arrived  to this rural area, we realized quickly that most of our ministry would be spent alongside the local church and helping with youth in the community.  We found that the area was both centered around community while also being very private and withheld in personal matters.  It took time to build trust, and our own ideas of ministry had to shift to meet the needs and feel of the culture.  The youth were at first very stand-offish, but warmed up after the first few days, and more and more kids came streaming in.  We were able to teach English along with Bible stories with our translator’s help, and show them love in various ways.  They intently listened and asked questions, and it was amazing to see their lives change as they opened up to Christ right in front of our eyes.

However, I kept wondering what God was doing with my desire to be with moms since we weren’t really meeting their parents, and most adults at the local church didn’t know English to carry on conversations.  I was continually trying to practice really listening to God prompting me, and it was one night that He pointed me towards an adorable chubby baby that changed everything.  We were at the church’s prayer meeting, and our group had arrived early.  I noticed a group of women outside the open doors, one with the chubbiest baby I’ve ever seen!  She was just precious, and without even thinking, I got up to go play with her as I felt prompted to do.  I was loving playing peek-a-boo with her, and smiled at her mom a couple of times.  Just as the prayer service started, her mom looked straight at me and spoke to me in perfect English.

I came for prayer tonight,‘ she said with desperation in her voice.  ’I used to do ministry at the youth center where you’re staying, but then moved to Phnom Penh after I married and now have two children.  My husband has just left me, and I am now living at my parents here with nothing.  He has turned from God and our family, alcohol and the world have stolen him away,‘ she cried as she explained she was losing hope in the process of all this happening.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  (Romans 5:1-5)

I couldn’t believe how open she was, and as I prayed Romans 5 over her that night, asking God to renew her hope in Him, I knew this was the beginning of a very special relationship.  Being in my first year of marriage, I felt like God allowed my heart to be broken in a whole new way, empathizing with what it would be like to have the loss of a husband and the difficulty in your life changing in an instant.  I felt the entire weight of her situation, and grieved alongside her.

She asked me to visit her, so I did the next day, and as she sorted through lies that Satan was feeding her of deserving this and feeling unwanted, God let me walk her through it in confirming His truth instead.  Her parents are Buddhist with spirit houses and a darkness very prominent in the home.  They ridiculed her for marrying foolishly, and couldn’t understand how Christianity could help her.  As she transitioned into a new way of life, it was such a privilege to see God work in her life and rebuild her faith.

Each day I would go just to talk, play with the kids, read Scripture and pray with her.  Some days I didn’t have the words to say, but just hugged her as she cried.  However, there was one day that I went over, and could see a visible change in her demeanor.  Her hair was combed and she had a nice skirt on, different from the way I’d seen her unkempt the last week or so.  Her eyes were bright and she smiled as I came in.  I told her she seemed different, and she smiled saying, ‘I feel as though God is giving me my life back.  Another chance to do ministry.’  She went on to explain that a couple in the church had offered her property in the village for free that she could build on when she was able.  She was excited about going back to the village, and having the chance to teach English and the Bible to the youth as well as start a women’s group.  It was amazing to see how God had renewed her right in front of my eyes.  As difficult as her situation was, God was re-writing her story to use her for His glory.

We went through Acts as a team over our outreach, and what stuck out to me that applied here, and will influence the rest of my life and approach, was Acts 1:7-8: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’  We cannot always control the place or type of ministry we will do, but it is God who engineers our goings, where and how, and we are simply called to live as witnesses to His gospel and truth.  I realized we were living as the Church as a whole in Preah Vihear, sharing and also re-telling the gospel story to each other to remind of God’s truth in times when one could turn away.  Others on our team also made amazing relationships that are just the beginning of things to come as God continues to work.  These are the people who live in this culture and village province, making a difference for Christ and teaching the children, and we had the opportunity to disciple them just for a time.  What we realized was that, in the everyday, ordinary happenings alongside the Khmer people, God was doing extraordinary things for His purposes and glory.   As we listened, we stepped out to obey His promptings and saw Him move.

Before all of this, I don’t think I really had a confidence in actually being able to hear God, but stepping out on one nudge led to a life-changing relationship with Him.  The discipling we did is just the foundation as these young men and women build into the youth of Cambodia.  For us to be there for such a time as this meant building into a few lives that could potentially affect hundreds and thousands of others in this generation as God works.  We can’t wait to see it continue.  As my new friend and I continue to stay in touch, please be praying for her and the others we met, for strength in their faith and willingness to be bold in living it out.