Cambodia Update #5

So, after almost 3 weeks pretty much packed with activities, I was happy to have a little more laid-back Saturday today. I slept in (until 8:00), called my parents (my first venture into the wonderful world of Skype), got some laundry done, and then went with a couple of my teammates to a café to eat & do some computer stuff (like uploading pics & working on this update). After a while we ventured into the nearby Russian market and within 5 minutes I was experiencing major sensory overload. There is an almost unbelievable amount of stuff for sale per square foot, making shopping for souvenirs a nearly overwhelming task. There is so much cool stuff and all of it being offered “cheap for you” that I just start to shut down. After looking for a while at the textiles & such, I wanted to find a particular coffee that I know someone sells around here but I haven’t been able to find in the grocery store. That took me to the area where food of all sorts is sold, accompanied by a barrage of smells from ripe, raw, and cooking foods. The blend of smells, as well as the increased heat from the cooking, finally drove me out of the market and back to the refuge of the air-conditioned café. It is operated by a Christian organization which provides work opportunities and experience for at-risk Cambodians, those who might otherwise be forced to seek employment in exploitative situations for survival. There are a number of places offering this much-needed type of ministry.

Finished up at Logos on Friday. Kind of sad & happy at the same time. Sad leaving my sweet students, but happy to be freed up for some other opportunities (no more planning & preparing for lessons). My CrossWorld team leader is planning to schedule time for me to meet with PTs who are working with some of the organizations with which she has been making connections so I am cautiously excited about that. I say cautiously because, as I mentioned before, things here are always subject to change – it’s hard to make plans very far in advance. So I’m praying for the right things to open up as well as for patience and trust in the Lord’s plans for me which might be different than I think they should be. If I don’t have a lot of PT opportunities I’m praying that the Lord will help me to know where it would be best to focus my time. I like to hang out with the women at Daughters, though the communication can be a little awkward because of the language barrier. I'm thankful that love does not always require words to be communicated, but it's hard to feel so limited sometimes. They are so sweet - when we're having fun with them it's hard to think about what they've endured in the past. So grateful that they have been given a chance at freedom. Please pray for the Daughters ministry. They are really working on making the businesses in which the women are working self-sustaining so that they can continue to reach more women. Right now they are doing beautiful work making cakes, sugar flowers to top cakes, jewelry, photography, artwork, and textile products. The problem is in finding a big enough market for them. This is something that my team is working on in addition to building relationships with them.

Now for the prayer points:

• Praise God for sustaining our team as we adjust to the heat, schedule and Cambodian way of life. Continue to pray for our health - still just minor stuff at this point (another praise) and for energy, rest, and wisdom to know what we need when.
• Pray for the Lord to open up the opportunities that He wants for me while I'm here. I really want to get a taste of what ministry might look for me if it is His desire for me to come back long term. I'd really love to get to see some physical therapy opportunities. At the same time, I want to be yielded to His plans if they are different from mine.
  
• Pray for the Daughters ministry, that they would be able to develop their businesses so they can be self-sustainable and allow the ministry to grow and for the women involved to experience the Lord's provision. Pray for the salvation of those who have not come to know Him.
  
• Pray for wisdom for the Christians working in Cambodia, both native and ex-pat. There is so much need here and the problems are not easy to tackle. Pray that the Lord would be magnified here and that an outpouring of His love would bring healing to this part of the world.