It is easy to feel disconnected from yourself and the people around you, especially when you’re put in a new place. A place with no familiarity, no personal comforts, and no one that knows you doing life with you. Even though that is the current spot that I’m in, it has pushed and forced me to be actively connected to God and what that should even look like. Practicing ways for Him to actually be my peace, and actively give Him all my exhaustion, frustration, or loneliness. Cambodia has been such an opportunity to practice gratitude. When will I ever get this chance again to be in Cambodia, placing everything on pause to make it so I’m fully positioning my eyes on the Lord. Surrounded by 7 women where their only focus is to bless the people around them and grow deeper in their relationship with the Lord. I’m so thankful that I get the privilege of getting to grow as a person and as a child of God. I’m having more opportunities to bring my loneliness, exhaustion, and disconnection to the Lord and find my peace only in the Father. This week has been full of growing deeper relationships with my students. Something like a hug is viewed as very socially normal back in the states, but here in Cambodia not has much. However, we have started hugging our students so often that now they want hugs without us even asking. Something so simple as a hug can communicate safety, love, and stability, and what a joy it is that me and my team get to be those qualities for our students during our time here. Our weekend consisted of going fishing with our host family and it truly felt like a treat and was more relaxing than any of us were expecting! Our host family has become a family to us and a group of people we deeply care about. I have fallen in love with Cambodia and its people and leaving will be heart breaking. Our days are filled with laughter from students, sweet smiles from Necrue, delicious food we could eat till our stomachs burst, or our every day 7-11 trips for whenever we feel the need for a sweet treat. I have been blessed with so much love and joy from this country. God is so good and so are his people!
Pray against exhaustion! Pray for endurance! Pray that I consistently stay present in where I’m at and what I’m doing!
Thanks for tuning in you are such a blessing, God loves you!
