Christmas in Cambodia!

Hello everyone! If you haven’t already heard, I am no longer in Cambodia or even in Asia, for that matter. I am writing this to you from 40000 ft in the air after trying to readjust and become comfortable for the last 6 hrs.

First things first, I am so grateful and blessed to say that because of all of your support and prayers, I am officially fully funded! Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me. It is so beautiful that we are serving the Lord as a body of Christ. Here we are, a part of the Lord’s work, together heading into South Africa. Sincerely, thank you.

I want to give another thanks to those who made Christmas in Cambodia possible. Thank you so much for donating a gift to these beautiful children!

The week before Christmas, my team and I spent 4 days camping in the villages. We used this time to get down to the heart of why we were there. Every day, we taught on a new color of the wordless book. (If you don’t know what that is, it is a way to share the gospel with colors. Black, red, white, yellow, and green.) At the end of the teaching, we showed a film displaying the life of Jesus. My heart was moved as I gazed at the mesmerized children and some who came to tears by the story.

It was so encouraging to see the kids learn and recite bible stories and memory verses. The seeds planted during our time here, though some may not sprout till the distant future, began to already break soil by the time we left. The light in these kids’ eyes and the brightness of their smiles resembled the love of our heavenly father so beautifully. The time spent in the villages prepared us and them perfectly for Christmas to come.

Here’s how the Christmas operation went down…
My squad packed up around 400 bags in an assembly line, as Christmas elves do, using the entire base as our workshop. Candy, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, pencils, Jesus comic books, school uniform, and more stuffed the bags full. It was so much fun seeing the joy on the kids’ faces when they received their presents. The week after Christmas, my team went into the villages and spent our last week in Cambodia handing out gifts, celebrating, dancing, eating, hugging, laughing and bidding farewell with the special people who we got to serve the last 2.5 months. It was the perfect goodbye. A celebration of our Savior’s birth!

During one of these parties, I realized that I was gifted with one of the greatest Christmas presents I have ever received. As I sat crisscross on a tarp, among 70+ kids, I witnessed the adoption of my brothers and sisters. I watched as these adorable, precious children, in their native tongue, accepted Jesus into their hearts. What a wonderful tapestry to get to be a part of.

Thank you so much!