Unification of the Body

Suostei/Hello Family & Friends! 

Let’s start off with the fact that team Selah’s time in Chhuk, Cambodia was an absolute BLAST!

For the past four weeks, all six teams of Gap K Squad were split up and placed in either new or the same ministry outreaches. Three teams (Manna, Bethesda, and Shalom) stayed in Siem Reap to focus on building relationships in the city, while three teams (Epimone, Arukah, and SELAH) traveled away from the city life into rural villages. Team Selah traveled the farthest south to a small town called Chhuk to partner with an organization called Youth Development Center (YDC) with Vuthy as our ministry host! Here are some pictures and explanations of what YDC was all about!

This is the main building used for Church and sometimes for school in the morning for the older kids. The picture with the kids is when we celebrated Christmas on December 4th and gave all the kids new school supplies, backpacks, and food! They all loved their gifts and had big smiles on their faces when they were given so much!

This building was the main classroom! We taught the 5-10 years olds in the morning with teacher Chantha and the 11-15 year olds at night with teacher Lea. Chantha and Lea worked as a translator and teacher for us and the kids. They gave generously with what they had and teaching with them was so fun! I learned the names of each student as quickly as possible to gain a trustworthy relationship with them. Joe and I tried our best to construct a Christmas tree from palm branches while Derek impressed us all with with ability to create a Christmas wreath!

Now, for the SOCCER ministry!!! This was my favorite, most effective way to ministry in Chhuk:) I grew up playing competitive soccer, so I have some great memories from the sport. But what really helped me coach the players were the endless drills that I had stored up in my mind from previous years of being a player. On Saturday and Sunday, I coached from 1:30-5:30 both the boys and girl team. On Sunday, before either the match or practice, all players, even the opposing team, would come into the church and hear a word from one of the guys on team Selah! We would worship together and share testimonies of how God is working in our lives. The players would come to play soccer, so it was a perfect opportunity to speak God’s truth into each individual. Thank you God for working in the midst of the soccer ministry in Chhuk, Cambodia!

We traveled to the coastal town of Kep, Cambodia on one of our days of rest! Kep is known for its crab market, so of course I had to try some and it was very tasty. We swam in the Gulf of Thailand which was amazing since I love water and had a 360 view of the sunset which was magnificent! The time was sweet in Kep as the team got to bond even more during this shared experience!

Here’s a random photo dump! We decided to dress up for some Christmas photos, you’re welcome parents:) There’s some laundry drying and it was such a blessing to have an actual washing machine at the base! Don’t even get me started on the coconuts because those things tasted so good and apparently they are very health for you! The building on the bottom right is where we filtered our water to make sure it was safe to drink. We had a washing machine, coconuts, and clean water, what else do you need in life… I’ll wait. 

With everything said and done, I can say with confidence team Selah has been unified from the ministry in Chhuk. We prioritized building up a health team dynamic by devoting time to prayer as one body, studying the book Ephesians in our down time, and having intentional one on ones to actually see and hear each other out in conversation. I’m so glad half of the World Race is spent with just your team because all the guys have so much to offer and I’m learning so much from each one of them. We had communion on one of the last nights in Chhuk to partake in Jesus’s body and blood together as one body. It was so good to thank God for all he did in our time at Chhuk and I can’t wait to see how God uses team Selah in the near future!

And guys I’M FULLY FUNDED!!!! Praise God for all the provision and guidance He has placed over my life. And thank you for saying “YES” when called to give to the mission field. I’m thankful for your constant support, but more importantly God is smiling down on your generous hearts because you gave what you freely received in the name of Christ! I will continue to ask for prayer as I encounter new places with the guidance of the Spirit, not my flesh. And I will keep you in my prayers as well! May you fully trust the Lord with your life, so you don’t have to carry the weight of all the troubles of the world alone. I’d encourage you to invite safe people into your life, so you can fight the constant temptation alongside others, and so you’re not alone.

BLESSINGS & LOVE Y’ALL & PEACE OUT!