Trusting God

Yeah I trust God… I have my whole life… right?

On November 10th, all the guys traveled from Siem Reap to a rural village that relies on one annual rice harvest for their year supply of food. The family we stayed with for the two nights were the only Christians in the whole village. We got to the little hut around 10:00 AM and set up our tents / hammocks then ate our lunch portion of rice, noodles, and chicken. Soon after, we were sent out to harvest the yellow rice, not the green rice. As you might have guessed, nobody was ready for the scorching sun and brutal rays that burnt our skin and drained our energy. I was completely exhausted after 2 hours of work, so thank God our host came over and let us take a 20 minute break. With a creek that ran parallel to the rice field, it was only a matter of time before we all ended up jumping in to cool off our sweaty bodies. This creek was not healthy for our skin to touch; nevertheless, we took the opportunity to swim and most of the guys are now suffering with diarrhea.

While all of us get back to work after the refreshing break, we see that the father, mother, and eldest son have been working silencely, but diligently the whole time. Not only did that encourage me to keep going, but it reminded me that they are counting on this rice for all of next year. I saw the family laughing at me when I attempted to work as fast as them and realized I was dropping rice left and right. I was immediately humbled by the grace they showed over and over again. Even the fact that they trusted us with their food supplies for the next year. I tried my best to stay at a consistent pace, but found myself losing steam faster than my last 100 meters in the 800 meter race haha.

When it was about 5:00 PM, it was time to go eat dinner before the sunset because that was all the light the family had. We ate the usual meal of rice and chicken which tasted like a reward after that labor. I was very appreciative for the families hospitality and their willingness to let us overcrowd their hut. That night we all crashed super early, like 6:30 PM because of the heat and our bodies not being used to working that long in direct sunlight.

On November 11th, we woke up to a rooster which immediately made me think of Dominican Republic and I got to reminisce on the happy memories formed there! We ate some ramen then walked out to the fields around 8:00 AM. The heat was already unbearable and I tried to keep the complaining down to a minimum, I failed several times. We were told there was multiple fields to harvest which was a bit discouraging to me. I felt conflicted because I wanted to help as much as possible with a positive attitude, but the sun had other plans for my attitude. The mother came out with us in the morning to work and after about 30 minutes she told us to stop. The rice wasn’t ready for harvesting, it was too green. The mother, who had showed us a swimming hole and gave us soap to rinse off last night, told us to play the rest of the day. It was a change of plans, as we were expected to work the whole day in the fields.

The family still put us to work by digging up the grass in their yard because it was just going to die without the constant water from the raining season. It was almost lunch time and I had gathered up enough energy to filter some water to drink to stay hydrated. That kind of sums up the physical labor we did at the village. It was nothing compared to what we had initially planned, but maybe it was for the best (one of the guys went back to the base early because of fatigue, but after rest he’s back to normal). 

Knowing we did not have to harvest anymore felt pretty good because I can sometimes be pretty lazy and tired. There was a bit of guilt with that feeling of being done early, but over time I realized God had probably saved us all from dehydration by stopping us early. We got to help different ways around the hut by digging up the grass, picking up trash, and then burning it all because what else are they to do with their trash. 

I rested that evening by finishing the book The Winners by Fredrik Backman. I loved it, of course. The book helped me realize that some things I root for are not the most healthy for my mentality. I placed my identity in a character who relished in a sinful nature without seeing how it impacted my reality. I can’t wait to talk with family back at home who are just as excited to dissect the last book of Fredrik Backman’s trilogy!

The night of the 11th, it poured so hard and I made sure everything of mine was placed in a dry area besides my two hammocks because I thought “they’re under trees for shelter and can dry super fast I don’t need to worry.” Welp, I was wrong and the rain lasted much longer then I assumed, so without asking God for help to dry my hammock, I would have been sleeping in a soaked bed. 

I was very reliant on my self pride and so called knowledge of camping that I completely forgot I served a God who is capable of miracles. I’m walking over to my hammock after the rain and I prayed for the hammock to be dry. Well, it turns out putting your trust in a God who listens actually works! THE HAMMOCK WAS SO DRY!!! I did not doubt his ability to do exactly that and it was dry. There’s more! I turn the corner of the hut and the father has built a fire. I was in awe of how God answered my small request with a huge favor! GOD LISTENS WHEN YOU TRUST HIM! I have doubted God in my life and now can testify to God’s ability to answer pray immediately:)

I rejoiced this answer to prayer by worshiping with the family by the fire! We sang I Have Decided To Follow Jesus and Waymaker and another song in Khmer I had to hum because I had no idea what they were saying but knew it was glorifying the Lord. After that precious time with the family, Zach (the other guy team leader) and I shared verses that were on our hearts. Zach shared a passage from Jeremiah 29:11-14 explaining how God has a plan for his people, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I shared a verse from 1 John 3:14, “Do not be surprised my brothers and sisters, if this world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because WE LOVE EACH OTHER!” Before entering the village, we were informed that the family had received judgement and criticism from the other Cambodians living in the village. I knew God could encourage them through this passage in 1 John because there will be evil planted in our way as followers of Jesus Christ, so we ought to stand strong in love to display God’s genuine care for us all.

I woke up on November 12th at 6:00 AM to Peech, one of our translators, worshiping on the dirt road! I jumped out of my hammock and joined her for the next hour. It was a sweet time to bond not only with Peech, but God in the middle of the rice fields.

Our journey back to the base in Siem Reap was smooth, even with all the bumps in the road. Once we arrived back to the house the guys sleep at, we organized our clothes to do laundry and began packing for our month in Kampot, which is 8 hours south of Siem Reap! We leave tomorrow for Kampot and I’m excited to travel with team Selah and spend quality time with them these next four weeks! 

For these next weeks, I ask for your continued prayer for the soccer ministry we partner with in Kampot and for the Cambodians we come in contact with! That their hearts would be receptive to the idea of a life with Jesus! These upcoming weeks will be fun, as I love soccer, and I can not wait to make friends with all the people we encounter! Thank you for the constant support! I appreciate and love you so much:)))

Here are some pictures that highlight the experience in the village!