When you have hours upon hours of flying time to get home, you have lots of time to think and reflect….so I just started writing and I thought I would share my thoughts with all of you! (Can’t believe this is my last blog post!!) Sorry my thoughts may seem a bit disjointed at times… What can I say? These past 6 months have changed me in ways I never imagined. I have grown more than I expected or ever could have anticipated. God has truly blessed me through this trip. I come back learning so many things about myself, my God, and people in general, especially people of a different culture.

God is everywhere. God is so good. God is bigger than I ever imagined. And he is ever present. To see Cambodians worship the same God I worship made me realize and see more clearly that God is a God of many nations, many peoples. He is not the Western God but the one true God, the creator of all. My world has grown- I have had my eyes opened and have learned many sweet lessons from living overseas. Living alongside a people very different from myself, with a different language, different cultural practices, different climate, and a different official religion. Intimidating? Well of course, but exciting, eye opening, exhilarating. A trust exercise? Yes definitely. When we feel like the outsider, the one that is different, the foreigner, we don’t know how people will react to us, how they will approach us. What do you do when you have those moments of doubt or uncertainty, you turn to God, you trust Him. And you remember that we have a common need, and that is the Gospel. We all need the Gospel and it binds us together, it is the common thread across cultures. And you continue to trust God and show love to those around you. God is faithful, God watches over his people, and he continually provided for me. He sprinkled little blessings throughout my days- He didn’t have to but he continually made His presence known. Especially at the beginning I felt inadequate, out of sorts, unsure of what my place would be or what my ministry would like, or if I could do what was being asked of me. God continued to remind me- take it one day at a time Becca. And my perspective changed. For instance with teaching, it no longer mattered if I had the perfect lesson prepared- what I wanted was to teach with love and joy, and to show Christ to the kids in some small way. To have fun with teaching, to smile, to laugh, and to encourage them.

I was continually reminded during my time in Cambodia how blessed I am to have grown up in a Christian home with Christian parents- and to not face the persecution that many face in Cambodia for their Christian beliefs. The kids I lived life with for six months face persecution of different kinds- from their family and friends, and they continue to believe, they continue to attend church, they continue to pray to the one true God. God is definitely at work in Angkjeay village- and I am so excited to hear how God works in the coming years. Using His people to share the truth of the Gospel- to show Christ’s love to those around them, to let it permeate their lives.

While in Cambodia God was revealed to me-through His creation, through Luke and Sokha, through the love shown to me by the kids- God is there. He is everywhere, he is in the U.S. and He is in Cambodia. Less than 3% of Cambodia is Christian, but I saw them, I met them, befriended them, lived life with them, sought to love and encourage them. I think being completely out of what was comfortable for me forced growth. It was inevitable. And it comes a lot quicker. I was faced with new obstacles and challenges every day. And God was always near to me, guiding me- I felt weak at times and I knew without God I would be hopeless. But God gives us hope, he gives us strength. Our weakness can glorify God as it shows we need Him, He is strong when we are weak, He is our rock. He always was while I was in Cambodia. I am constantly changing, growing, learning, but God is constant, He doesn’t change. I have learned I may be gifted in teaching-something I want to pursue more.
 I love relationships- and they are so incredibly important. Intentional relationships. I witnessed their utmost importance in the furthering of the Gospel. Coming alongside missionaries in support and developing relationships with Khmer Christians and non-Christians. And each relationship takes time, effort, prayer- and I desire to make this a more present part of my life. Cambodians definitely know how to say goodbye well. Lots of tears but I am so thankful for the goodbye parties I was able to have before leaving. I have never taken so many pictures, but I loved it. Although goodbyes are hard, they are so important. I feel so blessed to have met such an incredible group of people in the village and in the city, Khmer and expat. What an impact they have made in my life. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to live life with them for 6 months.

A sincere thank you to all of my supporters. I am overwhelmed with gratefulness for the generous financial support and steadfast prayers. These past 6 months would not have been possible without your support. I kept telling people I felt the prayers from all of you. I could feel your support all the way over in Cambodia. I thank the Lord for each and every one of you!

To God Be the Glory

Prayer Requests: 
~For my transition back to the states- wisdom and guidance in knowing what the next step is for me
 ~Strength and wisdom for Luke and Sokha as they are faced with the ups and downs of doing ministry 
~For the church in Cambodia- that it would be encouraged, strengthened, and continue to grow.

Short Term Medical Mission:

***Sorry for the delay in this post! I was hoping to have it up earlier!

It was in May that I greeted my parents and friend Sarah
Nickel at the airport. What a sweet reunion! So thankful they were
able to come and experience what had been my life for 5
 months. Working alongside them during the mobile medical clinics was surreal!
These mobile medical clinics in the villages come alongside the church plants in support. They truly encourage the church and its members, as well as the village as a whole. There is an opportunity for the gospel
to be preached at each clinic. Along with this the patients are prayed for and encouraged to attend the local church plant. It is very rare
that these villagers see a doctor, and even more rare for them to see
a foreign doctor, so there is no shortage of patients. There were 
eight people who came from the states to join on this mission. We travelled to three different villages and saw 566 patients. We worked together with translators, Khmer doctors in training, pastors,
and nurses. Lasting relationships were formed in as little as a week. Sometimes short-term missions can be viewed very negatively. Hurting rather than helping. I think one thing I have learned from being on
the field is the importance of listening to the long-term missionaries and partnering with them. Finding out what the needs of the people are from them, and coming alongside the local church. Trying not to approach things with your own agendas in mind but being willing and eager to learn from the people who live and work in the country you
will serve in. And this is the exact approach MTW takes to short-term missions. It made for a very successful mission, by God’s grace! I know the local churches, the long-term missionaries, and the team who came from the states, were all encouraged by this mission. To God be the glory.