| “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God, it is He who made us and we are His.” Psalm 100:1-3 |
 Visiting the ancient temple ruins of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia |
“I pray for my family to believe in Jesus.” Vatana, one of the 6th grade girls, prayed during our 3:30pm closing prayer. We had just read the parable in Matthew 15 of the man who leaves the ninety-nine to go after just one sheep and how when just one person repents all of heaven rejoices. Then we each drew a sheep and wrote the name of someone we want to pray for to believe in Jesus. Some context: most families are Buddhist and may be supportive of their children attending church and Bible-focused programs, but most parents are not interested in coming to church or becoming Christians. It was beautiful to hear these girls pray for their family members and to see their daily commitment to learn about God and memorize His Word. Making ice cream with 6th grade students from English class.Weekends at ELCC (Eternal Life in Christ Church) in the village are full of music, laughter, and enjoying food together. On Saturdays I join the guitar and ukulele classes (great way to both learn and spend time with students) and then practice for singing during the service the next day.  Talking with my friends Chantrea and Srey Mao, and our leader Teacher Sokha.On Saturday evenings we have youth group where we sing and then have a speaker. Each of us three interns have had the privilege of sharing our testimonies and we’ve been able to have a talk on our future hope paired with God’s design for romantic relationships. After youth group is hang out time with the highschoolers-we make food and play games or watch movies-staying up late enjoying the time together.  Joining guitar class with some of our high school and college studentsThen comes Sunday’s early beginning. Games with the younger kids begin at 6:30am, then Sunday school at 7am and church around 8:45am. We eat a big fellowship lunch together at 11am and then spend time with the highschoolers the whole afternoon. These times picture God’s design of living in relationship, filled with life and love, and also exhaustion.  Enjoying time with college students as we enjoy unique fruit: durian (yellow) and rambutan (red/green)One day I climbed the stairs of the Mekong house’s 2nd floor (our ministry building) to sit in the hammock and start writing this update. A few minutes later Chantrea, my friend who’s a senior in highschool, came out from her afternoon nap and sat in the opposite hammock. She teaches us to speak Khmer on Mondays and Friday. We began to chat about jobs and college and budgeting, just talking about relevant life topics. Every time I get to talk with Chantrea and get to know her more I’m so thankful we’re able to spend time together, and that she’s willing to trust me with stories from her life.  Making Kimbap with the high school students and visiting team from Cornerstone Church, PA.It encourages me that although I am here for a short time, the missionaries and staff are always here for the students. The girls really trust our missionary leaders Luke and Sokha and, when they feel like it, go to them for advice. Kunthea is a consistent older sister figure, and Heng, Kakrona and John are uncle figures to the students. We have lived in the mundane with them, seeing their faithful, sinful, humble examples of loving God and others during our time here.  Teaching our small extra class for the boys to have more English practice. They’re tons of fun!Please pray: 1. Interns: To keep our gaze on Jesus and to be faithful in the little things until we leave on August 1. For safe travel back home and God’s work as we process and share about our time in Cambodia. 2. Missionaries: For encouragement and energy for Luke & Sokha (and their kids Hannah & Asa) and John serving long term with MTW in the village. 3. Staff: For discernment and provision for the Cambodian staff serving in the village-Kunthea, Hang, and Kakrona. 4. Students: For God’s work in the hearts of the students from the village, that they would understand more and more God’s love for them and be commited to follow Him for the rest of their lives. 5. College Students: For the College students studying in Phnom Penh-for faith, surrender, spiritual growth and holistic safety. Thank you for your continued prayer and support! I have a few more days in the village then I will fly out August 1 to be in Mexico with my family. On August 12 I will fly back to Chicago and visit with my grandparents for a few days before heading back to Moody’s campus August 14 to settle in for my senior year. In Christ, Hannah McMahan |
Tag Archives: Hannah – Summer 2023
Hannah – Summer Intern – Update #1
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 ជំរាបសួរ (Jum reap sua)! Hello, from Cambodia! |
The journey to Cambodia was long! During my first plane ride I was given a seat closer to the front in the hopes I could make my quick connection in the San Francisco airport (which I did, barely). God had his plans in this seat change. A lady from a Jewish community in Mexico City sat next to me. We got into the topic of immigration and both of our hearts break for refugees. Then she asked me how I deal with all the brokenness in the world and I talked to her about the Bible and especially how Gen 1-3 and Jesus’ words are my foundation and hope. She was amazed and wants to look into the New Testament for herself. Please pray for her heart to be open, that she really would read the New Testament for herself, and that she would meet Jesus and start a true relationship with him!! After taking a car, bus, three different planes, an airport transit train, an airport transit bus, and a tuk tuk (a 3-wheeled Cambodian taxi), I was settled in for my first night in Phnom Penh.I was truly welcomed by the MTW staff. Katie, an MTW missionary, hosted us in her apartment, took us out for good city food, and accompanied us to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum to experience the devasting history of the Khmer people.  Meet Katie: The first MTW staff member to welcome me and Caroline, my fellow intern, to the city.Learning to speak the Khmer language… What can I say? Well, the Khmer language has the world record for the longest alphabet (yes, Google it), so… it’s hard! Pronunciation is challenging and we learned the foundational new sounds together and constantly have to watch out for using “t” with air or “t” without air, and ensure our “a”s are nice and naisally! We have an amazing friend and teacher, Chantrea (sitting on the right), who teaches us to speak Khmer.One week my friend Reaksar and I planned the Ezekiel 11:23-24 memory verse time for during the 7am Sunday School hour. As I searched for the Ezekiel commentary with a flashlight waving across Luke’s shelves stocked with theology books, my sister Destiny, on a What’s App call, said into my airpods, “Hannah you’re the only person I know who stays up to find commentaries at 11pm.” Yes, I do that. And through the experience of planning with Reaksar, it was sweet to see how far we’ve come from day one when Caroline and I visited her home and enjoyed conversation and coconuts. We’ve shared about our families, faith and plans, and it’s sweet to consistently check in and pray with her as I teach her weekly Saturday morning piano lessons. My friend, Reaksar, and I teaching the Bible memory verse during Sunday School.The first English teaching day in the village felt unending. But after a couple times it began to feel routine. I wake up early: make my earl gray tea with milk and honey, read my Bible, and finish any last minute teaching prep for my first class. I have Khmer language class at 8am-currently learning numbers and “How much does this cost?” Then onto cultural discussion hour, lunch with the team, and first English teaching hour at 12pm. We are memorizing Psalm 100 in English with actions, and they’re doing great! This class of 5th-6th graders is currently going through action words and using them in sentences. I celebrate inside when I get the names, like Liza, Vatana and Jetra, right!  5th-6th grade class I teach at 12pm Mondays, Wednesdays, FridaysI have a break for some rest and teaching prep. Then the second English teaching hour at 3:30pm. This is a smaller group-6 students come through on a rotation and we review the memory verses then do reading and speaking activities together. Then I have evening worship and a third English teaching hour, where the advanced students are learning practical use of future progressive and doing discussion from readings, such as names of God as compound nouns. I conclude with some late dinner with just the family and interns and then a dishes party, showers, a little reading, and 10pm debrief and prayer with the interns. Repeat Monday, Wednesday, Friday. These are long days and good days. They’re days dependent on God, full of lots of waiting and little glimpses of what God’s doing.  Teaching Saturday morning English class at the local school!Please pray: 1. Interns: For continuing relationship cultivating, humility and perseverance for me and the other two interns during our final three weeks here in the village. 2. Staff: For encouragement and energy for the Cambodian staff serving in the village-Kunthea, Hang, and Kakrona. 3. Missionaries: For encouragement and energy for Luke, Sokha and John serving long term with MTW in the village. 4. Students: For God’s work in the hearts of the students from the village, especially during the consistent Bible teaching times. 5. College Students: For the College students studying in Phnom Penh-for faith, surrender, spiritual growth and holistic safety.I’m so thankful to be here and live life with my brothers and sisters in Christ in Cambodia. I can’t believe I only have 3 weeks left here, then a week and a half with my family in Mexico, and then I begin my senior year at Moody Bible Institute. Thank you for your continued prayer during this final portion of the summer in Cambodia! In Christ, Hannah McMahan |