Here in Cambodia

We've arrived at our final destination.  Today our team took a 5 1/2 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh to Battambang.  To get from where the bus dropped us off to the YWAM base we piled into 4 tuktuks with all of our luggage.  Normally something like that would look pretty funny, but here in Cambodia it seems only normal to pack vehicles with as much stuff as possible.


The first day in Cambodia three of us got to visit and photograph a place called Stop Start.  They are partnered with Not For Sale (http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/).  It was a factory where they hired women who have been rescued from sex trafficking as well as deaf people, and there were men there as well.  While there we got to sit and talk with the general manager of the factory and also the Executive Director/Co-Founder of Not For Sale.  He was there for a day meeting with the manager and trying to figure out a contract they were beginning with Levi Jeans Company.  Talk about a sweet start to outreach and an amazing first experience in Cambodia.


So these are a few things that I've seen so far in Phnom Penh...tuktuks everywhere.  If you walk anywhere or walk out of any store you'll be asked at least 2 or 3 times from a driver if you want a ride.  Partly because no one walks anywhere, and for good reason.  Sidewalks are just additions to the street, road rules don't really exist.  If you want to go the wrong direction that seems pretty normal too.  If you have a big vehicle you have the right of way.  Most of the vehicles on the road or combinations of motorcycles and scooters, and I really want to get one.  There's lots of poverty here, along with some very rich areas.  Buddhism is everywhere.  The market that we went to was full of little statues and lots of other Buddhist things.  Today a man with a monk was trying to get money from me.  Monks walk on the streets, usually barefoot, with an orange robe and usually an orange umbrella.  There are no spaces between the building in Phnom Penh.  Everything is very tight and very congested.  A few beggars are on the streets.  They usually sit on the sidewalk, some have missing limbs and some would push pretty hard for you to give them money.  I heard from a documentary that everywhere there is a red light, there is a brothel.  I saw around 4 or 5 on the way to the hotel from the airport and I could see two from the roof of our building that were just a block away.  People of all ages are doing work that most people in the West wouldn't even consider doing.  In the market there were many women sitting on the ground preparing the food that they were trying to sell.  The market is not a clean place or a very nice place.  The aisles are tiny, everything is really tight, but the stuff there was amazing.  I managed to buy a brand new pair of Puma's for $13 along with a few other things.  It was kind of like China Town in NYC on steroids.  I just keep thinking of the jobs these people are doing each day just to survive and how life is so different on the other side of the world.  I'm trying to figure out who's lives seem better, because a lot of these people seem much happier and much friendlier than any place I've ever been.


I love that when we smile at someone they usually smile right back with an amazing, beautiful Cambodian smile.  The children here are so amazing.  While riding on a tuktuk a group of kids on their own tuktuk all waved and yelled "hello!"  We waved back and yelled "hello!" too.  They stared and laughed and yelled until we were out of sight.  Walking down the street we would see groups of kids and they start smiling seeing white people and say hello.  They laugh and wave at us as we walk by and do the same.  These are some of the friendliest and inviting people that I have ever met.  It makes being in a new place and a new culture much easier.  We've probably done a hundred things that we weren't supposed to but, usually we only get laughed at if we do.


Tomorrow is orientation, and that's where I'll find out a little more of what ministry is going to look like here.  So far its just been a nice transition to Cambodia and we've got to just hang out in the capitol city.  I'm excited for what's ahead here in Battambang.

We Made It!

We've Arrived!  Our team just got in to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Our travel included a 40 minute flight to Honolulu, a 9 hour flight to Seoul, Korea, and finally a 5 hour flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  It's been a long day, but traveling with a team of people makes all that travel time go by a little quicker.  It's around midnight on the 28th, and its 1 pm on the 27th for most of you.  Quite the time difference.  Pictures and stories coming very soon.  

Compassion

           There are a number of passages in Scripture where we see that God is compassionate towards  people.  There are other passages were Jesus uses parables to teach people about compassion, and there are times when God calls us all to have compassion for others. 

            Some of my favorite versus are when Jesus is moved with compassion towards a group of people or towards a person he is talking to.  Like in Luke 7:13 " And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not."   What I love about the miracle that Jesus performed here is that he didn't do it to impress anyone or to cause people to worship him, but he did it because he had compassion.  His motives were not self centered but centered on the woman.  This is God's compassion.  Not something that is selfish or proud, but something that loves, that cares, that wants to comfort someone. 

            God has compassion on Israel throughout Scripture as well.  They didn't deserve it, they did nothing to earn it, they were completely against God at times, but he would punish them and have compassion on them. He would always restore his chosen people because of his love for them.  In 2 Kings 13:23 we see God having compassion on the nation of Israel. 

            I don't know if we can fully understand the compassion that God has, because it comes from a place of love and we can't fully understand the love of God.  If God did not love, he could not have compassion.  He would condemn, we would destroy relentlessly, because there would be nothing in his nature to stop him.  But because God loves, his anger and judgment are relieved by love and compassion.  All of God's characteristics are so closely linked to his love.  God is love and that means that God is many other things, especially compassionate.  His compassion doesn't have limitations, it doesn't have a certain type of person as its focus.  Often times his compassion was strongest towards children, widows, and the poor.  This is where God's heart for the world is seen in powerful ways.  His compassion for those specific things is seen throughout Scripture.  I don't think there is any denying that. 

            What do we do with this knowledge of God's compassion?  Are we fine in simply knowing this truth or do we actually attempt to be like God in this area?  The most important thing to remember about compassion is that it should be a verb and never just a noun.  To have compassion without action is not compassion at all.  Anytime we hear about Jesus or God the Father having compassion, there was action involved.  Jesus would perform a miracle out of compassion or God would restore a nation out of compassion.  His compassion was never just compassion.  It always meant that God was going to do something.  It always meant that Jesus would come through.  When God has compassion things change, miracles happen, people are restored.  So why is there so much evil in the world?  Perhaps God is waiting for his followers to be the ones to act out his compassion.   Maybe he's waiting for people to be filled with his compassion so that they have no other choice but to change things.  People so in tuned with the heart of God that they can't do anything else until that compassion is released.  

How can you look at something like this and not think God has compassion.  He gave us Hawaii, I mean come on.  

Mauna Kea to Cambodia

Last weekend I had the experience of a lifetime.  I went with a crew of 14 people in one pick up truck to the top of Mauna Kea.  The worlds tallest mountain.  Really, google it.  I'm right.  It's also a volcano, but don't worry its been inactive for some time.  Going up top was really great, also really cold compared to the warm weather I had experienced on a beach just hours before.  But driving up and seeing the view was not the most amazing part.  We got to the top just in time for sunset.  Now I've seen quite a few amazing sunsets here in Hawaii, but this one trumps them all.  We were above clouds, under clouds, Maui in the distance, Mauna Loa in the distance, it was a lot to take in.  What made it even better was spending that time with 13 other amazing people and amazing friends.  All photogenx students, so we were running around snapping photos and hiding from the cold in the truck.  I know what you're thinking...cold in Hawaii?  At over 13,000ft in the air there was snow!  At times the whole mountain is snow capped.  That day there were patches of it.  We had a friend from Australia who saw snow for the first time that day.  How cool of a story is that?  
Well outreached is just over a week away.  That means in a few short days I'll be on my way to Battambang, Cambodia.  Our team has been preparing for this for weeks now.  We all have different levels of excitement and anxiety.  We know a little of what to expect, but there's no telling what we will get to experience there.  We've heard that the hearts of the people are hungry for Jesus.  They want to know him, they want the hope of salvation, and the hope of someone who loves them.  These last two weeks have been training us how to bring Jesus to the people we are going to minister to.  A big focus is making disciples or even a disciple.  If we can get one person to love Jesus and serve him with their life that is a success.  Because when we leave they will be making their own disciples for Jesus and that is our goal.  We are there for only 2 and a half months.  We want to train the people to be able to minister to their friends and families when we are gone and are unable to do that.  We also want to love the orphans, the widows and the poor.  They wont be hard to find in Cambodia.  The country is stricken by war and the people are hurting.  They are poor, they are trapped in alcohol, they live without love from parents or elders.  We will change that for some.  We will love, we will be Jesus to those who have never known his name.  What an honor and what a privilege is ours in these next few months.  We are going to see God move in ways we didn't know were possible and he's going to do major work in our hearts.  I can't wait for Cambodia, please remember to pray for me, for my team, and for the people.  I hope to have stories from Cambodia for you, but we need your prayers now.  We are helpless without God on our side.

The Heart of Worship

What if when we worshipped we thought about our words?  If we made them a reality in our life and what if sometimes we feared God enough to be silent and pray for a change of heart when we can't mean what we are singing.  Does the God of creation deserve half hearted worship?  Does he deserve worship from his children done only because its time for that part of the service?  What if we melted the heart of God because we took time to prepare, or we took time before God confessing what is wrong in our lives and thanking God for his unending grace?  Instead of singing because we like the song, what if we were so in love with God that it wouldn't matter what the song was, what the music sounded like, or who was leading, but what mattered was that we were lifting our voice to our dad.  Could it be that he just wants to hear our voice, because after all isn't he the one that gave it to us (as out of tune as it may be).  None of this to say that God will reject whatever worship we offer him.  Wouldn't it be great if we really moved God because when we sang out to him we really planned on living our life in the way we sing about.  That we didn't just read words from a screen or a book, but in that moment we thought of what that could mean for our life.  Worship can be outward but without thought, without intention, without love for our father.  This kind of worship is not complete.  Worship is not only a dance, though it can be, it is not only jumping and raising hands, though it can be.  It is heart felt devotion to the one who made us and loves us with a love that is relentless.  How can we deny God worship that comes from deep within our souls.  He is the reason we are breathing.  At the most basic level we have reason to worship with all that we have.  He's the one who gives us breath.

A peek into life in Hawaii

I realized the past couple posts I haven't told you very much about what's been going on here as far as adventures and all the amazing things I've been able to see since being  here.  Last weekend a group of us went to Waipio Valley.  You'd recognize it if you remember Jurassic Park and the very tall waterfall.  It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.  Our hike was pretty intense.  We never really knew if we were on the trail or not because the trail took you through the river, over boulders, on small step ledges, and basically through the middle of the jungle.  Absolutely my kind of thing.  I hiked the whole way there with my camera in one hand in order to document some of that trip to be able to show you guys what it was like.  There were parts along the way where we were able to see the massive waterfall.  Well, there wasn't a whole lot of water flowing down, because its a bit dry in that area right now.  It was more of a trickle but still a magnificent view.  Once we made it back from the hike we walked over to Black Sands Beach.  I'm talking really black sand.  It was beautiful to see, and the waves at that beach were very powerful.  We swam in waves up to six feet with a current that moved you from right to left hundreds of feet in just minutes.  It took no time at all to be moved across the beach by the powerful current. 

 Most of you have seen the pictures of most of the places I've been.  We hang out at a resort here just about a five minute walk.  We swim in their pool and enjoy walking on the lava rocks as the waves crash on top of us.  There's a pier in town about a 6 minute run away where we can just dive in the water to cool off after.  Two weekends ago I went to a place called end of the world where there are about 15-20ft cliffs.  The waves and current are intense over there.  You feel like they're going to smash you against the walls of the cliffs.  I ended up catching a fish there with some fishing poles I borrowed from a friend.  

A couple of times I've been able to do some snorkeling.  That has been so amazing.  There have to be over 20 kinds of fish that we are able to see in just a small area and in very shallow water.  They live among the coral reefs here and they swam all around me only feet away as I swam across the surface of the water.  I've also seen groups of dolphins jumping high out of the water from the beach.  Another cool thing here are the sea turtles.  Almost anywhere you go they are some near by.  I've been able to swim right up next to some with some snorkel gear on and get a great view of the amazing creatures.  Often times I'll see them swimming in the waves by the shore.  

Well that's a little bit of the adventures I've had here.  Just a small taste really.  It would take much more time to share all the things and places I've been able to go.  Though all of that fails to compare to all the things that God has been doing in me.  Since this post is already long, I'll share with you a little more about that in a future post.  Keep praying because satan would like nothing more than to bring me down right now.  So much has been going on in my life and he's trying hard to break in.  Thanks for all of you who are thinking and praying for me while I'm here.  God has blessed me in more ways than I can say by bringing me here.  And I thank those of you who have been praying for me for being a huge part of that!