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.