Missions beach-style

All I can say is that I am really glad our first week in Cambodia was NOT at field forum. Our hotel is 20 feet from the beach, the rooms are really nice and the food is amazing! But it will only last a week and then we move into the Phnom Penh dorms, where stories abound about the wonderful wildlife that share the rooms with the students. Great fun. But it is definitely refreshing to spend a week resting after the first English camp and gearing up for our next three weeks. It's crazy to think we're almost halfway done!

Our days here are pretty relaxed. Stan, Nat, Elias and I have the mornings basically off and then are in charge of the kids in the afternoon. Today we spent the whole day in the pool with them doing pool games. It's a terrible thing to spend an entire afternoon playing in the pool in the hot Cambodian weather. I'm really suffering for Christ right now. Emily and Jonathan are in charge of the youth and spend the whole day with them. Pray for Emily, Jon and Elias. They really really pushed themselves last week, doing late hours and getting up early too. Stan, Nat and I were worried that they were making us look bad because we would spend some nights away from the group relaxing and reading. But we knew we had 5 more weeks and didn't want to get burned out. Well, the lack of rest is catching up with the other three and they are feeling a little under the weather. And we caught all three of them napping in the lobby this afternoon. They have a great work ethic, but on a 7-week trip, it is easy to burn all of your energy.

I hadn't realized what an amazing opportunity it would be to spend time with all of the Cambodian missionaries all together at once. The meals remind me of something from heaven, sitting over amazing food talking about what God is doing all over the world. Missionaries are asking what our passions are and sharing their ministries and are encouraging me as they talk. Stan and I sat in on this morning's session as each of the missionaries stood to give a report. The variety of things going on just shows how many different kinds of people and skills God can use. I think people still hold onto the old view that a missionary goes overseas for 50 years and teaches the Bible and preaches and lives in a grass hut. Missionaries now are creating publishing companies, teaching English, developing nutrition supplements, running dorm ministries, doing financial planning, teaching skills. Anyone from anywhere can go overseas and be a help to someone.

Another encouragement was the sermon Wednesday morning by the Blanchard Alliance pastor of Wheaton, Ill. He was sharing from Romans, where Jesus talks about anger. The pastor used these verses to talk about how Jesus was giving us instructions for mending relationships and how we are the only people who can control our anger. We use the phrase "He made me angry" but other people cannot change our anger. Only we can. It led to a great discussion between Nat and I about broken relationships and how God can do life-changing things when we address issues between ourselves and others.

If you don't want to deal with issues, or you don't want God to convict you, or you don't want to be stretched in ways you didn't know you needed stretched...don't go on a 7-week internship to Cambodia. Because all of the above will happen. And you'll never be the same.