As I reflect upon this recent mission trip to Siem Reap, one verse seems to aptly describe the vigour I witnessed amongst the Cambodians that we interacted with.
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1
It truly is not an exaggeration to say that no photo or video can truly capture the desire that these Cambodian young adult Christians have for God for they’ve embodied it in every aspect of their lifestyle. I’ve even spoken to one of whom who spends a total of 10 hours every weekend to travel to and from his church!
This got me to rethink about my own walk with God, and how I’ve been lacking this same youthful fervour and desire for Him. What was also heartening to see was how God has not only provided multiple avenues for our local host Nakry to do outreach (church football team, her own village kids, her friend Sambath’s village kids), but He has also empowered her to manage all these various groups.
Finally, what I think was most important was how this mission trip was not simply to just interact with the Cambodians, but it was to equip them with important skills and knowledge to expand God’s kingdom. Through this, His work can still be done even when the missions team is not there.
Contributed by:
Xavier Tan Wei Chen
(First-time mission tripper)