Kampuchea- Home Sweet Home :)

Today I write to you, my blog friends from my future home. A place that is not quite yet home to me, but will become so in a few years or so.

If I may, I would ask that each of you take your mind from where you are sitting to a place far away. A very hot and rainy place. A place that is entirely different from where you comfortably rest in your cozy home. Journey with me to a place where life is simple. Where all you have depends on how much you sell that day.To homes underwater because of rainy season and extreme flooding--to Cambodia.

 This country is so different. Not just different faces, and a different language, but EVERY aspect of people's lives is so different than those in America. I won't go into much explanation because I never want to seem like I am looking down on the Khmer people because they are different. Making that clear, it was a shock to me to see the lifestyle here.

Toilets are a luxury.
Why use water that you have to pay for when there are puddles outside to take a bath in?
Diapers on babies are gross. (That one really amuses me ;)
Personal property and privacy--what a notion!

These are just some of the differences that differ Khmer people from the American people. I suffered such culture schock the first night we arrived. It didn't help that I was 24 hours out of sleep and that I was away from my sweet baby boy.

Trash is commonplace here. Sometimes it is just piled up outside of homes or stores. People stare at us and our white skin. The price of everything goes up here - for us. We are American and that means we're rich.

The first few days were a struggle. My dear new friend, Sopiep is allowing us to stay with her at the Ruppel's house and that has been a life-saver. We have had so much fun. She has taught me Khmer words and explained to me a lot about the culture here.

Though there are so many differences, much more is the same than one would think. We all have families that we love dearly. We all have friends that we like to go shopping and eat with. We all suffer heartache when a loved one has passed on, or when disaster strikes, but the clearest similarity of all is that- we ALL are in need of a Savior. We all are the same in God's eyes in that aspect.

When God sent His son to die for the world, was it just for you and me, friends? I dare not think so. He came for the woman living out in the rice field. He came for the mother raising 2 children alone. He came for the dying old man in a lonely room somewhere. We do not pick and choose who the Lord wants to come to Him. He came for the world, and every single person in this world.

Our coming here has nothing to do with whether these people are different than us or not, but it has EVERYthing to do with our purpose here on this earth.

Those of us who are born-again Christians have a responsibility to tell the world the greatest message of all.

It is not for me to decide where I will serve. It is not for me to decide what my life will entail. The Lord will protect and provide. We are here on His errand, and He will take care of His servants. 

I do not pretend that every step of this process will be easy. We are leaving family, friends, and everything that we know to come to a place that is completely foreign in mind and culture.I am human, I have fears and mountains that seem impossible to climb, but that is when the Lord has opportunity to make Himself real to me and my family.

My husband and I are not great people, we do not pretend to be more than what we are, but we do want to be used of God. This is what God has called us to do, and so who can be against us?

I have met so many Khmer people who have already become dear friends to me, and I know will just love Connor. We will be taken care of, I have no doubt. There are western things here to avert home-sickness a little, and I am prepared to make this my home. I already love the people so much and look forward to our ministry here.

I think it is the neatest thing to think that my kids will be bi-lingual and will be making lasting friendships with Khmer kids their age.

Our home will be our haven. It'll be our little piece of our America in Cambodia. We are both so close to our families, and that will probably be the greatest struggle of all (being completely honest), but I have confidence that the Lord will work everything out. I'm so thankful for Skype, cell phones, the internet, and airplanes. :)

I wanted to write a little bit about what was going on in my heart and I hope that it was a blessing.
We definitely need prayer. There will be I'm sure hard things and hard times, but to know that people are praying for us and thinking of us is priceless.   

What is the Lord calling you to do? I promise, whatever it is- there is complete joy and satisfaction when you follow His leading in your life.