The Village Visit

After 5 evenings of prep we headed to a nearby village about 45minutes away from the town of Battambang. Our mode of transport was an open top truck. This was the cheapest option as there ended up being 26 of us total and we all crambed into/onto our vehicle, some perched on the sides, some standing, 7 of us were inside the driving compartment but we all made it there in one piece. We arrived and were greeted by applause from about 100 kids all standing in lines and all applauding as the pastor gave them the signal. We felt honoured that they were all waiting for us and had made such an effort. The pastor wanted us to start the kids camp straight away, so after introductions and an impromtu meeting we got to work singing kids songs then splitting into groups for games and activities.

The girls quaters - ligitimate wooden housing! (18 of us slept in here)

I was so proud of all of the youth as they all got stuck in, running games, Bible stories, craft activities and generally loving on the kids. They even got to work on what needed doing around the sight, working together pumping water from a well a few houses down. Amom
(picture above) also did all of the cooking over a coal stove. Rice for breakfast lunch and dinner! Highlights for Izzy and I were when we had just got back from a walk to see the view from the hill next to us, a Cambodian gentleman who taught English near by came to ask whether we could come and talk to his English class. He said, "Can you come and share the message of God's love with my class, they have never met Americans before." We said that we did have time to go and went and shared the gospel with them. I've never seen Izzy so inspired as she taught from the front of the class but she preached for about 15mintues passionately about God's love. We were so pumped after this as it was another arrangement that we couldnt have planned for ourselves if we'd tried. They asked us to go back the following day as well.

I still dont get this game but it entails pulling on someones ear, funny to watch.

The youth spent one afternoon pumping and carrying water from the wells.

The second day the youth performed the drama that our Montana DTS team had taught them for all of the kids. It was the best performance that I'd seen them do, afterwards Amom and Dara explained the skit and Kalyan gave them a chance to respond and ask God into their lives. This was all going on in Khmer but as she finished talking about half of them enthusiastically raised their hands and followed Kalyan with a prayer. It is so encouraging to think that this is continual fruit of layers and layers of the work that YWAM teams coming and doing ministry in Cambodia, passing the gospel to the Khmer people so that they can continue to pass it on to their own people. Even the pastor's Bible had been given him to YWAMers about 15years previously. I felt like God wanted us to pray for healings for any of the kids that needed it. About 25kids came forwards which was a shocking number to me, illness is what these kids have to deal with everday because of the conditions that they live in, and yet they were still coming along to this kids camp and playing with loads of energy. Most of the illness wasnt as serious as it was mainly colds and headaches, so I prayed a general prayer for them and then we with the pastor prayed for the kids with more serious symptoms. One girl had pains in her legs which she said totally went after we prayed for her. Another boy had the shakes which also disapeared after praying. God is so good and His heart for these kids is so big!

Snack Time!

The Loo

In the afternoon we visited the pastor's son. We went into the grounds where he lived and we chatted for a bit before he showed us his moto accident injury. His thigh had a massive skin graft on the quad on his left leg. The ligaments on his ankle were not there any more so he had to use crutches and was limited in his movement because of the pain. They had done all they could in surgery and had done a good job but they asked if we could pray for him. Whitney felt like we should keep listening out to what God was saying as we were praying and pray into what ever he was showing us. This was one of the most dynamic prayer times that I have ever experienced. Praying for healing in a village in Cambodia to a God that can do all things, listening to what he wanted us to pray. It totally broadened my perspective of spiritual warefare, we got loads of pictures, words and scriptures. As we prayed it was like pickaxing at the strongholds keeping this guy from fullness of life. I felt like God was saying that he was going to completely restore his leg but it was going to be a battle. Some of the youth left but about 5 of them stayed to pray with us. We spent over an hour being lead by God and praying stuff out. By the end we were tired Kalyan got the Number 24 right at the end one of the youth Got 2 years. It was getting late and time to leave. It was really difficult to leave without seeing what God had spoken happen in front of our eyes there and then, especially as we felt like we were meant to wait for it like the first Christians were told to wait for the holyspirit in Jerusalem (Luke 24). But we kind of felt like it would happen in 2years/24months time. This is similar to the healing that happened on my DTS outreach. The lady we prayed for got healed 2 weeks after we prayer for her and turned from Buddism to follow Christ. God got all of the glory because we werent around to receive any praise for it. I'm excited to see what happens here and I really feel like that time of prayer was really significant personally and for all that were there. God is moving. The one time that I felt goose pimples was when I told God that I was willing to go where he wanted me, that I laid down any unforgiveness in my life and profecied that there would be a revival in Cambodia starting in the villages where there will be healing and demonstrations of the Spirits power.

The last morning that we were there after games with the kids the youth encouraged them with their personal testimonies of how God has worked in their lives. Again they all did amazingly and we as leaders were all so proud of them as they allowed God to use them. We said our thank yous and goodbyes and headed back after a short but seemly mamouth trip. A great way to end our one month outreach!