After spending 8 hours in the Atlanta airport on Wednesday we finally got on our 5.5 hour flight to San Francisco. We had a 3.5 hour layover there and then got on a 14.5 hour flight to Guangzhou, China (slept the whole time, jet lag has yet to hit me!). From there we had another 3.5 hour layover and then flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia on a 2.5 hour flight. Once we arrived in Cambodia, we had to go through customs and get our visas. From Siem Reap we got on buses for about 4 hours and traveled to our ministry hosts in Battambang. We had time to set up our beds and get settled in and then we had dinner. Most of our squad was in bed by 8:30pm since we were all exhausted from the 40+ hours of travel.
Rowmani is one of our hosts. She has lived in the states for a lot of her life and is Cambodian but recently moved to Cambodia to work here. She is here it Battambang with us for these first few days to help us transition smoothly but works mainly in Siem Reap at the Adventures in Missions Overflow Guesthouse (this is where my team will move to do ministry after this first month here). Chhady works here at the Battambang Ministry House and is a local. She cooks and will help our squad with making sure things run smoothly at the house. She also will help us in making this feel like home as we work to familiarize ourselves with Cambodia. The Theriualts are a family of missionaries who moved here to Cambodia about 3 years ago. Their ministry is called Ezra and is a place where children can come to learn English. They also have a coffee shop and library that is used as a tool to teach English to older people.
We start ministry on Monday which we are all super excited about. There are six teams on our squad and each team will have different ministry work (which we find out about on Monday so stay tuned for what my team and I will get to do!). Ministry work could look like teaching English, working at the local hospital, serving in the coffee shop and library, manual labor or doing street ministry. We are all ready to be in a routine and to settle down here.
This morning most of us woke up early after going to bed at 8:30. We had breakfast here at the house and then had time to go across the street to a coffee shop. We got to spend time hanging out with the people who worked there and with each other. I am really loving the aspect of connections on the Race. I think that sometimes all too often we forget to slow down in our busy days and just even take a moment to stop and talk to the people around us. I love the intentionality of making these connections with not only the people of Cambodia, but with the squad as well and I’m excited to see how I grow in that. We went over house rules around 10am (sounds boring, but believe me when I say they are 100% necessary since there are about 40 girls sharing 4 bathrooms) and then had the rest of the day to explore!
We got to bike around and are starting to try to learn where everything is and make connections with the locals in order to make Battambang feel like our new home. We went to a little place for lunch that our team leader Rachel visited often when she was on her Race here last year.
Today a lot of us woke up early to go on a run. Air quality is really thick since Cambodians burn their trash. It is HOT and HUMID all hours of the day. I’m pretty sure my hair has yet to dry since being here. We had breakfast at 6:30 this morning and then hung out until we went to church. A lot of us took tuk-tuks to the YWAM (youth with a mission) base to go to church. There, we got to meet people from the states and a former Racer who now all live in Cambodia as missionaries.
So far, I love Cambodia. It is a beautiful place with really kind hearted and welcoming people. In some ways, things feel really foreign and different than my life at home. But in other ways, this place feels exactly like home in the sense that I feel like this is right where I need to be.
Our squad is expectant of the amazing work the Lord will do in our time in Cambodia. Please keep us in your prayers for good health, safety and patience as we learn to all live together (56 people) for this first month in Battambang. Please also pray that we will make meaningful connections with the people of Cambodia that we will encounter.
Stay tuned for all the works the Lord is doing and more info on what our lives in Cambodia look like!!
some sweet kiddos that were outside of church this morning.
-Elena
“He sent them out two by two to preach the gospel”
Elena – he is now sending you! How could it be more exciting than that?!?
Bless you woman!
Sounds like you are all settling in . I’m excited to hear what you get assigned to do for ministry and I know that God is going to use your squad (and team) to bring the Kingdom to Cambodia. Love people well. You have the time to invest, so do it. It’s gonna be awesome. Give hugs…that way you get them back. Stay in God’s Word and keep your ears listening for His prompting. He has great adventues planned.
So happy to hear the travel time was good. Can’t wait to hear your ministry assessment. Praying for you every day and sometimes twice!! Love you dearly. Do God’s good work.
Elena!!! I love hearing about all the new things!! And I love knowing that God sees it all and is with you in all of it. Praying for you with great joy this Sunday morning. Settledness in Him, abiding, delight, hope, love…you are a treasure ??
That was a heart at the end there…no questions about you being a treasure!! 🙂
Thank you for the update – it gives us all a good picture of what you are doing, as well as what to pray for. We will see you soon and join you in sweating!
So glad to hear through your blog about your travels and what you will be doing. It’s a little hard to hear you through choppy FaceTime phone calls! I have a feeling you are going to fall in love with the people of Cambodia. I’m reminded that God sees his people wherever they are..without borders. We are all His children, and he wants relationship with all of us. Go share His light and hope, and keep us posted on what you see God doing there. I am also so grateful to everyone who posting here and cheering you on!
Wow, what an inspiration you are. You will not only be bringing the kingdom there by your work, we will get blessed by what you share as God reveals himself to you. Awesome!
GG (Quinn and Isaiah’s grandma)
Glad to hear you made it safely there. Love hearing about your first days there. God has chosen you and your squad to spread his word and to grow your faith. Prayers for all of you. Love you.