Random thoughts

I wish you all could hear the music in the background as I type this blog. It reminds me that I’m not anywhere near home. Earlier, I heard chanting that reminded me of the call to prayer streaming from the mosque beside a guesthouse I stayed at in Nairobi. Not something I normally hear on my day to day back home…probably not yours either, I would assume.

The sights and smells here are like nothing I’ve ever seen…yet similar all at the same time. The heaviness of the poverty around us is enough to suffocate you. If you allow yourself to go unchecked, you start to feel hopeless. What can little ole me do for these people? What can our church do for them? What can The Church do for them? Well, when you put it that way…

Imagine what would happen if every person on earth who was madly in love with Christ took a stance…did something to fight against even just one injustice they have seen/will see in their lifetime? Just that alone would change the world….don’t you think?

Imagining The Church as freedom fighters and believing with all my heart that my God is the God of restoration and Justice lifts the hopelessness.

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There’s something about worshiping God under the same roof with people from a different culture that makes my heart so happy. I love the feeling in the room whenever I hear God being worshipped in a different language. Those moments are very holy. I love bowing my head in prayer as another language pours over me. Our God hears those prayers just the same as ours. I love that!

We went to church this morning with our new friends at CHO. Their church (as far as I could tell) consisted of a room on the second floor of their office. I’m horrible with numbers, but I’d say about 40 to 50 people were there. A great turn out for a country with hardly any Christians.

Last night, Mao asked if one of us would like to give the message for the service. We volunteered Jamey for the job. Good decision on our part…his message this morning was powerful and full of truth. It takes a lot of courage to get up in front of a group of people no matter what the situation…let alone getting in front of about 40 people who don’t even speak your language.

At church we met a couple from Scotland, three 18 year olds from England and a father and daughter from Australia. It encouraged me to know that CHO has friends from all around…that Cambodia is not forgotten.

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Night has been the hardest time for me here. I keep getting distracted. The girls in the brothels are on my heart and mind. Night time is when they are “working.” So while we are eating, talking and discussing, there are girls right down the street who are being abused and violated. There are children who should be safe at home who are being raped. They are being tortured, raped multiple times a day, beaten…And the world knows about it…

So what will we do?

Please continue to pray for us. Please ask God to show us where He’d have us go and what He’d have us do.

Please pray for our hearts...that no matter how broken they may be by the amount of injustice we see, that God’s Justice will continue to ring strongly in our hearts and especially among these beautiful people.

Love you all.
kelli