What did we do there? The youths part 1

Just some background info. DUMC actually sends out 4 mission teams a year to Cambodia. Each year out of the 4, 1 would be a youth team that goes to help organize a youth camp for the youths in Baray district. Baray is a district in the province of Kampong Thom where Esther, our veteran missionary from DUMC is based. In the 11 years that she's been there, from stratch, there's now 10 Cambodian pastors under CMS (Cambodia Methodist Services) and 22 churches around Baray.

Our team is the youth team, so the main reason we were there was to connect to the youths and help them with their camp. We would do the preaching, the workshops..all translated of course, they will organize games, praise and worship (let me tell you, their praise and worship ROCKS, literally..haha..will blog more about that later).

Basically our schedule was as such:
Friday: Arrival
Saturday: House visitations in villages
Sunday: Preaching & night session with Pastors and wives
Monday: Village outreaches & night session with Pastors and wives
Tuesday to Friday: Camp
Friday and Saturday: Rest and Relax in Phnom Penh

Anyway, let me share some things that are very precious to me, that I MUST write this down so that I'd never forget.


It was the 1st day since our arrival. It was a sunny saturday and everyone was eager to go out for some action. Driving to the village, was the vast scenary of flat paddy fields punctuated with palm tress. Simply picture perfect. Sigh.

Anyway, Joel, Debbie and I were in the 1st group together with Ps Kenneth and our translator Piset. We went to visit the house of a man and his family. The daughter was around 19 years old. She was a Christian, so was her sister. Her parents were not.

And so I asked her if she was going for our youth camp. She said no. But she said her sister will be going.
With a smile and in kind of a joking/persuading way, I said (translated) "Come! It'll be fun. Come! I'm sure u'd enjoy it, your sister is going some more..blah blah blah."

She answered with a sad tone "I can't go because one family can only send 1 person. Because my sister is going, I have to stay back to help up in the fields."
You could tell that she wanted to go too. She was nearly in tears.

My heart dropped. I was humbled and struck speechless.
Because I immediately recalled the times, when we in Malaysia feel reluctant to go for a certain event because we rather watch a movie, watch TV, relax in the mall, sleep.....

and definately not because we have to work in the fields; to enable someone else the chance to go for a camp.

How we take forgranted our camps, our Christian activities. I remember that for the CF camp we had to pratically beg people to come. Do fancy videos, print posters. Employ persuasive techniques. Hold it at some fancy place. And here, people were dying to go and simply couldn't.

The good news is that when Debbie share about creation and Jesus, her father accepted the Lord! And when we were praying the sinners prayer for her father, she cried tears of joy.

I knew I just had to say this to her before I left. "It's okay that you can't come to the camp. That's why we come to you. And I want to share with you this year's camp verse. For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, plans to give you a good hope and a good future: Jeremiah 29:11."

And I discovered God's word transcends culture, transcends countries, transcends social class.

Despite our different backgrounds, this verse that means so much to me, also meant a lot to her. In just 1 hour visiting her house, the lesson I gleamed was unbelieveable. And it helped me love the people there more.

So beautiful right? The things God allows one to see, to be carved on one's heart...