Cambodian Villages

Yesterday we were able to take a trip across the beautiful Cambodian countryside to visit a few of the small villages and have bible study / church services there. It was nearly a two hour ride to the first village over a washboard road with some ruts that could swallow a Volkswagen. It made us appreciate the smooth roads we drive on in the US. As we drove along, we’d wave and people would give us a curious glance as I imagined they wondered what these “white” folks were doing here.

At the villages we participated in study and worship. If you are wondering where all the Cambodian men are in the picture, many of them work the fields or cross the border into Thailand to get work and may or may not come home for days. Getting the weekends “off” can be a foreign concept to many that need to work daily to make enough money just to live.

When field work is done, many gather on the back of these cow tractors to make the trek home - I don’t know that I’ve yet seen the maximum seating capacity of one of these all purpose “Vehicles?” or if there is such a thing.

We got to see a little bit of life as they live it and were also able to hear stories of how their lives have been positively impacted because of Jesus. It’s amazing how God can break through barriers and come into the lives of people here in spite of pressure from family and others around them in a culture where less than 2% of people are Christian. We were able to take some time to connect with some of what could be the future leaders in the church. We also were able to enjoy some time playing with some of the village kids.

Today we’ll have some R&R. I will be working on updating some anti-virus software on some of the computers and a couple guys will be visiting the clinic. We’ll also get a chance to visit the market. Thank you for your continued prayers!