Why am I going on this Cambodia 2013 trip?
Where to start ... from the beginning: I went on our first ever missions trip to Cambodia in 2007, which was also my very first missions trip. I was debating on whether or not I should go ... Victor straight up said to me, "Sherry, you should go."
And as cliche as it sounds, it changed my life ... but not in the romanticized way most people would imagine it. The first 10 hours we had set foot in Cambodia, I sprained my ankle severely while playing with the kids at the first orphanage we visited. That's not what changed my life though. =P What changed my life was sharing just 10 days with people that had yet to overcome so much strife and seemed so poor, in our American middle-class eyes, but were so rich in their faith with the Lord. God was in every part of their lives and they were forced to depend on Him because they had nothing else to rely on! How blessed was I to be a part of His hands and feet in this country that was once so dark? When I returned, a few of us on that trip started the small group, Steep, with the vision of steeping every part of lives in Jesus. Missions should be embedded in our lives and not just across the world.
Here I am relearning how to walk with the help of these sweet kids after spraining my ankle.
Cambodia 2007
Short term missions changed my life so much, I returned to Cambodia with GrX in 2008. Plus, I had yet to really set BOTH feet on Cambodia soil for more than 10 hours. I wasn't sure why God called me there again, but I obeyed, and while I was there, I got His call to GO. Go ... where!? That started the new adventure of quitting my job, moving to Hawaii to do God's work with the non-profit, Surfing The Nations, and through them go on more missions trips, including the Philippines, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. And when I returned, I led a GrX trip to Japan to help with the tsunami relief effort. They were all adventures of sharing the love of God through actions, conversations, relationship-building, prayer, struggles, miracles ... and fun! Each time, God shows me more of who HE is, in which I'm challenged to bring home and live out in my life back here.
Which brings me to today! I think in the past six years, one of the most important things I've learned about God from my own experience is that He doesn't NEED us to do His work. God exalts us, not the other way around. And if I'm not obedient in doing His work, then someone else will be ... but I'd miss out on the adventure that He's called ME on. I'd miss out on witnessing the work He's doing in Cambodia through our missioanaries there (Nathan & Priscilla). I'd miss out on the new relationships I'll have, the challenges of living uncomfortably, the skills He's equipped me with, the team He wants me to be a part of, the stories He wants me to bring back to you! Because not everyone has this opportunity to go, but I do! So I hope that I can be a faithful servant, team member, body of Christ to represent those who are unable to go, which leads me to the importance of those that are here. You're just as important in His plan for the Cambodians who we go to love, and your prayers are what makes our team be equipped with the armor of God, able and willing to complete His work. Thanks so much for sending us!
Where to start ... from the beginning: I went on our first ever missions trip to Cambodia in 2007, which was also my very first missions trip. I was debating on whether or not I should go ... Victor straight up said to me, "Sherry, you should go."
And as cliche as it sounds, it changed my life ... but not in the romanticized way most people would imagine it. The first 10 hours we had set foot in Cambodia, I sprained my ankle severely while playing with the kids at the first orphanage we visited. That's not what changed my life though. =P What changed my life was sharing just 10 days with people that had yet to overcome so much strife and seemed so poor, in our American middle-class eyes, but were so rich in their faith with the Lord. God was in every part of their lives and they were forced to depend on Him because they had nothing else to rely on! How blessed was I to be a part of His hands and feet in this country that was once so dark? When I returned, a few of us on that trip started the small group, Steep, with the vision of steeping every part of lives in Jesus. Missions should be embedded in our lives and not just across the world.
Here I am relearning how to walk with the help of these sweet kids after spraining my ankle.
Cambodia 2007
Short term missions changed my life so much, I returned to Cambodia with GrX in 2008. Plus, I had yet to really set BOTH feet on Cambodia soil for more than 10 hours. I wasn't sure why God called me there again, but I obeyed, and while I was there, I got His call to GO. Go ... where!? That started the new adventure of quitting my job, moving to Hawaii to do God's work with the non-profit, Surfing The Nations, and through them go on more missions trips, including the Philippines, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. And when I returned, I led a GrX trip to Japan to help with the tsunami relief effort. They were all adventures of sharing the love of God through actions, conversations, relationship-building, prayer, struggles, miracles ... and fun! Each time, God shows me more of who HE is, in which I'm challenged to bring home and live out in my life back here.
Which brings me to today! I think in the past six years, one of the most important things I've learned about God from my own experience is that He doesn't NEED us to do His work. God exalts us, not the other way around. And if I'm not obedient in doing His work, then someone else will be ... but I'd miss out on the adventure that He's called ME on. I'd miss out on witnessing the work He's doing in Cambodia through our missioanaries there (Nathan & Priscilla). I'd miss out on the new relationships I'll have, the challenges of living uncomfortably, the skills He's equipped me with, the team He wants me to be a part of, the stories He wants me to bring back to you! Because not everyone has this opportunity to go, but I do! So I hope that I can be a faithful servant, team member, body of Christ to represent those who are unable to go, which leads me to the importance of those that are here. You're just as important in His plan for the Cambodians who we go to love, and your prayers are what makes our team be equipped with the armor of God, able and willing to complete His work. Thanks so much for sending us!
No comments:
Post a Comment