Let the countdown begin! 11 days! I can’t believe it. My excitement continues to grow as I check off and add to checklist after checklist. I can’t wait to experience the Cambodian culture, to step out of my comfort zone, but most of all to grow in and spread God’s love. Sometimes I think “Oh so I leave for Cambodia soon...” and sometimes I’m like “How in the world did I decide to just up and spend two months in Cambodia?! I’ve never even flown across the ocean!” But THAT is what makes it exciting. THAT is what takes it out of my hands and forces me to place it into God’s. As much as I have to-do lists and want to make sure I’m prepared, I can’t help but feel a peace that it’s really going to be okay, well actually that it is going to be great! I know God is working through this.
For those of you who don’t know, this trip has just fallen in place piece by piece in ways in which there is no denying are because of His mighty and loving works. From the start I just knew I wanted to go, to get out of my comfort zone and experience a bigger picture of God’s children and how He loves, literally, the entire world. I had no idea where, but I weeded through several places based on the type of ministry I thought would best line up with my passions. Not going to lie, I probably had a choice on each continent. But then I heard about this opportunity in Cambodia. It is a new destination for Worldwide Witness and wasn’t even a concrete possibility. But once I heard it was not only loving on kids, but feeding them I was sunk. I emailed the Welches, talked to Larry and had him email them and started reading their newsletters. I pursued it and before even knowing if I would for sure be able to go there I was on the search for a partner. It became a redundant question “What are you doing this summer? Wanna go to Cambodia with me?” But of course its quite a commitment to ask someone to just up and spend their summer over 2,000 miles away from home. I asked my friends, my nutrition department advisor; it felt like I’d exhausted all my possibilities, and I was getting a little nervous. But then Sing Song practice started and a new friendship sprouted. My sweet friend Hannah Beth said “Hey have you asked Mallory about Cambodia?” Noooo, but I’m sure she is just as busy as everyone else. By this time the semester was already moving right along, deadlines were past, and many other teams were bonding, but Mallory took me by surprise that night in the middle of practice and said “Well tell me about it!” Well alright. And from there a lot more praying ensued. I found out my grandparents are friends of the Welches, I found out they wanted us to come, I found out Mallory wanted to come on this journey with me. And I found out God is working in my life to not only grow me, but to use me to love others. All that to say I’m stoked. And I want this experience to continue to be led by God and not by me. And I’m awfully glad that’s the case because I’m much too incompetent for something like this. (Check out 1 Corinthians 2 or the story of Moses to see how God uses His Spirit to work through us when we think we are just average, or even weak, pretty great stuff.)
One thought that has really impacted me as I prepare for this adventure is one from Bob Goff (who is incredible by the way). In his book Love Does he says that a motto he lives by is “Love God. Love people. Do stuff.” And I so want that to be my mantra. I want to move from just agreeing with Jesus and loving His people from afar to doing something about it- to hugging kids in Cambodia! How exciting is that?! Goff says to make a cannonball in this world we have to jump in- to get past the fear and accept the mess. So this is me taking that leap from being content with my day to day life in Texas to just doing something and just loving. So here’s to making friends, to being with new people, and to loving them! 11 days!
Blessings.
Over and out,
Shanleigh
