Our two Soul Action interns, Hannah and Shaun, recently got to pop out to Cambodia as part of the Soul 61 course we run here at Soul Survivor. The following are their thoughts and feelings from their time there…
First up, Hannah…
A few weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to visit Cambodia and the wonderful work of CHO (Cambodia Hope Organisation). Through seeing the desperate poverty and grit of the lives of people out there, God really challenged me about the attitude of my heart behind the things I do.
So often for me, I can get so wrapped up in making myself feel big and important, focusing on where I am going and my relationship with God. But for the people working for CHO, it wasn’t just about them. They understood that to love the Father, you also have to love his kids, whoever they are, whatever their background, accomplishments or personality. g
The truth is, those who society turns their nose up at, those who have been used and abused by the world are Royalty in the kingdom of God. We should never think that because we live a comfortable life that we are worth more than them.
One of the most challenging things for me was seeing a woman who worked in one of the sewing house projects. Now this house was not situated in the middle of the city for all to see, but on the poorest border of Cambodia to Thailand. By a poor border, I mean it was just a ditch. This woman taught sewing on old-fashioned pedal sewing machines (some even without thread) to children who had been trafficked/ were currently working each day over the border in Thailand. This lady was taking a stand in that small room and saying that these children were worth more. There was no one there to tell her how well she was doing, not a huge crowd to witness the stand she was making against injustice. But she knew it wasn’t about her, that she was part of something bigger.
The challenge for me is that so often on mission trips, or just in life in general, I want to “blast in there” and make a huge impact and see instant results. But in actual fact God is looking for plodders, people who will follow his way day in and day out. People who will give themselves to tasks where the thanks and praise may not come or results may take years. People who will work for him in the secret place, where it isn’t glamorous or comfortable.
How does this apply now? In what seems like a totally different world sometimes? I think it looks like obediently and determinately sewing seeds for the kingdom, not caring who gets the credit. Caring for those who society sneers at, not seeing ourselves or are salvation as worth more than there’s.
I think it looks like finding ways to invest in God’s kingdom, serving God in ways that no-one will know about. Not only does this help to correct our view, but also the intimacy it brings with the Father is incomparable.
Hannah
Soul Action
Soul Action 