I have been in the Kingdom of Wonder, Cambodia, now for about a month. No amount of preparation can really prepare someone for moving overseas. It is completely different than just going on a trip. Some days I feel like I am dreaming that I am actually here while other days it feels so real that it becomes overwhelming. There are many things that look very different than I anticipated, but through that the Lord has been teaching me a lot, so here are three things He has been teaching me.
***SURRENDER***
I hear the Lord say over and over again to open my hands and surrender to Him. Surrender my plans, my timeline, my lack of faith, and to just trust Him. I think I try to hold so tight because I am scared of messing up, so by holding on so tight I can control the outcome… this is not the way to live by faith. I desire to be like Noah… to trust God so much that you just listen to His voice and do only what He says. Noah seemed to let go of his life to build an ark exactly the way the Lord wanted him too. He followed the instructions and the timeline. Starting a ministry takes alot of denying self and saying yes to the Lord and his timing. This will take time, research, and a lot of praying. “Surrender Kristie and trust that what I have planned for you and this nation will be accomplished in such a way that I receive the most glory.”-God.
***HOPE***
I heard a sermon recently talking about faith and hope. You cannot have hope without faith and vice versa. Romans 5 says:
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Moving overseas has felt alot like being pressed down or going through some type of suffering, but through that so much hope has been produced. One of the factors that looks different than anticipated is helping out at the Overflow Guesthouse which Adventures in Missions owns as a means for ministry; its a great ministry just not one I thought I would be working at. It has consumed a good amount of time so far, but the Lord is teaching me business skills from it and He has allowed me to explain the Gospel to one of our Cambodian staff members. When I am not helping out there, I have been able to go into some of the bars and create friendships again! SO GREAT AND BEAUTIFUL! The thing with hope is that I can walk into these places with so much joy from the Spirit because I know the outcome for these women. Right now, they are in bondage, shame, and deceit from the dark side, but GOD says they are worth His freedom and he will set them free! The point of creating this women’s ministry is not to end the sex trade industry, but to make disciples of Jesus who will make other disciples of Jesus. The Lord has just highlighted these women for this season, and I love that when these women come to know God as their father that some of the sex trade industry will end. Sex work is horrific and heartbreaking, but if we are just trying to end the industry we are going to fail what the Lord is speaking. He wants total freedom for these women. These women will be beacons of hope to others! They will empower their fellow Cambodians to follow Jesus and live a better life! Hope is walking in faith knowing the final outcome is concrete. Painted White will be used as a vessel to set women free from the sex trade industry and to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is more than just a social justice movement.
***FAITHFUL***
Can I just be real? I doubt God often. Every time I doubt the Lord and his goodness, He always gives me a new reason to believe him. His heart for the nation of Cambodia is for freedom and empowerment to take over. I doubted I was supposed to go to Cambodia with AIM. I doubted that I heard him correctly about the safe home and salon for my Cambodian sisters. It just seems too wild. too big. too much. BUT GOD is so trustworthy. I remember before coming out here praying for family and someone to do this ministry with side by side. We have a team here but we each have different focuses which is beautiful because that means more people will be reached. Well a couple on my team has been to Cambodia before and they plan to live here indefinitely. The Lord has used this couple to show me His faithfulness. I have family here. They are married with a dog and another teammate who I currently live with are my family. The Lord has demonstrated His faithfulness to me by sending the Bergrens with a similar vision for the nation of Cambodia. We do not know exactly what this will look like, but one thing is for sure… we will do this side by side through the Holy Spirit. The fact that our visions for Cambodia are so similar blow my mind because it really shows the the Father’s heart for this place is for freedom and empowerment to take over. It shows we do hear Him. It shows his faithfulness.
Friends, dig into the Word of God and see what He speaks to you! His plans for you are good!
– Kristie
