Persecution in Paradise

I'm not sure what to write this about. I mean a lot has happened since my last post. It's just so hard to target one specific thing to write about. I have so many thoughts and experiences floating around in my head. I think I should start with the most important.

This past Saturday I lead two young men's Bible studies. One at noon and one in the afternoon. The first one went on as planned. But the afternoon study didn't go as planned. I had a lesson planned out, but God always has a way of changing my plans. Only one guy showed up for my evening Bible study. As I was cracking my Bible open the young guy confronted me with something.

"My brother has been correcting me for not respecting buddhism. My family has been asking me about my religion. They don't know I'm Christian and I'm afraid to tell them."

That's when I closed my Bible to listen to his story. He told me about how his friends have been rebuking him for his Christianity. They have been telling him that Christianity is bad and that he should turn back to buddhism. He is absolutely terrified to tell his parents. He doesn't want to disappoint them and really isn't sure how they'll react. His family has been questioning his loyalty to buddha because apparently they can tell that he has shied away from the religion. He has been so confused. He is a new Christian and is still learning a lot.

I read scripture to him. I told him that Christ warned us about persecution. We had a long discussion and in the end I feel he walked away with clarification. It will be hard for him, but I have no doubt that this is only a bump in the road for him. The thing that really got to me was that here I was coaching him on what Christ says to do, but I felt I had no business telling him this. I know that it was my duty to inform him, but I have never faced any real persecution as a Christian. I was raised in a Christian home. Most of my close friends have all been Christian and those who weren't Christian never gave me heck about being Christian. I have never been rebuked, scorned, or ill treated for being Christian. If Christ warned that his followers would face persecution, why haven't I? Honestly, after I spoke with this young guy I became angry. I became angry with myself. I wanted to be able to give this kid advice from first hand experience. In the same situation, how would I react? It's easy to say I would never deny Christ, but in a very real situation, would I stick to my guns? Peter said he would never deny Christ, but before the rooster crowed he denied Christ thrice. I pray that when I am faced with that very real situation, I will have strength to stand for truth. I pray that you will too. It's easy to talk to the talk, but when looking in the eyes of rebuking loved ones, facing an angry crowd, or looking down the barrel of a gun, will you have the guts to stand for Christ?

Think about it.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

I still feel dirty

If you don't know about the Tonle Sap, well you need to know that the lake is used for everything. The locals use it for bathing, washing clothes, cooking food, personal sewage, and not to mention drinking. Ask anyone who's been there, this water is NASTY.

Last Wednesday, during our play time, one of the girls decided to go off the boat and go get something to drink. The only way on and off the boat is to walk down a plank that leads to the shore. Normally as the kids are walking off the boat I shake the plank just a bit, just to tease them. As the girl walked off I playfully started wobbling the plank. Unfortunately this time the girl lost her balance and fell into the water. She stood up and started crying. The girl wasn't hurt, but I had just embarrassed her in front of her classmates. I felt awful. I went over and tried to console her, but to no avail. I sent the girl back up the plank, back to the boat. I knew the only way to redeem myself was to allow this girl to get justice. I stood on that plank contemplating other options, but this seemed to be the most effective way to replenish this girl's sense of dignity. I told the kids to wobble the plank as much as they possibly could. The children jumped at the opportunity. How often do you get the golden opportunity to shake your teacher into the water? They tried their hardest to shake me off my balance, but my weight was too much for them. I knew what was about to happen. I was about to fake getting off balance and fall into the utterly disgusting water below. They shook with all their might. I "lost my balance" and lept off the plank. I remember my last thought right before hitting the water... why. I landed in the water horizontally faced down. Everything went under, head and all. I stood up and the children were in a frenzy of laughter, even the little girl. I made my way back up to the boat. I literally felt a certain filth all over my body. It was like my body was wrapped in a film of disgustingness.

After falling in the water, the other children decided to go for a swim. They used the rest of their play time swimming. Many of the kids jumped in the water and pushed each other in. They were having a great time. Sey and I were standing off to the side talking. That's when one of the children cried out, "Teacher!" Sey and I quickly turned our attention over to the children. One little girl had been pushed in and she didn't know how to swim. Her head was being held just above the water by one of the students aboard the boat. She was screaming for help. The kids weren't strong enough to pull her up onto the boat. The wakes from boats would come and cover her face. Sey and I quickly darted off towards them. We jumped over the boat railing to where the kids were. I layed down on my belly and grabbed her hand. I lifted her up onto the boat where she started spitting water and coughing. Sey ran and grabbed her a towel. The little girl sat there and shivered for the rest of the class time. I was surprised though. I assumed that all the children that lived on the lake knew how to swim. It would make sense that the parents would teach their children to swim. It must be an important skill for their survival. It makes me wonder how many children die each year from drowning. It would be easy for toddlers to wander right off their homes and into the water. If Sey and I hadn't been there, she could have easily drown.

The day didn't end there. After everyone settled down from the incident the kids continued to swim. The all jumped in and when they were in the water they yelled up to me, "Teacher!" they were wanting me to come swimming with them. I was hesitant. Not only was this water rancid, it was crawling with snakes. Nearly everyday I've been out on that lake, I've seen people carrying dead snakes. I've even been invited over for dinner where the main course was snake. Unlike Indiana Jones, I do not have a fear of snakes. However, I do have a smart respect for them. But something told me that if I didn't go swimming with my students at least once, I would regret it. So I tossed my shirt to the side and sent my body hurdling over the side into the (extremely) murky water below. I plunged deep into the dark waters. I could feel weeds and plants that were growing from the bottom, this water was very deep though. I reemerged to the surface and all the kids were laughing and carrying on. I squeezed every muscle in my lips to make sure that no water got inside. It didn't matter how much I squeezed, water somehow always made it into my mouth. I was constantly spitting out dirty brownish black water. We swam for a while, but eventually we all got tired and got out. This was the one day that I missed the Ocoee river in Cleveland.

I went home took a thorough shower, dried off, and took another shower.

Crocodile Rock

I apologize for not writing in a while.

Well a lot has happened since I last wrote, but I'll start with last Thursday. I went to the boat just to visit with my buddy Sey and hopefully go down river to see some crocodiles. My real intent was to find a baby crocodile that I could hold. I had been watching a lot of Animal Planet and watching old Steve Irwin documentaries. Not many know this, but the crocodile hunter was one of my childhood heroes. This motivated me to go and find a baby croc, just for fun. We arranged for a boat to take us down river. We went to a store where they keep crocs in a hole. I had been there already with the American teams twice. Once there, I asked them I they had any baby crocs. Unfortunately they didn't. So then I asked them if I could get a picture holding one of their giant catfish. Their reply was "if you can catch it". So I layed face down on the dock with the catfish pit below me. There were fish in this hole that were so big they could eat a chihuahua. The biggest one I saw looked to be about 4 feet long. Just about as long as my leg. I slowly placed my hands in the water and waited for the fish to swim in between them. The water was murky and I couldn't see what was lying below. I kept expecting a whopper to jump after me and take me under. Fish kept swimming between my hand and I kept grabbing at them, but their slick skin allowed them to slip right out of my hand. I managed to pull one out of the water, but it was kicking like crazy. It kicked so much that it slipped it's way back into the water. I gave up on this endeavor and decided to keep pursuing after my baby crocodile.

Some of the locals recommended a place where I could find a croc. It was not too far from the Common Grounds restaurant. Other things happened there at that store, but that story is for another time.

I ventured back to Siem Reap in search of this crocodile farm that they referred to me. When I arrived at the crocodile farm they let me look at their crocs. They had crocs of all ages and sizes. It was insane how many crocodiles they had. I don't think it would be far fetched to say they had 200 - 300 crocodiles here. Some of the crocs were massive! I was amazed how many crocodiles they had. Although, this would be a crocodile enthusiasts nightmare. This farm's habitat conditions were extremely poor. The crocs looked miserable. They were all scarred up. I found the baby crocs and asked the lady behind the counter if I could hold one. She looked at me like I had just asked her if could pour mayonnaise on her head. 

"No, because the crocodile might bite you and we don't want you to get hurt."

"It's okay if I get bitten. In fact, it would be a really good picture." (Believe me, I didn't want to get bitten. I just needed to communicate that I wasn't concerned with getting bitten.)

She reluctantly let me hold it. I grabbed the ferocious beast (aka the little baby crocodile) by the back of the neck so it wouldn't turn and bite me. With my other hand I grabbed the tail so that it wouldn't be wiggling around trying to get away.

Here is the result! Proof that half of my childhood dream is complete, to hold a baby crocodile. Now I just have to complete the other half, jump on and be involved in capturing a full grown crocodile. Yippee!

Tomorrow I'll have another post, so be looking out for it.

Rubber balls!

On my way to the Tonle Sap, I saw some rubber balls hanging from a hook out in front of a store. We have toys out on the boat, but most of them are wearing down. I had been looking for something to get the kids that they all would enjoy. When I saw the balls, I knew my kids would love them. I had my moto driver pull over. I wasted no time negotiating a price with the shop keeps. It took me a while, but I finally got them at the price I wanted them. I bought 5o rubber balls. Needless to say, they were extremely excited. They looked at me like a conquering hero. It's amazing how something so simple as a rubber ball can make these kid's day. They had a blast!

After that was not so fun though. We had some problems with some of the young girls. Sey and I have been very lenient on them. Lately we have been trying to place more structure on them and not letting them talk so much. But for some reason some of the girls are having trouble acclimating to our new policies. We had to sit them down for a serious talk, because they weren't listening to us. We told them they needed to settle down, because if they didn't we were going to start enforcing some rules. Even during our talk, the girls continued to disregard what we were saying. We were forced to kick one of the girls off the boat to prove we were serious. This changed the whole attitude of the class. All the young girls were angry with us. They didn't communicate this to us, but it was all over their faces. Class ended and all the girls collaborated. It doesn't matter what culture you're in, complaining people always band together. Hopefully this Friday's class keeps the fun and loses the attitude. I pray that it does. 

Trek the mountain

Tuesday I decided it was about time for an adventure. So I packed up my things and headed for the temple mountain near the Tonle Sap. There are stairs and a path that lead up to the temple. The only problem with taking this path is that there is a guard who stops you and asks for a ticket that you must purchase from a different location. The ticket costs $12 and I didn't have the time nor the desire to spend the money. So I needed to take a different route.

Tada! My route!

I climbed the mountain. I'm sure there must've been a better way up, but the sun would be setting soon and I didn't have time to find it. As I started to climb, the Cambodian children gathered below me and watched. I climbed and climbed. I tested different rocks for stability. About half way up I looked down. It looked like I was 30 feet in the air, it was too late to turn back. I would've never made it back down the same way. I kept going. At one point the rocks below me began to crumble, but I grabbed on to some roots to maintain stability. I finally made it to the top. I looked down to see the kids below me, they were yelling to me. I waved down to them and they waved back. I hiked up the mountain.

Finally I emerged from bushes and saw the temple.

I was so glad I made the trip, because when I made it to the top I befriended a local and saw some very beautiful things.

These structures still amaze me.

I loved how vacant it was here.

I felt so lucky to see a rainbow in this setting.

A picture only says so much, but to be there was beyond words.

Needless to say, the experience was well worth the time. Standing up on the mountain was perfect. I have never had a spiritual moment in nature, but I can honestly say that this was my first. I could see for miles and miles. I could see villages and people. I felt as if God was telling me, "I made this. All this was crafted by my hand. What you see now is only a fragment of my design." I honestly didn't want the moment to end. I sat there until darkness fell. It was a day that I'll never forget.

Teaching the kids has been great. It has been hard though. The boat has a small anchor holding it in place. When a storm comes it blows the boat in so many different directions. It has damaged neighboring boats on the Tonle Sap. We have had to move the boat so many times because the neighbors are scared that they will be smashed by our massive boat. Honestly, the guys who work on the boat are scared someone is going to be seriously hurt by our boat. During storms they become very frightened. I have been reassuring them and trying to boost their morale. Even now, it is storming. Keep them in your prayers. Pray that the massive school boat does no damage. I am certain that my God will keep his hand on this situation.

Sick but not broken

These next few paragraphs are just some things that have been jumbled around in my head for a while.

Sickness. All my life, I have never really gotten sick. Yeah, I've had a cold or two, but never an infection like this. Sickness is always physically fatiguing, but for the first time I was so sick that I was mentally fatigued. How did I get this way? During those hot nights, where I am sweating heavily and can't sleep, I have nothing better to do than think. I think about past, present, and future. I came to the realization of how big what I am doing really is. I realize the opportunity for monumental change is knocking on my door. As this realization comes to mind, so does the realization that I'm 18 and I'm barely out of high school. The doubt builds in my mind. So not only has this sickness taken a toll on my body, it took a toll on my mind.

The opportunity to plant seeds seems limitless. When I look on the lake and see house after house, I don't simply see homes. I see people. People that go about their day without any knowledge of who they truly are. People that are lost and in seek of hope. They are in seek of something more. Am I equipped for this? Am I ready for this task? Am I up to the challenge? What makes me think I have any business even being here? Honestly, it would be easier to just go home. Pack it up and call it quits. I could go home, forget Cambodia, and work on my own life. I could go to my family and friends. Indulging in the conveniency of modern Western comfort sounds pretty good. It sounds especially good while lying in bed feeling like I'm about to croak. I'd be lying if I told you all these things haven't crossed my mind from time to time. 

Deep down, in my heart, I know. It's not coincidence that I'm right here, right now. I miss my friends. I miss my family. I miss Arby's curly fries, movie theater popcorn, and the green hills of Tennessee. All that stuff is great. But I need to recognize where I am. I am a part of something so much bigger than what can be seen on the surface. Lives can be changed, including mine. I have embarked on a journey that could plot the course for the rest of my life. If I give up now, what pattern of choices will I set for my life? Will I quit with other things? My job. My marriage. My life. But if I endure, if I dismiss my doubt and push through, is that the pattern I will set for my life? If I stick it out and stand strong now, maybe this will set a precedent for my entire life. When I feel myself begin to stumble, I think about all those back home who believe in me. I constantly remind myself of all the people who gave money on the notion that I had something to share. I constantly remind myself of all the people who encourage me because they truly believe I can make a significant difference. Most importantly, I think about how my God has provided the way for me to be here. He has picked me up from this sickness and set me back on my feet. My God has come through for me and I have faith that he will continue to do so.

Thank you to all who have supported me and prayed for me. Your prayers and support are reaching me here in Asia. It helps more than you will ever know.

A good start

We had to move the school boat. The water level keeps rising and if we had left it much longer then the kids wouldn't have been able to get to the school. Last Monday, you couldn't get to the boat without having to wade through water. The moto driver stopped just in front of 40 yards of nasty Tonle Sap water. The only way I was going to be able to teach that day was if I waded. There was no other way around it. Wade or go home. So I embarked into the dark waters. As I got about knee high in the water I thought: God if you ever wanted to give me the ability to walk on water, now would have been the time. I made it across and started class with a Bible story.

Jane and her family soon arrived. They handed out toothbrushes, put on a puppet show, and taught the proper way to brush your teeth. It was very cool and the kids loved it.

Wednesday was our first adult... well I'm not sure what it is yet. We made an announcement to the children at the end of class. We told then to invite their parents to come learn about the Bible. Four o' clock was supposed to be the time that our "thing" started, but no one showed. I had already told myself earlier that if no one showed then I wouldn't be disappointed. 4:15 and still no one has showed. I walked over to the boat next door and spoke with some of the locals. Sey and I are still trying to build relationships with the adults in the neighboring boats. I visited with an older woman on the boat. She is the wife of a fisherman. Her daughter started in our class that very same day. 4:30 rolls around and Youn steps onto the school boat with one of his friends. I was so glad. So we invited the fisherman's wife to come learn about the Bible. She agreed. We gathered in a circle of chairs. There were 3, not including myself and Sey. I opened a bag of fruit I had bought just earlier in the day and let them introduce themselves to each other. My goal this day wasn't to teach them as much as I can about Jesus, but to just let them get comfortable in this setting. They made casual conversation with each other. Five minutes later, the mother of one of our students showed up and so did the fisherman. So we now had 5 people. I'd say that was a success considering I had only even met two of them before hand. I let them ask me questions about myself, so they could get to know me as well. They asked me mostly about America and what I was doing here. They also asked me why I came. My answer was, "Because my God led me here." This drew some curiosity in them. They started asking me what religion I was, after I told them, that started a whole new string of questions about Christianity. They had so many questions, it was great.

I told Sey to tell them that God speaks to my heart, but I noticed something. Sey wasn't translating exactly what I was telling him. I stopped him and asked him why. He said he didn't want to confuse them. He tried to give them answers that made sense. I told him, "Sey, it's okay if this doesn't make sense to them right now. If it doesn't make sense then it can only lead to more questions, which is good. It's good because it'll get them thinking about it more." He understood and from that point on, he translated what I was saying word for word.

At the end of our conversation, everyone seemed very interested in what Sey and I had to say. They all said that they would come back next week to learn more. After leaving the boat, I felt great. I still feel great. The start of the ministry was successful and I know that it will only continue to grow. Even the children's ministry is growing rapidly. This week alone, we have gained 9 new students. Every day we gained three more. This just means that more seeds will be planted in the hearts of the children. Praise God! I'm very excited about the weeks to come. I pray that everything goes smoothly. The only problem I pray for, is the problem of not having enough room to hold all the people that want to come learn about Jesus.

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Happy Birthday Grandpa! I hope it's a blessed one. Love you.

They know an idol, but they don't know MY God.

Today was my first official day teaching on the boat. I feel like it went especially smooth. It was fairly easy. The school day started out with a lesson about the birth of Jesus. My lesson plan is to hit every major event in Jesus' life. I'll tell a different story everyday. I know that some of them they have already learned from the interns, but it doesn't hurt to retouch this stuff.

After the Bible lesson, I had the children color the Nativity scene. They had their snack, played for 20 minutes and then we jumped into the math lesson. We played some number games and reviewed their numbers in English.

This is my floating village class. 

Right now there are 16 students, but we are about to take on 4 more students. Teaching these kids is great, they are getting to learn about Christ at a very young age. Seeds are being planted in their hearts. But God hit me with a very real concern. These kids are learning about Christ from me for three days a week. After my two hours is up, they go back to their homes and back to their buddhist families. I felt God urging me to move forward. I expressed to Sey that God was laying things on my heart and that I was interested in starting an adult ministry. He quickly jumped on board and agreed that this was a great idea. We decided that we would go visit different families in the village and invite them to come to a Bible class for adults. We are now starting the first ongoing adult ministry on the Tonle Sap. At least that I know of, I haven't heard about any other ministries going on here on the lake.

 This is the house of a man named Youn. 

Our first visit was to a very happy man named Youn. Youn is a very respected member of the village. He has so many friends within the village and has a lot of influence. Not long after we decided to minister to adults Youn expressed interest in enrolling his kids in our class. He came to us. Sey knew that we could not pass up the opportunity to give this man a visit.

This is Youn.

We showed up in front of Youn's house and he was working out front. As soon as he saw our approach, he quickly stopped everything he was doing and invited us in. We took off our shoes and sat on the floor of his house/boat. I asked him questions about his children and made sure they met the age requirements to be in our class. I then proceeded to make casual conversation with him (with the help of my translator). After the talk was done, I asked him if he'd like to be part of our adult Bible class. He said he would come. It was all coming together. In our departure, I thanked him for inviting us into his home and told him I'd visit him again soon. I plan to visit him next Monday.

Most Cambodians believe that you can serve many Gods. Some even believe in Jesus, but also believe in buddha. They seem to think that as long as you believe in a god, it's all okay. Youn believes this and I believe that's the only reason he agrees to come to the Bible class. He thinks God and buddha are one in the same. He told me this while we were in his house. This adult ministry is a real chance to reach people who know absolutely nothing about my God. They don't know the love of Jesus Christ and the hope He provides for all of us. They don't know the Creator of the universe who yearns to have a personal relationship with them. They just accept their norm that a god is an idol that, as far as they know, doesn't provide hope and doesn't give love. They believe a god is a being who is too high and mighty to consider even making any contact with man. But they don't know my God. My God who stepped onto this Earth and took the sin of the world onto His shoulders. My God who has rescued me from my despair and heart ache. My God is powerful. My God is mighty. People forget. They don't know the price he paid for them. They don't know the amount of love he has for them and if they could just be exposed to a fraction of this love, they would see the hope that is Christ.

Keep me in your prayers and pray this ministry catches fire! I pray that thousands can be exposed to the love of Christ and how great our God truly is.

The floating village

This is the Tonle Sap (aka the "floating village")

This water is black. Not brown. Black.

This is the floating school where I will be teaching.

I will be teaching math and Bible.

This is my co-teacher and translator Sey (pronounced "say") or as I like to call him (in a high pitch tone) "Say What"!

Persecution

I used to think just because I was safe inside the bubble of America that persecution of Christians wasn't prevalent. I knew that it happened, but thought that it was a rare occurrence. I found it happens so much more than my sheltered mind realized. The persecution of Christians is happening and very prevalent. It is becoming more wide spread. Christians are being imprisoned, tortured and killed. My brothers and sisters are suffering. They are suffering for the name of Christ. Reading about their experiences makes my Christianity seem so easy. If people are willing to put their world, their entire lives at risk for the name of Jesus Christ, then there is no doubt in my mind that Christ is true hope. This humbles me so much. How have I ever suffered? It's easy to call myself a Christian when nothing is at stake.

If you'd like to find out more about the persecution of Christians click here.

Keep those who face persecution in your prayers.

John 15:18-21  

18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.

The love that swells

These are the times of my life I will never forget. When I'm with these children I see absolute purity. Being around the kids is so uplifting and heart warming. They make me forget about all my problems and whatever troubles I had in the past. They take me back to my own childhood, when life was so simple. A child's view on altruism is so easy. I envy and miss seeing through the eyes of a child. Seeing their bright and smiling faces reminds me of why I came here. It's hard because I know that one day I'll have to leave them. For now, I will do what I can to better their lives while I'm here.

Matthew 18:3-4 

3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

The Blood Bank

Last night I went to a concert where a man played the cello. His name was Dr. Beat or Beato. He used his talents with his instrument to raise money for a children's hospital. He asked that the older people donate money and the younger ones donate blood. The hospital is free. So poor Cambodians don't have to worry if they will be able to get their medical attention. The hospital was started by 16 foreigners and is still being ran by Beato today. I was touched by this man's passion and how he used something as simple as playing a cello to help people. I was so touched that I wanted to help. So I decided to donate blood.

This was my nurse. She was very nice.

Here is me giving blood. The building was surprisingly clean and I watched to make sure she got me a clean needle. She did. I have an A positive blood type. They gave me a t-shirt and some vitamins and I was done.

God will forever guide me

I woke up this morning and I knew there was something different about today. I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew that God had something in store for me today. The first thought that popped into my head when I woke up was it's time for an adventure. Adventure compels me. It is the passion that drives me. I use this passion for God's glory. What greater adventure is there in life than serving the creator of the universe? It is the highest honor that can be bestowed.

I threw the covers off and took a hot shower. I made my way onto the balcony to greet the sun and the day that was before me. I grabbed my things and layed my map across the table. I was going to explore Angkor Wat Temple today. I had been there twice before, but it was with a group. The times I had visited the temple before seemed more like touring an exhibit than exploring ancient ruins. I had heard a rumor that after 5 p.m. people are allowed to enter

 the temple for free. So I started on my journey late in the afternoon around 5-ish. I grabbed some batteries for my camera, jumped on my bike, and started on my journey down the road. 

After about 10 minutes I reached the first checkpoint where some policemen flagged me down. I pulled over and spoke with a representative of the temples. He told me I had to pay twenty dollars to get in. I didn't want to pay twenty bucks, so I turned around. As I was leaving another representative caught up to me. He told me that after 5:30 I could go inside the temples. He let me through and I started back on my journey. While riding my bike I saw some monkeys...

...And there was this one with a massive gash on its nose. I could see right into its nostril.

I gave them some beef jerky, but they didn't like it. They took it right out of my hands, sniffed it, then threw it on the ground. That made me laugh. It was getting late and if I didn't get moving I wasn't going to make it to the temple in time. I jumped on my bike and went on my way. There were some local boys swimming in the pond nearby. They were all having a great time so I wanted to get their picture.

Finally around 5:45 I made it to Angkor Wat temple. I got some great pictures.

What I didn't realize was at 6 they make everyone leave the temple. Well... I wasn't ready to leave. So, I snuck past some of the guards so I could look inside. It was surprisingly quiet compared to the middle of the day when all the tourists are filing in and out.

Then a police officer spotted me. He stood up and started walking over to me. I smiled and waved... then turned and took off running. I didn't know what he would do or say and I wasn't going to stick around to find out (the cops are corrupt). I made it out of the temple without getting caught. There was a path that led through the jungle back to the entrance. I needed to hurry because it was getting dark and I had to ride my bicycle back to where I live. As I was walking down the path I heard loud chanting. The chanting compelled me. I walked toward the chanting. The further I walked the louder the chanting got. Finally I reached the source of the chanting. It was coming from a modern buddhist pagoda. The pagoda had all kinds of pictures all over it.

I don't know exactly what this picture means, but it is very odd. I looked inside the building and there were many buddhist monks on their knees worshipping a 10 foot tall idol. I took my shoes off and stepped inside. When I entered the room the monks stopped their chants and turned all their attention to me. I just smiled. The head monk looked at me and said "Where are you from?" I replied "U.S.A." They started a conversation with me. We talked about many things, what my job is, why I was in Cambodia, who I was. The leader said they were all wanting to learn English. I offered my services to them. I told them I could teach them two days a week for one hour. They were so happy and excited. I feel this was the purpose to my whole day. God led me here... to this place... where these men are condemned. Christ led me here to shine my light.

I left them with a smile and a wave. I told them I would return soon. I jumped on my bike and returned to Common Grounds Coffee Shop (the place I live). 

Today was one of those day where I could feel the presence of God. I just knew he was leading me today. It will be so strange teaching these monks English. I am a follower of Christ and they are buddhist monks. They are the elite of their religion. Yet, somehow, Christ led me to them so that I may teach them. What a wonderful, wise, and powerful God I have. I am still amazed at his wonders. The way he moves is so mysterious and wonderful. It seems the world has a view that God created the world and then took a step back to watch from afar. I don't view God this way. God is all around us. He is in the very air we breathe. He lives in and among us. He isn't somewhere way out in space watching the world through a magnifying glass. God is here. He motivates us. He guides us. He gives us passion. He compels us. He mystifies us. He teaches us day by day. He moves us. He gives us wisdom. He gives us hope. He shows us justice. He is the energy that flows through us. He gives us strength and courage. He leads us through every battle. He is our everything, if we allow Him to be. All you have to do is keep you heart open to him. I, more than anyone, had a problem with wanting to do things on my own steam. I didn't want to feel like I was using Christ as a crutch. But I have learned that He is so much more than a crutch. He is the well of energy from where I draw my strength. He isn't a God who is watching you from a far off place. He is a God who is with you always. He is there with you now. Wherever you are, He is there in that very room. I will thank God everyday for what he has given me. Through him there is no enemy that can come against me. No darkness will ever prosper over the light that dwells within me.

Isaiah 43:2-3

When you pass through the waters, 
       I will be with you; 
       and when you pass through the rivers, 
       they will not sweep over you. 
       When you walk through the fire, 
       you will not be burned; 
       the flames will not set you ablaze.

 ³ For I am the LORD, your God, 
       the Holy One of Israel, your Savior