Short-Term Memories
After a week in Cambodia, I'm different—and want to stay that way.
This is a story of God’s grace. Grace that played out in a Phnom Penh conference facility, in a small Cambodian church, in my parents’ guest room, and, ultimately, in my heart.
The first act of God’s grace on my short-term missions trip three weeks ago was our team’s safe arrival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, after 20 hours of flight. Four members of my church and I were there to work with one of our church’s missionaries, who’d launched a publishing company in Phnom Penh in 2004. Our team was staging a four-day conference; one member would discuss sound business practices with the publisher, while the others would teach graphic design or editing. I was to teach writing.
I had 20 students in my class: 19 men and 1 woman. Many of them worked for missions agencies, including World Vision, TransWorld Radio, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Though these writers were similar in their passion for ministry, they varied in educational level—one 22-year-old was finishing high school, another 30something held a college degree in literature. My class worked hard, asked good questions, and appeared eager to learn. I was eager to learn from these brothers and sister as well, and they didn’t disappoint. Three of their stories in particular moved me and represented some of the other students’ stories I heard.
Standing just to my left every day was Chhay, my translator. I was startled to learn a Cambodian man Chhay’s age, 54, was an unusual finding, since most men his age had been killed during Pol Pot’s genocidal reign in the early 1970s. While my students spent time writing in class one day, Chhay told me about that horrific season of his life. How he did hard labor 18 hours a day in a Khmer Rouge work camp and received only a spoonful of rice for each meal. How he got orders to kill his mother, refused at peril to his own life, and avoided punishment only because the Khmer Rouge valued his hard work. How years later Chhay sensed God calling him to start a hostel for college students who had nowhere to stay, besides Buddhist temples, while studying in Phnom Penh. How most of the 50 to 70 students housed at his facility become Christians during their second year there, drawn by Chhay’s servant-love.
Sitting eagerly in the front row every day was Kimchoeurng, an orphan who never knew his parents. He was a beggar on the streets of Phnom Penh from ages six to eight before he finally landed in an orphanage—not the kind that attracts adoring parents looking for a child to call their own, but the kind that offers slightly better accommodations than life on the streets. Last year, at age 21, Kimchoeurng started his own orphanage. He now houses 31 children in his three-room, one-bathroom facility, teaching them about the Father whose love sustained Kimchoeurng through a tumultuous childhood.
And sitting toward the back of the room was Sokha. The son of a high priest in a prestigious Buddhist temple, Sokha once accepted a friend’s invitation to attend a Christian church, and later told police about the underground congregation. His betrayal led to the arrest of several church members and haunted Sokha for years. His friend and the church members had shown him only kindness, which he’d returned with cruelty. Sokha finally went back to that church, seeking forgiveness from those believers and from the God he then came to know as Savior. His conversion created great strife in his family. They burned his Christian materials, and his father even held a gun to Sokha’s head. Years later Sokha led his family to Christ. His father and uncle, once Sokha’s biggest persecutors, now serve as pastors in strong Christian churches, and Sokha works and ministers with World Vision.
What gripped me about these stories was the common theme of resilience and perseverance in the face of hardship. In fact, not just perseverance, but ministry. All three men created a ministry out of unthinkable circumstances. All three stories are testaments of God’s penchant for creating beauty from ashes. All three stories are beautiful examples of God’s amazing grace.
What also amazes me is that during a worship service the day before the conference, God gave me a peek ahead at this theme. The church service was unlike any other I’d attended in my 30-plus years as a believer. We sat on plastic chairs on a poured-concrete floor. A dog wandered in and found a nice place for a nap beneath a chair in front of me. The church provided shelves for helmets, worn by several attendees who arrived by moto, and Bibles, as not all members had their own. Though I couldn’t communicate with most of the 30 or so people there that day, I could sense their joy.
I’ve loved the few opportunities I’ve had over the years to attend churches in other countries. I listen intently to catch the sermon’s meaning from friends’ whispered translations, I recognize a few familiar hymns or worship songs and hum along, but mostly I take joy and comfort in realizing God understands all the prayers and praise so foreign to me. Knowing he’s the God of the universe is one thing, but experiencing that truth is another thing altogether.
Sitting there reveling in this truth, taking in the new sights and sounds, listening to an unfamiliar Cambodian-penned worship song, I felt an unmistakable sense of God’s grace. The kind of realization and appreciation that come with tears. Just as I was dabbing my eyes, the missionary we were assisting leaned in and translated, “This is a song about God’s grace.” Of course it was. I felt as if God had already let me in on this little sacred secret.
As we flew home after an amazing week of ministry, I prayed I’d remember my students, their stories of grace, and the insights they’d given me. Lord, I prayed as we flew over the ocean, thank you for these new eyes to see the world and my corner of it. Help me keep this vision. I want to come away from this trip with the lessons you have for me.
Just one week later, I traveled to be with family for Thanksgiving. When my parents, my sister and her family, and I returned home from an overnight visit with extended family, my sister and brother-in-law discovered their furnace was kaput. So my sister bundled up her kids—my four-year-old nephew and one-year-old niece—and headed to my parents’ place to join us overnight (while my brother-in-law waited in the cold for the furnace guy).
My sister and I shared the queen-size guest-room bed, and we pulled a twin-size mattress onto the floor for my nephew. After sharing a week in a Cambodian hotel room with two other women on our team, and the previous night in a hotel room with my parents and nephew, I, used to living alone, felt a bit cramped and grumpy. Until I realized the amount of mattress space where my sister, nephew, and I slept that night was exactly the same amount where the 17 girls at Kimchoeurng’s orphanage sleep each night. With this memory, I went from selfish frustration to humble gratitude. And in that moment God’s grace showed up yet again.
I know I’ll be tempted to go right back to my old paradigm in the months and years ahead. I might forget about the cramped Cambodian living spaces as I get used to my country’s paved roads, well-manicured lawns, and huge grocery stores. I might plunk down five bucks for a mocha, without giving second thought to the fact that that’s more than the daily wage for countless people in various parts of the world. But inspired by the Cambodian students’ beautiful model of perseverance, I’ll try to be different, to see differently. Not so I feel guilty, but so I'm aware and grateful and intentional about my resources. And thankful for a God who provides tangible lessons when I lose sight of the big picture, and who sometimes simply whispers personal reminders of his amazing grace.
Blessings,
Have you ever taken a short-term missions trip? What lessons did God teach you through that experience? How have you kept that perspective alive over time?
Posted at 11:43 AM on December 17, 2007.
Trackback and Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry: 
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/821
Post a comment
Comments
Thank you for sharing the beauty of suffering. Your description of God's grace through these lives and your experiences of these past few weeks, are perfect for us at this time of year when we can get so self-focused and me-centered. Thank you!
Posted by: charlene on December 21, 2007
The stories that you shared were so touching and brought me to tears. As I sit in my comfortable home this holiday season, I am so aware of the privileges I have. Thank you for that gentle reminder and for your generous heart. I have never been on a mission trip, but long to one day. It is not the right season in my life right now, but I want to encourage those who do. Please accept my gratitude for your courage in representing our faith so well. The Lord is smiling down on you!
Posted by: laura on December 21, 2007
Hi Camerin,
God is at work encouraging us to recognize His works and to remember them so that when we begin to doubt our Lord or what He is doing - we can recall His faithfulness.
Amazing how last year at this time we both enjoyed a Christian Cruise with our Mothers and this year God sent us on to different parts of the world to serve Him. Hope you are doing well.
Recognize and Remember His Faithfulness...
Sandra Joseph
www.sandrajo.wordpress.com
Posted by: sandra joseph on December 22, 2007
What a wonderful reminder of how much we take for granted our "simple, ordinary lives." We do not realize how easy we have it and yet we complain all the time. I have always wondered what it would be like to really suffer for Christ because we have to admit that we really don't. I am preparing to travel to Belarus next June as a church choir member and am looking forward to the trip. I will keep these insights with me on the trip. Thanks!
Posted by: Lynda Duncan on December 22, 2007
This is sooooo lovely!!!!
Posted by: evelyn on December 23, 2007
Camerin,
It is always so amazing how God works in our lives. His amazing Grace can not be measured, it can only be accepted. He places us where He needs us most and humbles us so we may hear what He has for us to do. As scripture tells us that we are stiff-necked people and, yet that those with eyes let them see and proclaim the "Good News" to the end of the earth.
Here we are only days away from the great celebration of the greatest event in the history of mankind, the birth of the God Child, Jesus. It calls us all back in that He formed and knew us when we were still in our mother's womb. Now if we could only walk, fearless, in the foorsteps of He, the first-fruits, Jesus.
Merry Christmas.
Blessings,
Stan
Posted by: Stan Anderson on December 23, 2007
For 2 yrs. my daughter and 2 grand daughters went on missions trips to very poor places and they were so moved by the circumstances they saw; when they returned home they left all their clothes, their bed linen, etc. and only left with the clothes on their back. In our affluent country it would benefit us all to observe how others live and realize how blessed we are.
Posted by: Margaret on December 23, 2007
Camerin, I enjoyed this - thanks for sharing. I am in Nigeria, which has it's ghetto areas but I am 'okay'. This article made me realise how blessed I really am, how much I take for granted, and how much more i need to do in my community!
Posted by: Nene on December 24, 2007
I've been to Panama. It's been ten years, but I still remember much if the trip as though it were yesterday. It was a life changing time in my life. Thanks for this post. God Bless!
Posted by: Misty on December 24, 2007
I'm eighteen and I am praying about going to Uganda, Africa next semester and I am so excited to see what God teaches me while I am over there. I have heard story after story of lives, perspectives that were radically changed, and I am ready to have my own life changing experience. Thank you for reminding of the things we don't face here in America...I know that God is going to challenge me and use my testimony of His grace in my life to reach out to those in need of His love.
Posted by: janalee on December 26, 2007
Dear Camerin,
Your post has me all choked up!
I met you at a writer's conference and loved your real and evident love for the Lord and for His call on your life.
I work alongside Sara Groves as a co-chair for the International Justice Mission's fundraising banquet in Minnesota.
IJM has rescued many young girls out of brothels in Phnom Penh.
Reading your account and picturing you there simply reaffirmed to me God's call for us to make a difference in our world.
Thanks so much for sharing.
God's best to you!
Susie Larson
www.susielarson.com
Posted by: Susie Larson on December 31, 2007
I have also been to Cambodia on a missions trip with World Relief and was very nostalgic reading about your experiences. It is a very complex country, with a tragic past, but with many many exciting believers.
Have your friends in Cambodia heard of the Magazine Training International organization? They hold international publishing conferences and have a wonderful website with many helpful resources for start up publishers in foreign countries--I believe CTI staff have contributed to this ministry in the past.
Posted by: Mary on January 2, 2008
Yikes! I have no desire to go to such places and I don't think that would make me want to sleep on a floor with lots of other people and still smile about it. Understanding others lifestyles or customs is one thing, living one way out of necessity is another, but choosing to do so when there is a hotel down the road is quite another. I don't think we need to make ourselves martyrs for the sake of being humble and then writing about it to gain praise. God bless you for all you do.
Posted by: Sally on January 3, 2008
Dear Camerin,
You are my hero. It is refreshing to read your blog and to read your singles column that is delivered in my e-mail box. I appreciate your honesty!
I believe when our men are restored, then our single women will be wives. Christian women outnumber christian men in the church and sometimes the emphasis is more often on families then singles. You fix the singles problems, you fix the family problems.
I circulate your columns to my friends. I too, hope to be a published author one day so I can commit full-time to ministry and missions.
Be blessed and I've got to believe Boaz is on the way for all of us.
Merissa Green
pressgirl77@aol.com
Posted by: Merissa Green on January 3, 2008
Dear Camerin,
Thank you for sharing your amazing story, i just recently watched a moviE called Beyond Borders featuring the Cambodia saga and the suffering of these people so i guess i have an inkling of an idea, about your experience. In 2006, I also had a amazing journey to the Island of MADAGASGAR , off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. I am priveleged to be a supporter of our church Intl Penticostal holiness church, Missions Group, in Madagascar
Many are called, but few are chosen, if God has called you for Missions it is a privelege and a very special calling. God says we are the watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem , so it is our responsiblity to pray and offer love and support to those who are suffering, if we do not do it who will?? so our calling is not by chance, we have a purpose. Thank you for sharing you experience God bless you.
jolandal@nedbank.co.za
Posted by: jolanda le fleur on January 4, 2008
I took a trip to Chad, Africa two years ago to go to the remotests parts of the earth. We visited villages where they had never had medical attention before and even one which never had had missionaries, let alone white people. They were so appreciative and gave gifts ( all that they had in the form of gourd bowls and grass brooms) to our doctor on the way out.
But one of the most pointed times for me was on my journey from Paris to home on the airplane. I started to turn on a movie so I could whittle away the hours that would be the trip over the ocean and thought I had picked an okay one, when a sex scene came up suddenly. I quickly turned it off and realized I had felt dirty and violated in just that brief exposure. It made me ponder the three weeks in Chad where I was in one of the truly impoverished and filthy places on earth
(human fece bags line the streets) and yet I had felt the most pure and focused on Christ of my life. Here I was on the plane, where I could eat and drink all the food, but I felt contaminated and tarnished by the world and it's filth as shown in that movie. How bizarre! Give me that purity in heart and purpose and a "dirty" country any time as opposed to our "sanitary", yet vile conditions! It made me want to take a flight back soon! I know the Lord can help us stay pure in heart no matter where.....but I try to ask the Lord for that singular focus as we had on our trip, quite often. Only He can keep us truly pure within!
Posted by: Mary Anne on January 22, 2008
Hi Camerin,
I too have had the wonderful privilege of going on mission trips with Global Aid Network (GAIN USA), sometimes twice a year - winter and summer to minister to orphanages in the former Soviet Union. Ukraine has become my second home, in spite of the absence of conveniences we take for granted at home. I agree with you that you are not the same person when you come home. I see the world with different eyes now. Sure, I get used to the abundance we have here and start to take it for granted until I begin packing for my next trip.
There is no feeling in the world like looking into the faces of a roomful of Ukranian orphans and tell them "God loves you!". I will continue going on these ministry trips as long as God enables me.
Blessings to you!
Posted by: Esther Sides on February 13, 2008