Hello All!

First off, due to illness (mainly mono) I had to come home from Cambodia two weeks early. It was really hard to leave ministry and my AMAZING team early, but I am also very thankful to be able to rest and get well in the comforts of home. I’m also thankful to have made it as far as I did in my journey in Cambodia! Cambodia was really hard for me in a lot of different ways, but man, I wouldn’t change a thing! I’m serious! The “trials” by FAR outweigh all of the lessons I learned and all of the love I got to give and receive.

In Cambodia I learned that God is ALWAYS good, that complete restoration is 100% possible with God, that because I am a new creation in Christ that I literally have a good heart now, that God is so in love with me that I captivate Him (what?!), that I’m free to be able to choose to live a free and abundant life, that I have a role to play in God bringing the Kingdom to earth that no one else can play but me (I’m irreplaceable), that God still speaks to His people today in very intimate ways (for real!), that miracles still happen today (never underestimate the power of prayer!) and that the weapons and armor of the Spirit are mighty and that God will always fight for you, if you let Him. My heart literally aches for you to know these things too! I pray that you do/will!

In Cambodia I had a bird’s eye view (and a soldier’s firsthand experience) of the reality that this world is in an epic war of good versus evil—of God and all of His beloved warriors verses Satan and all of his demonic minions. Evil is always trying to get the upper hand, but the AMAZING thing is that no matter how certain it seems that evil is winning, one speck of light shatters a thousand depths of darkness. After all, light shines brightest in the darkest places!

Much of Cambodia is dark. The poverty is astounding, the government unstable, trafficking and sex-trafficking rampant, injustice common…it’s a rough place to live. But God is faithful and has honored the prayers and hard labor of thousands of Believers who have prayed for Him to shine brightly in Cambodia, and He has and is shining! I got to witness entire orphanages, filled with children and young adults, belting out heartfelt praises to God. I saw dozens of missionaries (foreign and local) who had forsaken homes and families to come to Cambodia and literally change the lives of prostitutes, lady boys, Johns, orphans and everything in between. And I saw an entire generation of Cambodians rising up and taking their stance against evil. They are fearless soldiers, warring hard for their nation to know Christ and to become a better place to live. They told me to tell you that they crave your prayers!

 In Cambodia (and everywhere in the world!), the darkness is swelling and charging down the battlefield and on the other side light is burning brightly as it charges the darkness. The clash is epic. The price worth everything. The chance to participate an indescribable blessing.

Thank you ALL for being a part of this ministry with me through your prayers and support! Please keep praying that my team and I would continue to live out at home the lessons and love that we learned in Cambodia. If we stay faithful, there’s no telling what awesome things God will do through us!

As always, I’d love to hear any questions and/or comments you may have and if you ever want to talk or hangout, shoot me an email!

With MUCH love,

Sarah 

Enjoy the last photos of my time at the Orphanage in Phnom Penh!
 

The orphanage that we worked at! (We did bible stories, crafts, games,
Sunday school lessons, youth talks and loved on them!)

Love this!

One of my favorite little boys, Ratanak! Pray that he grows up to love and serve God and
live a fruitful and protected life!

A precious girl holding Deborah! Deborah was abandoned by her mother because she has severe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Most children with disabilities never survive due to lack of care. But you should see how the kids and leaders of the orphanage shower Deborah with love!

Courtney and her little shadow, who kept calling her "Mama" 🙂

This is Rithy! He's one of the founders of the orphanage!
An orphan himself, he grew up, became a Believer and retained a huge heart for orphans.
At one point, he was taking care of 30 orphans by himself!
Now, he and his wife care of over 40 children and 30 young adults. Talk about inspirational!

Rithy's goal is for the orphanage to be self-sustaining and not dependent on NGO's. So, he is operating this small farm, with the help of the children, so that they will never have to worry about going hungry and so the children can learn valuable job skills for when they grow up! (As a farm girl myself, I loved seeing all of the chickens, goats, pigs, turkeys, ducks, crabs and fish!)

Me and my favorite little girl! When we first started at the orphanage she wouldn't have
much to do with us and was quite troublesome, but after a lot of hugs, loves, games and kisses,
this precious girl is more well-behaved and happy! Orphans will always have my heart!

With Love From the USA!

Sarah