I have never been so excited for the Fourth of July in my entire life. With each day being similar to the others, something different and out of the ordinary is a big deal. We decided we would take the girls to the “Asia Hotel” aka the only place we can get fries and a “chocolate shake.”

BP had ordered red, white and blue drinks beforehand and we were going to go and celebrate this glorious day. When we showed up covered head to toe in red, white and blue and were handed red, white and green drinks. I knew this would be the best-and only- Fourth of July these Cambodians would ever have.  I was reminded that day of how fun it is to get excited about things.

The girls are always excited to serve us, always excited to recite their abc’s, always excited to see our faces when we discover what they have made us for dinner. We also found out that they were VERY excited to watch The Little Mermaid for the first time (they thought it was the FUNNIEST movie ever and could not stop laughing). But I have observed that they are always excited for devotion time and always excited for a hug. They are excited to learn about our creator and excited to sing their Khmer songs- slapping their hand on the table to the beat of the music. They show the same excitement for learning about Jesus and his love as they do when they finish sewing a beautiful, complicated shirt or a finish a fancy new hair-do.

I had found some water colors while in Phnom Phen one day off and decided it would be a fun activity. After crafting together some stick-Band-Aid-broom-bristle paint brushes, we took a stab at it. I have watched the girls sew beautiful clothes and apply traditional Khmer make-up before. When they got ahold of the paint, the creative juices were flowing. It was amazing to see the excitement the girls got when they created something and were proud of it. Dav always wanted her picture taken, Se La was showing the whole world her’s while SoKea was focusing intently on perfecting her Chile pepper.

 I began to think that this is how God feels about creating us. God loves seeing me, his creation, live and move in ways he created me to. I can picture God creating, putting different traits together for each person and making everyone his own unique masterpiece. Just as we were painting, mixing and pulling colors together, getting excited about the outcome, God is excited and proud of his creation, me and you. He turns beauty from the ashes, and I have seen these girls learn their worth and beauty in Christ.

Tonight, Tiff spoke about finding worth in Christ. In Asia, pale is the new tan. All the girls want their skin to be white. They bleach their skin, use whitening cream and even wear layer upon layer because they think that sweating will make them paler (they are clearly misunderstood). Tiff said, “I know you don’t think your skin is beautiful, but in North America people lay in tanning beds and pay money to have skin like yours.” As I looked around after Tiff was finished talking, I noticed Sa Mi was crying and smiling. I knew God was looking down smiling and full of excitement because his creation, his masterpiece knew for the first time that she was beautiful.

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he has planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10