Today after church, Josh and I took our cell group to play soccer. We didn't go to a gymnasium or a typical field. I wish that I could have taken a picture of the youth's faces as we arrived at our destination. Because of the language barrier we had difficulty explaining to them where we were going, so they just followed us, not knowing where we were taking them.
We stood outside a field, where about 500 families live in tents because their houses burnt down. In April, there was a fire which swept away housing of a whole community. Now, they live in the field where they wait for the government to arrange the replacement of their homes. Over 1000 people live in this field without clean water and they seem to be forgotten; just pushed off to the side.
The youth from 'New Life in Christ' church didn't quite understand why we would come to a place of poverty to play soccer. One of the boys who came with us, spoke decent English and was able to translate for us, to the rest of the youth. Within minutes we had a game of 'monkey in the middle' going, and children ran up to us, wanting to join in. I walked around some parts of the field attempting to talk with families and telling them in broken Khmer that we are playing soccer. I thought the parents would be skeptical, but they actually seemed very happy that we would come and play with their children. One mother practically handed her three little daughters to me.
The youth from our cell-group actually had fun, although they probably didn't think that they were going to. They were laughing and talking with the children as the game continued. In Cambodian culture, this is not typical because older people look down on younger people. There are even different words used to address people of different ages, and it seems that with the use of different words, there is also a different attitude.
We will be returning next week to 'tent city' in hopes of bringing the same youth and more with us. We think that it is a great outreach! If you have any ideas of simple games that even just involve a ball-please let me know!

The kids in my first grade English class are starting to get bored. For some reason, pointing to words on a white board and having them repeat the words, just doesn't keep their attention for 20 minutes!
 When I first began teaching, a month ago, the children were very attentive and well-behaved. After 4 weeks, I think they are becoming so familiar with me that they don't feel the obligation to become engaged in whatever I am doing and saying at the front of the room. So, I am starting to take some risks in ESL with the kids.I have found many great websites which offer tons of games and I have also thought of my own. For 2 days now, I have been testing out games to see which actually works. I also need to lead games that can be explained very simply so that the Khmer-speaking teacher will understand and be able to translate the instructions, or I can just act out the instructions. Ideally, I would to be able to switch the activity every 5 or 10 minutes, to keep the little ones interested.
In the evening, I am now teaching' level 2 English' to young adults. Level 3 is the highest level of English in the school. In both level 2 and level 3, a translator is not needed.
It has been a great opportunity to be able to talk with such a large community of young-adults who are a mixture of Christians and non-Christians. In order to attend the English class the students must either pay $5/month or they can receive a scholarship and learn for free by attending 5 church programs a month. There is a youth program on Saturday night and then church on Sunday morning. There are over one hundred students who attend the English classes and I think most of them must opt for the scholarship, because the youth program and church is packed! The students are hearing the gospel, learning more about Jesus and meeting people whose lives have been changed by Jesus.
I am meeting with a student who got saved, the night that Josh preached at the youth program. She is in level 3 English, and so she speaks English very well. We meet every morning to pray together, talk about God and study English. I have purchased an amazing book that is all about 'foundational Christian truths'. It explains foundational Christian doctrine, in basic English and yet it reveals deep truths about God and the Bible. It has pictures and it's even bilingual with the Khmer translation. I have read through the book and have written questions for each section, making it into kind of a course. This girl is very eager to learn more about God, and she is greatly benefiting from the book, along with her own personal Bible study that she does at home.
Today, I am meeting with 3 other girls who are in Josh's level 1 English class, and we are going to talk and study the Bible. So that is what's been happening for these past couple of weeks. Josh has become famous with the children for singing the action-filled song 'baby shark', which he learned during the summer at Double H Ranch. We bought a fruit called sour sop, and I think we'll be sticking it in the juicer and seeing what happens.
Tonight is the youth program and we are celebrating Thanksgiving. Please pray that the students hearts would be open wide to invite Jesus in.

Josh and I have jumped feet first into teaching English at the 'New Hope School'. Sometimes when I am teaching, I just look at the beautiful faces of students, and realize again and again, how precious it is that these children are receiving an education. School in Cambodia is not free, the way it is in North America. Many families cannot afford to send their children to school. 80% of the population of Cambodia makes no more than $2 a day.
'The New Hope School' has invited the poor to come and learn, for a very cheap price. They children also learn about Jesus, study scriptures and pray, during a daily morning devotion. As you continue to pray for these children and for Josh and I, please be blessed to know that Jesus is the hope for Cambodia.

Who will be like the man who was searching for a pearl of great price? When he found this pearl, in excitement, he sold everything he had to purchase it.
There are many people who are searching for this pearl of great price. People want something that is worth living for. People want something that they will enjoy so much, becoming their object of affection. People are searching for this 'pearl of great price' in bars, in malls, in relationships, in school, in work. . . people are looking for a cause to devote themselves to, and that will in return satisfy them to no end.
There are some who have found this 'pearl of great price', but they are unsure about buying it. They stare at this pearl, hesitating to sell all they have, so that they may own it. They do not possess this pearl, and their relationship with this object, only exists in the exterior. But there is a difference between purchasing and admiring.
But, who will be like the man, who in passion and love sold all he had to make this pearl his? He was not satisfied to just visit and look at the pearl, admiring it. He had to have it, and so desperate was he to own this treasure, that he got rid of anything else that was dear to him. He needed the pearl to be his; to hold it and be captivated by it's beauty.
I believe that God longs for us to know Him intimately. God was so desperate for a relationship with us, that He gave His own son to be a perfect sacrifice. Sometimes out of desperation, we take things,and sometimes we give. There is a desperation about a man who sells all he has so that he can have this pearl.
What if that was the cry of our hearts to God? " I must know you, God! I don't want to just know about you!" A desperation to not just admire the things of God from afar, but to be so deeply entwined with His heart. Let's fall so in love with Jesus that we will do anything for Him. Let's get so lost in His love that operating in anything else but His love, becomes foreign to us. Allow yourself to become obsessed with having Him, just like the buyer of the pearl, for God is our 'pearl of great price.'

Matthew 13:45-46