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It is an amazing experience to arrive in Cambodia and be welcomed by Tenth Church Liaison, Makara Un. Rosaline Oh, Joanne Thember, and Alex Thompson were the first of our team to arrive to his warm Khmer welcome and thoughtful orientation to Phnom Penh and to our Tenth Church partner, Villageworks.
These three women were ready to jump in as part of the advance Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Team. This half of the 2024 Justice Journey Team had come to partner with Villageworks, a Khmer led fair trade social enterprise providing employment for differently abled Khmer staff team. The business and workers design and sew all variety of bags from recycled and repurposed materials and fabrics.
They were also open to divine appointments.
One of those moments came on their first day in Cambodia as they got to know the staff, met and heard from Anak, the founder and leader, and sat down to share a meal with the whole VW team. Rosaline, Joanne, and Alex were moved by the sense of community among these men and women, people who overcome physical obstacles and daily discomfort and pain to do their creative work – design, sewing and production.
Ana Velazquez and Roger Lewites arrived next. Ana works closely with Villageworks, and she was familiar with the prayers and desires of Anak’s heart. Anak was trusting God would make a way to provide much needed medical care to her staff – medical care that was financially out of reach to her staff, even with the medical insurance VW provides. All her staff face severe economic inequities because of their circumstances. At the Cambodian focused Zoom prayer nights at Tenth, Anak continually asked church people for ongoing prayer for one man in particular need.
Though Ana was longing to connect with the Villageworks team on her first full day, Rosaline had arranged a tour of Hebron Medical Center to visit and support her mentor and friend, Pastor Park, who was working for the hospital. Hebron provides top-level medical services and Christian love and compassion to underprivileged Cambodians who are seeking medical care. The visit included an impactful time worshipping with the whole medical hospital staff. Pastor Park and Hebron offered medical care, and even specialist attention, to the whole Villageworks team, at no cost to Anak or her staff. A long-standing prayer was answered.
Another divine appointment.
I arrived from Northern Cambodia to meet the team and hear testimonies of how God was already speaking to everyone – in their experiences and in their devotional times together. This was needed as the advance team was working to understand what God wanted them to do and to focus on as many challenges continued to come to light.
The next day at Villageworks was magical – God magic. It was heartwarming and inspiring to watch the VW staff having fun working together as they prepared a traditional Cambodian lunch. It was just as impactful to see their enthusiasm as they participated in an experiential movement and stretching workshop, led by Joanne and Alex. The time was filled with fun games and activities. All activites held the purpose of modeling ways for the team to take stretching, movement, and breathwork breaks to support their bodies. It is creatively excellent but weary work they do, sewing while accommodating different physical challenges or pains.
I had already experienced what I thought was my quotient of divine moments, but this time together felt full of God’s beauty and presence. It was reflected first in the people and their love for one another and for us, and it was also reflected in the literal beauty of the curry bowls we assembled and ate, filled with organic vegetables and delicate edible yellow and purple flowers.
Arriving next were Peter and Doreen Quek, followed by Christina and Kevin Ng from London Ontario. Peter and Christina were the first team members of the Redemptive Business Team to arrive, a second team made up of Tenth Church members, Kaleo Labs staff, and friends. To their surprise, riding home from the airport, the Queks and Ngs discovered they already “knew” each other through each other’s families. They arrived tired but energized and already feeling connected to one another.
This furthered Ana’s conviction that this team was brought together by God, hand-picked with a purpose, a purpose yet to unfold.
A team divinely appointed.
Last to arrive on Sunday, making both the HSE and Redemptive Business Teams complete, were Patrick Elaschuk, Nathan Uttangi, Rob Sum, Rynn Zhang, and, from Ontario, Nancy Gleason and Kevin McKay.
Even though the newest arriving team members were weary and jet-lagged, we attended a local charity performance by a choir which one of our partners, Raju, sings in. A long day made a little longer by finding and picking up food at the outdoor market.
Returning to our accommodations, and sitting together after eating, Peter gifted us all a signed devotional book on John 21, newly written and printed by Peter’s friend and mentor. This morning, we woke up, cooked and ate breakfast together before our first team devotional and meeting with everyone.
Peter opened our morning inviting God to speak to us through the book Breakfast with Jesus. The title of the first reflection on John 21:1?
Divine Appointment.
Would you also find a moment in your day today where Jesus reveals himself, maybe again to you, in a specific way. A divine appointment.
Thank you so much for partnering with us and praying for us on this Justice Journey! Pray that things will unfold as Jesus has designed and pray we would listen to, learn from, and serve our Khmer partners well.
