The Lord’s pursuit of Cambodia

Welcome back to my blog!! A lot has happened since my last post. It’s so evident of the Lord’s hand at work in the way he has so purposely put us in the town we were in. I look back on every single moment in Cambodia and can see where the Father was so purposefully in it 100% of the time. Life in the city of Serei Saophoan has been sweet, slow, and so intentional for our team. We had breakthroughs in vulnerability, outburst of laughter with our host family, and so many precious memories made. It’s hard to even write this thinking about how much I miss this place. Nothing can prepare you for a goodbye, but it’s bittersweet to have a relationship so special, that it makes goodbye so hard! – Winnie the pooh haha. Before I share some awesome testimonies from our time here, I would love to introduce you to our second family!! The way they pursue the Lord after so much hardship and struggle is so encouraging. They are so incredibly hard-working, and they show so many sides of The Father’s nature, in the way they loved, served, and cared for us and their community! I am so incredibly grateful for them and pray that we all will be reunited someday, if not on this earth, then in heaven with the Father, forever!! 

From left to right in the back row is Jonathan, Rebecca, Lecru (pastor), Necru (pastors’ wife), Peter, David and Lynna!! 

Now onto the awesome things God has done and is continuing to do in Cambodia. Our ministry this month was teaching and house visits. This consists of visiting church members and their families to listen to their stories and pray with them. They were so impactful, and I will never forget the things I’ve heard and seen from these believers. These visits humbled me and made me realize how good we as Americans have it! God showed me how big and deep his love is for the nations and how much Americans live I this bubble of me,me,me! The Lord’s protection is over his people and these visits revealed that very fact. In one of our visits, we had traveled an hour to visit this man who in very old and needed encouragement. This man travels an hour every Sunday to get to the church and his wife does not believe in Jesus. He is the only Jesus follower in his neighborhood and yet, he is still faithful to the Father. When we were in his home, he made us crabs and snails to eat for lunch and they were the bomb diggity. After lunch we got to sit down with his wife and begin to ask questions and share the gospel with her. After a while, we noticed that she was giving us a cold shoulder and seemed very annoyed about the subject. We then asked her about her life, and she shared that she has many children but has lost 4 of them in her life. She explained how the grief has shaped her beliefs and how she doesn’t feel like she can trust God anymore. We then read to her a few bible stories, and she still was not open to he

aring about how God can relate to her. After a few moments of silence, we ask if we can pray over her, she says yes, praise God! We gather around and I grab her hand. I

 was ready to pray but as soon as I touched her, I

was overcome with emotion and started crying. A lot. I couldn’t even get a word out; Luckily Lydia took over and prayed over her and her heart. When I touched her, it was like I could feel the grief that she had been feeling for so many years. I wouldn’t call myself an empathetic person, but God unlocked so much compassion I didn’t know I had, and I couldn’t h

elp but weep. I am not learning more about the gentle and compassionate heart that God has for his people, and he is so timely and kind to reveal it to me that day.

The next story showed us how purposeful our time in Cambodia was. Our host brother Jonathan is a special guy. He is so talented and very smart. He is such a good friend and is so kind to us. He has grown up in a christian family and has always known about The Lord and has always tried to follow his plan. As he grew up, he started to become more independent, and then came college. He left his home and went to school in Phnom Penh, which is 8 hours away from his home. The peer pressure and stress from school caused him to start turning to alcohol as a way to cope with the stress. He also wasn’t surrounded with a believing community and felt guilty for drinking but didn’t stop. One weekend, while we had just arrived about 2 weeks ago, he was back at college, and fell into those same habits. One day after he got to school he found out that the school had canceled classes for the month of November. So, he came home, and we were so happy to see him!! The weekend he got back we had an impromptu Sunday worship session, and he was up there with us. He explained that night that during worship, He saw a light in front of him and he explained that the peace and forgiveness he felt in that moment could have only come from the throne of the Father. He then started weeping and repenting and said that that moment changed his heart forever. He then was able to come do house visits with us the whole month and he told us that he truly believes that he was created to share the gospel and to be present in his community. His story is encouraging about God’s placement and timing of everything in Cambodia. He is now loving and caring for his family and community more than ever before!! 

There are so many more stories to share but, I am so thankful for the time spent in this wonderful place. The Lord has taught me so much about forgiveness, servant leadership and compassion. I will NEVER forget the people and this host family. Thank you, God, for your kindness and gentleness in this country. You amaze me every. day.

Now, we have been in Thailand for about a week now and have just started ministry today! Team Alabaster gets to work with an organization that cares for women who have been involved with the sex industry and victims of sex trafficking. We get to meet them and teach them vocational skills like cooking, teaching, and making coffee. We will be working with them for the next 2 weeks then having an all squad debrief!! I’m beyond honored to work with them, and I would love it if you would consider partnering with me and The Father in supporting their work. Our ministry host’s run a small shop that sells handmade jewelry, clothes, and bags made by these precious women. I would love to support them in this, and you can too by providing the funds needed to support them!! My Venmo is Sydney-mahr!!! And as always, while financial blessings are always welcome, prayer is needed above all else!! Be in prayer for the women of Chiang Mai and all of Thailand, pray that the Father will continue to prepare our hearts and keep us in tune with His voice!! As always, your support means the world (race) to me!!! :))) Peace out!!