Sweetness in the Challenge: My Summer in Cambodia

Looking back on my entire experience last summer in Cambodia, where I had the privilege to serve as an MTW medical intern, it was the relationships I formed and the mentors who poured into me that blessed me the most.

The pediatrician I worked with liked to say, "You get what you get and you don't complain." It was a good reminder that we choose how we face difficult and disappointing circumstances. I faced the challenges of meeting new people, trying new foods, and traveling to a different place every few days; yet, there was a sweetness in how close we grew to each other during such a short time. I can be slow to open up with people, so I was surprised at how quickly I grew fond of my teammates and the people I met.

In America, where many things are measured quantitatively, it was a blessing to measure things qualitatively. I could report all the things that we did, but those are not the main reasons I enjoyed the internship. It was the intangibles—friendship, smiles, words of encouragement, lessons learned, reaffirmations—that cannot be measured. They are valuable and rewarding because they bring so much joy.

But looking beyond last summer, I’m thankful for how God is working through His people in Cambodia. In Song of Songs 2:2, the author writes, "Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters." I saw that so much in Cambodia was "thorny": a history of genocide, broken marriages, poor healthcare and education, immense poverty, corrupt government. But there were so many "lilies": students with a heart for service, children being discipled on biblical truth, marriages being restored, and missionaries who were sacrificing to share God's love.

It was beautiful to see the good that is being done here. Rebuilding will take time, but I met so many who were eager to take on this task. Please pray with me for the Cambodia team, that God will continue to build His kingdom through them.

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