October 21, 2011 | Field Support

Can’t Talk, But I Can Walk!

Hello lovely people!

Have you ever heard the saying “Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words”? Well, don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather be able to sit down with someone and discuss the Scriptures with them, because the Scriptures are SO powerful (as they are the Word of God). But, guess what? I’m in Cambodia and not many people can speak English here and I cannot pick up their language overnight. I literally cannot speak the Gospel to them, unless I have a translator, which are far and few between. At first I was so frustrated by this because I want to speak the Words of God to them and I want them to hear the Word of God for them and to be amazed. But God gave us eyes, too, right? And hands, and feet and…you get the picture. I finally got the picture. We can preach the Word of God through a smile, a touch, a loving look of the eyes… We can show the Gospel through our actions, and not just our words.

God has literally taken the power of verbal communication away from me and the people I’m blessed to minister to. Instead, He’s shown me that there are a thousand other ways to preach the Gospel. I’m convinced you can make a whole ministry out of truly smiling at people— the kind of smile that throws people off guard and leaves them hungry for more; the kind of smile that leaves people wanting that joy that they see in you. 🙂

This past Wednesday my team and I split up into groups and went out and about the city to hand out toothbrushes and see where the Lord led us. I ended up at an abandoned railroad station where entire families, widows, orphans and disabled people live. Now, I’ve seen some of the worst slums in the world before but I have NEVER seen poverty like this. It was breathtaking and so humbling. But, in the darkest places, light shines the brightest! And the Light of Christ can shine through a smile, a hug, a laugh… Sometimes, maybe even most of the time, the Gospel can shine the brightest through an action. We are called to love in Word AND in deed. Thank you, God, for this reminder!

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled,"
without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works."
Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God.
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

James 2:14-26

Prayer requests and praises below AND lots of wonderful pictures, with captions! (I got your hint, Dad!) 😉

Much love and peace,
Sarah

Prayer Requests & Praises!
— Four girls on our team got to have not one, but TWO dates with four monks! The monks wanted to learn more about Christianity and they were so excited to have some of their questions answered and to get to touch a Bible for the first time. Imagine never having seen a Bible before! Mind blowing. Pray that God will grow that seed of the Gospel in them and that they would continue to seek the Lord!
— City ministry has been awesome and we are exciting to implement a children's program in the abandoned railroad station I mentioned above! I would LOVE to see a church spring up amongst that otherwise deeply saddening place; for HOPE to transform that place. Pray for Christ to miraculously provide for, protect and reveal Himself to these precious people!
— As always, please pray for the health, protection and unity of my team and I! Especially as we are traveling to Siem Reap tomorrow through Wednesday for several days of debriefing, having fun, refocusing and visiting Angkor Wat! (One of the seven wonders of the world!)
— Pray that our students' eyes and ears will be open and receptive to the Gospel. We really only have a week and a half left with them! Pray that we pour our all into them. We will miss them so much!
— Pray for divine opportunities to continue to reach out to the locals that we come in contact with often, especially Mr. S and his family. We don't have much time left here in Battambang before we move to Phnom Pehn and I still want to share the Gospel with him and his family. Please pray for their salvation!

Thank you SO MUCH for your faithful prayers. Your prayers are moving mountains!

And now for everyones' favorite part…fun pictures!!!

Monkey attack! This fiesty little guy jumped on my head, pulled back my eyelids, plucked my earring out of my ear, put it in it's mouth and then ran off with it! It was hilarious!
But I'm not really a fan of monkeys anymore haha.

Stunning view from a cave in a local mountain. So gorgeous!

The amazing crew who braved the mountain of monkeys, monks, temples, caves, bats, and
LOTS of stairs and rain! (From left: Amy, Seange-our translator!, Me & Hannah!)

One of my favorite pictures of my favorite boy at the center, Sey! He's so funny and such a sweetheart!

Loving on some precious kids at our Fall Festival party! I feel like Mother Teresa and I love it! Haha.

One of the abandoned railroad stations where lots of people live in a poverty that I've never seen before. We'll be doing a children's program here! Can't wait!