Welcome to my head

This is Kita. She is 7 years old and is and orphan at the Happy Tree Orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Kita’s parents died when she was young, she is still young. Kita is also HIV positive. This past week the team and I have been spending our mornings hanging out with the 90+ children who live at Happy Tree Orphanage and all are either HIV positive or have AIDS. It has been an amazing time. I remember the 1st day being a little bit weary about the kids being dirty and getting lice or pee on me, but by the second day all I cared about was making sure these kids had someone to play with.

Kita and I started hanging out on day one, which was Tuesday. She reminds me a lot of Emma, my 6 year old. She has lots of attitude, lots of spunk and passion and can get me to do anything she wants, it’s my weakness. Kita saw my Costco card and now she calls me 1-0, because that was the expiration date on it, so she thinks it’s my name, I love it. I remember thinking about this today and wondering if I was spoiling her, but then I remembered that she deserves to be spoiled. She is living in an orphanage with 90 other kids and has doesn’t get spoiled very much. Everyone needs to get spoiled every once in a while.

I am grateful for the Happy Tree Orphanage and for the workers who care for the kids. I am also grateful for the time that the team and I got to spend there. I hope to remember to pray for Kita, and I hope that she grows up to love herself and see herself as someone who is loved.

I am sitting in the internet cafe in Phnom Penh and wanted to give a quick rundown of the day. Today we are going to Toul Sleng prison, followed by the Killing Fields and then we have Sara from IJM coming in to talk about sex trafficking in Cambodia. It is going to be a heavy day, one I am to familiar with in my visits to this country. The country doesn’t have much reason to smile, but they do every day with friendly faces.

Please pray for these students that I am taking there that they will be able to hear Gods heart for this nation that He loves and died for.

Thanks.

Boarded the flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong at 4am, man are we tired. Getting on our connection now to Phnom Penh, but thought I’d drop a picture in.

Later

I am speaking at a few YWAM locations this summer on Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, Oh man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” I love this verse, it is so beautiful and so clear on what God asks of us, but I find myself rarely living it out. I don’t want to be someone who likes the idea of doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly but is full of selfishness, spite and pride.

I read the other day where Jesus brother James said, “those who teach will be judged more strictly.” This scared me to be honest. I see how sinful I am in light of what I am teaching others. I not only see my sin as disobedience, but also hypocrisy. I take this seriously, it doesn’t mean I live it out 100%, but I want to and I do take it seriously.

I remember a few summers ago, like 9 summers ago, my friend Dave suggested that we not clean up our acts because it is summer and we are teaching and discipling kids, but that we clean up our acts because we love Jesus. That way, no matter what we are doing our lives are focussed and set on Him. I pray for me, and ask that you pray for me that I would be a man of integrity this summer, and in life on a regular basis. “Keep me Lord from willful sins, may they not rule over me.”