Australia

Teens skip schoolies to teach God’s word

cambodia

BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS
Friday 18 November 2015

A team of 14 young people aged 15-27, mostly schoolies, leave this weekend for a two-week mission trip to Cambodia for Bible Society Australia. The main focus will be visiting the literacy schools run by Bible Society Cambodia.

“The schoolies are giving up their party time to go and help out in the literacy schools and give Bibles to the graduates. The team will also run children’s programmes in villages giving out a special booklet, Jesus is Born, that explains the meaning of Christmas,” says team leader Rick George.

Grace George, a 19-year-old university student from New Zealand, was among the team last year, and Eternity caught up with her about the trip.

Why did you go on this mission trip?

I have been to Cambodia before, and this was my fourth time going back. The main reason I wanted to go was my love of Cambodia, the people and the culture, and I also have a real heart for mission.

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What did you do in Cambodia?

Basically, we went out to villages and met kids and churches and visited the literacy programs.

We would do one village in the morning, and one in the afternoon for a number of days. That [schedule] was quite challenging because it was a long journey out there, it was really hot, we were all tired cause we had the early morning, and we had this massive bag of all of our things for the performance, and things to give away and various all sorts.

Children in a Cambodian village

Children in a Cambodian village

And once we got there and saw the conditions that these people lived in—there were little shacks, and a lot of the time mud and rubbish everywhere, there were these feral dogs running around, and then the humidity and the heat on top of that—it was just really overwhelming to your senses.

Crossing the bridge to get to church

Crossing the bridge to get to church

But then, you get to meet the people and see their smiley faces and smiles can just turn your world upside down and it did in this circumstance because you were there and you were able to see all the kids. Kids are such a delight and it’s no different in Cambodia. These kids just smiled and they laughed at our really lame jokes and our really poor acting when we were doing the Christmas drama and it just made all the difference.

What is life like in the villages?

I love the sense of community they have. One of the things I’m always challenged by when I go over there – but particularly this time – is the lack of community we have in comparison.

So even though they had this one building, this central location, all the people from the village would gather around there and would interact with the people there, it was a real communal spirit that existed.

I find, particularly where I live, I don’t even know my next door neighbours and that saddens me, because we live in our own little individualistic bubbles and we don’t branch out to other people.

When you’re in Cambodia you just do, it’s almost as if there’s a shift in you in that if you’re walking down the street you wave at people, and interact with the people in the villages, you just talk to them freely, whereas in these developed nations that we live in there’s almost a bit of resistance to open up to others. But what I loved on this trip was just that freedom and openness to share with others, and share their faith predominantly, so we’d walk up to strangers and pray for them.

How have you been encouraged in your faith?

I think one of the fundamental things that I’ll hold on to forever from this experience is the fact that I have so many awesome brothers and sisters all around the world.

We often talk about Jesus being the vine and we’re the branches, he’s the head and we’re the body, and all these different beautiful analogies, but we often forget to have that perspective as we’re living.

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And so when we were in Cambodia with all these different people, a lot of whom didn’t speak our language, it was really cool to have that knowledge that even though we can barely communicate, we’re still connected because we’re united in Christ and we’re brothers and sisters despite language or cultural barriers.

I think I’ll always hold on to that because having that mindset creates that connection with you and someone else, even a complete stranger. Knowing you’re both Christians gives you that sense of unity together and that’s a really beautiful thing.

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How has your faith been challenged?

It is quite astounding that he uses someone like me, who often feels so inadequate at times, to be able to bless and encourage others. So that was a massive challenge for me, to not only be obedient when I’m on mission, in such an amazing place having all these wonderful experiences, but to also be obedient to him in my day to day mundane routine life.

Mission Experience Team

Mission Experience Team 2015

Team member from 2015 Sarah O’Donnell says, “Just do it, you won’t regret it. It will change your life.”

The post Teens skip schoolies to teach God’s word appeared first on Bible Society.

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