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After the commissioning lunch, where we all felt incredibly overwhelmed with the love and support of our family, friends and community, that we had our final meeting before we meet at the airport on Wednesday night.  And it’s in this moment that I realize the significance of what God is doing in us and will do through us in Cambodia.  

We’re sitting in a circle as the time comes to share our testimonies with each other; team bonding at it’s most vulnerable, as we individually share a glimpse into the journey that God has called us on.  Everything in our lives has brought us to this place, to be among this team about to embark on a significant adventure to Cambodia.  And what divine and inspiring journeys we have already been through in our lives!  

As I listened to my team members share, often with tears in their eyes, I could at once relate to that ever familiar story of redemption.  The story often goes, that as humans we want the control over our lives and often think we know best and maybe for a while it appears to look like freedom and success, but it inevitably leaves us empty, afraid and in a dark place.  But it never ends there, because it is always in that dark place that God makes His presence known, it’s in that dark place that He bends down to pick us up, it’s in the dark place that we find Him; if only we don’t give up, He never lets us go.  

And though I can often feel frustrated that we must go through those dark places, I am encouraged by the growth and the presence that I feel in walking through them (and getting out the other side!) with God and with my community.  As we prepare ourselves over the next couple of days before we finally leave, I am encouraged that God will use us to bless and encourage our brothers and sisters that we will meet in Cambodia. Living in Canada is a huge blessing and I can only begin to imagine the hardships that the Cambodian people have gone through and still live with, but I know that our God is good and that He uses our brokenness to bring beauty.

Please continue to pray for us as we set off on this adventure; we ask for safety as we travel, and that God’s healing presence be with us as individuals, as a team and as new friends to the Cambodian people we will meet over the next 2 weeks. I also pray that as you continue to read our blog and pray for us, that God will reveal Himself to you too in new and powerful ways. Thank you for journeying with us!

-Jess Gordon