Learning Redemption from Cambodian Hope Organization
Hello Church Family,
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity and privilege to travel to Cambodia to connect with our mission partners from the Cambodian Hope Organization. Since this was going to be my first trip to Cambodia I was excited to learn and witness all the ways God is already at work there. This posture of learning was shared by our entire team, we were excited to connect with our friends in Cambodia as well as encounter the work that God is doing through them.
For nine days we immersed ourselves in the Cambodian culture and encountered the hurts and the hope of this beautiful country. As I learned more about the history of the country, my heart mourned over the devastation that had occurred only 40 years earlier. Touring S21’s “The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum” and the extermination camp “Choeung Ek” helped prepare our hearts to see what sin and destruction we humans are capable of…and how Jesus is restoring and redeeming all things.
As we continued meeting with our friends at Cambodian Hope Organization, we got to witness their work, bringing people out of hardships such as trafficking, poverty, and other oppressions, while at the same time sharing the love of Jesus with them. What’s so impactful about this experience is to see how how broken people are being restored, valued, and redeemed because of the faithfulness of our Cambodian friends. I am excited to see and learn from how God continues to use our friends and mission partners in Cambodia to share the love of Jesus with everyone around them. It’s a compelling reminder to do the same in our own Gig Harbor community–to recognize our own brokenness apart from Christ and lean into the transformative work He is doing right here.
As we continue our series in Romans and see the hope that Jesus has promised us, may we remember the hope Jesus has for this world. Even though our Cambodian friends are 7,000 miles away from us. God is as present and working with them as He is with all of us here in Gig Harbor.
Ryan Palmer
Director of Student Ministries