MUSTARD SEED SERVICE 黄惠 & 黄诗涵
Our month-long mission trip to Cambodia was our firstfruit to God after graduation.
Neither of us have been on a mission trip this long before. But we trusted God, knowing that He would see us through. We mainly resided in Church of the Lord Jesus Christ Our Peace (CCOP), under the care of Rev Steven Seah, Dean of Cambodia, and his wife, Gwen De Rozario, and missionaries from Singapore. We served in CCOP as well as taught English in the English centres in Svay Rieng Village and Takhmau Village.
Mission life in Cambodia was never boring. Experiences such as eating raw mangoes plucked from the trees on the rooftop in Svey Rieng, exploring the village with the children of Takhmau, and riding out on motorbikes to buy coconuts to drink on a hot and humid afternoon with the CCOP youth workers became part of our everyday routine. Rev Steven and Aunty Gwen also “adopted” us as their daughters. They brought us to their favorite food haunts and shopping markets. They even took us out for movies every Monday (our off day!). When we both fell ill in the first few weeks, the church lovingly cared for us. We never once felt helpless and were nursed back to health quickly.
One month in Cambodia left us with many takeaways. Getting to know the people on a personal level allowed us a peek into their lives and better understand their heart for God that persists in spite of struggles. Their child-like faith and willing hearts led us to reflect upon, and change our attitude towards serving God. We do not need to have much materially to be used by God.
It was also eye-opening and humbling to see how much influence and impact the church can have on the community. We learnt to be more aware of the needs of the church and the people around us, instead of always expecting to receive.
However, we felt frustrated with our inability to continue serving the people there. This trip opened our eyes to the needs of the community that we would have otherwise been oblivious to. While we may not be able to serve long-term in Cambodia at this stage of our lives, we are inspired to continually ask God how we can serve Him with the talents He has blessed us with, and to continue to seek opportunities to contribute to the Cambodian community.
We thank God for the support of Rev. David, Uncle Subas and a loving church community that prayed for us throughout the one month and beyond, and providing support for us in so many ways. We also thank God for the Cambodian church community for accepting us so readily, being patient with us and adopting us as their new Singaporean sisters. Finally, we thank God for His providence, love and grace showered upon us. It truly is a privilege to serve Him.
大学毕业以后我们决定将我们的初熟果子献给上帝：到柬埔寨参与为期一个月的宣教工作。
虽然我们从没有过长达一个月的宣教经验，但我们相信上帝会全程带领我们。在柬埔寨的那段时间，我们都住在Church of the Lord Jesus Christ Our Peace (CCOP)。 柬埔寨教区院长Rev Steven Seah、和师母Gwen De Rozario，以及其他从新加坡过去的宣教士都非常照顾我们。在那一个月里我们除了服事CCOP，也会到Svay Rieng村和Takhmau村的英语语言中心教授英文。
在柬埔寨宣教的生活，每天都是多姿多彩的。在Svay Rieng村，我们爬上屋顶，从树上摘生芒果来吃；在Takhmau村，我们和那里的孩子一同探索村庄的每一个角落；还有在炎热的下午骑着摩托车出去给CCOP的青年同工买椰子，都成为了日常生活中的一部分。Rev Steven和Aunty Gwen甚至“领养”我们，带着我们这两个“女儿”到他们平日最喜欢去的地方买东西、吃东西。每逢星期一的休假日，Rev Steven和Aunty Gwen还带我们去观赏电影。起初到柬埔寨时，CCOP的弟兄姐妹无微不至地照顾着水土不服的我们。因为有他们的关爱与照料，我们很快就恢复了健康，不曾感觉到彷徨无助。
这一个月的宣教之旅让我们获益良多。我们认识到，服事上帝其实不需要太多物质上的准备。从其他到柬埔寨宣教的朋友身上，我们看到的更多是一颗愿意为主使用的心，以及相孩子般的信心。生活中不管遇到任何困难，这样的信心能够鼓励他们继续前进、继续为主而活。我们被他们的信心深深打动，切实地了解我们究竟应该抱着怎样的心态服事上帝。
另外，在柬埔寨经历的人和事使我们大开眼界，意识到教会对于所处环境的影响力。我们不得不谦卑下来，在施与受之间重新认识如何为教会和人们付出、奉献。
然而，无法继续为柬埔寨这块土地服事让我们感到沮丧。这趟旅程让我们看见平常看不见的。我们更加了解柬埔寨人们的需要。虽然现阶段我们无法长期置身在柬埔寨服事，但我们不断受到启发，不断地问上帝如何利用祂所赐给我们的才干继续祝福这块土地。
感谢上帝这一个月保守、看顾着我们、祂赐给了我们所需的一切。不管是在新加坡还是柬埔寨，我们知道许许多多的弟兄姐妹为我们代祷。尤其是要感谢Rev. David和Uncle Subas给予我们各方面的帮助与支持；我们也要特别感谢柬埔寨朋友们的宽容、耐心地接纳我们作为他们的一份子。最后我们必须将一切荣耀归给主。能够以这样的方式服事上帝，我们非常感恩。
This article first appeared in Issue 20, December 2019 CHORUS Magazine.