July 2009 Cambodia Mission Trip - Update #2

Greeting to all my Cambodian Comrades!

  We are only three days from leaving.  Our feet leave the ground for 18 hrs of flying at 8:15 pm this Wed, July 8th.  I have seen a definite parallel with our team and the group that God sent out under Gideon's leadership in Judges 7.  What we hold in common is that we are both a small group of ordinary people and, like them, we are determined to follow God's leading and humble enough to know that anything our small team accomplishes can only be credited to the Lord.  We know that we cannot boast in our own accomplishments because we have faith that God will be at work and we will just be the vessels he uses to fulfill His purposes.

 We will have a full schedule and a lot to do (see Update #1).  Of course we will be providing for the physical needs of the orphans and families we support as we always do.  However, with a smaller team I think we can be more effective in spreading the love of Jesus and pointing them to the Kingdom of God. We have a lot of donated flip-flops, shirts, shoes and toiletries and plan on meeting needs on the street as the Spirit leads us.

I just did some research last night and found that in 2009 there are 15 million souls without God and without hope in Cambodia.  95% are Buddhist, 2% are Muslim and only 1% know Jesus.  Why does this matter and why does this bother me?  Let me explain.  There are already many non-profits, NGO's and programs in Cambodia to help stop the injustice, corruption, and human trafficking in this country.  They are attacking the abuse and trade.  They are doing great work and I commend them.  However, I personally feel God is calling me to help change the Khmer spiritual culture; not their heritage, nor their historical culture which is distinct from mine and needs to be preserved, but their souls and spiritual roots which we share as adopted brothers/sisters of the same Father in heaven.

  At the most fundamental level, I believe if souls are changed for Jesus Christ in SE Asia the human trafficking, injustices and abuse will dramatically decrease and slowly disappear.  And, justice will flow more freely because a heart sincerely given over to Jesus will not rest until these atrocities are put to a stop,  repentance and restitution invoked and the perpetrators punished for their misdeeds.  So, in my thinking, the focus has to be on the spiritual transformation of Cambodian souls to Jesus and his Truth.  I see this as the only way. (1 John 5:18-19)

Please pray for our safety and health on this trip.  We want to minister to the people and do not want to waste precious time recovering from an illness.  Pray that we can exhibit wisdom and guidance in all we do and that we keep the LORD by our side and practice His presence at all times.  Pray that we can exude love from every gland of our body even when we are tired and exhausted in our busy schedule.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support.  The next entry will be from Cambodia.

Humbled to be serving with these faithful and passionate young adults,

Joe Hamrick

Brooke Sinclair, Joe Hamrick, Morgan Hamrick, Elisa Eidson

Comments

[Chuck Cole]

Joe...you are such a spiritual warrior. How great it is to have you being the voice of Jesus in Cambodia. We can hardly wait to hear the stories about, and results of, your trip. God bless you all on your travels, and may the Lord keep you all physically well. Don't forget some "down time" during the trip....you will need it.

[RJ HAMRICK]

JOE----GOOD LUCK ON YOUR MISSION AND WE WILL BE PRAYING FOR YOUR SAFETY DURING YOUR TRIP. HOPE YOU ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING YOU SET OUT TO DO. MAY GOD WATCH OVER ALL OF YOU. LOVE-----------BEV AND DAD----------