Cambodia Day Five

God began performing miracles for our team long before we left the United States...especially in the area of finances. This team of 12 rocked this year in the fund-raising department. But we give all the credit to God. He is the one who compelled others to support this mission trip. It's His money we give, which is why we carry out our stewardship responsibilities with careful consideration and prayer. But the first miracle is that this year's team of 12 raised far more than last year's team of 14. How to go Team Cambodia 2011. And people are continuing to give! Thankyou so much!

At the end of our two weeks last year after all our expenses were paid, and we'd spent thousands of dollars on medicine, rice, shoes, supplies, and giving the ARC girls a fourth of July party, we still had $6200 left over to leave with Agape International Mission for their ongoing expenses.

This year our team of 12 raised so much money that we were able to cut a check for $8000 to give to AIM before we even left the country. The rest of our money was budgeted to include expenses, as well as buying medicine, mosquito nets, school supplies and uniforms, and supply the ARC girls with another rocking fourth of July party.

But then our first day in Svay Pak, the Cambodian team presented us with several unexpected needs and we wondered how we'd find this extra money to be able to say yes to all these requests.

Well God has been rearranging our budget day after day, helping us find extra money in places we'd never expected--allowing us to supply more needs than we could have imagined. First, the same food for the fourth of July party this year is half of what it cost last year, freeing up several hundred dollars. Then the school supplies we bought today for the brick factory children cost us a fifth of what we budgeted, freeing up $400 dollars to buy new flip-flops for all the brick factory children.

Every day it's exciting to see what God has in store for us, and how He will provide. I love the child-like trust the people have here in God. They don't worry about money, or where their next meal will come from...because they know that all they have comes directly from the hand of God. And He has yet to disappoint them.

Their faith reminds me of David's prayer in Psalm 131: "My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore."

Childlike faith does not concern itself with things beyond it's control, or matters it doesn't understand. Instead in the middle of uncertainty, or when circumstances are cause for concern, those with child-like faith choose to still and quiet their souls like a child totally dependent on their mother. Like the quiet confidence a child has knowing they'll be protected and provided for always.

Our brothers and sisters in Cambodia may not have much by America's definition, but they have something many of us have yet to possess..the humble, still, confident child-like faith that releases the power of Almighty God into their moment by moment lives. And that my friends, is pure faith...the kind of faith that pleases God.