Baptisms and Football

Today was about the best day in Cambodia I have ever spent. It is behind my wedding day and the birth of my children, but definitely in the top ten. We started the day with picking up all the kids and adults from the orphan home as well as some other neighbor kids that attend the church. We used a 2 ton truck that is sort of like a military transport. It was a bit crowded in the back with a generator, 6 adults and about 25 kids. We stopped after about 15 minutes of driving and picked up another group of people from a near by town. We then had the generator, 12 adults and about 35 kids! The ride was only about another 30-40 minutes and in spite of being super crowded it was a blast. We sang songs in English and in Khmer. There were lots of laughs and lots of smiles. We arrived at the Orphan home in the Shvay Reing Province toward the Vietnam border. We waited for everyone to get there from other homes near by and then we had church. We worshiped in Khmer and the Spirit of the Lord fell heavy in that place. I almost forgot that I was in Cambodia. The kids and adults pressed into God and the Lord was lifted high in that place.

We moved to the “back yard” were there is a fish pond. The pond was a square pool of water about the 40 feet across and 60 feet wide. The water was the color of a raw peanut and was not inviting. Our resident nurse was very concerned about what potential disease inhabits the waters, but I was not about to miss this opportunity. I was partnered with the Pastor from the home we are serving. His name is Pastor Presh. There were about 7 or 8 Pastors in the water with other people partnered with them. Sam our American host and Rick another team member got to be with other Pastors in the water. I got to be part of baptizing between 30 and 40 people. Two kids in particular touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. One young man probably 13-14 who was already all wet and he came from another Pastor. I thought he was just going to pass by as he had just been baptized by the other Pastor, but he stopped to be baptized by us. You could tell he was hungry for the Lord. We baptized him and then he continued down the line of Pastors.

There was another young man who had a very intense look. He was very determined and looking for all that the Lord had for him. As we baptized him, instead of going straight down into the water, he fell forward onto the mercy of the Lord. I want others to have that deep desire to draw close to the Lord.

We went back to the home and pulled a bunch of chain link fencing around the property and had some extra time. So we loaded up all the kids again and took them to their local school and played football (soccer). What a blast. It had rained pretty heavily for a short time around 3pm and the field was flooded. There were literal puddles all over the field. The kids were kicking the ball and falling on their behinds all over the field. As soon as someone ran to the ball and tried to slow down to kick it they would fall down and slide right by the ball. The ball would get kicked across the field and just stop as it splashed into a puddle. What a great time. The kids were laughing and running, soaking wet from falling all over the field. We all played till dark and had a heart felt goodbye as the kids rolled away in the truck. What a magnificent day. Words really cant express the warmth and joy that came from this Cambodian day.