Team Update (and my thoughts)

Greetings!

First off, on behalf of the 2009 Cambodia STM team, thank you for standing with us in prayer and supporting us emotionally and financially. Because of some recent changes within the team, it has been decided with church leadership to cancel this summer's missions trip to Cambodia.

Although the trip is called off, please remember this beautiful country and its people, the missionaries and their families, and our brothers and sisters in Christ in Cambodia. Keep praying and supporting the China, Ensenada, and Mexicali teams that are going out this summer (and the missionaries who have been serving there), and continue to pray for and seek opportunities to share with the nonbelievers around us!

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

*** For those who have sent in financial contributions, Pastor Chao will contact you this week to discuss the details of reimbursement or supporting another missions team. ***

~ ~ ~
I won't deny it- I am more or less disappointed and upset with the way things have turned out this year. When the likelihood of cancelling the Cambodia trip was first brought to my attention, I allowed myself to slack off completely in all my commitments for a whole week. No doubt I took it really hard. People kept reminding me of God's sovereignty, but I was angry with how this all came about. Then we had our first meeting with church leadership that extended the deadline for people to join the team. With one or more additional member(s) on the team, it would still be possible to keep the team alive. Thankfully, emotional knots were untied that night, and I truly felt the presence of God's peace. From that night until today, I've learned to not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, to present my requests to God. Praise God for His peace that transcends all understanding (or I would not have made it through)! I've also reflected on some things and along with some conversations with a couple people, I blogged about the following on my xanga a couple days ago. Just some raw thoughts that have been floating around in my mind lately... I'd love to hear about your thoughts too!!!

~ With the possibility of calling off the missions trip to Cambodia this year and the Swine Flue in Ensenada and Mexicali, I've been starting to wonder what God is doing, particularly in SGV. Is there something He wants us to do here? Is it becoming too routine for SGV to send teams out every summer? Is there something else He wants us to see and listen to? Is it something within the church that He wants us to pay attention to? What is it that God may be pointing us to I do not know, but I'm getting very curious. A sister from another church said perhaps God wants to work in us individually this summer instead of having us do His work overseas. As I'm chatting with a friend and getting his perspective on missions work and how the churches are usually involved, he pointed out that it's dangerous for churches to over-simplify missions as "sending teams/missionaries out to a foreign country" and that the church needs to stay watchful to discern where God is working and where He may want to involve us. I'm not saying that churches shouldn't send teams/missionaries out, but churches should also listen to God's voice for what He has for them each year. ...something for me to marinate on! ~

I believe that God has something for each of us in the Cambodia team to learn. He uses each circumstance to sculpt and form us. Please pray for the team to remain open to God's comfort and voice. It's easy to say all this but feel/act another way (at least in my case). Arkoon tom tom (thank you big big)!

To my teammates- it's been quite a ride w/ y'all even though we didn't even set foot on Cambodia this year. I'm glad we experienced this together and got to know each other a little better :-)

Cheers.

-Em