"Life and Death and bittersweet departure
It’s a bittersweet morning as we sit in the Phnom Penh airport. We have said goodbye to friends we will miss very much, but we are embarking on the next leg of our adventure in Thailand where we will meet new friends.
I wanted to reflect on the emotional contrasts that our team has experienced in the last 2 days… a stark contrast between life and death… good and evil. The grace place kids are full of life! The people who are doing God’s work here are spreading the GOODness of God all over this country. It is such an emotional high to just be around them. The smiles… the laughter… the hugs… even healthy tears.
Then, we experienced the horrors of the Tuol Sleng prison museum and the Killing Fields genocide memorial. The EVIL of the Khmer Rouge brought nothing but death… and it came to many. It’s hard to believe what the sin nature is capable of apart from God. Listening to stories of a real survivor of the prison touched our hearts deeply. Our team was silent as we walked through the killing fields and learned of more evil and death.
The same country, but yet 2 completely different stories. Both are testament to the absolute necessity for the presence of God’s love. The missionaries, Asia’s hope staff, and kids are shining beacons of life and goodness in a country that is still recovering from a past of evil and death. Praise the Lord that God has positioned these people here. His
light is shining through the darkness of the past! It is humbling to see and I’m so glad I stood witness to it! Thank you for your prayers! God is at work in Cambodia! Now on to Thailand!
-Matt Carter "
4 comments:
Wow, Matt amazing post. I can't really say anything other than thanks for going to celebrate life in Jesus with the children and we're praying for you man!
great entry Matt! loved reading your thoughts....still praying for all of you!
Wow, what a contrast.
"Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death."
What a cool illustration of renewal in the midst of decay. Thanks for this Matt!
Ben
you're turning into a pastor after all, Matt- I can picture a sermon being formed contrasting life and death and darkness and light. :)
Heidi- we missed you at LIFE group last night! can't wait for you to come back and join us again! :)
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