Kids love to play. That’s true everywhere on the planet, but even in games you can find cultural differences that alter the experience. Since I work in children’s ministry, the issue of games and children’s play comes up a lot. As a teacher, how much effort do I need to […]
What Does It Mean to Be “Teacher” in Cambodia?
Kids are kids everywhere, but in different cultures there are different cultural practices around teaching, learning, and even play. As a missionary focusing on children’s ministry, I wanted to develop for myself a style of children’s ministry that would fit naturally into Cambodian culture and be easy for Cambodian Christians […]
When I Feel Dead Inside: Ecclesiastes
Every so often, I slip into a melancholy mood. Life seems a weary thing; the world noisy and discordant. My emotions stagnate. Joy and excitement are lost to a dull monotone of feeling. I try to pray. My spirit is cold. That’s when I open up Ecclesiastes, and there I […]
Books that Shaped My Childhood: Peter Pan
“All children, except one, grow up.” This is the iconic first line of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. I don’t really remember when the book first reached my hands, but my beloved, battered copy remains on my shelf to this day. I have been surprised by how many people have not […]
Happy Khmer New Year! Pursat Songkran 2025
The following describes the adventurous journey to see the fireworks on Pursat City’s Golden Ship Island on April 15th, the second day of Khmer New Year, 2025. We brave the streets during the height of songkran, several days of public free-for-all water fights, where baby powder is included in the […]
Guiding Young MKs: Adventuring Out of the Fortress
It’s a unique thing, growing up in a country where you look different. In the previous post, “Looking Different,” I explained what it’s like for many missionary kids who live in countries where they are in the extreme ethnic minority. It can be hard to deal with the realities of […]
Guiding Young MKs: Looking Different
Many missionaries in my circles serve in countries where their family is ethnically different from the nationals of that country. A lot of these missionaries are citizens of Western nations where the population is a lot more multi-ethnic than the country in which they serve. What does this mean for […]
Hymn #8: To What Shall I Liken the Lord God?
O stars! See them all with twinkling lights. How marvelous! I’ll not forget the work of the hand of God that spread out the vast skies adorned by flocks of His stars. Chorus: Shall I make the Lord God like unto a man or what else? Is that worthy of […]
His Hour Had Come to Depart
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17 In our little Sunday School class we recently covered the weeks […]
Distant Stars: A Short Story
Author’s Note: This short story was written in 2019 when I was taking a Creative Writing course at university. It was intended to be a little window into the experience and culture of a Cambodian girl from a poor farming background. Up to now, very few people have read this […]