Saturday, July 27, 2013

9 Days Left



Hello Friends!

Last week we said farewell to our YWAM Siem Reap family and we ventured back to our starting point in Phnom Penh. God truly broke my heart for the people I met, worked with, and taught. 
I had the incredible privilege to teach english to about 12 young girls, 5 days a week. These girls have such sweet souls and to be able to share God's love to them while teaching them English is a dream! Some days were harder then others and at times 
my patience was definitely tested, but at the end of everyday when I watched the sun set over the Mo Meang Village, I knew in my heart that the Lord was moving... 
If I am ever lead by the Lord to come back, I will in a heart beat! 

For security reasons I cannot add pictures of the students but to the people I will see soon, I am happy to show them to you! 




As I face my last 9 days in Cambodia my soul continues to sing praises to the Lord for blessing me with an amazing experience that has changed my life forever. I have had the honor to meet so many beautiful people, and share Christ's love with them. I've had the privilege to stand on the grounds of Cambodia as I pray for healing, salvation, and restoration among the people. 
For ministry this week we have been doing a lot of evangelism and prayer throughout the city of Phnom Penh. 
In one week we will end ministry and start to debrief the last two months... Then we board the plane and say farewell! I will miss this country so much and will never forget the memories I have been blessed with. 

I ask that you pray for Christ's direction, provision, and protection to continue among our team. As we face our last week, it is so easy to not give 100% in all things and live in the moment, but I believe that through the power of God, all things are possible. 
Thank you for praying for me through this journey. I know that the Lord has worked so much through your prayers! May God bless you all and show His love to you in a new way everyday.

Farewell for Now, 
In Christ, 
Sarah Sanders

Friday, July 5, 2013

Hello From Siem Reap!

Hi Friends!

I apologize ahead of time that this update has to be brief due to limited access to wifi.
I am and will be in Siem Reap, Cambodia for a couple weeks.

During these weeks we will be working with YWAM Siem Reap, at two different villages. We will work with children a lot and teach English. It will be very similar to our ministry in Phnom Penh.

Our last couple of weeks in Phnom Penh were really amazing! The Lord broke my heart and challenged me a lot. Over a ten day period we worked along side of 5 other YWAMers from Kona, Hawaii and a girl from Singapore. This was the Steps of Justice program. In the mornings we would visit ministries such as, Daughter of Cambodia, Love 146, IJM,  and Agape Ministry. 
In the afternoon we went to a village to build a house for a older couple and their extended family to live in.

The house they lived in before wasn't much of a house... Some call it a 'hot box' or 'shack'.

This family is Buddhist and rejects the name of Yasu (Jesus).
It is heart breaking to know that they do not experience the love of Christ, but we were able to love them this week through our actions. Our vision and prayer is that this house will become a church! We pray it will become a place they can worship the Lord Jesus freely, and minister to others in the village.

It took us a about four minutes total to tear down the walls of the 'hot box'. After one day of demolition and sanding boards, we began to build....







During this week we got to go to a salon in another village called 'Life to Life'. Our friends Rocky and Iris (a couple from India) lead a bible study at this salon. The employees of Life to Life are recovered prostitutes and I am so happy to tell you that they all have accepted the Lord into their lives!
This is one of the employees saved from prostitution! She washed my hair as well as some of the other YWAM Charlotte girls.She is interested in doing a DTS in the future! I am praying that the Lord makes a way! It was really awesome to be able to support this ministry and fellowship with these amazing girls.






By the end of the week we only had part of the house to finish. Because we had to move on to Siem Reap, we didn't get to see the finished product... But we left it in the trusting hands of our YWAM Kona friends. 




Being able to see the ministry Agape International really stirred a fire in my heart for NGO's (Non Government Organizations) God showed me that it doesn't matter if I am in Greeneville,TN or overseas... I can be part of this. I can be part of changing people's lives in a drastic way. My passion for women and men in slavery has grown so much. I am now open and eager to support, and work with ministries in the US that focus on these things. Agape provides jobs for girls that have just been saved from prostitution or slavery. They have made a clothes line as well as accessories. To learn more about how you can support them and the awesome work they are doing, visit this page! : http://www.3strandsglobal.com/index.cfm?pID=3331


As we start this next phase of outreach I ask that you pray for our team. It is so easy to count down the days left till home and not make the most of being here in Asia... on the other side of the world! I often forget how incredible it is to know that God has brought me here to serve for this short season of my life. I ask you pray that God would continue to remind us daily of our purpose here, and that we would continue to love others with all that we have! 

I hope to update in a couple of weeks. If not it will be at the end of my trip! I want to thank you all for praying for me and my team. We truly receive them daily and are so SO thankful for all of you!

With Love from Cambodia,
God Bless You,
Sarah Sanders