Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Bamboo trees.
My pastor has been doing a Sunday morning series about answering the Call of God the past few weeks. He's been using the life of Abraham for the series. This past Sunday he preached about how God promised Abraham that his decendents would be like the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the earth. However, Abraham had to wait a long time for that promise to come true. Infact, it didn't really seem possible. He had no children at the time and his wife Sarah was past child-bearing years. At one point, Abraham got tired of waiting and jumped the gun. The result, as most of us probably know, was Ishmael. Not God's intended plan.
Pastor Mark used as one of his illustrations the bamboo tree. He said that when a bamboo tree is planted, it takes five years for it to reach full maturity. In the fifth year though, the growth rate sky rockets. Bamboo trees can reach heights of 60-90 ft. tall. You have to wait for five years to see that full grown plant though.
Maybe God has called you to something, but it looks like it's never going to happen. Maybe you've been waiting a long time and it's getting more and more difficult to stay faithful to what He has asked you to do in the meantime. I've been there. I'm still there. I felt a calling to overseas missions when I was 16. I've waited almost 9 years for that dream to come true. I definitely lost heart a couple of times. I'm finally going...and I'm so excited. I still have to wait though.
Wait on the Lord! Be strong, take heart, and wait on the Lord!
Pastor Mark used as one of his illustrations the bamboo tree. He said that when a bamboo tree is planted, it takes five years for it to reach full maturity. In the fifth year though, the growth rate sky rockets. Bamboo trees can reach heights of 60-90 ft. tall. You have to wait for five years to see that full grown plant though.
Maybe God has called you to something, but it looks like it's never going to happen. Maybe you've been waiting a long time and it's getting more and more difficult to stay faithful to what He has asked you to do in the meantime. I've been there. I'm still there. I felt a calling to overseas missions when I was 16. I've waited almost 9 years for that dream to come true. I definitely lost heart a couple of times. I'm finally going...and I'm so excited. I still have to wait though.
Wait on the Lord! Be strong, take heart, and wait on the Lord!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Cambodia...that's in Africa right? Wait no...South America?
I've found that when I tell people I'm going to Cambodia I get a lot of interesting looks. Either it's a "I don't know where that is, but I'm going to pretend like I do" look, or a "Cambodia...I remember that had something to do with the Vietnam War...why would you want to go there?" look. I don't blame them, I didn't really know where Cambodia was at first either.
So here's a blog about Cambodia.
Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia in between Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. The capital city is Phnom Penh (where I will be living during my time there.)
(Thanks LonelyPlanet.com for the map!)
Cambodia was once one of the most powerful kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Around the 9th century they were called the Angkor Empire. There are beautiful ruins from this empire that can still be seen in Cambodia today. One of the most famous is known as Angkor Wat:
After the Angkor Empire fell the country was ruled by various powers until the French gained control in 1864. They maintained control for many years until the country fell into civil war in the 1960's. (This is a very brief history, if you want to know more, you can go to Lonely Planet.)
In 1975 the communist Khmer Rouge took control under the dictatorship of Pol Pot. Khmer Rouge is translated as "Red Khmer". They wished to transform Cambodia in to a peasant-led society. Much like the Cultural Revolution of China, they wished to wipe out any forms of cultural advance, education, and religion. Any one with over a 3rd grade education was brutally imprisoned, tortured, and executed. It is estimated that around 2 million people died under the rule of Pol Pot in only a four year period.
Today you can still visit "The Killing Fields", the mass gravesite where innocent prisoners were killed and dumped. I know it will be a haunting and emotion experience to see it, but I feel like it's something I need to do once I get there, in order to better understand the people I will be sharing a year of my life with.
Through much struggle and violence, peace came to Cambodia in the late 1980's and early 1990's. There was still much horror happening to the people, however, in the loosely controlled refugee camps along Thai borders. Lawlessness, violence, poverty and disease were a day-to-day occurance in these camps, and many suffered from post traumatic stress disorder as well as many other mental diseases as a result of the terrible tragedy they had witnessed in their lifetime.
In 2002 Cambodia had it's first ever local elections to select village and commune level representatives, an important step in bringing grassroots democracy to the country.
Cambodia is a country with an unimaginable past. A broken people who were stripped of their culture, their religion, their home lives. The country still struggles with great poverty and hopelessness. One area Ben and Kami hope to be involved in once they get to Cambodia is ministering to the many street children who live in the garbage dumps in the city. I believe a new generation is growing up in this chaotic environment...ready to rebuild. I believe the future of Cambodia is bright. I also believe that God loves the Cambodian people fiercely. He has great plans for them.
So here's a blog about Cambodia.
Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia in between Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. The capital city is Phnom Penh (where I will be living during my time there.)
(Thanks LonelyPlanet.com for the map!)
Cambodia was once one of the most powerful kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Around the 9th century they were called the Angkor Empire. There are beautiful ruins from this empire that can still be seen in Cambodia today. One of the most famous is known as Angkor Wat:
After the Angkor Empire fell the country was ruled by various powers until the French gained control in 1864. They maintained control for many years until the country fell into civil war in the 1960's. (This is a very brief history, if you want to know more, you can go to Lonely Planet.)
In 1975 the communist Khmer Rouge took control under the dictatorship of Pol Pot. Khmer Rouge is translated as "Red Khmer". They wished to transform Cambodia in to a peasant-led society. Much like the Cultural Revolution of China, they wished to wipe out any forms of cultural advance, education, and religion. Any one with over a 3rd grade education was brutally imprisoned, tortured, and executed. It is estimated that around 2 million people died under the rule of Pol Pot in only a four year period.
Today you can still visit "The Killing Fields", the mass gravesite where innocent prisoners were killed and dumped. I know it will be a haunting and emotion experience to see it, but I feel like it's something I need to do once I get there, in order to better understand the people I will be sharing a year of my life with.
Through much struggle and violence, peace came to Cambodia in the late 1980's and early 1990's. There was still much horror happening to the people, however, in the loosely controlled refugee camps along Thai borders. Lawlessness, violence, poverty and disease were a day-to-day occurance in these camps, and many suffered from post traumatic stress disorder as well as many other mental diseases as a result of the terrible tragedy they had witnessed in their lifetime.
In 2002 Cambodia had it's first ever local elections to select village and commune level representatives, an important step in bringing grassroots democracy to the country.
Cambodia is a country with an unimaginable past. A broken people who were stripped of their culture, their religion, their home lives. The country still struggles with great poverty and hopelessness. One area Ben and Kami hope to be involved in once they get to Cambodia is ministering to the many street children who live in the garbage dumps in the city. I believe a new generation is growing up in this chaotic environment...ready to rebuild. I believe the future of Cambodia is bright. I also believe that God loves the Cambodian people fiercely. He has great plans for them.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The Beginning...
Hello! My name is Jennifer Hanson and I'm setting out on the adventure of my lifetime. I was recently accepted as a Missionary Associate through the AGWM (Assemblies of God World Missions) to the country of Cambodia. I was invited to apply by my good friends, the Heilmans, who are currently about 60% of the way into raising their budget to be fulltime missionaries to Cambodia. (If you would like to support them financially, please let me know and I'll hook you up! I feel no shame in "advertising" for them because they are some really fantastic people that need your help to answer the call of God on their lives!) I will be teaching their two amazing kids, Hannah and Ethan, as well as being involved in various other school and children's ministries during my (so far) one year assignment there.
I'll be updating this blog regularly while I'm here in the States raising support and getting ready to go, as well as while I'm in Cambodia. Please subscribe to me if you'd like to keep in the loop. Also, if you would like to be added to my email/mail newsletter list, please send your info to: JenHanz2009@gmail.com.
I won't lie to you, I feel slightly overwhelmed at all that needs to get done before I leave the country. However, I know I serve a Great Big God who will be with me every step of the way. I humbly ask you to join me on this exciting, unpredictable, (and in the world's eyes) crazy adventure.
Love you all,
Jen
I'll be updating this blog regularly while I'm here in the States raising support and getting ready to go, as well as while I'm in Cambodia. Please subscribe to me if you'd like to keep in the loop. Also, if you would like to be added to my email/mail newsletter list, please send your info to: JenHanz2009@gmail.com.
I won't lie to you, I feel slightly overwhelmed at all that needs to get done before I leave the country. However, I know I serve a Great Big God who will be with me every step of the way. I humbly ask you to join me on this exciting, unpredictable, (and in the world's eyes) crazy adventure.
Love you all,
Jen
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