Slow Moments
Invited by the leaders of the largest Youth with a Mission (YWAM) base in SE Asia, our Full Sail team spent 28 days in Battambang, Cambodia on their 13-acre campus, pouring into the 120 full time staffers (60% Cambodians, 40% US, Australian, European…) and 100 Discipleship Training School students (from several Asian countries) who live and work there. The leadership core team had communicated to us before our arrival that their staff was weary and in need of a “real rest”, something that just a vacation wouldn’t be able to remedy. These solid and committed staff members literally spend their lives, day in and day out, ministering to their students, their families, their country, and their world, often to the point of exhaustion. The need all around them is so mammoth, it can be hard to f ind margin for themselves, often pouring out until there’s not much left. So, our vision was, f irst and foremost, to simply come and spend unrushed time just BEING with them - sitting around the lunch or dinner table together, attending chapel or worship side by side, grabbing a cup of coffee, taking a walk, and mostly just being present to their lives, their worlds, their longings, their heartaches, and their dreams. Our f irst week on the ground looked like spending time building trust through relationship in worship and devotional sets, speaking in small group settings, teaching at the DTS school, offering some creative arts worship opportunities, and simply hanging out. The second week, we hosted a week-long Oasis Retreat (see page 8 for a more detailed description of Oasis), open 7am-9pm daily, geared specif ically to the YWAM staffers. It was so heartwarming to see so many of them taking the time to pause from the busyness of their lives and ministry, to sit in the quiet and risk opening their weary hearts up to God. Even more poignant was the sense that God was on the edge of His seat to meet with each one, being so affected by what moved them.
IN CAMBODIA
It seemed God was gently coaxing each one to bring Him their pain and longing, not minimizing it or rushing them through it or condemning them for their weariness, but just so lovingly and tenderly “being with” each one. The Oasis space felt like a truly sacred place as, day after day, hour after hour, from morning until evening, the room became a meeting place with the Lover of our souls. During the last two weeks in Cambodia following Oasis, we focused our time on individual prayer ministry “sets” - 25 hour-long prayer slots for any staff members who desired further personal prayer ministry with our team. In most instances, hard and often very painful things came up for people during those prayer times, but God’s Presence to heal and comfort and deliver was so real and available. It was beautiful working together as a team - listening to the Holy Spirit, trusting each other, flowing together, growing and learning and receiving so much grace as we went. And it was such a profound honor to listen to each uniquely beautiful story and to have a front row seat to see Jesus intimately encourage each person. At the end of our 28 days, a conversation was started about the possibility of returning to Cambodia in the not-too-distant future for another time of ministry. We are trusting the Lord to show us if, when, and how this might happen in the year(s) ahead.
OUR VISION: INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS
Not only do we long to take the message of God’s love to the far reaches of the globe, but we love coming alongside full-time Christian workers and missionaries who are continually pouring themselves out to others for the sake of the Gospel. It is our great honor to offer listening ears, understanding hearts, and the time and space needed for an encounter with God for themselves personally – to set the stage for God to bring refreshment, healing, renewal, and rest to His beloved children.
