주보글 (선교간증)

Hi my name is Joel and I wanted to share about how my mission trip went in Cambodia. Going into this mission trip, I didn’t know what to expect. However, after praying with our team, we shared about how we should go into the trip with an open mind, trusting that God will lead us.

As we arrived in Cambodia, I instantly noticed how different it was from what I was used to back home. I could even see little children working on the streets begging for money. Even though we were really tired from the long flight and adjusting to the time difference, we met with the two missionaries in Cambodia and got straight to work. Even though most of us were exhausted, we gathered together to pray, worship, and prepare for the mission trip.

As I woke up the next morning, everyone was still tired and jet lagged. Despite all this, our team got together to do morning devos and after a final prayer we were heading to a small local church called Jesus Loves Church. I honestly didn’t know what to expect and I was nervous. I wasn’t sure how old or how many kids would be there and if there would be a language barrier. As soon as I stepped into the church, I could feel the excitement in the air and I could see the kids smiling, dancing and laughing even before we began. What shocked me the most was how joyful they were despite tough times. Even though there was a language barrier, I still created a relationship with the kids and from that point on, I knew that God was doing incredible things through our team.

Each day came with its own challenges, but also new opportunities to grow as a team. Whether we were playing games, sharing testimonies, or doing worship dances, God kept using our team in ways we never expected. When it was finally time to say goodbye to the kids at Jesus Loves Church they all ran up to hug us even though we could see a little bit of sadness in their eyes. Just when everything was going well, ready to go to the next church called New Joy Church, my sister suddenly got sick and it felt like a huge setback to our team as every person had huge responsibilities. It felt like Satan was trying to weaken our team.However, instead of falling apart, our team came together even stronger. Even though my sister was sick, she came along with the team. Our team came together in prayer and support showing how our team unity was only growing stronger and stronger. I still remember that day, only the team leader, Mr. Jason and I were only able to do the morning devo as the other team members were either sick or taking care of my sister. Through that morning devo we shared about how we should keep trusting and praising God despite tough times. Through this day, I saw how God used difficult moments to bring our team closer and grow our faith.

After constant prayer, my sister started feeling better, and we began serving at New Joy Church. As soon as we stepped into the sanctuary we saw so many kids waiting for us. There were almost 100 kids packed into a small room, and it seemed impossible how 6 people could lead 100 kids. Before worship, we got together to pray for help and through God's help we came up with activities on the spot. Even though it was chaotic, the kids and teachers were singing and dancing with so much joy.

After worship I got the incredible opportunity to teach soccer to the kids of that church who had a soccer team. It was such an awesome experience to teach them, but playing with them while having fun was so incredible. A moment I'll never forget is when one boy was so happy when he received a pair of cleats that my friend on my soccer team donated. I still remember his smile when we told him that it was his cleats and he told all his friends which made me so happy that I can make him happy. Through that experience I learned how even small things can make a big impact.

On the final day at New Joy Church, saying goodbye was one of the hardest moments of the mission trip. The kids were so loving and kind to us that they didn’t want us to leave. Mr. Jason, my sister and I got the chance to ride in a tuk-tuk to drop off the kids, which is like a cart attached to a motorcycle that fits a bunch of kids. As we drove through the village, we got to see the reality as we saw where the kids actually lived. As we were leaving, the kids ran after our tuk-tuk, not wanting to let go and even chasing us down the road. On our way back, the tuk-tuk driver Sentai who was 15, started singing praise songs and it was so amazing to see how praise is so powerful. Through this mission trip, with the help of our translators Sreymo from Jesus Loves Church and Swansea from New Joy Church as well as all the teachers, helpers, and our two missionaries, Mr. and Mrs. Lee, I learned so many things that were different from every other mission trip I’ve been on. In the past, I usually came home with the lesson of being thankful but this time I learned while I should still be thankful I learned about having joy in hard situations, team unity through challenges, and the power of simple love through God and I'm so grateful for this experience.        

 – Mission testimony 2025 from Joel Ahn