Holiday in Cambodia!

8:00 AM, July 1

Yesterday morning we got up early and had a hearty breakfast along with many cups of coffee before we met with Diane and Fede Hernandez. They are Friends missionaries here in the capitol of Cambodia, Phnom Penh - they are fantastic hosts and have two beautiful children. Fede and our guide, Hitnee took us to the Genocide museum, which was very heartbreaking and somewhat depressing. It was very important to experience this early in the trip, as it gave us all a better idea of the countries history and how the horrific events have helped shape and mold the evolving culture here.

Back at the hotel (with AC!) we cleaned up and rested before going out to dinner with the the Hernandez family. We went to a place called Divine Pizza and Ribs - a place owned by a missionary who does missions through business, providing jobs to Cambodians seeking the Lord. The pizza was fantastic, and although we wanted to experience more local cuisine, it was nice to have one last Western meal before heading deeper into the heart of the country. We shared so many laughs, and are really bonding as a team. Fede and Diane really made us feel comfortable and at home as we ate and talked into the evening.

Back at the hotel we all went to bed early, enjoying the break from the hot humid weather in our air conditioned rooms. This morning we will head west to Siem Reap - a 5 hour drive to the city build around the famous Angkor Temple complex. We get to do a few more touristy things in the upcoming days before we dive into the English language camps to teach some basic classes to Cambodians who know some English, but just need to converse in English to practice.

I am so blessed to be here leading with Kelsey, and I could not ask for a better team of young adults to share this experience with.

- Jesse