Cambodia

Hi everyone! January 2016

I am so sorry for my lack of updating you guys. It was very difficult to find time and a computer to write these updates in Cambodia as I don’t have a laptop of my own.

Cambodia was so amazing and fulfilling. The people were so beautiful and loving!

My team and I had a number of different ministries including English teaching, various different children’s ministries, evangelism on the streets of Battambang and in the slums and helping out at different churches every Sunday encouraging other believers. We explored different parts of Cambodia also, including Seim Reip and some remote villages about 2 hours away from where we live and God has taught me so much along the way!

First arriving in Cambodia was a little bit crazy – everything there is so different than anything I’ve ever experienced before and I was quite shocked. I knew I loved Cambodia so much (the joy of the people is infectious!) but it took about two weeks to really start to settle in. I had to learn to really rely on God and although I seemed so far away from home as I just leaned in on Him more and more, I began to find my comfort and rest in Him. He’s the best Father and wants to be a home for us – we just need to trust and let Him!

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge and my place of safety; He is my God and I trust Him.” – Psalm 91v1-2

This passage became so real for me in those first few weeks and I am so thankful that in every situation He has the opportunity to teach us something new. Go God!!!

After settling in more I really started to fall in love with Cambodia. I have become very good friends with a Khmer* girl, Sopheak and on the back of her moped (the transportation of choice in Cambodia) she took me on adventures around Battambang and the surrounding area and I loved experiencing true Khmer culture. Spicy (VERY spicy) noodles from a slightly dodgy looking side of the road food stand, 400 stairs leading up to ancient temple ruins on the top of a mountain, eating fried rat, snake, cricket and grasshoppers, market places with stenches I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy and sooo much more. It was all so much fun! There are so many crazy things to do and I did my best to try it all. Praise the Lord that I never caught some strange illness or parasite after eating so much dodgy side of the road food and drinking unfiltered water with my Khmer friends. Food is such a way of bonding with people and such a good way to experience culture and I knew I couldn’t turn down food offered to me because it “wasn’t up to standard”, instead I just prayed that God would strengthen my immune system and He was faithful!

One of the best experiences for my team and I was staying in a remote village for a week. There was very little access to electricity, no running water, no beds – true Khmer style! It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had! I had to put away my “western princess tiara” for that week and really rough it but it was so worth it! During that week we stayed at a tiny church and during the days we did house visits in surrounding villages.

It was a crazy week! We saw 10 salvations, baptized 10 people and saw a handful of healing’s! So, so, so cool! I was praying for one lady whose eye sight was very poor and as I was praying I specifically prayed for colour to be restored and when she opened her eyes she began to touch her grandsons bright green jumper and said that she’d never seen colour like that before! It was so amazing! God is so amazing!

Through everything I just fell so much more in love with Jesus. He taught me that my role or job is not to see hundreds of healings and salvations but my role is just to be His child and have fun with Holy Spirit on the adventures He takes me on. From that place of personal encounter, my prayer is that God will use me to help lead others to a place of encounter with Him – this is my prayer forever and in whatever journey He takes me on next.

DTS has been so life changing and looking back on it now makes me feel so incredibly thankful. GOD IS SO GOOD! I am so confident in His faithfulness and He is so tangible and real in my everyday life. I am determined not to let DTS be something I look back on in years to come and think, “I was so happy and close to Jesus then”, NO! DTS has launched me into the rest of my life – His love is all that I need and as I have now finished DTS I will still be seeking after knowing Him and the ways of His heart more. I am so excited to do the rest of my life with Jesus!!!

Thank you again to everyone who has supported me financially through this. Not only did your gift of money enable me to go on this incredible journey and learn more and draw closer to God but it ALWAYS came in such perfect timing – I would be freaking out one day because I needed a certain amount of money in and then the next day I would get a call from my mum saying that the exact amount of money had been donated! Crazy! God used your generosity to teach me so much about His Father-heart, so thank you, thank you, thank you for listening to Him and being obedient. It is more appreciated than you know!

And thank you so much for supporting me through prayer. I can truly tell you that I always felt the effects of your prayers on the other side. You are all so awesome!!!

If you EVER need prayer for anything please let me know and I will pray for you or we could catch up for coffee and pray together! I would love that so much.

Bless you heaps!!!!! With love, from Jasmine

(*word used for Cambodian)

My third daughter is in Kona Hawaii doing a Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission. It is so exciting as a parent to watch her grow in her faith in God and also her passion for others to come to know him. I thought I would share her newsletter with you because it is SO exciting what she is doing and I want you all to be part of this adventure. Enjoy!!!

Hi everyone!

Quick update on what’s happening here in Hawaii. Kona is so beautiful! I love exploring more of the island and I stand in awe at God’s beautiful creation. Just two days ago we went up a volcano called Mauna Kea. From base to top it is just under 14,000 feet! I drove up there on the back of a truck (ute), and we were literally driving above the clouds! It was amazing and the sunset from up that high was incredible!

Everyday I am overwhelmed here as I learn more about God’s beautiful character. This is truly the most exciting journey and so different from any other challenge I’ve experienced before. We have a small(ish) DTS of about 45 people and I love it – couldn’t think of a cooler bunch of people to do this with! It’s so wonderful to see how God not only transforms me but also the lives around me. It’s been an intense few weeks, which at some points has been pretty challenging but I feel like we’ve grown so close because of it.

My roommates are so incredible! I have been blessed with the best!

Our living arrangements are… cozy haha, but sharing a room with seven other girls is really fun! It’s just like having a sleepover with my best friends every night! We all get along so well. Each of them are so on fire for The Lord.

I am now in my fifth week of lecture phase and The Lord has taught me so much already. One of the major things I have been learning is The Lord’s father-heart for me. I know that this is something I will need to really journey through with God and I am so grateful that I am able to spend so much time just learning about Him, who He is and being in His presence. I am so hungry to know Him more.

Outreach locations were announced and I am so excited to tell you that God has led me to CAMBODIA!!

On the day of deciding outreach locations I was so stressed! We were presented with a list of 8 different nations and then given an hour to pray and choose two locations, write them down and then our leaders spent a day praying and putting us in our teams. I pretty much knew I was going to Cambodia as soon as I saw the list but it took me so long to actually write it down because I was so nervous! I’ve never really had any desire to go to an Asian nation, I think just because the culture is so different and I guess that frightens me a little. During that hour of praying God gave me the scripture John 16v24, which says, “You haven’t done this before but ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.” and since finding out, I have had such a peace about it and I know that can only be Jesus! Now, I am so excited to learn more about the culture and the people. We are going to a city called Battambang and at this point all I know is that we will be teaching English to children. There is also talk that we will spending some time in extremely poor villages where there are many rescued, sex trafficked victims but I don’t know to much about that yet. I will let you know as soon as I know more of what we will be doing there.

Recently, God has just been telling and showing me how much He loves me. He’s teaching me that He doesn’t love us out of obligation but it is His ultimate desire to love us. I know that sounds pretty obvious but it’s like it’s finally clicking for me ya know! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! The more I have of Him and the more intimate our relationship becomes, the more I want! I will never be fully satisfied because I can never get enough! So good!

One of my favourtie parts of the week is our intercession times – every Tuesday and Thursday, we all pray from 1pm-3pm for a different nation or a cause. It is so awesome! The thing I like best about it is that it’s really teaching me to have faith that God does answer prayers, even when we can’t see the fruit of it. Last time we were praying for unreached people groups and I got a picture of a little boy, in some kind of Middle Eastern nation. He was by himself and standing on dry, dirty ground. I literally know nothing else about this boy but I have faith that he is out there somewhere and has been blessed by my prayers.

I cannot believe it’s only week 5! God has taught me so much and I know He’ll continue to work in me and through me.

God has been so good to me and I have over half of my outreach fees paid for. I still have about USD$2200 left to pay but I have seen Him provide and I know he can do it for me. He is way bigger than finances!

Please continue to keep me in your prayers. I am having an amazing, challenging and blessed time.

Thank you all so much for being a part of this journey with me! It truly means so much to know that I have people praying for me!

May God bless you heaps!

Much love, Jasmine

instagram: jasmineholmez