One of the primary goals of any short-term mission trip is to observe and learn from the heroes of faith you encounter. Heroes of faith that embody the same God-fearing spirit that their biblical counterparts held in Hebrews 11. Heroes of faith who live rather very ordinary lives, yet bear extraordinary fruit for His kingdom. Heroes of faith, whether missionaries or homegrown disciples, who are willing to die to themselves for the infinitely greater reward they gain in knowing and toiling for Christ. By the grace of God, I encountered and observed these figures in the nation of Cambodia. And after 30 days of doing so, one simple yet great observation shined throughout the lives of these particular followers of Christ: 

Every blessing they receive from the Lord is used to bless others.

International Theological College & Seminary. One of the few bible schools in Phnom Penh that raise up and teach aspiring ministers for the kingdom of God. There is perhaps no greater example of what it means to bless others than these seminarians across the world. Students from different provinces and even surrounding countries come to this school to be equipped disciples of Jesus. What a blessing it is to receive tools for ministry, adequate bible training, a tight-knit community of fellow believers, as well as a quality English education. Yet they do not stop there.  This blessing they receive from the Lord is then used to bless others: Traveling back to their home village or province, often hours away, to teach and proclaim the Gospel to their very own people in the hope of raising further disciples of Christ.

Tim School. A quaint K-6 school on the side of a dirt road in Siem Reap. Missionary Stanley and his wife started this school back in 2014 following many years of missionary work in India. This couple, marked by grace and humility, both have hearts so attuned to blessing others. Out of the handful of biblical phrases that Missionary Stanley drills into the hearts of his students and our team, being a “channel of blessing” was one I heard frequently during our two weeks that we spent with him. And it is no surprise that both him and his wife greatly exhibit this truth. What a blessing it is to receive the many fruitful years of service that he experienced with the founding of St. Paul school in India and the countless joys that came with such a great ministry. Yet they did not stop there. This blessing they received from the Lord was then used to bless others: To once again provide quality, Christ-centered education to children, this time in the country of Cambodia and to host and be so hospitable to the many mission teams that visit.

Precious Women. A ministry spearheaded by Bong Solida, a Cambodian woman and follower of Jesus, tackling many fronts including supporting women exploited from the entertainment industry through education and employment opportunities and providing schooling for children.  While serving alongside her, I noticed her life was quite different from the rest of the locals we met. She is more well off, has a beautiful family in a country brimming with broken households, and perhaps has had more opportunities that most Cambodians, let alone women in that nation, would ever have. What a blessing it is to receive these opportunities, to have a faithful spouse, three beautiful children with great upbringings, and the financial stability that most around her do not have. But once again, we see that she did not stop there. The blessings she received from the Lord were then used to bless others: Using her time and resources to sustain this ministry, changing the lives of many women and children by meeting their practical needs and bringing them to the Gospel.

Jesus Christ. The ultimate example of this observation and the very reason we are able to. As Paul proclaims in Philippians 2, “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross”. Our King Jesus is infinitely worthy of receiving every blessing, praise, and honor. Yet, as we have seen in the three ministries above, even our very Savior did not stop there. Instead He used His divinity, leaving the glory of heaven to come down to humanity, served rather than be served, and in the greatest act of love, gave His life as a ransom for many.  We don’t bless others to make ourselves feel better or to live a life driven by works. No, instead we – along with ITCS, Tim School, and Precious Women – bless and serve others because Christ did so for us first!  

There is often the cliche mission testimony of how one went into a country ready to serve, but instead received so much more in return. Let’s take this one step further and not hold on to those blessings we receive, but again adopt the heart we had coming into it, and bless others.  

In short, my testimony and observation can be summarized into something like this: We receive the greatest blessing in the Gospel and salvation in Jesus. This compels us to go out and bless others to know this same Gospel. We are blessed again by His grace. We go out again and bless others. And so on and so forth. It’s a beautiful and continual cycle of God’s blessings that ultimately exalts and magnifies Christ!

Lord, would I never fail to bless others as you have never failed to bless me!