This trip will serve rural and vulnerable Cambodian communities in partnership with local ministries.

About Cambodia

Cambodia was once a powerful kingdom between the 7th and 14th centuries. Its priest-kings built the great temples of Angkor and exerted great influence over much of Indochina. However after two recent wars and the immense devastation caused by the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979), it has become a very broken nation.

Today, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over one-third of the population living on less than 45 cents a day.

Despite some redevelopment over the last 30 years, the general population – particularly in the poorer countrysides – continues to suffer from inadequate education, healthcare, and basic infrastructure.

Today, the majority of the Central Khmer are Buddhist, although relics of ethnic religions such as ancestor worship (praying to deceased ancestors) and spirit worship are also very important to them. The Khmer people have seen a growth in the Christian church, however there is a significant lack of quality and depth with written resources, training and discipleship being very limited. Despite these challenges, there is a beautiful enthusiasm and hunger for discipleship and desire to spread the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ to the unreached areas.

Through discipleship, community development, and compassionate ministries, together we can work to make Christ known throughout Cambodia. Currently Cambodia is open to the sharing of the Gospel, but this window of opportunity may not remain open for much longer.

Now is the time for us, as the Body of Christ, to seize the opportunity to obey the commandment given in Matthew 28:19 and to GO and MAKE DISCIPLES in the nation of Cambodia!

A Few Ways You Can Serve in Cambodia

• Serve local villages in the Baray District through community development projects that will make a true difference in local churches, schools, and villages.

• Plan and lead adult, youth and children’s programming, including Bible lessons, games, crafts and discipleship activities. 

• Use your profession or skills to train for local believers who desire to start businesses in unreached areas of Cambodia. (The areas for training are virtually unlimited, and could include things such as: nursing, teaching, construction, accounting, baking, welding, hospitality, wood-working, sewing, etc).

• Come alongside a local private school (Wisdom’s Nest) and other village English programs to teach English through fun and interactive activities.

• Partner with local believers and churches to equip them to better reach out to the mentally and physically challenged, as well as their families.

• Encourage and equip rural churches through youth ministry, pastoral discipleship and children’s ministry.

Details and Logistics

This team will partner with Esther Ding, as well as local churches and community leaders, to practically serve the people and meet tangible needs. You will have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships, encourage and equip those around you as you become the Hands and Feet of Jesus to them. Whatever your specific task, you will have a significant role in touching the life of another person in need. The only requirement is that you come with a willing heart, and you are ready to serve to the best of your ability.

Typical Schedule

Below is a basic schedule for the week, but must have flexibility to change and adapt to the needs at the moment.

Each morning, there is time set aside for devotions and quiet time. Mandate will provide each member with a devotional/journal, but you are also welcome to bring your own additionally. This is a valuable time and we strongly encourage everyone to spend it with God journaling their thoughts and experiences as the days unfold.

Our staff will lead a time of debriefing and a short devotional in the evenings, with a short time of worship. Our programming does not include musical worship as we can't guarantee that our our staff will have this ability. Please let us know if you sing or play guitar so that we can help to coordinate the musical aspect of worship when able.

BASIC DAILY SCHEDULE WHILE IN CAMBODIA
Day 1
Team arrives and travels to Khmer Homestay
Dinner
Orientation meeting

Day 2
7:15 - Breakfast
7:45 - Devotions and quiet time
8:15 - Group prayer
8:30 - Team leaves for tour of the area and Wisdom Nest School
12:30 - Lunch
2:00 - Free Time
5:00 - Team Meeting
6:00 - Dinner
7:00 - Sunset ox-cart ride

8:30 - Prepare for bed

Day 3-8
7:15 - Breakfast
7:45 - Devotions and quiet time
8:15 - Group prayer
8:30 - Teams leave for sites
12:30 - Lunch
2:00 - Finish work for the day
5:00 - Break and clean-up
6:00 - Dinner
7:00 - Evening gathering
8:30 - Prepare for bed

Day 9
7:00 - Breakfast
7:30 - Leave for Angkor Wat Tour   
9:00 - Prepare for bed

Day 10
7:00 - Breakfast
7:30 - Cleanup/packing  
8:30 - Commissioning 
9:00 - Pictures and good-byes

Lodging and Transportation

The team will be staying in Esther’s Homestay - Khmer Homestay. Team members will be sleeping on thin and somewhat hard mattresses, so an inflatable mat may be ideal. Unless specified, you will not need to bring your own bedding. It is generally warm at night; however, rooms are equipped with fans (a few rooms may have air conditioning). Mosquito nets are also provided for each bed. Accommodations for single team members will be dormitory style with male and female sections.

The majority of transportation will be in an air-conditioned 12-15 passenger van and on well paved roads and highways.

Showers & Bathrooms

There are outdoor buildings with showers and toilets for both males and females. A few select rooms will have their own bathrooms. Be prepared to use outhouses/squatty potty during times of travel and ministry.

Water

Purified water will be made available for the team at all times.

Electricity

There is electricity at the main facilities, but the electrical service is not as dependable as the in United States, so there may be occasional outages.

Security

The homestay is a gated community, and trustworthy locals will be keeping an eye on the buildings throughout the day. According to the US Department of State, Cambodia is listed as a “Level One” travel advisory. This means that it is considered safe for travelers, with the only advice to exercise normal precautions. The area where we will be staying is a rural area and is deemed even safer than the main cities in Cambodia.

Food

Esther’s local cafe, the Solar Cafe, will provide banquet style meals that will be mostly Cambodian food that we have found to be popular with most Americans. There will also be some American style dishes provided.  All utensils and dishes are sanitized in boiling water as a precaution and for the safety of our team members. Due to a limited variety of foods available in Cambodia, Mandate cannot accommodate any nut or seafood allergies. Please inquire with a staff member for more details.