The Reunion

It’s amazing how God can give you an extended family and a sense of belonging in a foreign country, in a village tucked away in the rice paddies. When I left Cambodia on the World Race, I had this feeling that I was going to be back to this place. I was completely in love with the people there and dreamed of the day that I would be back someday to dance in the rain with the kids, to reconnect with friends, and to hold the little girl in the red dress again.

(^June 2013)

A little over two years later I found myself in a tuk tuk, on the same bumpy, red dirt road that lead me to this home away from home. My emotions were a mix of excitement, anxiousness, and disbelief that I was minutes away from the place I had been longing to come back to. There were hundreds of thoughts and questions flooding my brain as I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening. Would my girl remember me? What should I say? What is God’s plan for me here?

 

The questions in my mind quieted down as the tuk tuk came to a stop and I was greeted with hugs from people who knew me by name. Seeing them again felt like I was seeing family again and I was so overjoyed to see them again.

(^^Photo Credit: Connie Rock)

It was at that point that I saw my sweet girl walking barefoot down a dirt path with her older sister. My heart started beating faster and I went over to her. She was a bit shy but let me give her a hug and then she went back to her sister.

(^Photo Credit: Connie Rock)

It wasn’t too long before she and I walked everywhere hand in hand. She would go play with her friends and then come back to me with the hugest smile on her face and arms in the air waiting for me to hold her. 

Later in the afternoon, she took me by the hand to go sit in an empty tuk tuk parked by the dirt road. She doesn’t speak much English and I don’t speak much Khmer we sat there communicating through laughter and smiles. After a few minutes, she paused, looked at me and said, “I love you, Danae.” It was extremely hard not to tear up as I told her I loved her too. My heart was overflowing but hurting at the same time knowing I would have to say bye again.

As the first day at the village came to an end and I was saying my goodbyes, I didn’t see my girl and assumed that she had already gone home. When the team and I walked back to the tuk tuks, there she was waiting in an empty one. Once again, heart melted. I picked her up, gave her a huge hug and said goodbye. I was able to spend two more days at the village and we were connected at the hip for the majority of the time. Tears flowed as the tuk tuk pulled away from the village and we drove back down that bumpy red dirt road. I was so sad to leave this place, but so encouraged knowing that the Lord has them all in His hands. 

I still am continuing to process what God’s purpose is for me there. There is a reason that He has put that village and that sweet girl on my heart. It was incredible to see how He was working through the people in the village. The Lord doesn’t always give us clarity and answers right away so all I can do right now is give it to Him. I am extremely thankful that I had the opportunity to return to this beautiful place, and it definitely won’t be the last. 🙂