Some background - Why Cambodia

Where my love for missions comes from...

Well, to be honest, I don't remember the day I was first interested in missions. I know it all started when I was very young, like a seed planted there by my Creator from the time I was born. I remember day-dreaming, at a very young age, about teaching little children in an African jungle school, or about founding an orphanage for little baby girls in China. I was around 5 years old when I gave my little heart to Jesus, and asked Him to become my Lord and my Savior. Since that day, I've always had this intense desire to serve Him, tell others about Him and spread His love in all the world. I always loved different cultures, peoples and languages, and I still do. I remember just loving to hear about and read stories of missionaries around the world, giving up everything and risking their lives to tell people that God loves them.

Not long ago, I was having a little heart to heart chat with my mommy, and I asked her (in French, of course) "Maman, will you miss me if I go away to be a missionary?" (You've gotta know that I'm the eldest of 7 kids, and my mom has much more than just me to think about). Her answer caught me off guard: "Noémie, I've known you would be a missionary from the time you were 4. Of course I'll miss you, but I know this is what you're called to do."

(here's a pic of me, my brother Jael and my mommy at Jael's wedding, in QC)


Coincidence??

Around the time when I started coming to my awesome church, Oshawa Community Church (OCC), an interesting phenomenon began to take place. I was 18 years old then. I'd made a decision very early in life that I'd do everything possible to never get into debt. For the eldest of a large family, that meant a lot of sacrifice. I wanted a university education, but I wanted it without loans or OSAP (not that there's anything wrong with those things, at all!). So I decided to work for a year before going off to university. My plan included Bible College at some time in the process, and then taking off to some foreign country as a missionary. But you see, the Bible says that man can make plans, but God ultimately has the final say in what happens... and He did!

I clearly remember my first chat with Pr Chris (I hope one day I can be as amazing as her!). She barely knew me from Adam, yet after a few minutes of discussion, and before I mentioned anything about my interests, she asked "Have you ever considered doing missionary work?" I thought that was kinda funny. She went on to lend me a couple books that are still, to this day, on my fav list: Bruchko and Peace Child, two incredible stories of people who risked everything to bring the Gospel to cannibalistic tribes, and how God changed these tribesmen's hearts and lives without changing their culture. Really cool.

Well, for the next several years, everywhere I turned, every time I met someone new, it seemed they all asked me about missions, or told me they saw a calling for missions on my life. And I wasn't asking for it. Each time I would laugh, and if a close friend overheard the conversation, they would laugh too. It was like God was trying to hammer in His point.

Until the winter of 2003. A crazy bunch of young adults from my church set out for our "Advance" weekend (cause we ain't retreatin'). We were looking forward to having Gary Hayes, of Living Hope Church, in Hamilton, as our guest speaker. I met him for the first time that day when I ran out of the car after our couple hour's drive in the beautiful snowy winter afternoon. I just barely said hello, and then ran off to the washroom (my original and ultimate destination at the time).

That night we had an awesome message on responding to God's calling on our lives. I still have the notes from that message, but what I remember the most is what happened after. Pr Gary called everyone up to the front who wanted to seek God on what His plans were for their lives. As I was just praying there, like everyone else, sitting cross legged on the floor, Pr Gary came over to pray for me. Then he started to speak a prophetic word from God to me (Pr Gary is a very prophetic man, it's really uncanny). He started off by talking about missions, and how this season in my life was a time of preparation for missions, and I needed to serve in every way I could cause I have a great ministry of serving, and faith comes by serving, and a bunch of other things that I'll keep to myself for now... Now, this pastor knew nothing about me. Call that weird or simple coincidence, I call that the Holy Spirit!

I noted down the main points of that prophetic word in my journal that night, and then put it on the shelf for a while, praying about it and watching to see what would happen of it in the months to come.



Not Brazil?

It wasn't long before things started to happen. During the early summer weeks of that year, I came out of a conversation with Alessandra and Valdir (wonderful Brazilian friends from my church) with a driving desire to go spend a month in Brazil on a missions trip, to serve there in any way I could. After much prayer and preparation, I decided to quit my job at the Ministry of Finance and take off, not knowing what would happen next.

I had a wonderful time there, saw some cool miracles, took a few risks and then spent a week without taking a shower at the NIKO survival camp in Parana, Brazil. I met some wonderful people and started to learn Portuguese. It all went by really fast, and then I returned to Canada, pumped and not having a clue what would happen next. I didn't consider staying longer at the time since my mom was pregnant with my little sister then, and I wanted to be back for the birth.

So I was back, after a month, and God supernaturally gave me my old job back (where I'm still working to this day). I got to see my baby sister Cassylia be born, and she was the most beautiful newborn I've yet to see (not that I'm biased, at all...).

(here's 2 yr old Cassylia, after big sis' Noemie put her hair in little curly pigtails... so adorable!)

But then I wanted to go back to Brazil. I had gotten to work with the people and the children in the slum, and I loved it. I started asking God if it was His will for me to go back for longer.

I did return to Brazil in 2005 after a very eventful 2004 year, and, through prophetic words, God clearly showed me that Brazil was not where He wanted me to go. I was disappointed and sad, but I've come to learn over the years that there's nothing good for us outside of the will of God, especially not in the long run. I know God has awesome plans for His children, and I don't want to miss out on them because of my stubbornness. Only He knows the future! Plus, I didn't have peace of mind about going to stay in Brazil, it just wasn't jiving.



(some of the peeps from our Life Group)


More prep time...

God had clearly said to me that He wanted me to stay longer in Canada so I could learn more. Wow, am I ever glad I obeyed!

Within the last year, amazing things have happened. Three of my close friends have gotten married, that's including my big/little brother. I did four more Bible College classes (as addition to the 15 some I'd taken up to a couple years ago). Then, our Life group exploded (I'll give more details on that in a few days). People were getting saved, giving their lives to Jesus and having their complete lives changed and restored, and I got to be an instrument in those salvations. It has been so awesome, and it's still going on to this day.

And personally, I started to be given opportunities to teach Bible study classes (highway to Maturity), and to do things I'd never thought I could do. God has been stretching me! I've also gotten to take an ESL teaching certificate called CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults). I'd been wanting to take that class for years, and now I'll be able to use it in missions.

And also, I went to Cambodia. I got to teach a Bible lesson there, while the pastor translated for me in Khmer (it was so cool). And I got to see the need there for workers and missionaries, a need much greater there than in Brazil... And something happened in my heart...



Cambodia!



The first time I heard about Cambodia and New Life Church, many years ago, I remember thinking "I want to got there one day". It just seemed like, even as little as I am, I still had so much to offer to help this beautiful people and their country.

But that ended up on the shelf for a few years. At least until I went there, and then came back, and then started thinking and talking about going there for a year. To my surprise, it seemed like everyone, my pastors, friends, family, everyone, thought it a good idea. And I had this strong sense of needing to go, like an urgency in my heart that it was what I should do. Every time I prayed about it, it seemed that sense of knowing got stronger.



But what about the finances? That has been a big area of struggle for me to trust God in finances. Not that He's ever failed me, ever! He has always been so faithful. But I've always been very independent, especially financially, and can't remember asking my parents for money for anything. So to know that God would provide without me working with a steady income was a big step of faith, it was... but it isn't now.

On my 24th birthday, my amazing, wonderful friends surprised me with a birthday party and a fund raiser for missions. I got so blessed, financially, but especially spiritually, as they spent a good hour praying for me that night.

Then, at Ruth and Andrew's wedding, they raised some more money for missions for me, as a surprise. Blew me away.

I've had a lot of expenses this year, and I didn't know how it would all work out, but, through people, and just through His supernatural providence, God has supplied for all my needs, according to His riches in glory!

As this year of 2006 is rapidly ending, I'm amazed to see that I've done all the things God had placed on my heart to do this year and that I still have the supply to keep going! And, not only are the finances I need for my year in Cambodia already provided for, but I also have enough for the missions trip to Brazil I'll be doing with the internship students from our church this February! Don't ever doubt God's ability to provide for you; He's got the resources of the whole universe at the tip of His fingers, and He's ready to hand them out to those who need it, especially those who need it for serving Him!!

Now, I'm preparing to go spend a year in Cambodia. I'm excited about it, although sad at the same time, as I know I'll miss everyone here in Canada so much! But I know God's hand is over my every choice, and He'll walk me into the right direction. Let's see what the months ahead hold in store!


The Bible says, in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He'll direct your paths.
Ain't that the truth!!