The journey from my suburban home to the slums of Poipet in western Cambodia is long — really long no matter which way you travel. The only thing that makes the trip bearable is knowing that my heart is inclined in the direction of the poor and needy.

I live with the daily pressure of concern for the many peoples I have been privileged to serve over the years. I can no longer remember what it was like to go to bed free of this concern. It both calls and drives me. It troubles me when it suspects I am starting to slink into the comforts of my suburban life.

Thus another long journey away from the conveniences of home. Long journeys like this are made more bearable when shared with others whose hearts beat in sync with my own. While I never mind traveling alone, I cherish the days that I am with like-hearted companions who also desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus among the least of these.

And so, I have returned to Cambodia, but not alone. My friend Kara Potts serves as our missions ministry’s point person for our work among the Khmer and did an excellent job of mobilizing and preparing our team. I have returned to Cambodia with friends.

Over the coming days our team will serve the women and children who live in Poipet, one of the least favored parts of Cambodia. Life in this border town is hard. And it is also dangerous because it’s a favorite hunting ground of those who traffic in human beings. Those who have no regard to the sanctity of human life prosper in places like this.

Our work here is strategic and our efforts preemptive in the battle for life and the struggle against human trafficking. Our presence and the resources we invest are making a difference in the lives of the women and children we serve in partnership with our good friend Steve Hyde, the Iowa farm boy turned missionary who knows he will one day be buried here.

And so, we have returned to Cambodia to do good — because that is what Jesus would do. We are here to affirm the value of human life, to care for the practical needs of the poor, to offer medical and dental help, to invest in women so that they in turn will be better moms and steer their households toward the life and freedom found in Jesus.

We are a long way from home and that’s ok. As Kara reminded our team last night, we have come here to live out the words of the Apostle Paul who admonished the Philippian church to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit but instead, in humility, to regard others as more important than themselves. And that is exactly what we intend to do.