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Hi! I’m Hannah, I am the Cambodia Country Coordinator for the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. I live in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. As the Country Coordinator, I accompany the YAGM volunteers in Cambodia and their host communities through their year of service, accompaniment, and community building.

YAGM Orientation

The 2024-2025 YAGM Cambodia volunteers when they first arrived in Phnom Penh, posing in front of the airport. From let to right: Mr. Kom (LHCO staff member), Katie, Carolina, Espen holding a sign that says "Welcome YAGM", Hannah, Ashlyn, and Tim.

Siem Reap Retreat

Hannah, Tim, Carolina, Katie, and Ashly posing together with the cast of the Phare the Cambodia Circus show "Khmer Angkor Village."

In early December, we went to Siem Reap for our first retreat. There we spent time reflecting upon and discussing religion in Cambodia, especially how Buddhism and Christianity meet here and how the two religions can be in dialogue with one another. A large part of this was visiting the Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site, exploring the various archaeological sites of the Khmer Empire, dating from the 9th to 15th centuries. Through visiting some of the many temples (if I remember correctly we got to about 20) we learned more about the history of Cambodia and religion in Cambodia.

We also attended in a traditional Apsara dance performance and saw a show at Phare the Cambodian Circus. The YAGM loved getting to know more about the arts in Cambodia.

Mondulkiri Retreat

Hannah sitting in a round swing with her back to the camera, overing an expanse of forested mountain.

For our second retreat in February, the YAGM and I went to Mondulkiri Province. We spent the first part of the trip on a three-day, two-night trek with the Mondulkiri Project, which works with the local ethnic minority group, the Bunoung, to run a nature preserve and elephant sanctuary. Unfortunately, toward the end of the first day I injured one of my knees- not so bad that I couldn’t walk at all but bad enough that I could not do the entire second day of hiking (approximately 18km up and down mountains). So, while one of our guides led the YAGM off to continue the trek as scheduled, the other guide and I slowly made our way back to the Jungle Lodge on our own (which still involved over 11km of hiking). Because of the injury, I was also unable to meet the elephants with the YAGM on the third day. I was very thankful that the remainder of the retreat was much more relaxed- I was able to rest my knew while I led the YAGM through reflections upon their journeys so far this year with an eye to the second half of their YAGM year.

Dill’s Corner

How To Donate

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my newsletter! Dill and I appreciate all the support we continue to receive through reading our newsletter, prayer, and financial support.

If you feel called to provide financial support, here’s how:

  • Give by  Credit or Debit Card:

  • Give by Check:

    • Check to: “ELCA Missionaries”

    • Memo line: “Hannah Kurtz, GCS3562”

    • Mail to:

      Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Gift Processing Center

      P.O. Box 1809

      Merrifield, VA 22116-8009

  • Become a Covenant Congregation:

    Deepen your congregation’s relationship with me as a missionary through a commitment of prayer, communication and financial support. Covenant congregations receive regular newsletter updates from their missionary and have the opportunity to request a visit during home assignment.