SERVING AS ONE FAMILY: A MISSION TRIP IN CAMBODIA
SERVING AS ONE FAMILY: A MISSION TRIP TO CAMBODIA
By Melissa Heng
In 2025, Melissa and her family joined a mission trip to Cambodia with ACTS (A Call to Share), a member organisation of CHARIS. She reflects on serving for the first time alongside her husband and children, and how the experience deepened their understanding of what it means to belong to one family in God.
A Hope Fulfilled
I first went on mission as a teenager more than 30 years ago. Since then, I have been involved in supporting communities in the Philippines, Myanmar, and now Cambodia.
For many years, I hoped that my family would one day share in this important part of my life. While my husband has always been very supportive of my involvement in mission work, he remained content supporting from a distance rather than participating directly. Yet I always believed that, God willing, there would come a day when we could experience mission together.
Bringing my children on mission had also long been on my heart. I would often speak to them about the children and teenagers I sponsor in the Philippines and show them photographs of the communities I support in Myanmar. They grew up knowing that one day, when the time was right, we would serve together.
Last year, with my son at 11 and my daughter at 13, I felt that the time had come. I discussed the idea of a family mission trip with my husband, made a few enquiries, and signed us up to join a mission trip to Cambodia with ACTS (A Call to Share). When I shared the news with the children, their response was surprisingly calm—they simply said, "Okay." Looking back, I think the idea had been on their minds for quite some time as well.
Serving as Family
Serving together as a family extends beyond mission trips. In our daily lives, it means helping one another and making everyday tasks a little easier for everyone. It is reflected in simple acts such as cleaning up after ourselves, helping with dishes, preparing meals, or looking out for one another's needs. My son calls to ask if I need a lift from the MRT station, my daughter checks whether I need help with baking, and both are always ready to assist with household tasks. These small acts of service embody the same spirit of generosity and care that we wanted to bring to mission.
With this being our first mission trip together as a family, we approached the experience without expectations and allowed it to unfold naturally. We participated in a variety of activities, including painting fences and murals, cleaning, planting, conducting home visits, distributing food, and assisting with jewellery-making activities.
Before this trip, our children have also been involved in various acts of service, including food distribution for low-income families and contributing gifts and meals for children and migrant workers. They were already familiar with the spirit of service and the importance of showing up for others. Watching them willingly adapt, contribute, and serve wherever they were needed during this trip made me especially proud.
As a family, we are very close-knit, so serving together was especially meaningful. We often joke that we share "one brain" because we understand one another so well. For me personally, it was deeply moving to finally share this part of my life with my husband and children and to watch them experience mission firsthand.
Encountering God's Love
One of the most memorable moments from this trip occurred when tensions escalated at the Thai-Cambodian border. We were advised by Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to return home immediately. At the time, we were on our way to the villages where we were serving.
As a group, we decided to complete our morning programme before returning to Siem Reap to catch the next available flight. After lunch, Father Totet gathered the local community to inform them of our departure.
When the community raised their hands in prayer for us, I experienced God's love in a profound way. In that moment, I felt our deep connection as one family under God. As we sang the Magnificat together and they accompanied us to our vehicles, I felt both sorrow and comfort.
On the journey home, my children voiced the question that was in my own heart: "What about them?"
The following day, we reflected together as a family. I shared with my children that everyone faces struggles. In Singapore, our challenges may stem from a competitive environment at work or school. In Cambodia, many families face struggles related to basic necessities such as education, safety, shelter, and daily survival.
While our circumstances differ, we are united in God. Through this encounter, the people we met have become part of our lives, and we have become part of theirs. We continue to carry them in our prayers and daily lives, trusting that God sees and cares for all of us far beyond what we can understand.
A Mission That Continues
Mission has profoundly shaped my perspective on life and purpose. Through these experiences, I have come to understand myself as part of God's larger family. I have witnessed His joy, love, and peace beyond the boundaries of my own life, family, and country. I am continually moved by the simplicity, joy, and generosity of the people we encounter. Their ability to welcome others with such warmth and gratitude is deeply humbling.
For me, every mission community becomes part of my life. Cambodia has now joined the list of places and people who hold a special place in my heart. For my family, Cambodia will likely remain our mission home for some time, although I would be delighted to one day introduce them to the communities in Myanmar when circumstances allow, or to the Philippines where my mission journey first began.
For those of you interested in going on a mission trip, I encourage you to go and experience the love and joy of God for yourself.
Mission is not just about helping others. It is about encountering God in people, relationships, and experiences that transform your heart and broaden your understanding of what it means to belong to one human family.
One of the greatest blessings of this mission was the community we shared. The openness of both the adults and the young people in the mission team, their willingness to journey together, and the depth of our daily reflections created a beautiful community of faith that I will always treasure.
In many ways, community has always been one of the greatest gifts of mission. I am still close friends with people I first met on mission in the Philippines more than 30 years ago, when I was 17 years old. We served together in Payatas, living and working alongside families who lived at the dumpsite.
Those friendships have endured across the decades, and I continue to sponsor children and young people from Payatas through their secondary and university education. This is a testament to how mission does not end when a trip concludes—it becomes part of who you are and continues to shape your life long after you return home.
Inspired by stories like Melissa's?As the humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church in Singapore, CHARIS partners with its member organisations to serve communities in need through overseas missions, humanitarian initiatives and volunteer opportunities.
Find out how you can get involved and be part of God's mission.