Cambodia - July 18, 2013

[The following post is an excerpt from my journal as I traveled to Cambodia. The inconsistency in the entry title and datestamp is due to limited internet access while I was on the trip. These experiences were documented in real time, and I am posting photoblogs now that I have returned. In order to protect all those involved with the organization that rescues children from sex slavery and works to prevent others from being trafficked, I have intentionally omitted specific names and locations.]

Thursday, July 18, 2013 - Somewhere in Cambodia

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim freedom for the captives

    and release from darkness for the prisoners"

Isaiah 61:1

Today we traveled by bus to the town where the larger safe house is located.  This house is home to around 70 girls from ages 5 to 18 (roughly).  Most of these girls have been rescued from lives of being sold for sex. Others are prevention cases- either sisters of girls already at the house or girls from impoverished families who were highly at risk for being sold into sex slavery before coming to live here.

When we arrived, they welcomed us with open arms and threw a party for us, complete with songs, dances, and skits!  The fun we had nearly caused me to forget the reason these girls are here.  Then, a failed interaction with a girl who was standoffish in return helped me remember. She was not willing to let me into her world so easily. There are wounds here that I cannot comprehend.

I am mostly having trouble wrapping my mind around how young some of these girls are yet how much horror they have seen in their lives. Their innocence has been stolen and they have to relearn to be kids again. I cannot imagine being forced to "grow up" in such a harsh way, then being rescued and struggling to revert back to a normal life. I cannot imagine, as a child, having nightmarish memories of disgusting men who violated my body for their own pleasure, then having to learn to take these images captive to purge myself of the hurtful past.

For these girls, freedom is certainly NOT easy.  But after tonight, I can tell you what freedom IS...

Freedom is life-giving. Freedom is joyful. Freedom is beautiful.

Freedom is twirling your flexed hands while performing a traditional Khmer dance and wearing a Sampot Chang Kben.

Freedom is peeking through the windows to make sure you don't miss your "stage" entrance.

Freedom is giggling in embarrassment because you forgot your line during a skit, even though a majority of the audience doesn't understand the language anyway.

Freedom is having a wild and crazy dance party to various selections of Psy and Shakira songs.

Freedom is dramatically yelling (yet laughing at the same time) while the house mother helps you pull off your fake eyelashes from the traditional Khmer dance.

Freedom is touching a foreigner's heart to its very core.

Freedom is the ability to look to the future without fear, knowing that God has provided hope for the future.

Hallelujah, these girls are free.

[In order to protect the girls, pictures are not allowed at the safe house. The only pictures of the girls I have brought home with me are memories. Hopefully the words of this blog post were sufficient to paint a picture for you!]

Cambodia - July 17, 2013

[The following post is an excerpt from my journal as I traveled to Cambodia. The inconsistency in the entry title and datestamp is due to limited internet access while I was on the trip. These experiences were documented in real time, and I am posting photoblogs now that I have returned. In order to protect all those involved with the organization that rescues children from sex slavery and works to prevent others from being trafficked, I have intentionally omitted specific names and locations.]

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

"If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish." Matthew 18:12-14

Today was devoted to the ministries of perhaps the most giving family I have ever met.  Our translator's father is a pastor on a nearby island with a bleak history. The island is referred to as "Women's Island" because nearly five thousand women and children were taken to this island to be massacred during the Khmer Rouge in the 1970's. The island has since been transformed into a peaceful village. We visited the church, took a tour of the island, and learned about the various outreach programs that the church leads for the community.

Next, we visited the Freedom Salon. The same family owns this salon which employs teenage girls, teaches them basic nail and hair skills, and allows them to earn an income.  This is a valuable program when it comes to preventing trafficking. The income they earn helps support their families and provides a source of income outside of prostitution.

Then, we had the privilege of experiencing my favorite of this family's ministries, Kid's Club.  Kids Club began when a few neighbor kids sat on the fence that surrounds the family's home and asked to learn a song.  This opened up the door for the family to teach a song about God.  From there, it grew into a full blown ministry where hundreds of neighbor kids of all ages come to learn about God, sing worship songs to Him, pray, and get a free meal afterward.  The coolest part is- most of the kids who come to Kid's Club are from either Buddhist or Muslim families! This family is so welcoming that kids of all backgrounds come to learn about our Lord and Savior.

While this list of the family's ministries is by no means exhaustive, it paints the picture of the sacrificially giving life that this family lives.  It amazes me how much this family has given up to build Christ's Kingdom!

Now, I consider myself a Christian- a "Christ-follower," rather.  However, when I look at the portion of time and resources in my life that I have held onto (and am still holding onto) for myself, it makes me want to look in a mirror and laugh in my own face: "YOU? A follower?! Yeah, only when it doesn't inconvenience you too badly."

The tough-to-swallow truth? I would consider 200 children coming to my home once an inconvenience, let alone have it occur on a regular basis.  I would consider it even more of an inconvenience if I had to figure out a way to feed all of them once, let alone multiple times a week.  In this light, I can see very clearly that I am not using my God-given resources effectively. I have begun to view loving others as a burden!

Now, I do realize that not every ministry involves reaching hundreds of people.  Sometimes, God prefers to work with smaller numbers.  But the beautiful thing about engaging in a smaller ministry is that the number one is such a large number when it comes to God's Kingdom.

One.

If a single soul is saved through my ministry, then the time and resources were worth it.  If out of the thousands of people that I sing worship before each year, one life is moved toward God through me, the effort was worth it.  One thousandth might sound like an awful success rate to the world, but to God, it means one of His children has found the way home- the prodigal son has returned! Thousands may sound impressive, but one is reason enough to rejoice!

Here's what I am sure of: I may not ever start a ministry that grows to have the numbers or reputation of Kid's Club.  However, you can bet your sweet behind that I am going to start trying to change my perspective and look at people through the eyes of Our Father.  I don't want to feel inconvenienced by a brother or sister in need.  Instead, I want to have vision to see the number one that is written on their identity.  I want to remember the importance of that one.  Most of all, I want that one to be joined with the word more.

One more... believer.
One more... saved.
One more... follower.
One more... baptized.
One more... to experience Paradise with!!

“I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time. Just one, one, one."   - Mother Teresa

[The following are pictures of Women's Island, the Freedom Salon, and Kid's Club.]

Women's Island from a distance

Approaching the church on Women's Island by boat

On the wall inside the church :)

A kiddo playing on the church property on Women's Island

A typical house on Women's Island

Fun fact: the yellow fluid in the glass bottles is gasoline for motos

Kid's playing on the church property on Women's Island

Getting a pedicure at the Freedom Salon

Freedom Salon!

Kid's Club

The most beautiful sight ever

Teaching the devotion at Kid's Club

Finding Security in God

 "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
   my hope comes from him.
 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
   he is my fortress, I will not be shaken" 
Psalm 62:5-6

We are a people who tend to worry. We worry about about whether or not we remembered to set the alarm clock for the correct time. We worry about not having enough time. We worry about not having enough money. We worry about whether or not our boss will notice us strolling into work a few minutes late. We worry about what clothes to wear. We worry about whether or not the person we just met enjoyed our company. Let's face it: insecurities have, at one point or another, ruled our lives.

Several months ago, I witnessed a woman getting measurements taken at a dress shop. When the seamstress told the woman what size she needed, the woman burst into tears because the number was larger than she expected. Why do numbers have such an affect on individuals? Why do others' opinions control how we look and act? Why do insecurities cripple us? The good news is: They don't have to.

Most insecurities are able to be classified in one of two categories: uncertainty and image. When we worry about whether or not we will have sufficient money to pay the bills, or getting into college, or getting a job, or finding a spouse, we are insecure about the uncertainty that the future holds. When we worry about whether or not our professors or bosses like us, or how we did in the interview, or how much we weigh, or what to wear, we are insecure about our image. Insecurities are everywhere. I imagine that Satan certainly enjoys using these little tools to keep us from our Creator. Insecurities are detrimental to our faith because insecurities cause us to worry, and worry is the opposite of faith.

In Isaiah 7:9, the Lord says, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Thus, we have a responsibility to combat our insecurities. This sounds so simple, yet application can be extremely difficult. We can even be insecure about our abilities to rid ourselves of insecurity. Before we realize it, Satan has woven us into a tangled web of self destruction that we refuse to believe we will ever be freed from. Gratefully, God's word can provide that freedom.

Insecurities that stem from uncertainty have a simple Biblical solution. In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches about worry. He says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:26). In other words, if you think you are more valuable than a bird, then start acting like it! Birds do not worry about uncertainty, so you shouldn't either! Instead of putting your hope in what is uncertain, put your hope in God.

Insecurities that come from image are generally tougher to tackle. Our flesh tends to lie to us when it comes to self-image. And no, contrary to popular belief, this concept does not apply solely to women. Men can have just as many (if not more) image-based insecurities as women. I've known men with eating disorders, others who are addicted to working out, and others who take longer than the average woman to get ready in the morning. [As an aside, let me assure you, it does not make you any less of a man to be insecure about your image; It simply makes you human!] Regardless of what type of self-image you have, the Bible teaches that beauty is within. First Samuel 16:7 says, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Sure, we can read this Scripture over and over again and still dislike ourselves. Our culture has set a standard for beauty, and even though that standard is a complete lie, we buy into it and refuse to let go. In a self defense class I took in college, the professor asked the class what would be safer: to walk home at night on a sidewalk or through an field. After all of the students answered with the sidewalk option, the professor corrected us. He explained that many times, sidewalks are lined up against bushes, streets, or buildings where it would be possible for an attacker to hide, sneak up on you, and take you out of sight in a matter of seconds. In a field, you would have the advantage of being able to spot an attacker long before any physical contact may occur. My perspective was shifted. The world was telling me that the sidewalk was the safer place, when in reality, that was not necessarily true. The world tells us how to define beauty, when in reality, the world's definition is flawed. The world certainly has us fooled.

I recently finished reading the book of Job, and since then, I cannot stop thinking about the Lord's monologue in Job 38-39 when God challenges Job with questions. He asks, "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?" and says, "Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this." In a nutshell, the Lord is scolding Job for complaining and trying to justify his own righteousness rather than trusting in God. Something tells me that if God were to come down and speak on the topic of worldly beauty it would go something like this: "Who are you, world, to define beauty? Who are you, world, to claim that people should be a certain size or should dress a certain way? Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?" I would imagine that these questions would go on for quite a while as God makes His point clear.

We can cling to worldly things and people who make us feel secure, but if they get pulled away, were they ever secure to begin with? If your security comes from your job, what happens when you get laid off? If your security comes from a significant other, what happens when you break up? If your security comes from having a nice car, what happens when it gets stolen? False security is the source of insecurities! Quit relying on false security, and start relying on God. Let Him be your fortress. With Him, you will not be shaken.