Cambodia Outreach

Take Me Back to Old Svay Pak!

2010-03-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked in for a while - were on our way back!

June 5 through 15 and there's a few more joining us. Truly amazing and gifted team - and God called them to Cambodia. Stay tuned.....

Day 6: Russian Markets, Teoul Sleung & The Killing Fields

2009-11-28T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Russian Markets

We left early this morning to the infamous, "Russian Markets" -- the main market for tourists. I cannot tell you how much I love the atmosphere of the market. Aside from everything being gloriously cheap, everyone vies for your attention and bartering becomes its own dialect. "This is my one vice," Jim remarks. Indeed it is...while heading out, Jim was accosted by a vendor selling various silk items (bags, scarves, etc.) and Jim ended up adding a few more items to his bag of goodies. I had never really bartered before, and from having learned from the pros (Jim and Kevin), I quickly caught on. I was able to make a couple of friends, too. The first vendor we went to loved all of us, since we bought several items from her shop. Another vendor further down named Sophia, was very sweet. She called us her "good luck friends" (probably because we ended up paying more than we should have) and even tossed in a couple of freebies!

What's funny is that all of them will tell you something like, "For any other customer, I charge $18 but for you only $15 because you're my special friend." Special friend. Sophia even fanned Kevin and I while we were looking through her shop! Now this I can get used to.

Among our treasures, Jim and I purchased a wooden Cambodian sword (for those of you who know me, this should come as no surprise). I, of course, will teach Jim a few basic saber techniques before challenging him to a duel. I'd mentioned to Alli that on our next visit, I'll teach a fencing class for the kids; using pool noodles, though!

Teoul Sleung

After the Market, our next stop was Teoul Sleung -- a school converted into a prison (referred to as "security offices") during Pol Pot's reign of terror (for a brief summary of the Khmer Rouge, please read blog post, "Being a Global Christian").

What were once classrooms dedicated to educating potential leaders of Cambodia were converted into interrogation rooms, torture chambers, and holding cells prior to execution. Most rooms had a single metal bed frame where prisoners were shackled to and beaten with whips, among other methods of torture. Hanging up on one of the walls was a photo of the prisoner shackled to their bed, left to die. Thick barbed wires were used to fence off the ledges, to prevent prisoners from jumping off their floor to plummet down to a merciful death. Barred windows were enforced with glass so as to mute the cries and moans resonating from inside the cemented walls of Teoul Sleung.

Pol Pot believed that only peasants and farmers were the only ones "pure enough" to lead his revolution, so all educated, talented, intellectual, politician, doctor, lawyer, teacher, religious leaders and activists were regarded as enemies to the nation who threatened to pollute the country with capitalism, religion, and any other pursuits that sought the overall development of its people. For example, the "medical facilities" in Teoul Sleung did not have doctors; instead, Pol Pot recruited female peasants and farmers. Because they were illiterate and uneducated, many of their patients died from things that could have been prevented or treated with actual doctors.

The entire tour felt surreal; it felt strange touching the rusted shackles which once chained the hands and feet of a human being who, in general, was not aware of the "crime" they were being accused of committing. Or to touch the metal framed beds where women and children lay dying of starvation or choking on their own blood after having been tortured for hours.

Prisoners were strung upside down and interrogated until they lost consciousness. To wake them up, the perpetrators dunked them into large vases filled with putrid water (used to store animal excrement) so they could be interrogated further.

Another torture device in which prisoners were shackled (hands and feet) and drowned.

Clothes of the executed prisoners.

Skulls of the prisoners. Many had deep lacerations signifying severe head trauma (either by ax or club); others, bullet holes.

What many fail to realize, is that another similar form of torture is running rampant today. In villages like Svay Pak, in the illuminated brothels of Phnom Penh, young women and men, little girls and boys, are abducted and trafficked around like livestock to satisfy the cravings and corrupted pallets of thousands and thousands of pedophiles from all over the world. In a cruel irony, memorials like the stupa in The Killing Fields which were constructed in order to "prevent cruel and barbaric crimes against humanity in the future" have only replaced one evil for another.

The Killing Fields

"I will show you fear in a handful of dust..." - T.S. Eliot

The Killing Fields once held 189 prisons; 380 killing fields; and 19,403 mass grave sites. The largest mass grave held 450 bodies. Walking through the Killing Fields feels like you're entering a massive, open tomb; there are mass grave sites everywhere, and remnants of clothing and bones from the victims can be found peeking from under the earth, or stacked against trees.

Site once filled with 100 headless bodies.

This particular tree (below) is called, "The Killing Tree". Former commander of the S-21 army, known as Duch, admitted to grabbing babies by their legs and smashing them against the hard, twisted bark. Babies and young children were executed for fear that they would take revenge later in life. Babies were killed and buried alongside their mothers, many of whom were found naked.

Bones and teeth beside The Killing Tree

The Memorial Suta

Prior to entering the Memorial, visitors are asked to show their respects by leaving their shoes and hats outside. The burning of incense or offerings are also encouraged. The suta 17 tiers high, each tier filled with the victims' skulls and bones. There are a total of 8,000 skulls displayed of the 15,000 prisoners under the care of the S-21.

The first tier (below) displays the several beaten skulls of young women between the ages of 15 and 20.

Collected on the floor base are also the victims' clothing...

It feels so strange to walk upon the earth which thousands upon thousands were murdered; even stranger to see life (grass, flowers, butterflies) actually living on this blood stained soil. While walking along the fenced perimeter, we saw a few people sleeping on hammocks and living in shanty houses. I don't know how anyone could sleep in such a place, let alone live here.

The Royal Palace

Well, needless to say our entire morning and some of our afternoon was incredibly somber so we were hoping to have our spirits lifted by visiting the Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace which we were prohibited from entering.

Unfortunately, we were unable to take a tour of the actual Royal Palace; only the outer courtyard is available for tourists. There are some interesting looking buildings that are museums, displaying various items within the royal household. Other buildings have Buddhas which several visitors pay homage to.

Look, Christmas tree lights!

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, either, so I took one of Jim and Kevin peeking from inside one of the windows.

All in all, the tour around the Royal Palace was not all that exciting. We were disappointed that we didn't get to say "hi" to the King or ask him questions like, "What do you think of the sex trafficking of your people?". Oh, well...perhaps another time.

My Final Blog...

Well, dear reader, this will be my final blog of our trip. We leave tomorrow evening for home, and we'll be spending the day debriefing with Don and Bridget, and saying farewell to the children at Rahab's House. I'm sad that I have to say good bye to my adorable Ka-moi, but Jim and I hope to Skype with her and keep up-dated on what's going on in her life. I know Kevin will miss Little Pi; she has also grown very attached to Kevin. Overall, my personal experience here has both met and exceeded my expectations. It is my hope that we will take what we have learned, what we have seen and felt, and channel it all into something powerful that we can do for AIM while we're in the states. We have a few ideas of what we want to do, and are eager to get started. It's easy to be inspired by a trip like this, but the danger with having only the feeling of inspiration is that it becomes a bucket rather than a well. We risk becoming these buckets, filled with inspiration but there's no overflow. What we need to be are wells; wells that continuously spout living water! From the overflow of our hearts, may we be able to meet the needs here in Cambodia.

Day 5: Christmas in November, Delectable Dinners, and ARC

2009-11-27T06:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

Kid's Club Christmas Party

Yes, we celebrated Christmas in Svay Pak in November!! The schools honored today as a "holiday" and allowed its students to attend the festivities. Needless to say, our general number of attendees increased to about 139 children! Alli, Ruthie, and the youth leaders all planned an excellent event. The party began with a theatrical presentation of the Nativity Story, with Ratanak (whose name means, "Rocky", and who is the assistant pastor to Chantah) as narrator and the youth leaders portraying the various characters. As Ratanak proceeded to weave the tale of the beautiful birth of our Savior, the children sat hushed in wonder and anticipation. For the most part, they were very well behaved! Thanks, of course, to the great leadership team.

After the Nativity Story, various talent groups strutted their stuff, singing and break-dancing. Oh yes, break-dancing!

One of the break-dancers bustin' a move!

Cute group of girls performing a Cambodian dance

To our great pleasure, Ka-moi beautifully sang a few songs herself! She is such a talent. I feel like a proud mama, admiring my blossom as she brings down the house :) What can I say: I love her!

Ka-moi singing!

After the entertainment, we passed out Coke and chips (akin to Pringles), and a bag of delicious candies/chocolates.

This event was also the celebration of the youth team being formally introduced as the new teachers/leaders since Ruthie will be leaving to teach at another school. Everyone, including the kids, prayed over them together. No doubt they'll do excellently.

As the party neared its end, Alli instructed us to pass out the gifts she'd gotten for the children: a new school backpack filled with goodies!

Kids showing off their goods

Some of the little girls were given backpacks that were bigger than their bodies! Adorable!

These girls are SO precious!!!

Before the kids were led outside, signifying the end of today's celebration, Bunthan asked the crowd how many of them had accepted Jesus. Every hand was raised. How awesome!!! This is what brings me great joy: that even though we'll be leaving them this weekend, I will be able to see them in Eternity.

Alli had special gifts for the boys/girls who were top of the class. One of them was Ka-moi!! YAY!!

#1 in her class!

Of course, no birthday party is complete without cake! In this case, cupcakes made especially by the ARC girls. I wish I could describe to you how delicious they tasted! They were, furthermore, creatively decorated with pigs, penguins, elaborate flowers...

Preparing the Tower of Cupcake!

Passing out the treats!

Re-cap of Our Thanksgiving Dinner

Last night, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with the staff at a fancy hotel. Jim, Kevin and I thought that we were at the wrong restaurant since we hadn't seen anyone yet, so we proceeded to explore other possible restaurants in the hotel that they might be. We stopped in front of "Le Royale" and was promptly confronted at the door that this was a "formal dining area" and our attire of shirts, shorts, and flip-flops was not only impermissible, but offensive. So, we knew for sure this wasn't the right place and proceeded to find Don and Bridget. We walked into the lobby, lined with leather sofas marked "reserved" (who reserves seating in the lobby?!) and briefly listened to the live violin and classical guitar players. Yep, we were definitely not in Svay Pak any more!

Left to Right: Renee, Kevin, Ruthie, Me, Bridget, Don, Michael, Alli, Paula, Jim, ??, and Jen

Not too surprisingly, I ate more dessert than dinner. You would understand if you saw the beautiful chocolate fountain and assortment of foods to submerge in its pool of rich, creamy goodness. I must have eaten over 20 of the pre-cooked mallows!!

On our way out, we decided to take a tuk-tuk back to our hotel. These are so fun!

It's a Dog Eat Dog World

Tonight, we decided to try something a little different for dinner....

Yes, that is what it looks like: a dog head.

Dog actually doesn't taste too bad...the way that it was cooked was tasty and for the most part, tender. It is a chewy meat, though. Jim and I were daring enough to try the head! (no, they didn't offer it to us like you see in the photo above...they sliced it in fine pieces) Dog head is not as tasty; in fact, it's quite tasteless and feels like you're eating rubber or a balloon.

While I was rummaging through the slices of dog head, Don and I saw the dog's brain..."Must not have been a smart dog," he says. "Who's going to eat it?" Jim asks, looking at me. Well, as daring as I was to try dog head, I admit that I draw the line at dog brain and allowed Jim to have it all to himself. "He looks smarter already!" exclaims Kevin as Jim chews on the brain. Jim didn't like it too much, though; says it tasted waxy.

This charming restaurant which served us Scooby and Snoopy was just down the street from Don's place. We invited a couple of canine connoisseurs who Don informed me have dog at least 3-4 times a month. We did have some left over dog head, and gave it to one of the connoisseurs to take home...in a doggy bag.

Visiting the ARC Home

ARC is an incredibly high security home. We had to sign in before entering and were each given badges. Visitors are not allowed to take pictures, especially not of the girls since many of them are involved in high profile cases.

While walking in, one is greeted with an air of security and peace. The ARC/AIM staff and the Brewsters have done an excellent job in cultivating a space that the girls can truly call a safe haven. As we waited for Don and Bridget, we were greeted by a lovely young woman, Sisurat. She is an incredible hero!! She rescued a family from inside one of the brick factories while working undercover. I will see about posting her story in one of our blogs for you to read.

After a few minutes, Don, Bridget and Renee came down to sit with us and Don proceeded to go over the policies and proper procedures of walking through ARC. He then shared with us some of the stories of the ARC girls and what we had heard was incredibly disturbing and horrific; in fact, one particular girl's story was so painful and terrifying, that much of it had been edited due to the criticism that they received for it being too graphic. I cannot tell you how angry and frustrated this makes me feel. Yes, it's very difficult to listen to; but it's even worse, much worse to have experienced it. What courage it must take to give a full, detailed account of this evil...only to have it edited for our sensitive ears. The only thing we have to risk when censuring the truth, is that we would actually be compelled to act; our hearts would break to the point of rising above mere awareness of the problem to becoming strong activists fighting for the solution. And the solution is Christ.

There are over 1,000 brothels in Phnom Penh alone and the sex trafficking industry is taking a new route: large, elaborate, decadently styled buildings which you could easily mistake for a fancy hotel. One of these high profile brothels is located near our hotel. They have incredibly luxurious karaoke booths large flat screen TV; private bathroom; and karaoke machine with over 2,000 songs in English alone. There are over 300 sex slaves, including some under-age. They have numbers pinned on them, like cattle; they remain nameless, without identities. For I believe $5, you can do whatever you want with the girl except have sex with them. This costs extra; $3 extra, to be precise. Other Asian foreigners, Koreans and the Japanese, are among the top customers and in order to keep up with the high demand, places like Svay Pak are regarded as prime suppliers. Hundreds of young children and women are trafficked through Svay Pak alone; many are hidden underground in dark, filthy basements as they await transportation into one of these mega-brothels that are too big to raid. Virgins are the most expensive and prized commodity, selling for anywhere from $2 - $3,000 per girl. Not surprisingly, these [virgins] are younger girls; at about 15 or 16 years old, they become more "affordable". According to some of the ARC girls, Americans have been regarded as being the most violent and abusive, often performing torture rape which a few of the girls have been the victims of. Russians, they say, are the "nicest".

In another big brothel, women must dance naked atop pool tables while men select which girl he wants. From there, she will be forced to have sex with at least 12 other strangers.

What breaks my heart is that in the stories that Don shares with us, these girls are being degraded on various levels, not just sexually. "I hate myself" and "I have no value" are common phrases the girls use to describe how they feel after having been so severely abused. Sometimes, they have no concept or perception of morality, especially if they're younger. They are not aware that what is being done to them is wrong and evil so they remain slaves while being totally unaware of their imprisonment or that they must be freed.

I can go on and on about the stories that we've heard. They are enough to make you want to do something. And that's exactly what we're doing; because we can't afford to do nothing.

Some more photos...

Inside the Catholic church in Svay Pak (open only for 1 hour on Sundays)

Kevin bought Rahab's House a guitar!

Day 4: Sophisticated Corruption & The Spirit of Oppression

2009-11-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

Breakfast Buddies

This morning I met an awesome group of ladies from Belgium and Holland who are volunteering at a facility in northern Cambodia called, The National Leprosy Foundation. Earlier this evening, I spoke with a woman from a Nepal who was a doctor traveling with a team who was helping to train the staff at a nearby hospital. It is so wonderful to meet these various men and women, teams and organizations, from all over the world who are seeking to cultivate and develop the future of this country. I love being able to listen to what kind of work they do; where they're originally from; and what they have enjoyed about their Cambodian experience thus far. One of the ladies from the Leprosy Foundation team gave me antibiotic cream to put on my mosquito bites! Sadly, I have acquired two more, and my allergic reaction is both questionable and fascinating.

Jim's Final Lesson on James

This morning at Rahab's House was Jim's final lesson of James with the youth leaders. He had brought in a map of the U.S. to show to them where we were from and described a few popular cities (which they didn't really know anything about) and how far we had traveled to get to Svay Pak. They all seemed to really enjoy studying the map! Jim ended the lesson by asking them why they had wanted to become youth leaders. All of them had said that they'd wanted to help serve the children in the community into becoming better people. I strongly believe this is possible; much of the efficiency and effectiveness of the fluidity of Rahab's House depends on them being a strong team. And they will lead by the best way: by example.

Afterward, some of the youth leaders had remained to ask Renee some questions. One of them was particularly difficult: "Why do we suffer in Cambodia when people in America are so blessed?" It is truly a tough question to ask, and perhaps even more so for those who have not experienced or have been exposed to the type of oppression that exists here. I don't really know how I would answer that question...I do know that it gave me plenty to be grateful for, especially because it's Thanksgiving. We talk a lot about "giving thanks" or "being thankful", but I think that we should perhaps consider "thankfully giving".

During our Thanksgiving dinner this evening, Alli shared with me that among the other teams who have come through Svay Pak, we have made an incredible impact. "You are only a team of three people, but you have shown so much more energy, joy, willingness and humility than what we have seen," she says.

Staring Evil in the Eye

Before lunch, Jim and I went exploring through the village again; this time, without the guidance of Pastor Chantah. This was our preferred method of getting around, simply because we wanted to observe, interact with and be amongst them. We had tried to follow our star volley-ball player back to her home, but she bolted ahead of us and we easily lost sight of her. So, we turned down a couple of skinny alleys, walking past open shacks and shanty houses where many were lying down, wasting their lives away and atrophying in front of mindless entertainment. Suddenly, we entered a small clearing that looked very familiar; we had recognized the blue colored buildings from when we were standing on top of the roof of the building that Chantah was wanting to convert into their new church. One of the blue homes had a patch of bright, red flowers growing from one of the open windows...somehow, we had wound up right in front of it. We looked inside through the open doorway, and saw posters of young girls (some in lingerie and in crude positions). There were also "rooms", divided by a makeshift wall and thin bed-sheet as a curtained door. We didn't linger too long, and turned round another road which led us, again, to another brothel. This one seemed much larger than the first, though it essentially had the same set-up.

When we were walking back to Rahab's House for lunch, we ran into Kevin who had also been walking around the village. Both he and Jim continued walking down the main street since Kevin had not yet seen that area. I chose to stay behind to play with the the girls how had been grabbed hold of my hands while Jim and I were exploring. While I was playing with the girls, a tall, Caucasian man stopped in front of us. The girls immediately became apprehensive, and shyly hid behind me as I stood to meet this man's gaze. He lowered his sunglasses and stared curiously at the children behind me. Not for one moment did my eyes leave his, nor my hands the girls of those who I kept protectively at my side.

I knew exactly what this man had wanted.

He smiled and winked at us before he continued walking, heading down toward the area where I knew Jim and Kevin were. Later, when they had returned, Jim had said that this same man had struck a conversation with them. He claimed to be a traveler from New Zealand, and that his tuk-tuk driver had dropped him off here because he was looking for a "torture museum." Obviously, this was code for "I'm looking for a brothel" since there certainly is no such thing in Svay Pak; there is, however, torture rape which he might have been referring to. At first, neither Jim nor Kevin understood what he was looking for...it wasn't until after he'd started walking away that they'd realized that he was definitely not there for a museum exhibit. Apparently, the New Zealander had walked back up to his tuk-tuk driver, perhaps asking him to lead him to one of the brothels, when he ran into Pastor Chantah.

"I know why you're here," he said. "And I want to help you out. If you don't get out of here before 3:00, you'll get arrested because we're close with the government, and they're interested in the work that we do here." Without a second thought, the man and his driver left the village.

To have stared evil in the face, as Jim writes, made the reality of Svay Pak and that of many sex and labor slaves all over the world, more real. I was ready to die fighting for those girls, and Jim and Kevin were already planning on how they could get pictures of these pedophiles to splash all over the media and get them registered as global sex offenders. "What Pastor Chantah had told that man sounded like he'd said it hundreds of times before," says Jim. I don't doubt he has...since we've been here, I've seen a couple of older, Caucasian men wandering through this village. I hesitate to write the stories that I have heard, but am empowered by the fact that if I were to withhold such knowledge from you, I would be doing both you and Svay Pak an incredible disservice and injustice. With that, I warn you that what I am about to write may be too disturbing to read...

Corruption & The Spirit of Oppression

During dinner, Bridget and I were discussing the incredible spirit of oppression that sits thick and heavy in the air, and settles like lead in the pit of your soul each time you breathe in the infested air of Svay Pak. There is no joy here. Wherever we are, etched on the hard faces of men, women, and children are the lines of hopelessness, distrust, and fear. There is a kind of paranoia that lives amongst the people, and it breeds thieves of every trade, particularly sex trafficking.

A Russian billionaire is currently being held in prison while he awaits trial. But it's not "prison" as we understand it. He "suffers" comfortably in a well air-conditioned cell where he is served, daily, a three-course meal of gourmet foods. Furthermore, he is allowed to go on outdoor excursions to check on his businesses, one of which is a casino on one of Cambodia's islands. He will, at most, get 1 year in prison for being caught in his bedroom with 19 naked, young women. He plead "not guilty."

In Japan, women are warned to not enter bathrooms inside department stores. The back walls to the bathroom stalls are fake, and while women are sitting on the toilets they are abducted from behind. White women, especially, are among the preferred commodity, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

In the Kid's Club where we have worked and played with the Svay Pak children, a small, 5 year old girl named Mai has been raped and beaten every night by grown men until three weeks ago. Sometimes, while attending Kid's Club, it would be too painful for her to sit down or walk properly. Ka-moi, our star volley-ball player, was trafficked just last year and she carries with her the burden of taking care of her baby sister since her mother's abandonment years ago. Her personality does a complete 180 when she returns to Kid's Club in the day after a horrific evening; she is too ashamed to look any of the staff members' in the eye and hides in silence.

Ming, a young girl we will be meeting tomorrow at the ARC Home, was involved in a hideous torture rape so violent that the police actually arrested the men involved (practically unheard of in Cambodia).

These are just a small handful of the stories that we have heard and whose lives our hearts have broken for. These are real lives, real human-beings who are subjugated, daily, by this deep-seeded spirit of oppression. This is sophisticated corruption. I have held in my arms fragile, beautiful children who are the victims of an incredibly dark evil; I have spoken with now strong, young women who were for much of their lives raped of their voice. I have heard them sing songs about Jesus, seen and heard them laugh in joy and wonder during arts and crafts, and my Spirit is overwhelmed with fury over the thought that many of these kids' parents have threatened to beat or kill them if they ever brought home any of the crafts they do in Kid's Club.

In the past 3 months, AIM (with Pastor Chantah and his wife, Bunthan), have rescued 16 girls. In the past year, all of the government organizations and thousands of dollars later, have rescued only 1 girl. This is the difference: AIM seeks first to save the girls through the impenetrable power of Christ, whereas many government organizations desire to imprison the offenders under the corrupted power of the law.

GOD IS TRANSFORMING THIS PLACE.

Why We Must Support Agape's Mission

2009-11-26T07:50:00.000-08:00

Beth and Kevin are doing a great job of keeping everyone up to date on our service in Cambodia. I didn't know our tooth brushing performance at the brick factory was on video, but it might be entertaining for some of you. Kevin and I worked out a pretty good comedy routine; or at least the brick factory people thought so.

Today Beth and I toured the village with several kids in tow and were able to see quite a bit of it. The kids are really fun to be around and I wish we could adopt all of them. Beth mentioned the little volleyball player that we cannot wear out. Every day she gets us to play volleyball and she never gets tired.

Keven and I went touring next. While we were just outside of the village near a pond another Caucasian guy walked out of the village and approached us. It is unusual to see Caucasian men in the village that aren't part of the mission. This guy asked us if we knew where the "torture museum" was located. At first I thought he really was looking for a museum and was lost. Then it dawned on us that this guy was looking for something else in the village and thought Kevin and I were there for same reason. Apparently some of these guys like to torture the kids in addition to raping them.

I don't know what other people feel when they come across someone like this guy, but I knew I was looking evil square in the face. We all know there are evil people in the world that prey on children, but I have tried not to think about it. Being approached by this guy forced me to think about it. There are a lot of things we would have liked to do to him and say to him, but didn't. If I had it to do over, I would have taken his picture and plastered it all over the Internet. We told him he was in the wrong place and he should leave.

We were with the pastor a little later on and saw him again and the pastor told him he would be arrested if he didn't leave. The guy left, but I am sure he found what he was looking for in another village and destroyed someones little girl in the process.

I'm still pondering this situation, but it is difficult going from having fun with a group of young kids to confronting someone who wants to destroy them for some perverse reason. I strongly believe we must support Agape in stamping out this sick situation in Cambodia and everywhere else.

More Dirt

2009-11-25T16:47:00.000-08:00

Beth is doing such a good job telling about our days (and the nights on the streets) that I cant add much. So I will continue the dirty story. That's the one about the soil. I shared a little about Chantha and Bunthal and their work in Svay Pak. So what is the connection with dirt?

Its really quite simple. You will find the Parable of the Sower in the gospel - start in Matthew 13 - and Jesus tells us that not all the seed falls on good soil. Sometimes the soil is shallow, and sometimes the soil is rocky, and sometimes the soil is full of thorns and weeds. When the seed finds good soil, new life occurs. Every farmer and anyone who has tended a garden knows this. They also know that sometimes the soil must be worked, rocks removed, weeds pulled, a little help here and there, and the soil is soon prepared to receive seed.

You know that the parable is about the Word of God and new life through salvation in Jesus Christ. Read the parable. So Chantha, and Bunthal, and Don, and Bridget, and Ruthie, and Allie, and Aussie Jane, and all the others tend the soil in Svay Pak - and life begins.

But surely there must be places with more fertile soil! Souls can be won to Christ with a lot less effort and heartache in more "civilized" places. Why here, in Cambodia? In part, because here is found a confluence of immorality, corruption, and lack, aggravated by decades of political and social brutality, and imposed upon some of the sweetest people you could ever meet. Bridget says Cambodia is just off the worlds radar. There is no oil, no diamonds, no miles of white sandy beaches, no high technology business park next to a campus that has a Microsoft logo on it. Just people. People with hearts and minds and dreams and souls and children and backaches and cavities and music who want to love and laugh and work and play and help and serve and have hope. Just like us.

Deep breath.

So Svay Pak has quite a few brothels, but also figures heavily in the trafficking of sex slaves. There are efforts in the government to try to stop this, but my sense is they are half hearted, and enforced by many people who earn part of their living from the trade, or participate directly or indirectly. A generation must grow up who know it does not have to happen. AIM helps this by supplementing the rescue and restoration efforts with ESL and school support, skills help and training, and spiritual help along the way. Rahab's House and the Lords Gym are just a start.

Chantha tells us his vision for the new building just leased to them by the Ratanak Foundation of Canada. For $1 a year. It is four stories, and looks like an unfinished shell. He sees a school, computer classrooms, a permanent clinic, church, childcare, and so much more. There is about an acre behind it and he would like so someday get that land and make a playground and build community gardens - which would provide local nutrition and something for others to sell. It only costs 160 million rial. Chump change.

When he tells me his goal is that all the people in Svay Pak will know Jesus - I can believe him because his life is dedicated to them. He and Pastor Ratanak and the other students are an example of the change that God has brought to Svay Pak. Please pray for them as they minister and serve this community.

As for me, Svay Pak is now in my blood. I don't know how this will play out in my life, and I have started praying about that. I knew it started when I started saying "we"instead of "they". Start thinking about the trip. Pray over it. We could use your hands and your heart. In Matthew 9:37-38 the Lord tells us the fields are ripe so we need to pray for workers for the harvest. Please pray.

And by the way - the Cambodian soil I will bring back will not be from the hotel. My container has the soil of Svay Pak and that is what I am bringing back. That's why I came here.

kmm

Day 3: Teeth Cleaning Demos

2009-11-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

Status Up-Date!

Pastor Chantah, Jim, Kevin, Beth on the rooftop of the prospective, new church building

Aside from Jim nearly drowning in the pool today, he continues to lead us valiantly through the streets of Phnom Penh vigorously (a gust of wind sent a wave over Jim during a backstroke and nearly wiped him out; thankfully, he continues to be our fearless leader and the score remains, Jim 1 : Nature 0)
Funny thing about the pool, though, is that there's a large sign that reads, "No Spitting". So, while we're not sure why the water's murky, at least we know there isn't spit in it!

Jim leading the Youth Leaders in a study of James

It's been great roaming down the streets (particularly after 6pm, which we were warned is when the streets become dangerous), searching for unique foods (fish head, anyone?) followed by a brief exploration of the area. Tonight, after having pizza and burgers (which did not taste so much like pizza and burgers as we know them. Kevin believes his "beef" burger was a yak burger). Then, we proceeded to walk further down so we could rent a Tuk-Tuk (small carriage toted around by a motorbike).

Jim and I have a favorite amongst the children. I believe her name is Ka-moi (below). She is incredibly smart (top student in her English class); wonderfully athletic (she wore both of us out during our volleyball game today, and she was sick!); and has an impressively fierce spirit (she demanded to be a volleyball team of her own versus everyone else). Needless to say, she is definitely my personal favorite. I would take her home with me in a heartbeat.

Ka-moi (right) with her little sister

Jim and Little Ohn

Kevin continues to remain a crowd favorite ever since he started lifting the kids in the air and flipping them over. One little girl, Pi (pronounced, pea), is particularly fond of him. Kevin had discovered that she and her mother live a couple of houses down from Rahab's House and is a prostitute; chances are that little Pi has or will soon be trafficked herself. Another little girl who Jim and I were playing with had been trafficked since she was 5 year old; it was only 3 weeks ago that her grandmother decided to no longer prostitute her. It is perhaps the hardest thing to accept that when I hold each child close to me in love, another has done so in lust.

Kevin holding Little Pi

Kevin teaching Pastor Chantah Computer Skills

As for me, I have acquired two mosquito bites: one just below my right knee and another on my lower back-thigh on the left leg. As most of you know, I am allergic to mosquito bites and the drugs don't seem to be having any affect. I don't feel too bad, though, so I think I'll live and get to keep my legs!

Teeth Cleaning Demos

We rode to two nearby brick factories to demonstrate how to properly brush your teeth. Kevin demonstrated teeth cleaning in the first village, then was partnered with Jim in the next village. Both of them did an excellent job! Jim is a born entertainer and both he and Kevin can now add to their resume, "Doctor" and "Actor". Unfortunately, the internet here is too slow for me to upload a video that I'd taken of them, but will post it as soon as I get back for your entertainment!

Photos from First Brick Factory

During the teeth brushing demos, Kevin would ask for a couple of volunteers to show off what they'd learned and Jim would give them t-shirts as rewards. Kevin did an excellent job explaining how to properly brush your teeth (so well, in fact, that Jim now knows how to do it!) and Jim did a great job showing how not to brush your teeth. I must say, they do make a great team! After each demo, we passed out toothbrushes and toothpaste (we had taken 500 of each with us to Cambodia). The second brick factory was larger than the first and appeared to be more "successful" in that there were several factories and had a larger work force. Apparently, I have many admirers from the second brick factory and Bridget had said that I should be expecting marriage proposals on my next visit. Ha!

About 1/3 of those whom we visited attend Pastor Chantah's church in Rahab's House. "Slowly, one by one, I will get them all [to come to church]," he declares.

Photos from Second Brick Factory

Brick Factories

How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.

- Habakkuk 1:2-4

The brick factories are essentially slave shops; children as young as 2 are somehow integrated into the work force and many have died from inhaling lethal fumes and working amidst incredibly hazardous "equipment". At the first brick factory, we saw women who had their eyes bruised shut and young men with scarred hands from handling dangerously hot bricks. Shacks are lined closely together; hammocks are created from old tarp; and there doesn't appear to be any source of water other than the small river where everything, from bathing to fishing, is done. Which is why in addition to passing out toothbrushes and toothpaste, we passed out vitamins and anti-diarrhea drugs. While passing out adult vitamins, I spoke briefly with one of the young women with Pastor Chantah. She must have been about 15 or 16, and was pregnant. We gave her extra vitamins for her baby in hopes that it would grow strong.

Tomorrow, I will be speaking with Pastor Chantah to get more knowledge of the brick factories and will write about it then. The only thing I do know is that they are required to make 7,000 bricks a week and the workers are not given any proper tools. In fact, in the second brick factory a young girl (18 years old) had died last week from not wearing a mask while working amidst incredibly dangerous and insecure conditions. It's this kind of thing, an essentially preventable accident, that adds to the injustices that we witness and further inspires us to provide them with resources (like toothbrushes/toothpaste, face masks, etc.). Unfortunately, we only had enough for both of factories and regretted not being able to visit others.

Kid's Club

In the afternoon, all of us partook in the final theatrical installment of "The Nativity Story". Alli, director of Kid's Club for AIM, led today and decided to portray God sending His only Son to die for us through a story of a bird and a man. Jim was the man; I was the bird; Kevin was the dog; and Renee was the cat. For those of you unfamiliar with the tale, allow me to weave the Cliff Notes version for you here:

The Man and The Bird

A man had been gazing out his window one winter's day when he caught sight of a beautiful, green bird. He had motioned for the bird to enter through his door, knowing that it was far too cold for the bird outside. But the bird did not understand that the man had wanted her to enter through the door, and instead attempted flying in through the window, crashing into it each time she tried. So, the man thought that sending his dog to bring her in would work! (Enter Kevin) "Woof, woof!" The dog's barking frightened the little bird, and she retaliated by beating him into submission with her powerful wings!! (as you can tell, I had a lot of fun playing this role!). The dog fled from the bird, humiliated by his defeat. Since the dog didn't succeed, the man sent out his cat (enter Renee). "Meow, meow!" The bird was just as terrified as when she had encountered the dog, and began beating the cat away. The man, now frustrated at his failed attempts, decided that he would dress up as a bird to lure the bird inside! But even though the man looked like a bird and tweeted like a bird, the beautiful bird was not so easily persuaded and continued to crash into the window until she died.

Well, not a very happy story! But the kids seemed to enjoy my crashing into Jim and beating up Kevin (can't say I blame them; I enjoyed it, too!).
** Be sure to check back later for photos of the drama! I forgot to steal them from Kevin's camera before he took off for bed...**

Allie (middle) teaching the kids

Arts & Crafts

Thanksgiving

This morning before heading out to Svay Pak, I ran into Don and Bridget in the lobby of our hotel. Apparently, they had another team from Virginia visiting and they were seeing them off. "Tomorrow's Thanksgiving!" exclaimed Bridget. How odd; I'd forgotten the holiday! I recall Jim asking the church if they could send us one of those Thanksgiving dinners, but not one of us had remembered the holiday. Tomorrow evening, Don, Bridget, Alli and Ruthie are joining us for a buffet-style dinner where apparently Jackie Kennedy had once stayed and who had special wine glasses made in her honor. Should be good!

On Friday, Kid's Club is having a big birthday party for Jesus! The public schools have given the kids special permission to attend this event, so we are expecting nearly 120+ kids. Interestingly, 1/3 of the year is spent in holidays here in Cambodia. "They celebrate everything," says Bridget. "So, if you're looking to party, this is the place to be!"

Why Cambodia?

"I never really know what to say to people when they ask me this question," says Kevin while we're both busily typing away at the computer, informing everyone of our trip. "You simply have to be in it." Indeed...

The truth is, though, that you really do have to be in it in order to really answer a question like that. And it's not too long before the question turns from, "Why Cambodia?" to "Why not Cambodia?"

Day 2: Bible Study with Youth Leaders & Health Clinic

2009-11-24T06:44:00.000-08:00

No Monk-ying around!

Now, here's something you don't see everyday! When we first arrived in Cambodia, I started counting the number of monks I'd seen and lost track after 25. They are particularly awesome when garbed in their bright orange robes and radiant yellow parasol, and are often seen riding 2-3 at a time on a motobike or in small caravan. This one particular monk was stopped by this woman (above), perhaps the store owner, and after paying homage fees to the monk, was 'prayed' over. "They're like walking good luck charms," comments Kevin.

Bible Study Lesson led by Jim

Jim led the group of youth leaders this morning in a bible study, using Summit's very own James Study! Jim did a great job going through the first lesson, and while it was somewhat difficult working with a translator, everyone was attentive and responsive; according to Renee, however, it was very difficult to get them to engage in discussion when they first began. "They (the youth leaders) meet up every Saturday morning for a 2 hour discipleship class, and have daily devotions with Pastor Chantah," says Renee. Having a strong, dedicated, faithful team is essential to the effectiveness and efficiency of Rahab's House.

During Jim's lesson, I understood what it meant to be of the "same body" and to share in the "same Spirit". Each of the leaders expressed feelings of frustration and anger during trials; moments of doubt and despair. All of them were the only Christians in their family, and had been persecuted for their faith from not only their own family members, but within the surrounding community. Any of this sound familiar in your own life? I know it does in mine and for some of those whom I lead in my own Life!Group. It's interesting that while I'd been expecting to encounter God in new ways, it was also wonderful to experience Him in familiar ways through our fellow believers who, although living on the other side of the world and living in much more hostile environments, were partakers and sharers in the same personal struggles and battles that we face.

Afterward, Jim and I played volleyball with the kids in the lot right outside Rahab's House. The lot used to be a massive garbage dump before a church team cleaned it up, replaced the hard dirt and rocks with soft sand, and added a volleyball net. It was a blast playing with the kids! One girl, Ka-moi, was particularly interesting. She not only was good at volleyball, but her pronunciation and knowledge of English was, too. "Are you ready?!" she'd yell. She even directed where Jim and I should stand!

Health Clinic

Nurse Jane (middle) helping a little girl with her ear infection

The Health Clinic offers free basic medication and assistance to the community. Needless to say, a free clinic draws in many people and today we received about 60 clients, from babies to the elderly. But this wasn't even close to how busy it normally gets! Visiting from Australia and volunteering in Cambodia for 6 months (since June) is Nurse Jane. "Last week," says Jane, "we had a team of doctors visit us which included a pediatrician and dentist. Between all of us, we had seen about 800 people." Ah, that explains why I couldn't understand what someone would say to me and they'd point to their cheeks; they'd just gotten teeth pulled! As I observed and took notes, Kevin and Jim were promoted to doctorate status.

Unfortunately, Jim had forgotten to pack his pocket knife and therefore could not perform brain surgery; however, with only a toothpick and a couple of rubber-bands, he was able to perform successful open heart surgery without even breaking a sweat! Just kidding! Although Jim was very eager to cut and amputate if necessary, 90% of these symptoms do not necessarily require medication. According to Nurse Jane, what many of these villagers lack is the most basic medical knowledge. "They don't understand that it's normal to have a headache when you haven't slept well or that it's normal for your back to hurt if you're lifting heavy racks of fish every single day. Much of what they have can also be treated with proper hygiene." Furthermore, they don't seem to make connections between their symptoms to, say, an accident that they had last week.

"I had one little boy come in who was very feverish," says Jane. "It wasn't until he was leaving that I caught the small, bruised cut on his cheek. I asked his father how he had gotten it, and he said that during the rainy season his son slipped and fell into the water and it was difficult pulling him out. Clearly, he'd gotten an infection from the water but for the father to have made this kind of connection to how his son was feeling did not even cross his mind."

What Jane also encourages is informing them of proper ways to manage with pain that don't necessarily require medication. For example, Jane would show the proper way to lift heavy objects for someone who does heavy-lifting daily. Because the truth is, most of these people don't need medication; some of them pretend to have a sickness in order to get the drugs, sometimes to sell on the streets. "I generally am strict with what I give out," says Jane. "But Pastor Chantah likes freely giving the medicine!" If you knew Pastor Chantah's heart, this would not come as a surprise; having a 24-hour center available, he's had to take a few people to the hospital at 3am, among many other things he's willingly done to serve this community.

Pastor Chantah and Renee

Fortunately, we didn't receive anyone whom we weren't able to help with the exception of this one man who had acquired a gross infection from having knee surgery a few months ago. He was a skinny man and attached to his small, right leg was a soft-ball sized infection and on top of that, a pus ball the size of a golf-ball! There was nothing we could do other than give him some antibiotics and pain relievers, and advise him to see the doctor that afternoon.

While Kevin and Jim were busy playing doctor, I stepped outside to listen to country singer Paul Brandt who was visiting Cambodia as a prospective financial supporter of the new church building that Don is wanting to build. I admit that I had no idea who he was, even though he was a popular musician in Canada and has a couple of hit songs in the U.S. He played a couple of songs for the kids who also sang one of their songs to him! At the same time, girls from the ARC House (the home that securely houses rescued young women and protects them from being re-abducted) were de-licing all of the children. What an awesome way for these girls to give back to their community! I am looking forward to visiting ARC on Friday and becoming more familiar with these girls. One of the girls, Mah-lin, approached me and asked if I was Cambodian because we have "the same skin, eyes, and hair". Jim was slightly offended that they didn't think he was Cambodian...I can't imagine why.

A Walk Around Phnom Penh

We ate dinner at this nearby restaurant ($13 dinner! R 4,000 = $1), having fish cakes and short ribs. The fish cakes were interesting...I wasn't too fond of them because of the texture; it tasted like eating a balloon. Jim and Kevin seemed to enjoy them, though!

During dinner, we were discussing what it means to go on a trip like this. It's easy for those going overseas to view their trip as a vacation as opposed to a mission. There's adventure and risk involved; it's dangerous and daring. But we wouldn't want to be anywhere else than on the "front-line of battle," as Kevin puts it. As we're walking back to our hotel, I see a bright neon sign which reads, "Snookers Pool & Bar." Standing in a line outside are young women, dressed to be desirable... and I see in their eyes a longing for freedom; a yearning to hope for better things, a better life. And I see around me a country corrupted by greed, lust, and a religion that abandons its people to lives "deserving" of them while politicians and police gloat in their sin and choke on their self-righteousness while many starve for want of food and integrity. To be treated as human beings rather than sex commodities; to be respected as young women and children rather than beaten like animals. This is the fore-front; this is the mission.

And it's here, at this moment, that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

- Beth Parawan

Preparing the Soil

2009-11-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

This morning I took a little bit of the soil of Cambodia and stuck it in a small container for my sister in law. She has a collection of small bits of earth from all over the world, and we all know that we need to collect a little at each new place. The soil in the Mekong basin is fertile and it is unbelievable what grows here. Unfortunately one of the things that has grown here is the routine rape and trafficking of young girls (and boys) as a part of the sex tourism that grew when that sin remains unchallenged and is winked away by corrupt officials and profiteers.

In the thick of it all stands a beacon, and I went there yesterday to meet some of the most unforgettable people I have ever known. You can read a little about Don and Bridget in Beths post. I want to tell you about Pastor Chantha and his wife Buntal (sp) and little David. Christ called us to pray for workers for the harvest, but told us that some of the seed would not fall on good soil. These two heroes shine a light in Svay Pak that reaches hundreds if not thousands of lives. Their heart for those they minister to, and for the Svay Pak village is huge, and they are a picture of grace.

Buntal is the quarterback at Rahab's House, and has a thousand foot wide smile. Watching her marshall a couple dozen kids while schooling them on everything from simple hygiene to how to talk to Jesus, I could just hear her shouting I love you and God loves you and I know you can hear me and I know you can hear Him.

Pastor Chanta walked us through a part of the village and introduced us to his family in Christ. His heart for the people of Svay Pak just rocks my day. He knows them all, and tells of their trials, their children, their afflictions and their hope. He ministers at all hours of the day or night because when he prayed about his ministry, God called him to be there, so he and Buntal and baby David have moved in to Rahabs House and can be found there day and night. He answers the door for the victims, the sick, and the lost, and of these there is no shortage in Svay Pak.

I will post more later on, because today I will go back and look in the eyes of children who are the image of God, who I first met yesterday, and who quite possibly were raped last night. And I thought I knew what it meant to care......

Read what Beth posted last night.

In His Love

kmm

Day 1: Rahab's House, Kids Club, & New Projects

2009-11-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

Early morning thoughts...

Cars honking, engines revving, motorcycles cranking...it's interesting how cities in general, no matter how foreign, sound the same until you hear the people interacting. I awoke this morning nearly forgetting that I was in Cambodia! (photo from our hotel view of Phnom Penh)

Rahab's House (photo of entrance into Rahab's House)

We met up with Bridget, Don Brewster's wife, prior to heading out to Svay Pak where we would be meeting with Pastor Chantha at Rahab's House. The Brewster's heart for Cambodia and the young women and children is nothing short of inspiring and courageous. Bridget had shared with me that the community of Svay Pak was strongly opposed to them building ministries that inherently sought to destroy their corrupted foundation. "Driving into town was scary," recalls Bridget. "They would glare at us and some men would lift up their jackets to reveal the guns they were prepared and willing to use." Thankfully, the Brewster's have been received more benevolently than when they first began, and many of the neighboring children are able to find some refuge in Rahab's House, particularly during Kids Club (where we were able to interact more with the children).

Rahab's House was previously a flourishing brothel before it was raided by IJM, who, after 5 years of disuse, leased the building to AIM to be a community center, offering medicine, education, and safe recreation. Renee, an AIM staff member visiting from their Rocklin base, told me that the raided brothel was heavily infested with rodents. "But when we all prayed over the building, all of the rats started running out! It just gave us the chills!" she says. "The only things that didn't leave were the snakes..." The snakes had been hiding in one of the rooms where little girls were imprisoned, locked from the outside in cement walls and open ceiling. It's almost inconceivable that room #9 was once used to rape children and is now used as storage for arts and crafts; Pastor Chantha, however, makes sure that no one forgets. "We keep the original bed (a wooden frame) in this room as a reminder," he says. A reminder of how real this evil is that they're fighting, and how much more powerful is Christ in defeating it.

Kids Club (photos of the kiddies at Rahab's House!)

I cannot even begin to describe how absolutely precious each of these children are!! They have unparalleled energy; I wish I was able to get a shot of Kevin playing with the kids, or Jim being spun around into submission! Or perhaps when Jim was first asked to be a Wise Man for Ruthie's lesson on the birth of Christ but was demoted to "shepherd"! But those are on my camera, and will have to be posted later because I've forgotten my usb cord. :)

Kids Club was led today by Ruthie Nickell, who absolutely has a huge heart for these children. "I had cried out to God, 'God, where are my children?' It wasn't necessarily a biological question," she says. Ruthie knew that her calling was to minister to young children; she just didn't know where. Back in the States in Kansas City, Ruthie came to live in Cambodia (now for one and a half years) after hearing about the sex trafficking from her friend and Director of Kids Club, Allie. "I just knew I had to get to Cambodia...my heart breaks for God's children here." And how could it not? According to Don, nearly 80% of the children (below) who came to Kids Club today would be trafficked this evening; a few of the children we had met had been trafficked several times and their stories are terrifyingly painful. "When we first started, we would have parents who would come into class and take their kids out to service a customer," says Ruthie.

"I know it's hard to understand how these children could understand the love of God when in the evening they're being exploited, but it's amazing how the love of God is changing them and this community. Before it was 80%, it was 100% of these children being trafficked." It's true; progress is being made and an even greater project lies in the near future...

Building Faith in Svay Pak

This above building was built with the intention of being the next big brothel in Svay Pak. What men had designed to destroy the livelihood of young women and children will now be used to further serve and minister to them!! Church, Svay Pak needs your prayers as AIM will begin construction on this building next month. I unfortunately am unable to write all of the details here, but will hopefully be able to share more with you upon our return.

Thank you ALL for your continuous prayers and support!!

- Beth Parawan

heart & Seoul

2009-11-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that we have arrived safely in South Korea (much to Jim's dismay; he was eager to "accidentally" segway into North Korea's dangerous borders...though I admit it would've made for a great story!). I suspect that we'll be going on a lot of adventures for the sake of a story...for example, while I was describing my interest in possibly visiting Angkor Wat, Jim was very excited to visit a spot he had pointed out to me on the map with a most charming name: Bat Dung. Ha! I've already envisioned writing about "roaming through Bat Dung" and the things we're bound to "step into".

On the way from Reno to LA, I ran into a girl who used to come to my LifeGroup! Prior to leaving Reno, I'd read Pastor Steve's account of the screaming baby who sat beside him and had prayed that I would not befall a similar fate. So, you can imagine my great pleasure when I was able to sit next to one of my sweet friends! God is gracious :)

As I am sitting here, lounging in a trendy internet cafe lined with alluring designer stores, I cannot help but reflect on the ease of accessibility. Affordability, on the other hand, is another issue, though not one which we encounter as much as other areas of the world. For the most part, we can afford nice things: nice houses, nice cars, nice clothes. We can afford living nice lives. But at the heart of the matter is what we cannot afford.

In a matter of hours, we'll finally be arriving in Phnom Penh where we'll be serving and ministering to those who've been rescued from the violent, calloused hands of the global sex trade. We have each been given an assignment to fulfill while we're there, and mine is to write; specifically, write articles for AIM. As a writer, I feel an intense obligation to make each word count; to pour my entire heart into whatever I produce because I simply cannot afford to scribble meaningless, purposeless, and empty words. Not when I consider the lives of those whom I'll be interviewing and the stories I'll be writing about them; not when I think of the other lives I'll be able to impact through the written word. There is a certain integrity in the pursuit of Truth that has been corrputed by our consumerist nature. I think this is part of the reason why we can pretend that our hearts break for the injustices we see on TV, committed daily all over the world, then quickly change the channel and get back to dinner.

I once interviewed author and activist, Frances Moore Lappe, who had said that the word 'consumer' is inaccurate. When we think of a fire consuming a house, we think that the fire has consumed it in its entirety. But we don't immediately take into consideration the possible chemicals now in the air; how the flames have affected its surrounding environment or the now homeless family...

Perhaps it is this pursuit of Truth that inspires the desire for one to travel on a mission trip or to venture boldly into the local and global communities and serve. Because it is only in the midst of the pursuit of Truth that our eyes are opened to the illusion we're living in. That we can afford to consume without fear of consequence; afford to love conditionally without fear of neglecting the unloved; afford to confuse tolerance and silence for 'peace'...when in reality, in Truth, we cannot afford to love half-heartedly, selectively, or quietly.

When we foresake the lives of others, we foresake our own. - Joel Houston

-Beth Parawan

Being a Global Christian

2009-11-15T22:06:00.000-08:00

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19)

What does it mean to be a “Global Christian”? At times, living in a country characterized by accessibility, availability, and affordability makes it challenging to develop and cultivate a spirit of dependency on God. How much more difficult is it for those who live in countries ravaged by deep despair, distress, and doubt? Countries where young women and children are continuously raped of hope, trust, and love; where fear replaces faith…to whom do they depend upon? Too easily do we become comfortable living in a land of affluence and abundance, forgetting that most of the world lives in cold, dark imprisonment. Light existing in and of itself becomes “extinguished” if it remains solely in the security of its own glow, yet shines the most intensely when in the midst of darkness. There are, however, powerful ministries like AIM4ASIA that have taken upon themselves the great vision and responsibility of bringing the Love and Light of Jesus Christ into some of the darkest corners of poverty stricken Cambodia.

Agape International Missions (AIM) was founded and is led by Don Brewster. In 2005, AIM set their sights on putting an end to the grievous crime of trafficking young women and children as sex slaves in the various brothels of Cambodia. At the root of this severe human injustice is the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot who, during his reign of terror (1975 – 1979) devastated the country with extreme poverty and disease after the mass genocide of the socially “educated, religious, and influential” (AIM). Corruption, however, continues to remain the leading and deadliest disease, infecting the political/legal systems and police agencies with unashamed compliance. Cambodia is now largely recognized as a source, transit, and destination country for child sex-trafficking (US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Reports); 35% of the 55,000 young women and children enslaved are below the age of 16 (UNICEF). Exploited, expendable, abused, starved, and raped…these young women and children are consistently being broken and beaten down, especially by those who have sworn to “protect the innocent”. Justice and good works alone are not enough to end the thick level of corruption increasing in Cambodia. However, God’s divine justice is far more than deciphering right from wrong, or determining what is fair or unfair; it is about giving. It is about restoring. It is about hope.

But the needy will not always be forgotten,

nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. (Prov. 9:18)

Rahab’s House and the Agape Restoration Center (ARC) are valuable centers, created by AIM, dedicated to the rehabilitation and restoration of the young women and children who have been rescued from sex-trafficking. Rahab’s House, formerly a brothel and emptied of sex slaves by International Justice Mission (IJM), provides the local villagers with food, medical/dental care, and education. ARC encourages and empowers the young women by offering physical and psychosocial healing; educational and vocational opportunities intended to reintegrate the women back into society with dignity and determination; and the redeeming and transformative power of the love of Christ. Having established a network of over 700 village churches, AIM has restored the promise stated in Proverbs 23:18: “There is surely a hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

So, what does it mean to be a “Global Christian”? It means extending the uplifting hand of service from local to global communities. It means partnering with ministries like AIM in helping to end the severe injustices against humanity. It means restoring, reviving, and redefining hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances. It means believing in the strength and potential that resides within us as the body of Christ, to stand united and defiant against the perversion of justice and the prevalence of corruption. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). We are vessels and ambassadors of God’s righteousness and justice. To love, as we are called to do, is to stir the heart and soul from mere awareness into activism. We can end the largest form of human slavery known today; we can end the growing enslavement of young women and children with the liberating love and hope of Jesus Christ.

- Beth Parawan

For additional information regarding AIM and their various ministries, please visit their website: AIM4ASIA.ORG