This morning we left at 7:30pm to go to what has been our weekly church service while in Cambodia ---to Rahab's House in Svay Pak. My heart was heavy as I was thinking of the fate of a young girl who I have gotten to know here. She is on the verge of being sold yet again and many have been interceding. For the first time in my life I ended up fasting last night as I found myself not being able to eat as I thought of my little 'daughter.' Many tears have been shed over the past 24 hours and its not all mind but God has given me much peace. I gave her this morning my necklace with a cross and told her that Jesus will always be near her and that whenever she felt afraid to call out to Him for help.There will be more to this story but for now, this is all I can share.
As is customary at the Rahab's House church service, Pastor Chantha always invites us to share a word after he has preached. Today was no different and so I said a few comments blessing the congregation with faith to believe that God will provide all their needs, hope that when their situation seems hopeless and there is no way out, God will grant them hope that a new life is coming and finally, to love God with all their heart, soul and mind for when they do that, they will reflect His love to their family, friends and especially their children. Genie then got up to speak and reminded them that God is a God of miracles for a year ago, at Rahab's house---there was no church, there was no Ratanak and Pastor Chantha and no newcomers and encouraged them to see what God has done and challenged them to imagine what God could do in a year from now. Then it was Pastor Nancy's turn and she asked all the men to stand and exhorted them to protect their wives and children from evil men. But it did not stop there as she asked all the congregation if they were willing to help Pastor Chantha and Ratanak fight against those who would seek to hurt their kids, for there is power when a community acts together for the greater good. It was such a blessing to see every person raise their hands affirming that this is what they wanted to do. Only time will tell whether this was just a saving face jesture to a foreigner or if it was truly and sincerely meant. God knows each of their hearts and I for one continue to pray that our Lord who turned a brothel into a church can do the impossible in this community.
In the mid afternoon 4 of us and Sotheary headed to a mall to meet up with some very special celebrities. They are not the kind of celebrities that you would find signing autographs for in the world's eyes, they have little influence, their lives are not filled with glamorous parties nor would you expect to find their faces in the latest celeb magazine. No, these who I refer to have lived lives that not one of us would ever want, for their voices were silenced for many years until a brothel raid happened in Svay Pak in 2003 by IJM. A raid in which 37 young girls were rescued from a brothel which we now know today as a community outreach centre and church called Rahab's house. Today I had the privilege and honor of meeting 5 girls----4 of them from that original raid. If you have watched the latest update from NBC on Children for Sale you would know who I am referring to. Their lives are living testimonies of the redemptive power that is possible through Christ. In 4 brief hours with them, I was blessed beyond words as they shared their dreams of becoming lawyers, translators, hip hop teacher; their favorite books in the bible were Proverbs and Psalms because they found those books to be very practical. They made a special card thanking the Ratanak foundation for supporting them and before we left their home, we prayed for them and then they in turn prayed for us asking God's protection over us as we travelled back home to Canada. These are just snippets of some of the conversations we had but through it all, I saw 5 young girls who displayed such a sweet innocence and kindness to us, offering us genuine love as they held our hands, offered us hugs, shared a bit of of their interests and hobbies with us. I saw the habits of typical teenage girls hustling to clean their room before the guests came upstairs to see it and then proudly displaying their rooms and photos. God indeed has repaid the years the locusts have eaten from these. They are a breadth of fresh air and a reminder that we serve a God who is in the business of restoring broken lives and making something so wonderufl and beautiful emerge that one cannot help but marvel at the greatness of God and His power to give new life to those who who lived in such hopeless conditions.
amen! there is always hope!
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