A Younger Sister!

Today I had a wonderful time hanging out with a younger sister (Poan srey) called Srey Neth. I have known Neth for 4 years now as I first met her when she was part of a transitional project that we helped fund at its initial start up phase. Each year when I have visited Cambodia, I would spend time with her. Neth is now fully  integrated and quite willingly shares her story out of the world of trafficking she was once ensnared in. It was a perfect opportunity to practice my Khmer and whatever words I couldn't say Neth's English is very good so  I could switch between Khmer and English.

Neth currently teaches yoga but it is not something that she wants to do for the rest of her life or something that she likes but she knows she has to pay the bills. She is seeking to finish her high school studies and wants to pursue university by taking some IT courses. I admire her desire to want to study more.  I invited her over for lunch today to catch up and she made me laugh as she also dislikes cooking and has hired someone to cook her lunch and dinner daily for $25 a month. Wish I could get such a deal. Its nice to know that there are others in my midst for which cooking is not their forte! Anyway, a while back I was teasing her that when I come to Cambodia that she would have to make me my favorite Cambodian dish --- Loc Lac. She readily agreed. So we have set another date to meet up next Thursday when its her day off and we will go shopping to the local market near my home to get the food needed for this home cooked meal. I'm not sure if I should pray for her on this given her none domestic attributes but the fact that she is willing to do it and actually sounded quite confident that it would taste good, I figured its worth the effort.

Last year when I was here, Neth would come with me to go to the Svay Pak church. I hope that now I am living here for a longer time, I will have more time to spend with her and also bring her to church. She has heard the gospel but has never fully understood what it really means for her life. So as you think of Neth, pray for her. She is 22 years old and has a lot of potential despite the challenging upbringing and experiences that she endured. It is my prayer and hope that she will one day truly encounter the One who not only can give her meaning and purpose in her life but who brought her out of the darkness and into His light so that she can display His splendor and reflect His beauty!