Today has been a wild day. Spent time at the foster home of the girls who were in my very first file. What an astonishing thing it was to meet the girls - young women now - who are an absolute joy. it was overwhelming but I held it together - just! it is too late to re count now so that story will have to wait.
This evening we had a great team meeting, time of prayer and then headed out to a brothel! Not often you see that sort of stuff in the same sentence! Anyway, very disturbing end to the day. I will have to fill you in later as it is late and I am exhausted.
This afternoon Steve F. typed up this account of the weekend trip up to Siem Reap. I will post this now and try to get back to the blog tomorrow.
Blessings.
Brian.
Kopreach – Hell on Earth or Holy Ground?
It was doubtful that our van could get through the muddy roads. If it rained anymore the trip would be off and we would have to turn back. Many of the potholes were deep and full of mud. For one long section the road surface from shoulder to shoulder was covered by 1-2 inches of grease like slimy mud threatening to put us into the water filled ditches on either side. As we got closer to Kopreach the road narrowed down to a lane that was barely wide enough for the van to get through. After three hours of driving, two of them being on dirt roads we finally reached the village of Kopreach.
Kopreach is the village that Rexa’s family was evacuated to on April 15, 1975, the day Cambodia fell. It was in this village that they became slaves of the Khmer Rouge. It was near here in the jungle that Rexa’s family was brutally slaughtered. It was here that Rexa was clubbed from behind and left for dead in the grave. This village was hell on earth. While there no bones oozing out of the earth as there are at the Killing Fields, the grim reminders are all around. The lady that used to scream “kill, kill, kill” is now the smiling toothless granny sitting on her bed. The middle-aged lady who is a wife and mother used to be a young girl from a middle class family in Phnom Phen who is separated from her family. The city girl has become a poor countrywoman. The reminders of hell are never far away.
The school that Rexa had built in Kopreach is the first thing that you come to as you approach the village. It is two beautiful, clean and spacious buildings. In fact they are the nicest buildings in the village. When we arrived one schoolroom was filled with adults and children, it was Sunday. They sang and prayed, they recited scripture and Steve Norman preached on David and Goliath. As we toured through the village afterwards Rexa told us that there are 60 Christians in this village of 500 that is 12% of the population. The school is a beachhead, a catalyst that is turning hell on earth into Holy Ground.
Pray for the rural churches around Siem Reap that they will have effective pastors that will equip their congregations.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Still so much more to take in!
Nixon’s Unplanned Legacy
In the seventies, as a global community we watched our TV’s daily in horror and in fascination as the Watergate scandal unfolded. Afterwards, the President and his inner circle of men lost their place in the good side of the history books. Where is Richard Nixon today? Who knows? However one of his inner circle has greatly impacted many nations and “the least of the least”- prisoners who are locked up in dark cells. While in prison for his crimes, Charles Colson surrendered his life to Jesus. He then went on to write many books, spoke around the world and founded an organization called Prison Fellowship. So in a way Prison Fellowship Cambodia is part of “Nixon’s unplanned legacy”.
In Cambodia many of these prisoners’ live in deplorable conditions with no opportunity for rehabilitation, or to be integrated back into society. On Monday (Labour Day in Canada) we had the wonderful opportunity to meet with some of the leadership of Prison Fellowship Cambodia (PFC). Its organizational tag line is “beyond crime and punishment”. PRC is about individual and national transformation. Its vision is to see all those within and affected by the justice system of Cambodia receiving and knowing the love of Jesus Christ; enabled to change their communities”.
Started just eight years ago with a very small band of four volunteers and a part time staff person, PFC has grown to 42 paid employees, 15 contract teachers, and 75 volunteers. PFC operates in 22 prisons across Cambodia; eleven of which receive comprehensive services. Cambodian prisons differ from those in North America. Prisons are harsh places where up to 130 prisoners can be jammed into one large cell with just one hole to serve as the toilet. Both blankets and food are in scare supply. If a mother ends up in jail, her children go with her. More than three hundred women are serving time today. Eighteen children belonging to the Moms are also living in these cells.
If you are a prisoner and have money, your lot in life will be better as you will get better food and better treatment. If you are poor and can not pay, you will not receive any extras, just enough food to survive.
Despite this hostile environment PFC is demonstrating the love of Christ in practical and tangible ways. As a result many prisoners are receiving better treatment and hundreds are now Christians. Since the conception of PFC, Ratanak has been an active partner through education services such as schooling and literacy; by basic needs such as additional food, clothing and medical treatment; and by individual packages to prisoners. As well Ratanak is helping to support the management capacity of this organization that works with “the least of the least”.
As we left the meeting one of the leaders shared these words which resonate with me this evening, “we make God known by what we do and not by just words”.
Stephen Lauer
---------------------
Bruce Cockburn wrote a song that says “If I had a rocket launcher some xxxx would die”. This song has always been one of my favorites. I am not proud of having feelings like that from time to time - but I do. Like when I see a big fat white guy picking up two young girls. Like when I sit and hear of old homeless wizened grannies being beaten and raped by the police in the round-up of street people before Buddhist holidays. Like when I hear Reaksa give an account of how his family was murdered by the Khmer Rouge as we walk through the village where it happened. Like when I hold the sweet little hand of a ten year old girl as she escorts me through her village and my heart rages at those people who see her simply as a money making machine. “If I had a rocket launcher!”. But, I don’t and I wouldn’t trust myself if I had one.
On the other hand I do trust my God and in His hands I am safe to take action. Matthew 23: 23 & 24 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
I am convicted by my own inaction – and the inaction of God’s people to rise up and say “NO MORE”. I am convicted that soul genocide is happening to the weakest and most vulnerable sectors of our global society. We are not doing enough.
The rocket launcher I’m going to use today is prayer. Lock and load.
Beth
-----------------------
Hi everybody there has been much happening of late re visiting our projects etc but I would rather take the time to hearken back several days to our experiences in Svay Pak. Sometimes you just can’t write about stuff immediately. It takes a few days to digest and let thoughts sort themselves out. As you know our visit to Svay Pak (SP) was challenging. Visiting with little kids who are still routinely sexually abused was… well, I have no way to describe it. But since then there appears to be a clear and unmistakable sound of thunder in the distance. Not from the weather but from the stirring of the mighty God of the universe who, once again appears to be turning his gaze of Svay Pak... the excitement is palpable among this team.
God is opening up an opportunity that is HUGE. Four doors up from Rahab’s House is the largest building in SP. It’s a four story red building with large and long windows two stories high on the upper floors. It was built as a sex hotel (the biggest in SP) where expats could come live and rape and assault children to their hearts content. The building was stopped at about 80% completed when as a result of raids and surveillance etc. it was felt it was too high a risk for the owners. We have now been given the opportunity to buy the place to complete it and make it into a school, medical center, and church (the upper floors with the huge windows are crying out to be a sanctuary) I have taken to calling this building "the sanctuary" - fitting!!
If the plan goes ahead the program would include all the above so we would have our own Christian school for the munchkins.
It really doesn't get much better than this... largest brothel becoming a sanctuary in every way. This is, in my opinion, the best extreme home makeover I have ever heard of (A TV show - I'd like that.) We are already dreaming about who would be involved from Can, Auz and the UK. Christians from all over coming to continue to change this community at the most foundational level.
So if this was to happen we would end up with a Christian Gym, Rehab’s House (both currently in operation) and the sanctuary" all on Svay Pak's main street! Impact… Oh I think so!
So what of Rehab’s House would that be surplus? Absolutely not. The plan would be to convert that into a day care for all the really little ones who run around vulnerable to whatever abuse befalls them. So while parents go to work they would be safe, cared for and blessed from the very start of their education.
Re the building/remodeling project we would like to see local guys from the Gym (pimps etc.) become involved in the project and put their muscles to work as well as providing gainful employment rather than selling humans for kickbacks.
Basically we have not found a down side yet!
So, ironically, Ratanak's first ownership of property may just be in SP - who would have thought!!! We would end up owning a chunk of Hell and claiming it for heaven - serious goose bumps!
Now, to answer the obvious question… No I don't have funds for this but it is way too good an opportunity to let go. So we are praying and, to be honest, expecting that God will clearly open a way. Pray with us.
On a personal note I am so in love with the kids there. “SM”, tough, feisty and in your face as she is, has stolen my heart. I have been waiting ages (only a few days in reality) to get back out there. Now, given the circumstances, I having been assured it is OK I am absolutely eager to accept my hug from her. It will be Gold!
Thanks for joining us on the roller coaster of grief and bliss that is Christian ministry to abused children in Cambodia.
My hope is that you will be as excited as we are as we sense the moving of God for these little ones. Pray for clarity, for favor and for funds if we are to move forward on this.
Brian.
---------------------
Tuesday 8th September 2009
Today we headed to hear from Ruth Elliott who is the founder of Daughters here in Phnom Penh. It was great to meet up with a fellow Brit! Ruth started Daughters only 2 ½ years ago to help girls find an alternative to working in the brothels. Rather than offer a shelter where it was discovered that the girls felt uncomfortable, Daughters offers alternative employment. The majority of girls find themselves in this position because they have an obligation to pay for family debts and if there is no alternative then this is how they make their money. Failure to comply often means that younger siblings are forced into the roll.
Daughters offers girls training in jewellery making, sewing various objects and at present cake decorations. More than this - it offers the girls a job and with it an opportunity to escape from the dark world they have been forced into. In addition medical care and a nursery school are provided to care for girls immediate needs. A range of products are produced to order which offsets the costs. The dream is to open a shop in a busy district of the city selling goods directly.
At present 58 girls attend for around 35 hours a week. Of these around 45 have accepted Christ and others are genuinely interested. The difference? For the first time in their lives they are treated as a person who has value and is treasured rather than an object of abuse. They encounter the risen Christ in a tangible form through the love and care of Christian staff. Every one of the girls who are in the programme has stopped her former work. I guess it doesn’t get better than that. Ruth and her staff are a delight and their care a compassion for these girls is clearly visible.
This evening we met with Dave Strong and learned a great deal about the work of CAMA. Dave works as a field representative in Battambang province in the north of Cambodia. The work of CAMA is wide and varied. On one hand is the provision of hospitals and ambulances and on the other the development of a rice co-operative and vitamin supplement programme. The common denominator in this is that everything is carried out through the local church which raises their profile in the communities. Again the holistic approach to the person in caring, not only about their spiritual wellbeing but also their physical and mental, plays a significant part in their acceptance of Christ.
So there you have it, the end of another day here in Cambodia. Another day learning about the diversities of this great place - another day learning and bearing witness to the fact that the Gospel we follow is a Gospel which changes lives. We serve a God who is about making people whole – no matter what their status in society or social standing may be. A God who is interested in the complete person. Here the Gospel is being lived and applied in a very practical manner and the fruit of that work is evident for all to see.
Steve Norman
-------------------------
In the seventies, as a global community we watched our TV’s daily in horror and in fascination as the Watergate scandal unfolded. Afterwards, the President and his inner circle of men lost their place in the good side of the history books. Where is Richard Nixon today? Who knows? However one of his inner circle has greatly impacted many nations and “the least of the least”- prisoners who are locked up in dark cells. While in prison for his crimes, Charles Colson surrendered his life to Jesus. He then went on to write many books, spoke around the world and founded an organization called Prison Fellowship. So in a way Prison Fellowship Cambodia is part of “Nixon’s unplanned legacy”.
In Cambodia many of these prisoners’ live in deplorable conditions with no opportunity for rehabilitation, or to be integrated back into society. On Monday (Labour Day in Canada) we had the wonderful opportunity to meet with some of the leadership of Prison Fellowship Cambodia (PFC). Its organizational tag line is “beyond crime and punishment”. PRC is about individual and national transformation. Its vision is to see all those within and affected by the justice system of Cambodia receiving and knowing the love of Jesus Christ; enabled to change their communities”.
Started just eight years ago with a very small band of four volunteers and a part time staff person, PFC has grown to 42 paid employees, 15 contract teachers, and 75 volunteers. PFC operates in 22 prisons across Cambodia; eleven of which receive comprehensive services. Cambodian prisons differ from those in North America. Prisons are harsh places where up to 130 prisoners can be jammed into one large cell with just one hole to serve as the toilet. Both blankets and food are in scare supply. If a mother ends up in jail, her children go with her. More than three hundred women are serving time today. Eighteen children belonging to the Moms are also living in these cells.
If you are a prisoner and have money, your lot in life will be better as you will get better food and better treatment. If you are poor and can not pay, you will not receive any extras, just enough food to survive.
Despite this hostile environment PFC is demonstrating the love of Christ in practical and tangible ways. As a result many prisoners are receiving better treatment and hundreds are now Christians. Since the conception of PFC, Ratanak has been an active partner through education services such as schooling and literacy; by basic needs such as additional food, clothing and medical treatment; and by individual packages to prisoners. As well Ratanak is helping to support the management capacity of this organization that works with “the least of the least”.
As we left the meeting one of the leaders shared these words which resonate with me this evening, “we make God known by what we do and not by just words”.
Stephen Lauer
---------------------
Bruce Cockburn wrote a song that says “If I had a rocket launcher some xxxx would die”. This song has always been one of my favorites. I am not proud of having feelings like that from time to time - but I do. Like when I see a big fat white guy picking up two young girls. Like when I sit and hear of old homeless wizened grannies being beaten and raped by the police in the round-up of street people before Buddhist holidays. Like when I hear Reaksa give an account of how his family was murdered by the Khmer Rouge as we walk through the village where it happened. Like when I hold the sweet little hand of a ten year old girl as she escorts me through her village and my heart rages at those people who see her simply as a money making machine. “If I had a rocket launcher!”. But, I don’t and I wouldn’t trust myself if I had one.
On the other hand I do trust my God and in His hands I am safe to take action. Matthew 23: 23 & 24 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
I am convicted by my own inaction – and the inaction of God’s people to rise up and say “NO MORE”. I am convicted that soul genocide is happening to the weakest and most vulnerable sectors of our global society. We are not doing enough.
The rocket launcher I’m going to use today is prayer. Lock and load.
Beth
-----------------------
Hi everybody there has been much happening of late re visiting our projects etc but I would rather take the time to hearken back several days to our experiences in Svay Pak. Sometimes you just can’t write about stuff immediately. It takes a few days to digest and let thoughts sort themselves out. As you know our visit to Svay Pak (SP) was challenging. Visiting with little kids who are still routinely sexually abused was… well, I have no way to describe it. But since then there appears to be a clear and unmistakable sound of thunder in the distance. Not from the weather but from the stirring of the mighty God of the universe who, once again appears to be turning his gaze of Svay Pak... the excitement is palpable among this team.
God is opening up an opportunity that is HUGE. Four doors up from Rahab’s House is the largest building in SP. It’s a four story red building with large and long windows two stories high on the upper floors. It was built as a sex hotel (the biggest in SP) where expats could come live and rape and assault children to their hearts content. The building was stopped at about 80% completed when as a result of raids and surveillance etc. it was felt it was too high a risk for the owners. We have now been given the opportunity to buy the place to complete it and make it into a school, medical center, and church (the upper floors with the huge windows are crying out to be a sanctuary) I have taken to calling this building "the sanctuary" - fitting!!
If the plan goes ahead the program would include all the above so we would have our own Christian school for the munchkins.
It really doesn't get much better than this... largest brothel becoming a sanctuary in every way. This is, in my opinion, the best extreme home makeover I have ever heard of (A TV show - I'd like that.) We are already dreaming about who would be involved from Can, Auz and the UK. Christians from all over coming to continue to change this community at the most foundational level.
So if this was to happen we would end up with a Christian Gym, Rehab’s House (both currently in operation) and the sanctuary" all on Svay Pak's main street! Impact… Oh I think so!
So what of Rehab’s House would that be surplus? Absolutely not. The plan would be to convert that into a day care for all the really little ones who run around vulnerable to whatever abuse befalls them. So while parents go to work they would be safe, cared for and blessed from the very start of their education.
Re the building/remodeling project we would like to see local guys from the Gym (pimps etc.) become involved in the project and put their muscles to work as well as providing gainful employment rather than selling humans for kickbacks.
Basically we have not found a down side yet!
So, ironically, Ratanak's first ownership of property may just be in SP - who would have thought!!! We would end up owning a chunk of Hell and claiming it for heaven - serious goose bumps!
Now, to answer the obvious question… No I don't have funds for this but it is way too good an opportunity to let go. So we are praying and, to be honest, expecting that God will clearly open a way. Pray with us.
On a personal note I am so in love with the kids there. “SM”, tough, feisty and in your face as she is, has stolen my heart. I have been waiting ages (only a few days in reality) to get back out there. Now, given the circumstances, I having been assured it is OK I am absolutely eager to accept my hug from her. It will be Gold!
Thanks for joining us on the roller coaster of grief and bliss that is Christian ministry to abused children in Cambodia.
My hope is that you will be as excited as we are as we sense the moving of God for these little ones. Pray for clarity, for favor and for funds if we are to move forward on this.
Brian.
---------------------
Tuesday 8th September 2009
Today we headed to hear from Ruth Elliott who is the founder of Daughters here in Phnom Penh. It was great to meet up with a fellow Brit! Ruth started Daughters only 2 ½ years ago to help girls find an alternative to working in the brothels. Rather than offer a shelter where it was discovered that the girls felt uncomfortable, Daughters offers alternative employment. The majority of girls find themselves in this position because they have an obligation to pay for family debts and if there is no alternative then this is how they make their money. Failure to comply often means that younger siblings are forced into the roll.
Daughters offers girls training in jewellery making, sewing various objects and at present cake decorations. More than this - it offers the girls a job and with it an opportunity to escape from the dark world they have been forced into. In addition medical care and a nursery school are provided to care for girls immediate needs. A range of products are produced to order which offsets the costs. The dream is to open a shop in a busy district of the city selling goods directly.
At present 58 girls attend for around 35 hours a week. Of these around 45 have accepted Christ and others are genuinely interested. The difference? For the first time in their lives they are treated as a person who has value and is treasured rather than an object of abuse. They encounter the risen Christ in a tangible form through the love and care of Christian staff. Every one of the girls who are in the programme has stopped her former work. I guess it doesn’t get better than that. Ruth and her staff are a delight and their care a compassion for these girls is clearly visible.
This evening we met with Dave Strong and learned a great deal about the work of CAMA. Dave works as a field representative in Battambang province in the north of Cambodia. The work of CAMA is wide and varied. On one hand is the provision of hospitals and ambulances and on the other the development of a rice co-operative and vitamin supplement programme. The common denominator in this is that everything is carried out through the local church which raises their profile in the communities. Again the holistic approach to the person in caring, not only about their spiritual wellbeing but also their physical and mental, plays a significant part in their acceptance of Christ.
So there you have it, the end of another day here in Cambodia. Another day learning about the diversities of this great place - another day learning and bearing witness to the fact that the Gospel we follow is a Gospel which changes lives. We serve a God who is about making people whole – no matter what their status in society or social standing may be. A God who is interested in the complete person. Here the Gospel is being lived and applied in a very practical manner and the fruit of that work is evident for all to see.
Steve Norman
-------------------------
Monday, September 7, 2009
Back in Phnom Penh
Monday 7th September 2009
Today we had the morning free to catch up on shopping at the Russian Market! I never had so many friends…! On leaving we headed to Jars of Clay café for lunch – this is a previous Ratanak project to employ vulnerable young girls which is now self sufficient. I had the scrumiest (That is good if you are from Yorkshire - Brian!) shepherds pie ever and a banana shake – if you are ever here this is one that is recommended!
This afternoon we met with the guys from Prison Fellowship International – Linda and Adam. At 72 Linda is still hard at work in a very challenging ministry. Adam is an incredible young man. Having moved from New Zealand with his wife and 3 young kids he works tirelessly with absolute devotion. His vision is “to reach the least of the least” and in heading into Cambodia’s prisons he does that. With up to 130 men in a cell with an equivalent of 2 meters by 30 cm each, this is a hostile environment. And yet here also Christ is present and at work. In one detention centre over 900 men (out of 1300) are born again believers. Last year they held a baptism service for 650 at one time! In other prisons it is not so easy but in no way does that put these guys off. Active programmes including educational and vocational, all serve to convey a Christian message of the love of Christ for these men and women – the least of the least.
On leaving we headed to the night haven for elderly ladies. Here between 2 and 8 old ladies, who beg on the streets of Phnom Penh, find a warm meal, safe shelter and a warm welcome for the night. The only other option is the streets where they are faced by violence, robbery and rape – and that is just from the police! In here we find 8 ladies who were due to vacate the city on Saturday owing to a religious festival where the police will clear the streets and send these dear old people to ‘rehabilitation centres’. Instead they have chosen to remain for 2 days to meet the white people who are visiting. They have come in early from begging to get washed and changed into their best outfits. The meal has also been postponed. Each of these old people has a different story to tell. One lost her husband and four sons at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, another was beaten and abused so badly by her only surviving son, each has suffered badly. Tomorrow morning they will leave very early to avoid being detained and return to any friends and relatives they may find. Others will simply hide away for the next few weeks until this festival is over and they can once again return to the streets.
In a day when the youth moves so rapidly forward these dear old people are so often forgotten. It is a joy to see the somewhat gummy smiles of some of Cambodia’s oldest people. One lady is 86 and her friend has just turned 84! Rosalee from Australia has been running this shelter with her staff for 6 months now. She is absolutely committed to these ladies.
Today has moved away from child exploitation though nevertheless we have engaged another group who are subjected to some of the worst the world has to offer them. Pray for Prison Fellowship and Haven Night Shelter as they continue to express God’s love in a most practical manner to two completely diverse groups.
Steve Norman
Today we had the morning free to catch up on shopping at the Russian Market! I never had so many friends…! On leaving we headed to Jars of Clay café for lunch – this is a previous Ratanak project to employ vulnerable young girls which is now self sufficient. I had the scrumiest (That is good if you are from Yorkshire - Brian!) shepherds pie ever and a banana shake – if you are ever here this is one that is recommended!
This afternoon we met with the guys from Prison Fellowship International – Linda and Adam. At 72 Linda is still hard at work in a very challenging ministry. Adam is an incredible young man. Having moved from New Zealand with his wife and 3 young kids he works tirelessly with absolute devotion. His vision is “to reach the least of the least” and in heading into Cambodia’s prisons he does that. With up to 130 men in a cell with an equivalent of 2 meters by 30 cm each, this is a hostile environment. And yet here also Christ is present and at work. In one detention centre over 900 men (out of 1300) are born again believers. Last year they held a baptism service for 650 at one time! In other prisons it is not so easy but in no way does that put these guys off. Active programmes including educational and vocational, all serve to convey a Christian message of the love of Christ for these men and women – the least of the least.
On leaving we headed to the night haven for elderly ladies. Here between 2 and 8 old ladies, who beg on the streets of Phnom Penh, find a warm meal, safe shelter and a warm welcome for the night. The only other option is the streets where they are faced by violence, robbery and rape – and that is just from the police! In here we find 8 ladies who were due to vacate the city on Saturday owing to a religious festival where the police will clear the streets and send these dear old people to ‘rehabilitation centres’. Instead they have chosen to remain for 2 days to meet the white people who are visiting. They have come in early from begging to get washed and changed into their best outfits. The meal has also been postponed. Each of these old people has a different story to tell. One lost her husband and four sons at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, another was beaten and abused so badly by her only surviving son, each has suffered badly. Tomorrow morning they will leave very early to avoid being detained and return to any friends and relatives they may find. Others will simply hide away for the next few weeks until this festival is over and they can once again return to the streets.
In a day when the youth moves so rapidly forward these dear old people are so often forgotten. It is a joy to see the somewhat gummy smiles of some of Cambodia’s oldest people. One lady is 86 and her friend has just turned 84! Rosalee from Australia has been running this shelter with her staff for 6 months now. She is absolutely committed to these ladies.
Today has moved away from child exploitation though nevertheless we have engaged another group who are subjected to some of the worst the world has to offer them. Pray for Prison Fellowship and Haven Night Shelter as they continue to express God’s love in a most practical manner to two completely diverse groups.
Steve Norman
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Packing a weekend full of new experiences.
Saturday 5th September 2009
Today started off as a day with a lot of movement and concluded as another moving day. Today we left Phnom Penh and headed north to Siem Reap over the flooded Tonle Sap – the huge life giving lake which the Cambodian infrastructure greatly relies on.
On arrival we were greeted by Reaksa and headed straight out to a project he is overseeing in the countryside outside of Siem Reap. A library to host over 8000 books and computers for use by over 10,000 village children who would otherwise receive little education. The dream? To provide a site where children can learn and hear the Gospel message, ultimately leading to High School graduation and perhaps university scholarships. One thing which is absent in the Cambodian church is leaders. Because of the recent genocide where all Christians were executed few feel able to take this step of faith as the memories of the past remain. Allowing children to move into further education and leadership training will pave the way for change. Who can want anything more than that?
After lunch we all headed across to Angkor Wat. Narrowly missing out on becoming one of the seven ‘modern’ wonders of the world this is a complex of ancient civilisations dating back to the 10th century. The architecture of this site is astounding.
Tonight we have been treated to an evening of Khmer dancing. I watched these young men and women move so gracefully, telling stories as they danced and thought back to the NewSong girls and the kids in Svey Pak who are in a very different place. These young women performing tonight are what the other girls long to be – accepted, admired, valued and respected.
Siem Reap is a beautiful city boasting modern developments and is worlds away from Svey Pak – or is it. Hotels boast of girls for sale – girls all purporting to be over 18 though many of them are not. At the height of the tourist season it is not uncommon to have up to 200 young women paraded in a room behind glass with a number on their top waiting for the men to walk along the row and pick them out. Coach loads of sex tourists arrive from Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia to buy a girl of their choice and exploit her for an evening. Add to this the underground movement of child brothels and this place is no different, it only carries a nicer veneer.
Cambodia has a treasured heritage and underneath all the heartache is a desire to embrace all that life offers them. There are plentiful talents and abilities which need nurturing and encouraging. The enemy of our souls has robbed this nation of its population, dulled its dreams and continues to darken its doors. I am so thankful tonight for men like Reaksa Himm who have come though this pain and long to effect change and leave a legacy to those who follow. Who can seek anything more than that?
I fear that I am losing my heart to this nation.
Steve Norman.
-----------------------
Time Travelling
Today our team got up early and then flew to Siem Reap. The flight was easy to take- juice, coffee and muffins. Very shortly, we spotted land below but mainly we saw water. Below was a huge lake- The Great Lake. It reminded me of one of the bigger Great Lakes back home. As we were admiring the view from 30,000 feet, Brian shared that recently this lake below held more fish than any other fresh water lake in the world. I was impressed.
We soon landed and we were met by a smiling Reaksa. Reaksa grabbed our bags and threw them into the back of a van so that we could all travel together. The first stop was the library facility for youth that was in process of being built. As Reaksa talked it came clear to me that he was into community development and transformation big time. The paved road we were driving on was built by teams from Singapore and Canada that Reaksa had organized and brought into Siem Reap.
These paved roads brought us to the newly constructed library building. Reaksa’s vision was to open up the world and to introduce Christian values to the 10,000 children attending school in the immediate area. Instantly I was impressed by the quality of the building. It definitely had the appearance and feel where people would be drawn to; and my eye was attracted to the fun and creative mural on the wall created by the YMCA team from Singapore. We asked Reaksa as to the next priority needs of this important community based facility being built, that in the future would share Christian values. Reaksa quickly shared the need for completing the building’s ceiling, for levelling the land, for bringing in badminton nets, and for providing lap tops. So any takers for these needed priorities that will ensure that this growing community has a Christian -based resource centre?
Reaksa then took us to a Khmer restaurant where I had one of the best meals of my life. Then we jumped on the bus and drove past fancy hotels and higher end shopping stores to the Angkor Wat Temple. I had heard about the Angkor Wat for many years. This temple is a prized UNESCO World Heritage Site. I am into culture heritage in a big way; in fact I worked for the Heritage Canada Foundation for 13 years. This site was the centre of Khmer civilization from the 8th to the 13 century. During this period the Khmer civilization ruled South East Asia. A succession of Hindu and Buddhist kings created unbelievable temples in stone, all trying to outdo each other.
I was blown away. My eyes could barely drink in this incredible cultural heritage site that embraced the best of God’s natural creation and of man’s creative but misdirected attempts in creative activity in order and try and reach God.
I do realize that at one time this must have been a huge centre for spirituality that unfortunately missed the mark. But today I just enjoyed the beauty- the vegetation, the water, the light, the buildings, and the carvings. A day to enjoy and to be amazed.
Stephen Lauer
-----------------------------
Sunday 6th September 2009
After a 6am start we headed off on the 2 ½ hour drive with Reaksa to Koh Preach where village churches are gathering as one to greet the Barangs. I have it on a high authority that I was the first person from the UK to set foot in this place! This is real Cambodia – the Cambodia where the majority of the population eke out a meagre living often earning much less than $2 per day. The road up was - shall we say - interesting! Turning off the new highway onto the more familiar dirt tracks which got narrower and narrower and muddier and bumpier as we progressed. Travelling on roads intended for a 4x4 in a minibus was something else. At 9.30 we pull into the complex hosting a school and church filled with over 60 adults and kids from a village of 500. The pastor is an ex Buddhist monk who now teaches the people about Christ.
After time with the members we leave for a walk around the village – except this is no ordinary village. This is the village where a 10 year old Reaksa was evacuated to with his family from Siem Reap by the Khmer Rouge. It is also the village where his family were butchered (for the whole story you have to read Tears of My Soul by Soreaksa S Himm). Following a long period away and his conversion to Christianity, Reaksa returned to this place to confront the killers and extend a hand of forgiveness. The man responsible still lives here. This is a most moving life story.
Now Reaksa has planted a church and school in this place where he endured so much pain. To walk through the village and meet people who were there at the time, whilst recalling that I too was 10 years old at this time, leaves your senses somewhat numbed.
We bump into four girls who have all passed their High School exams and can go to university subject to financial support – this is totally radical for a village so remote and where the Gospel has only recently reached. In neighbouring villages it still has not… Children mill all over the place fascinated by the white men who come to visit their homes. Silk worms weave their cocoons on twigs before they are harvested and the thread woven into cloth or sold for $25 per kilo. Sounds good until you then hear that 4 kilos is a good amount for the year. Pigs and chickens scratch through the soil looking for a grub to eat and piglets scamper around playing in the hot sunshine.
This area is so poor and yet in the midst can be found such richness.
The future – a vision to plant churches in every village, to send the children to school and university where possible and to see Christ lifted high in this place.
Steve Norman.
---------------------
Today marked my first return to the village where Reaksa’s family met their end since my last visit in November. It was heart warming to sense the darkness slowly lifting from this community as the church takes hold and people experience a long awaited freedom. There were many smiles and we felt welcome and very safe – a far cry from how we would have been received not too many years ago. Despite the warmth there are still long shadows here. All is not as it seems. One example of this was the old lady sitting on the floor of her house smiling and greeting us as we walked by. She had a hug smile and appeared to be near blind. She appeared very warm - the sort of old lady you would simply love to go up and hold her hand, chat and give her a little hug as you both sipped tea. As we walked past her Reaksa casually mentioned, “She was one of the really evil ones. She used to go to the meetings and lead people in the chants of Kill Them, Kill Them Kill them.” Once again my warm fussy western impression of this village is brought to a screeching halt by the unseen realities that so haunt this and most other villages in Cambodia. I continue to have no clue how Reaksa copes with this environment. His clearly God given ability to forgive was blatantly obvious as I watched him not only visit with but goof around with the kids of the man who hacked his entire family to death. Once again I have much to process. As before I was chatty on the way out to visit – as before I was silent on the way home!
Brian
Today started off as a day with a lot of movement and concluded as another moving day. Today we left Phnom Penh and headed north to Siem Reap over the flooded Tonle Sap – the huge life giving lake which the Cambodian infrastructure greatly relies on.
On arrival we were greeted by Reaksa and headed straight out to a project he is overseeing in the countryside outside of Siem Reap. A library to host over 8000 books and computers for use by over 10,000 village children who would otherwise receive little education. The dream? To provide a site where children can learn and hear the Gospel message, ultimately leading to High School graduation and perhaps university scholarships. One thing which is absent in the Cambodian church is leaders. Because of the recent genocide where all Christians were executed few feel able to take this step of faith as the memories of the past remain. Allowing children to move into further education and leadership training will pave the way for change. Who can want anything more than that?
After lunch we all headed across to Angkor Wat. Narrowly missing out on becoming one of the seven ‘modern’ wonders of the world this is a complex of ancient civilisations dating back to the 10th century. The architecture of this site is astounding.
Tonight we have been treated to an evening of Khmer dancing. I watched these young men and women move so gracefully, telling stories as they danced and thought back to the NewSong girls and the kids in Svey Pak who are in a very different place. These young women performing tonight are what the other girls long to be – accepted, admired, valued and respected.
Siem Reap is a beautiful city boasting modern developments and is worlds away from Svey Pak – or is it. Hotels boast of girls for sale – girls all purporting to be over 18 though many of them are not. At the height of the tourist season it is not uncommon to have up to 200 young women paraded in a room behind glass with a number on their top waiting for the men to walk along the row and pick them out. Coach loads of sex tourists arrive from Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia to buy a girl of their choice and exploit her for an evening. Add to this the underground movement of child brothels and this place is no different, it only carries a nicer veneer.
Cambodia has a treasured heritage and underneath all the heartache is a desire to embrace all that life offers them. There are plentiful talents and abilities which need nurturing and encouraging. The enemy of our souls has robbed this nation of its population, dulled its dreams and continues to darken its doors. I am so thankful tonight for men like Reaksa Himm who have come though this pain and long to effect change and leave a legacy to those who follow. Who can seek anything more than that?
I fear that I am losing my heart to this nation.
Steve Norman.
-----------------------
Time Travelling
Today our team got up early and then flew to Siem Reap. The flight was easy to take- juice, coffee and muffins. Very shortly, we spotted land below but mainly we saw water. Below was a huge lake- The Great Lake. It reminded me of one of the bigger Great Lakes back home. As we were admiring the view from 30,000 feet, Brian shared that recently this lake below held more fish than any other fresh water lake in the world. I was impressed.
We soon landed and we were met by a smiling Reaksa. Reaksa grabbed our bags and threw them into the back of a van so that we could all travel together. The first stop was the library facility for youth that was in process of being built. As Reaksa talked it came clear to me that he was into community development and transformation big time. The paved road we were driving on was built by teams from Singapore and Canada that Reaksa had organized and brought into Siem Reap.
These paved roads brought us to the newly constructed library building. Reaksa’s vision was to open up the world and to introduce Christian values to the 10,000 children attending school in the immediate area. Instantly I was impressed by the quality of the building. It definitely had the appearance and feel where people would be drawn to; and my eye was attracted to the fun and creative mural on the wall created by the YMCA team from Singapore. We asked Reaksa as to the next priority needs of this important community based facility being built, that in the future would share Christian values. Reaksa quickly shared the need for completing the building’s ceiling, for levelling the land, for bringing in badminton nets, and for providing lap tops. So any takers for these needed priorities that will ensure that this growing community has a Christian -based resource centre?
Reaksa then took us to a Khmer restaurant where I had one of the best meals of my life. Then we jumped on the bus and drove past fancy hotels and higher end shopping stores to the Angkor Wat Temple. I had heard about the Angkor Wat for many years. This temple is a prized UNESCO World Heritage Site. I am into culture heritage in a big way; in fact I worked for the Heritage Canada Foundation for 13 years. This site was the centre of Khmer civilization from the 8th to the 13 century. During this period the Khmer civilization ruled South East Asia. A succession of Hindu and Buddhist kings created unbelievable temples in stone, all trying to outdo each other.
I was blown away. My eyes could barely drink in this incredible cultural heritage site that embraced the best of God’s natural creation and of man’s creative but misdirected attempts in creative activity in order and try and reach God.
I do realize that at one time this must have been a huge centre for spirituality that unfortunately missed the mark. But today I just enjoyed the beauty- the vegetation, the water, the light, the buildings, and the carvings. A day to enjoy and to be amazed.
Stephen Lauer
-----------------------------
Sunday 6th September 2009
After a 6am start we headed off on the 2 ½ hour drive with Reaksa to Koh Preach where village churches are gathering as one to greet the Barangs. I have it on a high authority that I was the first person from the UK to set foot in this place! This is real Cambodia – the Cambodia where the majority of the population eke out a meagre living often earning much less than $2 per day. The road up was - shall we say - interesting! Turning off the new highway onto the more familiar dirt tracks which got narrower and narrower and muddier and bumpier as we progressed. Travelling on roads intended for a 4x4 in a minibus was something else. At 9.30 we pull into the complex hosting a school and church filled with over 60 adults and kids from a village of 500. The pastor is an ex Buddhist monk who now teaches the people about Christ.
After time with the members we leave for a walk around the village – except this is no ordinary village. This is the village where a 10 year old Reaksa was evacuated to with his family from Siem Reap by the Khmer Rouge. It is also the village where his family were butchered (for the whole story you have to read Tears of My Soul by Soreaksa S Himm). Following a long period away and his conversion to Christianity, Reaksa returned to this place to confront the killers and extend a hand of forgiveness. The man responsible still lives here. This is a most moving life story.
Now Reaksa has planted a church and school in this place where he endured so much pain. To walk through the village and meet people who were there at the time, whilst recalling that I too was 10 years old at this time, leaves your senses somewhat numbed.
We bump into four girls who have all passed their High School exams and can go to university subject to financial support – this is totally radical for a village so remote and where the Gospel has only recently reached. In neighbouring villages it still has not… Children mill all over the place fascinated by the white men who come to visit their homes. Silk worms weave their cocoons on twigs before they are harvested and the thread woven into cloth or sold for $25 per kilo. Sounds good until you then hear that 4 kilos is a good amount for the year. Pigs and chickens scratch through the soil looking for a grub to eat and piglets scamper around playing in the hot sunshine.
This area is so poor and yet in the midst can be found such richness.
The future – a vision to plant churches in every village, to send the children to school and university where possible and to see Christ lifted high in this place.
Steve Norman.
---------------------
Today marked my first return to the village where Reaksa’s family met their end since my last visit in November. It was heart warming to sense the darkness slowly lifting from this community as the church takes hold and people experience a long awaited freedom. There were many smiles and we felt welcome and very safe – a far cry from how we would have been received not too many years ago. Despite the warmth there are still long shadows here. All is not as it seems. One example of this was the old lady sitting on the floor of her house smiling and greeting us as we walked by. She had a hug smile and appeared to be near blind. She appeared very warm - the sort of old lady you would simply love to go up and hold her hand, chat and give her a little hug as you both sipped tea. As we walked past her Reaksa casually mentioned, “She was one of the really evil ones. She used to go to the meetings and lead people in the chants of Kill Them, Kill Them Kill them.” Once again my warm fussy western impression of this village is brought to a screeching halt by the unseen realities that so haunt this and most other villages in Cambodia. I continue to have no clue how Reaksa copes with this environment. His clearly God given ability to forgive was blatantly obvious as I watched him not only visit with but goof around with the kids of the man who hacked his entire family to death. Once again I have much to process. As before I was chatty on the way out to visit – as before I was silent on the way home!
Brian
Friday, September 4, 2009
Two incredible days back to back. Yesterday we were out at Svay Pak. If you did not know what was going on behind closed doors you might have thought that this was just another of Cambodia’s poor neighborhoods. When we got there the kids club was in full swing. About fifty kids were singing at the top of their voices, I could not understand the words, but I knew some of the songs like “fishers of men”. Again if you had not know who was there you might have thought that this was group of kids practicing for a kids choir. But some of those kids that were singing the songs and listening to the bible story were going to be experiencing a very different life a few hours later.
Today we went to New Song. Many of the girls there have been rescued from Svay Pak. It was great to be able to be there on a Friday because the girls have a sports day in the afternoon. They were having fun, laughing, competing, and hanging out. If was rally stretching to think that these girls had been abused by men some of them only weeks ago, yet there they were just wanting to be young girls.
Reading the newsletters, the books, watching the DVDs has all been good, but there no substitute for being here and seeing the smiles on the faces, hearing the giggles, seeing the art work, and understanding the changed lives. You cannot come here and experience this without it changing your heart.
There is an almost finished building in Svay Pak that was intended to be the biggest brothel. But because the good have stood up and not let evil have the victory it is up for sale. Pray that this tower intended for evil will become a lighthouse for this community.
Steve Friebel.
--------------------------------------------
Friday 4th September 2009
Today has been spent in the presence of Don & Bridget Brewster and the girls from NewSong. Don and Bridget are a remarkable couple. On seeing a documentary on the sex trade in Cambodia they packed up and left the US to set up NewSong. Another great example of two people who are just doing their Christian faith – a common denominator amongst the people we have met this week.
NewSong is a home for 54 girls who have been subjected to some of the most horrendous abuses imaginable – and some you couldn’t and would not want to. These guys are aged between 5 and 22 though the average age runs in about 12. Some have come from Svay Pak and some from elsewhere in the country. Every one of them has been trafficked for sex. Now I guess you could say that they are some of the ‘lucky’ ones who have been rescued and have a future ahead of them. Yet each one has a story.
One was trafficked into Malaysia and dumped back over the border after she was found to be seriously ill. Another was sold by her parents and escaped only to be picked up on the street by a foreign paedophile and abused again – not just once but on two separate occasions. I could go on…
Today was a million miles from those days – it was sports afternoon. Divided into 2 teams – the suns and the moons – the girls faced the first challenge. Eat a piece of fruit suspended from the volleyball net on a piece of string with no hands. Sounds easy – not when you are not yet 3 feet tall and only 5…! Each team cheered their competitors loudly and enthusiastically until the last one had finished.
In addition to medical and psychological care, the girls are schooled and given vocational training. This can be sewing, beauty, photography, cookery and much more. Daily devotions are at 7am. You know - no statistical analysis can explain how a child from the brothels can once again become childlike having had all their innocence removed at the hands of a cruel paedophile. Yet here we see God at work in young lives bringing about an absolute change in 54 scarred young lives.
It was so great to see kids allowed to be kids and to see the love and support offered to each other. Together these girls are coming through the circumstances which have held them captive. Together they are finding acceptance and value. And together they are encountering the love of a Saviour who died for them. When you look into the eyes of a child who has been abused by a man and they smile back in acceptance it does something to you which no words can explain. I count it an honour to have spent some time with them.
Tomorrow we fly to Siem Reap and at the time of writing are unsure if we have internet access – if not updates will resume on Monday!
Steve Norman
-----------------------------------------
Everyone is getting on with each other very very well. Such a sweet bunch - all guys - but I just feel like one of them. To be with these guys would cancel anybody’s dismal opinion of men. These guys are fed up with injustice - particularly regarding exploited/trafficked children and they are putting feet to it and doing something about it. They have accepted the responsibility for their gender and it is highly unusal and very exciting. No wonder God is all over this work…blessing in powerful ways. When big men cry - God listens.
Yesterday we went to Svay Pak where the children from the brothels go for a kid's program – totally Christan based, Khmer run and Ratanak funded. I don’t know the exact number of kids – probably 60 or so were there. Your heart would break in two if you saw them and realized what kind of life they are living after 5:00 pm. And – they are soo small – tiny little people that should be playing dolls or kitchen or in a sandbox with My Little Pony. This is OUTRAGEOUS! I noticed that after the kid’s program at Rahab’s house (in the brothel area) where they sang songs, heard stories, watched little skits, and then did a craft – making beaded necklaces – they prayed and left in very orderly rows. Some ran home and changed to work the night shift. Yes this is true. They came back out onto the street with their hair all pretty, in shiny pretty dresses, earrings on and lipstick applied. The atmosphere in the area was changing - the war was about to ignite in the streets again. Good versus evil. Can you imagine that men would stop off for the sevices of a seven year old girl before making his way home to his family? Like going through the Tim Horton’s drive through for a coffee? What an abomination.
Today we went to the high security rehab centre called NewSong that Ratanak funds. This rehab centre is for those girls freed from brothels. Fifty four girls live here and there is a rotating staff of 60 nationals. These nationals teach, act as room Moms’, cook, counsel, taxi, liase and so on. The girls look so clean and well kept and it is a joy to see smiles and happiness (or in some cases the appearance of apprehensive, growing trust). Some have been there for a couple of years and others as recent as two weeks. Where did these children come from and what are their stories? All the accounts would sound the same but different. They came from a dark, disgusting place – waiting for their next customer to arrive – waiting to be severly abused and treated as disposable machines – sold by parents to pimps – trafficked across borders to literally be held captive as sex slaves. Almost incomprehnsible – except that when you have a little one squeeze up beside you on the bench – you can feel her pain and her need for kind, safe, female flesh.
What did the pedophile take from her? Everything. Family – worth – health – self resepct – trust – hope – home – safety – good nutrition – education….the list goes on and on. She’s paid a price that far exceeds anything I can compare it to. SHE – HAS – LOST – EVERYTHING.
Only through rescue, rehabilitation, restoration and hope is there any chance of her becoming whole again. And, once at a place of refuge such as New Song – where everything is there for her benefit, she has the time, the place, the support to unravel the twisted mengerie of her few short years on earth. She has been rescued.
Oh yes, the pain in Cambodia is very dense and on so many levels. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally we are doing well - just pray that it stays like that. Pray too that God would unveil His perfect will for our lives as we seek justice for these children.
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Beth
--------------------------------
Just in case you are wondering We have been trying to up load photos without success. the internet is just too slow. We will post photos on the Ratanak website after we return home. Sorry about that.
Also, we fly to Siem Reap tomorrow so we may or may not be able to post tomorrow. We will see if we can get to an internet cafe.
Today was a good day for me. much Joy at NewSong, wonderful girls. So often we thought (and talked about) what a privilege it was to witness the transformation of lives. To watch kids laugh play and goof off with each other knowing what they have suffered is amazing. ... and yes, i held it together!
Brian.
Today we went to New Song. Many of the girls there have been rescued from Svay Pak. It was great to be able to be there on a Friday because the girls have a sports day in the afternoon. They were having fun, laughing, competing, and hanging out. If was rally stretching to think that these girls had been abused by men some of them only weeks ago, yet there they were just wanting to be young girls.
Reading the newsletters, the books, watching the DVDs has all been good, but there no substitute for being here and seeing the smiles on the faces, hearing the giggles, seeing the art work, and understanding the changed lives. You cannot come here and experience this without it changing your heart.
There is an almost finished building in Svay Pak that was intended to be the biggest brothel. But because the good have stood up and not let evil have the victory it is up for sale. Pray that this tower intended for evil will become a lighthouse for this community.
Steve Friebel.
--------------------------------------------
Friday 4th September 2009
Today has been spent in the presence of Don & Bridget Brewster and the girls from NewSong. Don and Bridget are a remarkable couple. On seeing a documentary on the sex trade in Cambodia they packed up and left the US to set up NewSong. Another great example of two people who are just doing their Christian faith – a common denominator amongst the people we have met this week.
NewSong is a home for 54 girls who have been subjected to some of the most horrendous abuses imaginable – and some you couldn’t and would not want to. These guys are aged between 5 and 22 though the average age runs in about 12. Some have come from Svay Pak and some from elsewhere in the country. Every one of them has been trafficked for sex. Now I guess you could say that they are some of the ‘lucky’ ones who have been rescued and have a future ahead of them. Yet each one has a story.
One was trafficked into Malaysia and dumped back over the border after she was found to be seriously ill. Another was sold by her parents and escaped only to be picked up on the street by a foreign paedophile and abused again – not just once but on two separate occasions. I could go on…
Today was a million miles from those days – it was sports afternoon. Divided into 2 teams – the suns and the moons – the girls faced the first challenge. Eat a piece of fruit suspended from the volleyball net on a piece of string with no hands. Sounds easy – not when you are not yet 3 feet tall and only 5…! Each team cheered their competitors loudly and enthusiastically until the last one had finished.
In addition to medical and psychological care, the girls are schooled and given vocational training. This can be sewing, beauty, photography, cookery and much more. Daily devotions are at 7am. You know - no statistical analysis can explain how a child from the brothels can once again become childlike having had all their innocence removed at the hands of a cruel paedophile. Yet here we see God at work in young lives bringing about an absolute change in 54 scarred young lives.
It was so great to see kids allowed to be kids and to see the love and support offered to each other. Together these girls are coming through the circumstances which have held them captive. Together they are finding acceptance and value. And together they are encountering the love of a Saviour who died for them. When you look into the eyes of a child who has been abused by a man and they smile back in acceptance it does something to you which no words can explain. I count it an honour to have spent some time with them.
Tomorrow we fly to Siem Reap and at the time of writing are unsure if we have internet access – if not updates will resume on Monday!
Steve Norman
-----------------------------------------
Everyone is getting on with each other very very well. Such a sweet bunch - all guys - but I just feel like one of them. To be with these guys would cancel anybody’s dismal opinion of men. These guys are fed up with injustice - particularly regarding exploited/trafficked children and they are putting feet to it and doing something about it. They have accepted the responsibility for their gender and it is highly unusal and very exciting. No wonder God is all over this work…blessing in powerful ways. When big men cry - God listens.
Yesterday we went to Svay Pak where the children from the brothels go for a kid's program – totally Christan based, Khmer run and Ratanak funded. I don’t know the exact number of kids – probably 60 or so were there. Your heart would break in two if you saw them and realized what kind of life they are living after 5:00 pm. And – they are soo small – tiny little people that should be playing dolls or kitchen or in a sandbox with My Little Pony. This is OUTRAGEOUS! I noticed that after the kid’s program at Rahab’s house (in the brothel area) where they sang songs, heard stories, watched little skits, and then did a craft – making beaded necklaces – they prayed and left in very orderly rows. Some ran home and changed to work the night shift. Yes this is true. They came back out onto the street with their hair all pretty, in shiny pretty dresses, earrings on and lipstick applied. The atmosphere in the area was changing - the war was about to ignite in the streets again. Good versus evil. Can you imagine that men would stop off for the sevices of a seven year old girl before making his way home to his family? Like going through the Tim Horton’s drive through for a coffee? What an abomination.
Today we went to the high security rehab centre called NewSong that Ratanak funds. This rehab centre is for those girls freed from brothels. Fifty four girls live here and there is a rotating staff of 60 nationals. These nationals teach, act as room Moms’, cook, counsel, taxi, liase and so on. The girls look so clean and well kept and it is a joy to see smiles and happiness (or in some cases the appearance of apprehensive, growing trust). Some have been there for a couple of years and others as recent as two weeks. Where did these children come from and what are their stories? All the accounts would sound the same but different. They came from a dark, disgusting place – waiting for their next customer to arrive – waiting to be severly abused and treated as disposable machines – sold by parents to pimps – trafficked across borders to literally be held captive as sex slaves. Almost incomprehnsible – except that when you have a little one squeeze up beside you on the bench – you can feel her pain and her need for kind, safe, female flesh.
What did the pedophile take from her? Everything. Family – worth – health – self resepct – trust – hope – home – safety – good nutrition – education….the list goes on and on. She’s paid a price that far exceeds anything I can compare it to. SHE – HAS – LOST – EVERYTHING.
Only through rescue, rehabilitation, restoration and hope is there any chance of her becoming whole again. And, once at a place of refuge such as New Song – where everything is there for her benefit, she has the time, the place, the support to unravel the twisted mengerie of her few short years on earth. She has been rescued.
Oh yes, the pain in Cambodia is very dense and on so many levels. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally we are doing well - just pray that it stays like that. Pray too that God would unveil His perfect will for our lives as we seek justice for these children.
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Beth
--------------------------------
Just in case you are wondering We have been trying to up load photos without success. the internet is just too slow. We will post photos on the Ratanak website after we return home. Sorry about that.
Also, we fly to Siem Reap tomorrow so we may or may not be able to post tomorrow. We will see if we can get to an internet cafe.
Today was a good day for me. much Joy at NewSong, wonderful girls. So often we thought (and talked about) what a privilege it was to witness the transformation of lives. To watch kids laugh play and goof off with each other knowing what they have suffered is amazing. ... and yes, i held it together!
Brian.
Next Morning - it sinks in.
Next morning - Ok I have to be blunt.
After almost 20 years God continues to answer my prayer to keep my heart soft no mater what I see in Cambodia. I am a bit of a mess. This stuff is overwhelming. Yesterdays post indicated the confusion re affection of the kid out at Svay Pak. I received an email from Lisa which contained this...
"I remember Pastor Chantha saying to us the kids know who are the safe people...anyone who comes to Rahab's house they will hug and play with either male or female...but if the adult males don't come to Rahab' house and are just in Svay Pak, the kids scatter."
This line somehow gave me permission to retroactively accept the affection of the kids from yesterday. I am an emotional mess this morning. The way I feel about this right now causes me to worry about just how much of this I can take. I fear going out to Svay Pak again. I fear going to meet girls in another program who I have prayed for for for 5 years but never met.
I bring a team of new people out here for training and me the "experienced one" feels, once again, totally broken by this stuff. I know loving these kids is a gift but sometimes it is a gift that just seems too heavy. Pray that I would simply be able to see as Christ sees but hold it together.
Brian.
After almost 20 years God continues to answer my prayer to keep my heart soft no mater what I see in Cambodia. I am a bit of a mess. This stuff is overwhelming. Yesterdays post indicated the confusion re affection of the kid out at Svay Pak. I received an email from Lisa which contained this...
"I remember Pastor Chantha saying to us the kids know who are the safe people...anyone who comes to Rahab's house they will hug and play with either male or female...but if the adult males don't come to Rahab' house and are just in Svay Pak, the kids scatter."
This line somehow gave me permission to retroactively accept the affection of the kids from yesterday. I am an emotional mess this morning. The way I feel about this right now causes me to worry about just how much of this I can take. I fear going out to Svay Pak again. I fear going to meet girls in another program who I have prayed for for for 5 years but never met.
I bring a team of new people out here for training and me the "experienced one" feels, once again, totally broken by this stuff. I know loving these kids is a gift but sometimes it is a gift that just seems too heavy. Pray that I would simply be able to see as Christ sees but hold it together.
Brian.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Overwhelmed in Svay Pak
My Office is the Community
This afternoon we drove out to the infamous village of Svay Pak, known for providing very young children for sex including for westerners vultures. During the past few months I have read many book and articles about that community- its sadness, and pain inflicted by men, many from my own country.
As we entered into Rehab House which used to be a brothel, we received a bright and warm welcome by the pastor. He was one of those people that you feel immediately comfortable with. He walked us around the facility and showed us the great ministry that was going on- a whole raft of young kids singing to Jesus and learning a Bible story, and adults lined up for medical care. This place was happening.
After a while a small group of us had the opportunity to hear from this young pastor. We learnt that he had never wanted to minister here because he had heard many bad stories about the community. But he said never say no to God as where to you are to minister because of course that is where God will place you. I learnt that the pastor was marred with a young son named David.
Then a young man from the US who works with the pastor said that he was his hero. The young westerner, who has lived here for more than two years, stated that the pastor had made a huge impact in the community despite being there for only four months. The church was growing… Sunday school numbers were increasing… the church had many portals of entry into the community and as a result people would call on him day and night.
The young pastor had started a gym time for the criminals in the community. The pastor would lead a short Bible study and then would work out with these gangsters. Talk about a work out! We then went with the pastor walking through the community to meet the ex-witch doctor who was now a Jesus follower. Along the muddy streets many people greeted him warmly. We learnt that he had visited their homes in time of need and provided food for those who were hungry.
When we got back to the church one person asked if he had an office. The pastor proclaimed with a great smile that, “the community is my office”.
No wonder miracles are happening in Svay Pak
Stephen Lauer
September 3, 2009
----------------------------------------------
I have few words to express today, lets start much earlier…
Years ago I sat in a tension filled van as we drove in a police convoy towards Svay Pak. In minutes we would be speeding into the community to exercise warrants on several buildings. As we entered the entire community convulsed as prostitutes, pimps child sex slaves and brothel owners scattered into the alleys, out windows, over verandas and across the roofs. - for this was a dangerous and hostile criminal business community. The product - children.
Today I drove into the same community. We pulled up outside one of my old crime scenes to be greeted by the sound of children singing about “Brea Yesu” (Jesus) The loud singing was coming from a group of tiny and beautiful children clearly enjoying themselves. I got out of the vehickle and went to the doorway and stood and watched them sing and do the actions. Many of their faces are known to me. I even know their names but I had never met them. I lasted only about a minute before having to retreat to the street and clear my head. The emotions were, and to a large extent still are, overwhelming and words cannot possibly describe the experience. You see I also know some of their stories and I know this community well. I regained my composure and went back in to visit with the kids. The first child to march up to me was “SN” – some of you know her. We have been praying for her a lot lately her sale having been prevented some weeks ago. She is tiny, beautiful and very engaging. “My name is “SN”. How are you? What is your name? “ She took my hand as I crouched down to speak to her _ was already smitten! I could instantly understand how Lisa, the Ratanak rep from Toronto, had fallen for her some time ago. She was here surrounded by Christians because her grandmother refused to allow her to be sold - a miracle and an answer to much prayer. What an indescribable joy to see her there.
Further inside I came across an instantly recognizable face of a little girl. She is skinny, feisty, pouty, cute, energetic and absolutely in your face seeking attention. We had used her photo on some Ratanak literature time ago. She was every bit as huggable as she had seemed in the photos but hugging was not an option. This child has seen the dark side of adult male “affection”. She jumped up on me for a big hug. I was both instantly thrilled and appalled having no clue if this was normal childlike affection or something far more twisted. The sense of normal social boundaries does not exist for many of these kids. Rather than hug we simply held hands and when this became too boring for her I started to swing her in the air. She was delighted. It was personal, yet safe. Well as you can imagine that started something… my arms are still sore.
At the end of the day we watched a volley ball game outside in the street. There was a carnival atmosphere – much laughter, and playfulness. Not the Svay Pak I knew in the past.
The atmosphere was tempered by some of the other small kids who had returned to get their swings from us. Just like the others they too loved to be swung around. But it was now late afternoon they had gone home and changed and returned all dressed up. Several had lipstick on. We played our childish little games with them to their delight trying not to think of the horrendous adult world into which they would once again be delivered this evening. As I write they are “on shift” and I am speechless.
Brian.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday 3rd September 2009
And I thought that yesterday was a difficult day to translate thoughts into words…
This morning it was a delight to meet with Helen Sworn and members of her team. These guys run Chab Dai – a coalition of 44 organisations who are involved at every level of this living evil that is human trafficking. Helen is passionate and utterly dedicated to eradicating this horrendous crime from this nation – and for that matter the nations of the world. Working at all levels from the highly strategic to the grass roots - Chab Dai is and its staff are truly inspirational.
Then… after lunch we headed out to Rahab’s House in the heart of Svay Pak. This is for the most part an ethnic minority area of around 3000 inhabitants living in largely squalid conditions. This is also the place where paedophiles come to pray on children who are offered for sale – children often young enough to be still in kindergarten. As we pulled up and clambered out of our somewhat full vehicle the sound of singing permeated through the air – the voices of children singing praises to God. In the midst of this absolute darkness the light is shining.
Touring round Rahabs’ House I stumble upon a small room about 6 feet square painted in a garish pink. This room is a reminder to the dark past of this place – it is what can perhaps best be described as a rape cell. You see Rahab’s House was once a notorious brothel offering children for sale. This cubicle was one of many which are now destroyed. In their place is a centre where the community can seek medical care and where the children can find safety for a small part of their life. On a Sunday over 170 people meet in this place for church. Jesus is alive and very well indeed in the midst of Svay Pak.
At the closing of the singing I accompanied Pastor Chanta (who has lived here only four months) on a tour of the village. First we meet a woman who was one of the largest suppliers of kids to western paedophiles – indeed selling her own children at one stage. Now she is deeply converted and works alongside the church community to remove this blight. If that was not enough, we now go and meet the village fortune teller. Four months ago he suffered a stroke which paralysed him – adding to his already poor health. Pastor Chanta started to visit him and after three months this man – the equivalent of the village witch doctor – accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour. To add to that he was totally healed. Like I said – Jesus is very much alive and well here.
Now we go to The Lords Gym next door to Rahab’s House where Pastor Chanta leads bible school classes - before a workout – with heroin dealers and pimps alike. Many of these also now attend the church.
We are led to a building 2 doors down which was being constructed to provide the largest and best equipped brothel in Svay Pak. A place where paedophiles could come and stay and fulfil their most lewd and filthy cravings with boys and girls alike. After some changes the owner has not completed the building. The church have first refusal to purchase this building for school where the children of Svay Pak can come to learn. The cost of purchase and completion will be between $70 and $100,000 (approx. £50 - £75,000).
So can this whole experience go any further? Oh yes…! I now find myself in a muddy street outside playing games with some of the children from the service. Children who are now, as I type, for sale… In all honesty I cannot put my thoughts and feelings into words. I am deeply distressed, grieved, saddened and even angry that humanity can stoop this low – to sell your own child to a stranger for sex. And yet I am also honoured and privileged to have spent such a short time in their company and in the presence of a staff so absolutely committed to being the light of Christ in this community. I am heartened and encouraged by testimony after testimony of Gods grace at work.
You know – in our western ‘civilised’ society – we have to ask ourselves some deep searching questions when we know these atrocities happen every day of every week of every year. Helen asked the question – “What is the heart of the church for the vulnerable?” I know what the heart of Christ is for these little ones – I know he weeps tonight over the boys and girls in Svay Pak who are being ritually abused – do we? I ask you this same question…
Steve Norman
This afternoon we drove out to the infamous village of Svay Pak, known for providing very young children for sex including for westerners vultures. During the past few months I have read many book and articles about that community- its sadness, and pain inflicted by men, many from my own country.
As we entered into Rehab House which used to be a brothel, we received a bright and warm welcome by the pastor. He was one of those people that you feel immediately comfortable with. He walked us around the facility and showed us the great ministry that was going on- a whole raft of young kids singing to Jesus and learning a Bible story, and adults lined up for medical care. This place was happening.
After a while a small group of us had the opportunity to hear from this young pastor. We learnt that he had never wanted to minister here because he had heard many bad stories about the community. But he said never say no to God as where to you are to minister because of course that is where God will place you. I learnt that the pastor was marred with a young son named David.
Then a young man from the US who works with the pastor said that he was his hero. The young westerner, who has lived here for more than two years, stated that the pastor had made a huge impact in the community despite being there for only four months. The church was growing… Sunday school numbers were increasing… the church had many portals of entry into the community and as a result people would call on him day and night.
The young pastor had started a gym time for the criminals in the community. The pastor would lead a short Bible study and then would work out with these gangsters. Talk about a work out! We then went with the pastor walking through the community to meet the ex-witch doctor who was now a Jesus follower. Along the muddy streets many people greeted him warmly. We learnt that he had visited their homes in time of need and provided food for those who were hungry.
When we got back to the church one person asked if he had an office. The pastor proclaimed with a great smile that, “the community is my office”.
No wonder miracles are happening in Svay Pak
Stephen Lauer
September 3, 2009
----------------------------------------------
I have few words to express today, lets start much earlier…
Years ago I sat in a tension filled van as we drove in a police convoy towards Svay Pak. In minutes we would be speeding into the community to exercise warrants on several buildings. As we entered the entire community convulsed as prostitutes, pimps child sex slaves and brothel owners scattered into the alleys, out windows, over verandas and across the roofs. - for this was a dangerous and hostile criminal business community. The product - children.
Today I drove into the same community. We pulled up outside one of my old crime scenes to be greeted by the sound of children singing about “Brea Yesu” (Jesus) The loud singing was coming from a group of tiny and beautiful children clearly enjoying themselves. I got out of the vehickle and went to the doorway and stood and watched them sing and do the actions. Many of their faces are known to me. I even know their names but I had never met them. I lasted only about a minute before having to retreat to the street and clear my head. The emotions were, and to a large extent still are, overwhelming and words cannot possibly describe the experience. You see I also know some of their stories and I know this community well. I regained my composure and went back in to visit with the kids. The first child to march up to me was “SN” – some of you know her. We have been praying for her a lot lately her sale having been prevented some weeks ago. She is tiny, beautiful and very engaging. “My name is “SN”. How are you? What is your name? “ She took my hand as I crouched down to speak to her _ was already smitten! I could instantly understand how Lisa, the Ratanak rep from Toronto, had fallen for her some time ago. She was here surrounded by Christians because her grandmother refused to allow her to be sold - a miracle and an answer to much prayer. What an indescribable joy to see her there.
Further inside I came across an instantly recognizable face of a little girl. She is skinny, feisty, pouty, cute, energetic and absolutely in your face seeking attention. We had used her photo on some Ratanak literature time ago. She was every bit as huggable as she had seemed in the photos but hugging was not an option. This child has seen the dark side of adult male “affection”. She jumped up on me for a big hug. I was both instantly thrilled and appalled having no clue if this was normal childlike affection or something far more twisted. The sense of normal social boundaries does not exist for many of these kids. Rather than hug we simply held hands and when this became too boring for her I started to swing her in the air. She was delighted. It was personal, yet safe. Well as you can imagine that started something… my arms are still sore.
At the end of the day we watched a volley ball game outside in the street. There was a carnival atmosphere – much laughter, and playfulness. Not the Svay Pak I knew in the past.
The atmosphere was tempered by some of the other small kids who had returned to get their swings from us. Just like the others they too loved to be swung around. But it was now late afternoon they had gone home and changed and returned all dressed up. Several had lipstick on. We played our childish little games with them to their delight trying not to think of the horrendous adult world into which they would once again be delivered this evening. As I write they are “on shift” and I am speechless.
Brian.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday 3rd September 2009
And I thought that yesterday was a difficult day to translate thoughts into words…
This morning it was a delight to meet with Helen Sworn and members of her team. These guys run Chab Dai – a coalition of 44 organisations who are involved at every level of this living evil that is human trafficking. Helen is passionate and utterly dedicated to eradicating this horrendous crime from this nation – and for that matter the nations of the world. Working at all levels from the highly strategic to the grass roots - Chab Dai is and its staff are truly inspirational.
Then… after lunch we headed out to Rahab’s House in the heart of Svay Pak. This is for the most part an ethnic minority area of around 3000 inhabitants living in largely squalid conditions. This is also the place where paedophiles come to pray on children who are offered for sale – children often young enough to be still in kindergarten. As we pulled up and clambered out of our somewhat full vehicle the sound of singing permeated through the air – the voices of children singing praises to God. In the midst of this absolute darkness the light is shining.
Touring round Rahabs’ House I stumble upon a small room about 6 feet square painted in a garish pink. This room is a reminder to the dark past of this place – it is what can perhaps best be described as a rape cell. You see Rahab’s House was once a notorious brothel offering children for sale. This cubicle was one of many which are now destroyed. In their place is a centre where the community can seek medical care and where the children can find safety for a small part of their life. On a Sunday over 170 people meet in this place for church. Jesus is alive and very well indeed in the midst of Svay Pak.
At the closing of the singing I accompanied Pastor Chanta (who has lived here only four months) on a tour of the village. First we meet a woman who was one of the largest suppliers of kids to western paedophiles – indeed selling her own children at one stage. Now she is deeply converted and works alongside the church community to remove this blight. If that was not enough, we now go and meet the village fortune teller. Four months ago he suffered a stroke which paralysed him – adding to his already poor health. Pastor Chanta started to visit him and after three months this man – the equivalent of the village witch doctor – accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour. To add to that he was totally healed. Like I said – Jesus is very much alive and well here.
Now we go to The Lords Gym next door to Rahab’s House where Pastor Chanta leads bible school classes - before a workout – with heroin dealers and pimps alike. Many of these also now attend the church.
We are led to a building 2 doors down which was being constructed to provide the largest and best equipped brothel in Svay Pak. A place where paedophiles could come and stay and fulfil their most lewd and filthy cravings with boys and girls alike. After some changes the owner has not completed the building. The church have first refusal to purchase this building for school where the children of Svay Pak can come to learn. The cost of purchase and completion will be between $70 and $100,000 (approx. £50 - £75,000).
So can this whole experience go any further? Oh yes…! I now find myself in a muddy street outside playing games with some of the children from the service. Children who are now, as I type, for sale… In all honesty I cannot put my thoughts and feelings into words. I am deeply distressed, grieved, saddened and even angry that humanity can stoop this low – to sell your own child to a stranger for sex. And yet I am also honoured and privileged to have spent such a short time in their company and in the presence of a staff so absolutely committed to being the light of Christ in this community. I am heartened and encouraged by testimony after testimony of Gods grace at work.
You know – in our western ‘civilised’ society – we have to ask ourselves some deep searching questions when we know these atrocities happen every day of every week of every year. Helen asked the question – “What is the heart of the church for the vulnerable?” I know what the heart of Christ is for these little ones – I know he weeps tonight over the boys and girls in Svay Pak who are being ritually abused – do we? I ask you this same question…
Steve Norman
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