The Boys, Gangs & The Trafficker

The Boys of Svay Pak - my little brothers!

Two years ago when I first came to Svay Pak with a team we did a Vacation Bible School (VBS) at Rahab's House. At that time, there were a group of boys who attended our VBS that were part of a Svay Pak gang. They looked young but these teenagers were involved in dealing drugs and pimping some of the younger kids. They were the Svay Pak bullies and the other kids certainly seemed intimidated or fearful of them. Two years later, it is amazing to see the changes that have happened in the lives of these young boys. As Ratanak the youth pastor and Pastor Chantha have reached out to them, they no longer wear earings in their ears, they no longer are doing drugs, they no longer are selling kids. Instead, they come to school at The Sanctuary just like all the other kids. A special class has been set up to help them study English and Khmer as they have never been to school and are illiterate. This morning I sat in on their English class as Ratanak the youth pastor was teaching them English. I was surprised to see that they didn't even know how to write with a pen. It was like teaching a 3 year old child the basics. But it was impressive to see them so eager to learn and paying attention as they studied. This was a far cry from two years ago when they were often disrupting the VBS and acting out. God has indeed been transforming their hearts and the glimpses of goodness our team saw two years ago has begun to flourish even more as I have spent time with them over these past few days. I have seen them helping the other kids during the daily kids club, helping us carry chairs up to the classrooms, holding and playing with the toddlers and simply being respectful teenagers. Today when I arrived, one of them called Hao had bought me a local fruit drink made up off papaya and ice. I didn't want to offend him by refusing it despite the fact that it was made of local ice and milk--a deadly combination for diarrhea for one who is lactose intolerant so I prayed under my breadth and decided to have a few sips of it just to let him know that I appreciated his thoughtfulness. Suffice to say the Lord protected my stomach!

Later this afternoon, I went with Ratanak and some of the folks from the US team to do a walkabout in Svay Pak. On one of the back alleys which was full of mud we were about to turn back when the mother of two of the teenage twins called us to come to her little shack. They wanted us to pray over their uncle who is also a gang member. He claims the cut on his leg was due to a motorcycle injury but according to Ratanak, it was probably a gang related accident as it looked like a knife cut down the side. So we ended up laying hands over his leg, prayed for him while Ratanak translated and an older brother (another gang member) watched on. We trust that God will use these opportunities to witness to this family of His healing power and also demonstrate in some way His love through our simple efforts.

Another first happened today when an older lady came into the medical clinic for some medication. This is the first time she has ever come and it turns out that she is the brothel owner/trafficker of a well known brothel that sells underaged kids in this community. This whole incident gives a new meaning to being the salt and light in dark places. Talk about engaging in and with the darkness. God has certainly placed The Sanctuary and its staff in a location and a position to minister to the most unlikely characters and people in this community and to demonstrate a level of grace and love that we often read about in the bible but rarely see in practice. These kinds of encounters stretches one's imagination and understanding about how high, deep, wide and long is God's love for even the most unlovable and hated and is certainly pushing out the boundaries on who God is seeking to redeem in this village . Join us in praying that the Lord will give us many more opportunities to reach out to the most harden hearts in Svay Pak and as we do, that He will draw them out of the darkness into His wonderful light!

The Power of Prayer

Well folks thank you for all your prayers re: the electricity at The Sanctuary---they were answered as we got power all right---it lasted for the whole day today except for a 30 minute period just as the classes were over and everyone was going for lunch. Praise God! There is something to be said about the power of prayer to the Lord who is in control of everything. Let's just keeping praying that He will be the spiritual generator that will keep the power going both physically and spiritually in the building.

Today when I arrived in Svay Pak, I met a single mother called Paulley who was meeting with Pastor Chantha. She had her 9 month old son Daniel with her and was asking whether or not the church could help by giving her money to pay for a baby sitter for she works in a garment factory from early morning till 9pm at night. Her husband left her and her son and worst yet, left her in debt and the creditors have come knocking. What do we do with this Lord? We began to lay hands on her and pray for her asking the Lord who is a husband to the husbandless and father to the fatherless to meet her need. He is after all the God of the outcast, the God of the marginalized and the God of the brokenhearted. As we prayed she began to cry and so did I. I am always so amazed at how the Spirit of God moves and touches peoples heart despite the fact that we are praying in a language that is foreign to the person. The Spirit was clearly ministering to her as we brought her to the Throne of Grace. Her story reminds me of the crippled beggar in Acts 3 who came asking Peter for money. But Peter's reply was ' silver or gold I do not have but what I have I will give you in the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk'---and walk he did. In Cambodia and in Svay Pak even more so, the needs are plentiful and the easy solution is to give handouts but we want to give them more than money, we want to give them Christ so that He indeed can enable them to walk, no longer crippled by the bondage of poverty but empowered by the hope that Christ can offer them a new life with new hope. So we prayed to the God who owns a cattle on a thousand hills, that He will not only provide her needs but that He will will raise up a few grannies from the Svay Pak church who will catch a vision to help young mothers like Paulley by caring for their children while the mothers go to work.

Every week Pastor Chantha encounters people with needs like Paulley. They are coming to The Sanctuary asking for help, looking for answers, seeking hope for the hopeless situations they find themselves in. It would be easy to look the other way, to turn a blind eye to the conditions they are in, yet this little church in Svay Pak is being asked to be like the church in Acts 2---for the believers to be devoted to one another, to share their possessions, to be a blessing to each other and to help those in need in their midst. This is a tall order for a community that has so little , yet it is in these kind of environments, that I am reminded of a comment that 'if we want to see God do a miracle we need to place ourselves in a position for a miracle to happen.' May this be so through the power of prayer as we join with the One who can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine in Paulley's life and the many for whom she represents in Svay Pak.

We Need Power!

This morning my route to Svay Pak had a slight detour as we headed over to the Newsong Centre to pick up Bridget Brewster. Bridget along with her husband Don oversee the ministries both at the Newsong Centre and Svay Pak. We headed along a new route and made it to Svay Pak just as break time occurred ---the morning class which had started at 7:30am was now having a break at 9am when we appeared and our little friends came bouncing down the

stairs....ever try being surrounded by 100 kids who are not over the age of 7 when you are not quite awake. It's quite a sight and the noise level will wake you up whether you like it or not! Nonetheless, over the past 3 days as I have been in The Sanctuary, we have had no power ie: no electricity. This wouldn't be bad if the weather was reasonably cool but with temperatures in the high 90s and the humidity, its not a lot of fun for the teachers nor the kids. However, it's great for your skin as you feel like you are in a permanent sauna! :-) Anyway I digress.

There are 8 classrooms but on the second floor, there are no windows in 2 of the classrooms as the neighbors next door did not want to have kids screaming in the ears so to speak. So no windows were allowed. As such the volunteer teachers are left teaching the kids in an enclosed room with no air and no light when there is no electricity. This gives a whole new meaning to creative teaching!

Thankfully I get to watch and not teach but this morning God put it on my heart that we needed to pray over and anoint each room in this 5 story building especially since there was an over night flood which resulted in water leaking from a bathroom on the 3rd floor to the two lower levels. Fortunately, the water came down the steps instead of through the ceilings so the damage was minimal. All this to say, Bridget and I spent almost 3 hours praying from room to room and by the time we got to the 4th floor the electricity had come on and we had power! Praise God!

However the power was short lived---it last only for a couple hours. So now we are back praying for power 24 hours a day. Please pray for the Lord to provide a power generator as that would solve the problem.

Despite the lack of electricity, life goes on and the kids who attend the summer school are still being taught. With the class room doors open for ventilation the noise level increases in large decimels and can give any heavy metal band a run for their money! ;-) At least we know the kids are awake and are responding to what they are learning!

Medical clinic

In the afternoon the free medical clinic was open. I spent time counting pills along with others as several 'patients' sat in the 'waiting room' on the ground floor for an hour before the actual clinic was open. Bunthan who is Pastor Chantha's wife is like a 'Jill of all trades'---she wears so many hats---cooking, overseeing the clinic, dispensing medicines donated from teams who come in from the U.S and lectures the patients when they don't follow her advice. Currently there is an in-house nurse Travis who is from Texas and is spending a year here in Svay Pak. The other

'medical advisors' are some of the 'students' who know how to take a patient's blood pressure and give out specific medications for stomach pains and burns. The clinic can get anywhere between 40 to 60 patients weekly and it seems people are coming from beyond the community as the word gets out that a medical clinic is available. Even my tuk-tuk driver Mickey got into the action as we recruited him to be one of our translators for the medical clinic as his English is excellent.

An Emerging Food Court Outside The Sanctuary

While all the medical activities are going on inside, there is a buzz just outside The Sanctuary. People suddenly appear, hanging out and a small food court Cambodian style emerges. One can buy noodles, tofu, satay chicken and ice coffee as they wait around for their medical appointments. As soon as the clinic ends, the portable food court disappears! The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Cambodia!

Chicken & Beef Satay

Meanwhile, upstairs on the 3rd floor in the actually church Sanctuary the kids club is on from 2 to 3pm. Today a team from the US arrived and they along with the youth pastor Ratanak were teaching the kids various songs and providing crafts for them to do.

Kids Club

I left Svay Pak at around 4pm and got home in time to change to meet up with some of my 'other' daughters for an evening at a local pizza place. Both Srey Neth and Srey Lin (see picture below) have given me their permission to use this photo. These two were originally at Newsong when it first opened up in 2006 and they were subsequently reintegrated to another agency which Ratanak helped established in 2007. Each year when I visit Cambodia, I have the privilege of spending time with them. They were once held in a hotel brothel whose owner ---a female was notorious for being one of the most cruel mamasans. Thankfully they survived and are both doing well. I look forward to spending more time with them on this extended visit and taking them to church with me as they have both had exposure to the gospel. Pray that the Lord would continue to water the seeds planted in their hearts as they are so open to wanting to learn more of God's word.

Srey Neth (left) & Srey Lin(right)

Coming to Summer School

This morning I headed down to Svay Pak for a 9am start time. This is a far cry from my 7:15am work day in Toronto so with all these extra hours in the morning, it has allowed me to have a longer quiet time for which I am thankful for.

The summer school classes at the Sanctuary only started last week so there are still lots of kinks to be worked out, nonetheless, it really was a joy to watch these young kids, many of whom are around 5 to 7 years old come sauntering in with a huge smile on their faces and backpacks that were almost the same size as their torsos. They have such an enthusiasm with some of them running up the stairs to go to their classes. I don't recall ever having that kind of excitement for school at their age! One of my little friends called 'T' came over to me said 'hi Lisa' gave me a big hug and in her English told me she couldn't stay to talk as she had to go to class.' She is about 7 years old but oh so very cute with her long pony tail and big eyes. She like many I saw today have such an eagerness to learn and seem just overjoyed to be here.

Then they were the young boys --- around 8 to 12 years old who offered their 'manly' services when a whole slew of plastic size chairs for kids were delivered. They all wanted to lift their own stack of chairs up to the classrooms on the upper floors. Each of them seemingly proud to help in such a way. Watching these kids who have so little and yet so willingly wanting to serve, it seems like such a far cry from kids I have seen at home. Indeed Jesus is raising up a generation here that is discovering the joy of serving. Perhaps it is because it is being modelled in the 26 students who are being discipled by Pastor Chantha. Today 'the 26' were at it again, setting up tables and chairs, helping to prepare the lunch, washing dishes and plates and cleaning up after lunch. Truly it is a wonderful sight to see such young people who instinctively offer to help at a moment's notice. There is no whining, no negotiating, no hesitation, they simply do it with a real sense of joy and love. As Pastor Chantha said to me, he couldn't do all the work in this place if it were not for these young students. God is certainly preparing and raising up a community of young people who are dedicated to Him and to blessing His people.

Church at The Sanctuary

This morning I headed down to Svay Pak with Mickey, my new tuk tuk driver thanks to Beth my Ratanak colleague who had told me about him. She and Pastor Chantha led him to the Lord about a month ago so he will now be my personalized driver to Svay Pak where he is also attending the service. That's a whole other story for another day.

The Sanctuary

We left the hotel for Svay Pak to attend the 8am church service at The Sanctuary. This is another first for me....going to Svay Pak on a tuk-tuk versus the usual air condition vans that I had grown custom to in the past. But it was a wonderful bright sunny morning with the cool breeze coupled with pollution and dust that greets one in this open air carriages. I had my Ipod and felt led to listen to a song called'Let Your Kingdom Come' and used it as a prayer as we drove along the dusty road asking the Lord to make His name be known here, to build His kingdom in this place so that everyone would know His name, to let His will be done and to establish His throne in the hearts of the people in Svay Pak and beyond.

It took us about 30 minutes to get to Svay Pak and as we pulled up to the Sanctuary the first person I saw was Bunthan---Pastor Chantha's wife. The place was bustling on the ground floor but she greeted me with a big hug and quickly escorted me up the stairs to the 3rd floor where the service was already in full progress. They had started at 7:30am. Now the Sanctuary was suppose to accommodate the growing church that had burst it seams at Rahab's House as the new building holds about 325 people. Today, there was standing room only---more people have started attending after the opening ceremonies on May 26th and so once again space is tight! Pastor Chantha is already considering the possibility of hosting two services.

Church Service at The Sanctuary

Unlike North American church services which usually finish within a 1 hr 30 min time frame, this one continued for 3 hours. Cell group leaders came up to do special songs, the youth group made up of the students that Pastor Chantha is discipling did a skit and as there was a team from California visiting, some of them gave their testimonies. In talking with young Ratanak it seems that the congregation in Svay Pak loves to hear peoples testimonies. They are encouraged that so many want to come to their village and they enjoy hearing how Christ has touched other peoples lives.

Youth Group performing a drama

After the service I had a chance to catch up with some of the kids I had met before. Many of you have prayed with me about 'SN' -- a young 11 year old Vietnamese girl who last year was almost trafficked but to this day, God has continued to protect her from being sold. She came running up to give me a hug and continued to hold my hand as we went out to meet some of the other kids, It was like if we were long lost friends. Then I heard another little voice calling my name and it was 'KL' ---she was wearing the Canada t-shirt that said 'Jesus Loves Svay Pak' --- this was a gift that several folks in Toronto had contributed to as a Christmas present to the kids who attended the kids club at Rahab's house.

Lunch at The Sanctuary

It was soon lunch time and I joined with Pastor Chanta, Bunthan and the 26 students they are discipling for a home cooked meal of steam rice, fried chicken and my favorite vegetable---morning glory---and yes it grows along the sewer but it is tasty!. I am so encouraged by these young students. All of them live in the Svay Pak area and they range in age from 16 to 20 years old. They have such servant hearts helping out at the kids club, serving in the morning services, preparing the meal, setting the tables and helping to clean up. It was like being in one big family and reminded me of the story in Acts 2 about the early church where the people were devoted not only to God's word but to each other as they spent time fellowshipping together and sharing their possessions with one another. Pastor Chantha's desire is for these students to model that community of the early church and indeed, they are already displaying such attitudes at such a young age. One student I met was the lone Vietnamese in the group of Khmer students but she is also of the Cham people group---a group that has a Muslim heritage. Yet here, there is neither Vietnamese nor Khmer, they are all God's children regardless of ethnicity or creed, redeemed by Him for His purposes and glory. Their desire is to simply follow Jesus and serve Him and His people. The Lord has already been using them as many of their parents have started to come to church at The Sanctuary because of their witness. I am looking forward to spending more time with these special young people. Somehow I think I have much to learn from them.

The Future Playground

Finally, I had a tour of the entire building and the view from the top floor was of this toxic filled garbage dump that is located at the back of The Sanctuary. Some of our Ratanak teams have commented on this particular piece of land in previous blogs. One day the vision for this section of land is to turn it into a playground for the kids who attend the school at the Sanctuary and so I couldn't help but stretch out my hands and begin to pray and claim this land, as part of the promised land that God has for the children in this community. After all, our Father in heaven longs to give good gifts to His children and so let us pray and look forward to the day when another section of Svay Pak will be transformed from a wasteland to a place of new life.

Cambodia - Day 1

It is interesting how my 'radar' goes into gear as soon as I board a plane to Cambodia. Sadly I go into a 'profiling' mindset, scanning for any single males who look like they are coming to Cambodia for 'tourist attractions' that are not the kind found in tour books. Sitting in the first row in the economy class was a 60ish caucasian man with no wedding band. I gave him a few stares and it so happened I was sitting right behind him so decided to use that time to send a few impercatory prayers up to heaven.

I arrived in Phnom Penh and was casually walking out towards the 'nothing to declare' section of the airport when I got stopped and pulled over for a search. This has never happened before but our Ratanak staff person Sotheary suggested it was probably because I was travelling alone and also looked like Cambodian :-) Thankfully, nothing came of the search as before I could unzip my bag the officer asked what I was doing in Cambodia and I mentioned that I was coming to work for an NGO and in my broken Khmer I told him I was from Canada. That ended the search and I was waved through. Such are the advantages to being a foreigner with NGO status.

Sotheary at The Bloom Cafe

I had planned on going to visit Svay Pak this afternoon but didn't make it due to some logistical issues. Instead Sotheary and I ended up at The Bloom Cafe. run by Ruth & Murray Larwill who have set up a training centre to empower victims of sex trafficking. Many of you may already have heard or read about the girls from Newsong who work there. I was surprised to see a girl from Daughters (another Ratanak project) who I had met last year at Daughters. She is now working at Bloom using her creative skills to make some beautiful cakes. The picture above is some of the cup cakes we indulged in. I am not a person who indulges much in 'sweet' things but I have to say, these cakes are quite tasty and the icing actually taste like a sorbet. The Bloom Cafe has only been around since March and yet it seems to be attracting a steady attention of both clients and visitors through word of mouth. We saw a five tier cake that one could easily mistake as a wedding cake. Instead it was being made for the birthday of the niece of the prime minister of Cambodia. God is certainly giving favor to this cafe and the girls who work here.

Well its just after 7pm here and the jet lag is starting to kick in to full gear so I shall end for now!

In Transit in Hong Kong

Hi Everyone

Well I'm in Hong Kong after a 15 hour flight from Toronto. We actually arrived ahead of our 5am schedule (HK is exactly 12 hours ahead of Toronto) so we got in at 4:15am. I managed to get 8 hours of sleep on the plane, read, journal and of course eat:-) All this to say, I feel very restful and energized. God is good...thank you for all your prayers. I don't think I have ever felt so prayed up for a trip but I feel His resurrection power and I'm not even in Cambodia as yet. But that is thanks to each of you who are journeying with me. Anyway, I have parked myself in the food court in the Hong Kong airport --- not because I'm hungry but you know we Asians like to be around food :-). In order to ensure my energy levels, I inquired of a security guard and he told me where to find a 24 hours Starbucks so I have treated myself to my usual soy latte! That will keep me going for the next few hours for sure.

So hear I am in Hong Kong. It feels weird being here on my own. Over the past 2 years I have traveled this route with teams and so as I walk the familiar jaunts here, its strange to not have the company, yet, I must confess I am enjoying the solitude. There is a freedom in not having to coordinate meeting times and worry where everyone else is gone...so my 'mother hen' mentality has given way to one of relaxation.

Thank you to those of you who I had sent a prayer request out to re: my luggage being overweight. God indeed answered your prayers as the agent at the Cathay Pacific counter didn't even notice the weight. In many ways, I feel this little event is a precursor of things to come. When I was weighing my luggage at home, I was unloading stuff as the bags were over the weight limit but I felt the Lord saying 'leave it, I will take care of it, you just trust me as I've gone ahead of you.' And He did. This is a journey of letting go of control and letting the Lord lead me one step at a time. It is a journey where He is calling me to inquire of Him each step of the way and then step out in faith. It will be a daily journey of inquiring of Him first thing in the morning of learning to trust Him at all times in all places despite the visible reality, despite my feelings or emotions. A book I was reading on the plane by Henri Houwen describes this journey of trust like this: Jesus would ask us 'Do you believe? Do you trust? Do you trust that God loves you so much that He wants to give you only life? When I try to answer, I realize how far I have to go. Much in me says 'I want to be sure that there are certain things in place before I take the leap of faith.' Every time I try to trust, I realize how many little conditions I put on trust. Every time I trust more I see how deep is my resistance. And how many levels I find that faith has not penetrated! We don't know how many levels there are but our lives are renewed each time we trust more. We take a leap of faith and trust only to see the next layer of possibility.

Why am I writing this now and what does it have to do with Cambodia. At this point, I see it as the first treasure or nugget of truth, He is depositing in me. You would think being a believer for almost 20 years that this lesson of trust would be learned but the reality is that God is always calling us to trust Him deeper and in so doing indeed our lives are not only renewed but spiritual muscle is being built within us, His foundation in us is being strengthened.

As I enter into Svay Pak for the third time in 3 years, I have no idea what to expect, but that's okay. I feel that place is Holy ground for me and so like Moses, I am called to take off my sandals--in essence to let go of any preconceived notions, to let go of any expectations and to let God lead, to go with open eyes, open ears and an open heart to hear, taste and see what He will reveal to me, what He will show me of both Himself and those who He brings into my midst. I am excited to say the least. I am hoping to pay a quick visit to Svay Pak around 2pm Cambodia time (that's about 3am Toronto time) today Sat June 5th to say hi and to hopefully get my first tour of The Sanctuary. Will try and take some pictures so that you will get a glimpse of the building now that it has been in use for 1 week!