Moved In!

These past few days I think we have gotten a taste of what a new mother must feel like when a baby is born!   One's time is no longer their own! :-) Saturday was the move in day for 13 young women into the RAP home. We were dealing with a whole bunch of new schedules, with many needs and different requests coming all at the same time and young women with various emotions,  It was an early start first picking up a suitcase of supplies at 7am that a team from Canada had just brought over and then arriving at the RAP home at 7:30am. Some of our staff were already there. One of home advisors was already preparing the initial lunch meal. Within the next week the young women will then begin the journey of preparing meals for each other. But for these first few days we felt it was necessary to just welcome them and help them get settled in. 

Sophea (Home Advisor) preparing fried chicken for lunch

 Over night our Home Advisors had prepared and label the rooms with the following names: Faith, Hope, Love, Peace and Joy. It is our prayer that each of the young women will truly experience all of these attributes as they spend time at the RAP home.

The ''Faith'' bedroom

The ''Peace'' Bedroom

The first group of young women arrived just after 8am with their caregivers along with their suitcases, body pillows, stuffed animals, books and other paraphernalia. One young woman even brought her own little fan. 

Stuffed animals on top of a suitcase

School books and personal belongings

Our staff welcomed them and brought them into the main greeting area to review the schedule that was on the white board so that they could learn what would be happening over the course of the day.

Young women listening to Malak (Psychosocial Coordinator) discussing the schedule for their first day

 We all helped them carry their suitcases and items to their assigned rooms but we had not assigned beds as yet. Given that the two groups of young women were arriving at different times we wanted to wait till the second group had arrived so that together the roommates would each choose a number that would determine the bed that they would have.

Unpacking items in the bedroom

No sooner had the first group and carried their stuff into their bedrooms, the second group of young women arrived. This group had less items to bring but similar to the first set of young women were the familiar stuffed animals, pillows and books in their luggage. They too were given an overview of the day’s activities and took their stuff to their assigned rooms.

Second group of young women's items arrive

 Once the young women were in their rooms, it was time to pick a number (drawing straws) to determine which bed they were given. With that all done, we had scheduled a break time with their caregivers from our partner organizations so that they could have one last opportunity to spend time with their caregivers before saying goodbye to them. As an entire group, we formed a circle and spent time praying for this new chapter in these young women’s lives and then it was time for the farewell.

The farewells were not easy for one set of young women. It was clear how attached they were to their caregivers and even as they left, several of them stood at the gate entrance with tears in their eyes, some sobbing quietly. My maternal instincts came out in full force as did those of my staff as we simply held them. For these young women who have endured so much in their lives, it was a bitter sweet moment, saying goodbye to those whose tangible expressions of love had been healing to their wounded souls. Yet here they were, in a new environment, having to trust a new set of people and develop new relationships all over again. I can’t help but admire the courage and the resilience God has built into their hearts to keep moving forward and to face the challenges ahead.

Unpacking

Once their caregivers left, it was time to unpack and begin this new journey with new friends. Some young women were very organized and managed to set up their clothes cabinet very quickly so while they were waiting time for the others, I joined one of our other staff and played a game that the young women had brought with them. It was a time of just relaxing and having a few laughs together.

One of the Young Women organizing her clothing cabinet

Nary (Operations Manager) playing a Khmer game with a couple of the young women

Young Women's cell phones and lights being charged --feeling at home!

Lunch time came by quickly and our first time together as one big family. One of the girls who is full of energy and enthusiasm had helped set the table in a joyful manner. It was clear that she was just excited to be here.

After lunch, it was suppose to be a rest time but I found myself playing badminton in the mid afternoon heat for 25 minutes with one of the young women. All those years of playing competitive badminton is coming in handy here---talk about some good exercise! Other young women were watching TV, playing video games and reading in the library. The emotional farewells in the morning had given a way to an afternoon lightness among the group as they began to get familiar with their new home. At 2pm, it was time for them to receive their bicycles---our staff had numbered their bikes and the girls had to chose numbers from one to thirteen.

Young Women's bicycles with helmets

Going for a ride!

Some of the young women decided to try out their bikes and explore their new neighborhood surroundings and then following that it was time for a mid afternoon snack ---a cake from our friends at Bloom Cafe that was donated from one of our partner churches in Canada.

"Welcome Cake'' from Bloom 

After dinner it was time to go over the Young Women's Handbook. This is a book that our Technical consultant Julie had helped us create. It has been a wonderful tool that we gave the young women to review to determine whether this program would be of interest to them. The Handbook contains all sorts of information on different aspects of living in a community home and it is a tool to manage the young women's expectations so that they are well informed on what they can expect during their time here. Our Counselor and Social worker went over the handbook  to address any initial questions and provide clarification that the young women would have.   

Soklin (Counselor) & Sereyrom(Social Worker) reviewing the Young Women's Handbook with the young women

It was a long day but by evening some of the young women were relaxing and checking out their favorite online programs on the computers. Others were just quite happy to just take it easy.

Relaxing at the computer room

Our two senior staff --Nary and Malak were totally wiped after navigating many different questions and situations during the day.

Nary (Operations Manager -left) and Malak (Psychosocial Coordiantor - right) taking a much needed break 

They had a brief time out before we went up to the ''Joy Room'' with our home advisors---this is the TV/Recreational room and had a group meeting with the young women. We formed a circle and holding hands together joined in prayer for the Young Women. Following that, we went around to each of the bedrooms and then asked if there was any specific prayer requests that the young women had so we could pray with them right then and there. Many of them were asking for  good health, the ability to do well at school, to get to know our staff better, for Jesus to increase their faith and for God to bless them with a deep love for their other housemates and our RAP staff. I am humbled by such prayers of these young women and their capacity to adjust to new surroundings with new challenges. Despite what has been two long days, the physical tiredness is nothing compared to the deep joy that we are experiencing of spending time with our young friends, laughing with them as they tease us and tease each other. 

Slippers - Good night from the RAP home

By 9pm it was time to head home and as I took this last picture of the slippers, I was reminded of the different gifting, different talents, different personalities of each young women who is staying at the RAP home. We feel so blessed at having this privilege of journeying with them. We look forward to seeing how the Lord continues to give shape and form the passions He has planted deep within their hearts for He has fearfully and wonderfully made them!  

Stay tune for Day 2 --- visiting church and our first outing as a group! 

Washing Feet

Its the night before the anticipated arrival of the young women who will be moving into the Ratanak Achievement Program(RAP) Community home and this past week we have been going on overdrive as there has been so many little details to work through and some unexpected situations that have arisen so it has felt like one big juggling act.

Preparing to wash each other's feet!

But in the midst of all the crazy and busyness of our schedules, earlier this afternoon we decided to take time to reflect on John 13:1-17 and to follow the heart of our Lord in washing each other's feet as a symbolism that we want to love and serve each other and the young women who move into the RAP home just like Christ did for His first disciples. This idea first came to me when I was in Canada. I was listening to a worship song one day in church called Humble King and when I read the verse ''He washes the feet of the weary'' I had prayed that God would do that for me. Well He did do it in a most unexpected answer to prayer for at that very moment a few seats away, my senior pastor's wife Shymala was also worshipping the Lord when she sense God prompting her to wash my feet after she was singing through the same verses that I had read.

Shymala washing my feet in Canada!

Washing feet is a very humbling experience---and here in Cambodia, it is not a common sight for a person in a position of leadership to necessarily humble themselves to serve the masses for it is a culture where hierarchy exist and where respect for those in a higher position and authority is inherent and where the view ''the boss is always right'' is ingrained in mindsets.  All of this can be a challenge to navigate as one seeks to model the servant heart and humility of Christ and to lift up those who are viewed as the lowest on the proverbial totem pole.

Our staff washing each other's feet and then praying over each other

 So today, I shared several points from John 13 about how Christ showed the full extent of his love by laying down His rights, His authority and His position and used His power to serve others rather than laud it over them. He did not do this begrudingly, He did not complain and say ''why me, why do I have to do this'', He willingly chose to serve, choose to lay down His rights for His purpose is always to build up those whom he loved and who the world looked down upon.

We were reminded that unless Christ washes us and is a part of our lives, we cannot love nor serve others in His ways. We need to be united with the Vine in order to have an impact as the branch. Yet we were challenged to consider that Jesus invested in all 12 disciples for three years knowing that one of them---Judas was going to betray him but He never treated him any less than the others. Our staff were asked to reflect on the fact that as sinners we will all hurt one another from time to time and even the young women who come into our Community home could hurt us by their words or actions,  but will we treat each other like Christ and not keep a record of wrongs or will we hold onto those grudges and be resentful and seek revenge. Will we define each other by our worst moments or will we always seek to see the good in each other? It is only through Christ pouring His Spirit in us that we can have the love and grace to encourage  each other and the young women the way Christ does.

And so in following with Jesus's example, those of us who were in  ''higher positions'' on the team started to wash the feet of those who were in a "lower position." Following this we formed a circle and prayed for each other. One of our staff in her closing prayer for the team was touched by the Holy Spirit and overcome with emotion and tears as we reflected on the enormity of how Christ responded to Judas and what He did for all of His other disciples. But she was not the only one for in our small team, others found themselves sobbing and others simply in tears through this experience.

I praise God for such moments and trust that these become memorial stones for our staff and for ourselves here that whatever we do, we are doing it for the Lord---that we will lay down our entitlements and our rights and use our ''power'' to love and serve and not focus on our own needs but seek to lift up those who are bowed down in our midst.  I hope one day we will have the opportunity to see the 13 young women in our program perform a similar act of love and service to each other by washing the feet of their fellow room mates.

Welcoming BBQ at the RAP Home!

Psalm 118:24 says ''This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it'.'' These words of scripture are so fitting as I reflect on all that has transpired earlier today. As part of the journey of transitioning from our partner organizations to the Ratanak Achievement Program (RAP) Community home, we invited the young women and their caregivers from both our partner organizations to attend a BBQ lunch so that they would have an opportunity to meet their fellow house mates.

Sothy, Sophea and Malak preparing some of the food for the BBQ

Our day started early with our staff at the RAP home arriving just before 8:00am to prepare the food that we were making today. The young women had requested octopus, shrimp, meat, chicken and vegetables ---personally its my kind of BBQ cause there is lots of meat.

Soklin BBQing Octopus:-)

The meat trays: Shrimp and Beef

 In the midst of all our decorating and cooking, we got a phone call that the bicycles we had ordered for the girls were being dropped off at the RAP home.Our desire is to help the young women live a more independent life and so they will be responsible for keeping their bicycles in good shape and can use them to ride anywhere within a 3 km radius as anything beyond that we have offered to provide them with transportation by way of a tuk tuk or through the use of our Ratanak vehicle.

Bicycles for the young women who will stay at RAP

One of the first decorations to go up was a sign that we got printed in both English and Khmer saying: ''Welcome To The RAP Home'' . In the future, when a new young woman comes to live at RAP home we will use this sign to welcome her and hopefully host a little party for her to make her feel part of the RAP family.

Soklin (Counselor), Nary (Operations Manager), Sereyrom (Social Worker)

There were 32 people including the young women who were coming to participate in today's events and so we spent the morning setting up the tables and chairs and decorating the place with balloons and streamers.

At 10:30 am, our first group of young women from the Newsong Center arrived---they were 30 minutes early but they quickly pitched into to help with the cooking and set up.

Some of the staff from the Newsong center helping to BBQ

Some of the staff from Newsong helped with the BBQ and few of the young women joined me as we had set up some plates of cupcakes made from our favorite cake place---the Bloom Training Center---One of our supporting churches had donated $100 towards a cake for our welcoming BBQ and so it was so fitting to have the staff at Bloom make our cakes---after all they too are a living testimonies of those who have overcome sexual exploitation.

Two of the young women from the Newsong center helping to organize our cup cakes from Bloom!

Cupcakes from Bloom!

As we were still waiting for the arrival of the second group of young women, the first group from Newsong decided to hang out in the ''library area'' where they sat around reading books and the magazines waiting patiently despite being hungry for their other room mates to arrive. Suddenly the front gate opened and the whole team from our other partner organization arrived. One of the special surprises was of a young woman who we at Ratanak have known for some time through the Foster Care program we have funded. It was a joy to have her join us as she too will be moving into the RAP home.

We gathered all our RAP team together so they could once again introduce themselves and we had everyone sit in mix groups so that caregivers from both organizations as well as the young women would get to know one another. Everyone still seemed a bit apprehensive and understandably so. For me personally, it was an incredible privilege and honor to welcome the entire group to the RAP home on behalf of Ratanak International. There is no words to describe seeing this dream become a reality and while we are still in the early stages, we know that the challenges are still to come. Yet, today, we wanted to focus on welcoming the young women and celebrating with them this new chapter in their journey. I shared the following message with the group:

On behalf of Ratanak International, I want to welcome you all to the RAP home. I want to especially welcome the 13 young women who have come here to today. We are so excited to have you come and stay here.  We are looking forward to walking along side you so that you can achieve the dreams that God has put in your hearts.

But first I want to thank God for the staff of our partner organizations. I want to thank you for all of your love, care and support of these young women. We appreciate your help and all that you have done to be a friend to these young women. We appreciate your partnership and your hard work. Today we come together not as staff of different organizations but as brothers and sisters in Christ---we come together as one family in God.

And to my young friends, as I was thinking of you today, I asked the Lord this morning what He would have me share with you and He gave me two bible verses for you. First, Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. God has began a good work in each of you and today, we celebrate all that you have achieved and accomplished through Christ and through the work of our friends at our partner organizations.  We celebrate your lives, we honor you. We celebrate the courage and strength you have shown to overcome different challenges and difficulties you have faced. We celebrate all the good work that the Lord has done and will continue to do in you. That is His promise to you.

But as well, the bible says in Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. This is God’s desire for you. His plan is to prosper you, to bless you, to give you hope and a future and as you come to stay at the RAP home,  we are committed to serving you, and helping you discover the dreams God has put in your heart. We are committed to walking with you just as our friends at Newsong and Hagar have done.  We are committed to helping you accomplish the great plans that God has for your lives.

So we thank God for giving us the privilege of having you be part of the RAP home. I pray that you will always experience the love, joy and peace of Christ in this home and I pray that you will discover that you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you.

Jesus loves you, Jesus cares for you, Jesus wants the best for you.  This is what we believe. We too want to model His love, His care and to give you His best. I pray that that as you stay here and as you spend time with our staff  you will discover these very truths.  May God bless you and shine His face upon you always. 

Lunch is served! 

Each table proceeded to share grace and then it was time to eat and enjoy each other's company. Following lunch it was time for some games and our Psychosocial team had come up with several games that encouraged everyone to participate. One of the first games was a ''name game''  followed by some more familiar Western games like ''hot potato'' and ''musical chairs'' using some familiar worship songs ''How Great Is Our God'' and ''Your Grace is Enough.''  The winners from these games each received a small gift. Of course we set it up in such a way that the young women would win the gift:-). All in all, there were shrills of laughter and screaming as there is nothing like a little competition to get the juices going.

Soon the celebration was over as the teams and the young women had to leave at 2pm. What a precious moment as we said good bye to each other, and two of the young women coming up not just to say goodbye but to give me a hug with the parting words of  ''see you next Saturday.'' Indeed, it was a day the Lord had made! How could we not rejoice and be glad!

As I reflect back on this day, I give thanks to the Lord for our staff. We are so incredibly proud of all their efforts as they have have been working tirelessly behind the scenes and putting in extra hours to make sure that not only this day would run smoothly but as we prepare for the young women to move in to the RAP home next Saturday November 10th, there is much to do. There are many schedules to sort through and many different items to navigate and much paper to process. Please do continue to pray for our staff, for stamina, endurance, strength, energy, unity and boundless love as this month we are all working practically 7 days a week to help facilitate a smooth transition for these young women. We do this because we want to give our best to bless these young women with the best possible care and support we can through the gifts, talents and abilities that the Lord has given to us. Pray too for the young women in this final week as they say goodbye to familiar surroundings and enter into new territory that remains unknown to them. In the midst of this change, may they know that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Pray that as they move into the RAP home that they well settle well, that God will go ahead of them, preparing their hearts and preparing the way, that He will cultivate a special bond of love between each other.

Another Visit to the RAP Home

Today we had a second group of young women visiting the RAP home from one of our other partners. We were expecting 6 young women, but 5 came as 1 of them had to return to her province unexpectedly for a family visit. Nonetheless, it was once again a wonderful opportunity to welcome these precious ones into the RAP home and to see their reactions.

Similar to the first group last week, they were all very apprehensive and shy as they entered the home. Nonetheless the tour began ---first it was to the computer room and study room area.

Nary, our RAP Operations Manager showing the computer room as our two staff (in red) stand at the back

Next stop was visiting the staff offices and the counselling room. The reaction is always the same when the girls see the counselling room---their faces light up with big smiles as the array of colors, stuffed animals and glittery items all create an atmosphere of joy and comfort.

Our three home advisors joking around as Nary chats with the young women about the books

They all commented how beautiful the home was and how big it was and were looking forward to running around as well as relaxing in it. Some of the young women have already indicated what bedrooms they want to be in but this will be up to our Psychosocial team as they review their cases and individual achievement plans to determine who will be together in what rooms. One young woman asked if they would now be called children of Ratanak instead of our other two partner organizations but we said to them that actually we we wanted to simply call them Children of God! It is so important that these young women are not labelled by the organizations they are connected with but rather, we desire that they discover their true identity in Christ.

After the initial tour, we sat around the kitchen table to some fresh fruit and soya drinks and asked the young women if they had any questions. It is always interesting to watch the group dynamics and usually those who will be the leaders tend to be the ones who take the lead in asking questions. Slowly but surely, one young woman had a few questions and as the rest began to feel at ease, they slowly began to feel more comfortable which led to more questions. Our home advisors did a great job of also facilitating this discussion along with our Operations manager.  There were many light hearted moments but it was clear that coming to the RAP home would be an opportunity to experience more freedom and independence. At one point, as we were waiting for the other group (the caregivers of both organizations) to finish their meeting, we went and sat in the library area with our plates of fruit.  It didn't take the girls long to find some of their favorite books and magazines and they were quite happy to sit and just read just as if they were at home. Some of them asked if they could borrow the books today, but we encouraged them to wait until they had moved in and they could spend their free time reading to their hearts content. It is great to see already this kind of relaxed atmosphere. As one of our staff pointed out, the young women feel very safe here by the way they were sitting and chatting with us.

Our Psychosocial team with our partner organization 's care team

These early signs are encouraging to us as we wait for their imminent arrival but next up is a BBQ that we will be hosting this coming Saturday November 3rd for both groups of young women and their caregivers. It will be the first time they will all have an opportunity to meet their fellow housemates before the move in and we have several games planned so that they can begin to connect and get to know each other.

We continue to be thankful to the Lord for how He has gone ahead of us and prepared the way for these young women to feel at ease and at peace as they move into a new stage of their lives. May He who is the builder of everything (Heb 3:4), continue to build up and strengthen His foundations in the hearts of these young women as they encounter His love and compassion through our staff and the opportunities they will be given as they live at the RAP home.

Mourning A Beloved King Father!

Earlier this week as part of one of my regular routines to get some exercise, I took a stroll down to the Royal Palace. A couple weeks ago, the king Father Norodom Sihanouk died and his body was brought back to Cambodia as the nation mourns their king for the next 3 months. Since that time, there has been an outpouring of grief.

As I approached the palace, there was a crowd of people gathering around to pay their respects to their beloved king. Some people were sitting on the ground watching a TV screen that provided historical highlights of the king father's life.

But in the midst of all of this, one couldn't help but notice the vendors who were using this opportunity to sell all sorts of items. One vendor was selling flowers.

Several vendors had printed different photos of the king Father and were using this period of mourning to sell pictures of the the king. These vendors seem to be the most popular attracting crowds of people who were encircling them vying for the best photo.

Looking to buy a photo of the king father

As Cambodia is a Buddhist nation, many Cambodians came to offer up prayers. Candles were set up on several sections to help facilitate those individuals who had bought joss sticks to light and place in big jars in the area.

A vendor selling joss sticks

The entire area was filled with smoke as the incense from the joss stick floated up into the evening air.

The smoke however did not seem to affect those who came to mourn. People would light their joss sticks and would bow their knees where ever they happen to be to pray for the king father.

Some of the older female ''monks'' sat further back from the crowd sitting in a posture of humility. I couldn't help but wonder how long they had been sitting there but I suppose time was not important. What was more important was just sitting there reflecting on their beloved king who they revered.

It is not common to see these sights of public grief as in many Asian cultures, tears are often viewed as a sign of weakness and so they are often shed in private. Yet here were many openly showing their emotions. For a nation that is still recovering from the Khmer Rouge era and trauma from that period, scenes like this display emotional vulnerability in a corporate sense. Pray for the Cambodian people that through the sadness and loss they feel, they may experience comfort and strength from the One who can give meaning and hope to life's greatest losses.

A Visit To RAP - New Beginnings

I arrived back in Cambodia on late Wednesday night of this past week ---thankful to the Lord for the wonderful time in Canada and for a fresh burst of energy and strength to face my second year here in Cambodia. As I reflect back on this past year, I it is important to remember God's faithfulness for it is so easy to forget when we face new challenges and new opportunities before us. We need to be reminded of how God has worked in the past and that He is our Sovereign Helper and our Jehovah Jireh providing for all of our needs and going ahead of us and preparing the way for new beginnings.

His faithfulness is seen on so many levels ---

• making a way for Ratanak International to have our two MOUs (Memorandum of Understandings) within less than 1 year. 
• helping us to find a perfect place for the RAP (Ratanak Achievement Program) community home in a peaceful residential area
• providing a wonderful partnership with a local Khmer church that has many programs to empower the young women who will be living at RAP and to facilitate their transition to becoming part of a community
• amazing Khmer staff who are eagerly waiting to serve the young women
• amazing international workers who are walking along side our team here by mentoring and encouraging them
• great partner organizations who have blessed us with support on a variety of levels that we do not need to reinvent the wheel. It is a blessing to have this kind of collaboration for we all know that no one organization can put an end to sex trafficking but together, we can make a significant impact in the lives of survivors of trafficking as we share resource and use our giftings to encourage each other to run the race the Lord has set before us

I share of all of this as spiritual markers that affirm the journey that God has called us to for we are on the cusp of receiving some special young women into the RAP home. Yesterday, marked the first visit by six young women who have been staying at the Newsong center, the long term after care facility that is run by our partners at AIM. Our RAP team were fully prepared and organized with each of our staff knowing what they needed to do to welcome the young women and their caregivers. At 2:15pm the van arrived at the RAP home and our two teams gathered in the main lobby area forming a circle as we began the introductions. It was a wonderful feeling of being in one big family. In this ministry, the circles are small and so all of our staff knew some of the staff members from AIM so it felt like a big reunion with lots of laughter and smiles at seeing familiar faces. 

For me, one of the personal joys was just standing and observing our Khmer staff take the lead in all of the interactions. We see the wisdom of a measured approach in spending the time training our staff over these past few months and how prepared they were for this day. Our RAP Operations Manager Nary began the introductions in a traditional Cambodian Sampeah-- her palms together in a prayer-like fashion while bowing slightly. It is a sign of respect and politeness---she greeted each person with the words of ''Chum Reap Suor'' (hello) and introduced herself and her role. Each of us on the Ratanak team did the same and then the staff from AIM followed. Last but certainly not least were the six young women. It was pure joy watching them in these initial stages, somewhat shy and understandably so as they embark on a journey of transition, a journey that we trust will be a new beginning for them---one that will deepen the hope and the love they have already experienced as they move into this phase of their life of becoming independent young women.

Our teams split into two groups with the social workers and counselors from AIM following our Psychosocial team to the meeting room to discuss different aspects involved in the transition from Newsong to the RAP home. Our Operations Manager and our home advisors then took the young women on a tour of their new home. I simply followed along just observing and taking in all that was happening. When the tour was over, I joined this group in the kitchen as we offered the young women some drinks and fruit. It was an opportunity for them to ask questions and for our staff to address any concerns they would have as they contemplate this move. The initial shyness gave a way to question after question as the young women felt safe to ask the things that were on their hearts. Whatever nervousness there was, gave way to laughter and smiles and that led to many more questions. Our staff also asked them how they were feeling and their thoughts about moving to RAP. As they learned more, it was becoming clear to us all, that they were feeling excited at coming to this new place. Nary our RAP Operations Manager did a great job in her responses to the young women, so much so that some of them commented to her that when they grow up they would like to communicate like her and be like her because she was so articulate. When I heard this, all I could do was praise God----praise God for our staff and for their giftings at making these young women feel so at ease. 

The RAP Psychosocial team meeting with the team from AIM

One and a half hours later, the psychosocial teams of both organizations joined us in the kitchen and we all sat around like one big family as the sharing and discussions continued. It was an incredible privilege to witness this oneness of heart between our two organizations. Psalm 133:1-3 says: How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting. Indeed the harmony we felt as one big family in Christ was refreshing for we all have one focus, to love these young women, to help them in whatever way to become all whom God has destined them to be, to invest in their lives and pour ourselves out for them, knowing that as we do, we are following in the footsteps of our Lord who said ''whatever you do for the least of these you do for Me.'' We pray indeed the Lord will continue to pronounce His blessings on both of our organizations as we seek to work together to support these young women He has graciously entrusted into our care.  As the van prepared to leave and we all said our goodbyes, one of the young women gave Nary a hug. I think that says it all! Shyness and apprehension, giving a way to a tender touch, a touch that conveys love, care and acceptance!

Next week, a second group of young women will be visiting our RAP home from one of our other partner organizations and we will once again repeat the same process. The proposal to set up this RAP home that began two years ago, is no longer a dream but it is becoming a reality and these past few weeks I found myself praying for the young women who will be staying at the RAP home using the words from Jeremiah 31 and 32:

For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds.They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad. I will turn their mourning into gladness;  I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow (Jeremiah 31:11 -13)

³⁷ I will certainly bring my people back again from all the countries. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. ³⁸ They will be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹ And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. ⁴⁰ And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. ⁴¹ I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.(Jeremiah 32:37-41)

So as you think of these precious young women who will be moving into the RAP home, pray for them, for their adjustment, for this new beginning in their life, that as God continues to turn their mourning into gladness, and their sorrow into joy, they will discover in deeper ways His desire to never stop doing good for them as He faithfully and wholeheartedly replants them in this land. Pray too for our staff as they adjust to new schedules and seek to be God's hands, voice and feet to these young women. Pray that the Lord will fill them with His spirit so that they will have His inexhaustible supply of love and compassion to serve these young women with His heart and encourage them in His truth. 

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not share that this has been a 23 year journey for Ratanak and our founder Brian McConaghy whose love affair with Cambodia and heart to serve the Khmer began so many years ago. As he said to me recently this has been a very long birthing process --- 23 years is a very long pregnancy. The opening of this RAP home is a fulfillment of so much that has been in Brian's heart for many years and while it has always been his desire to serve directly through Ratanak it was always more efficient to serve the Khmer through partnerships. What was best to help the  Khmer was always far more important than any desire he may have had. Ratanak has always been a tool in the hand of Christ to do His will not Brian's nor our own personal agenda. Yet over time God has been so gracious and has honored Brian and Ratanak's commitment that has led to this new chapter in our own lives as an organization to now directly minister to Cambodian young women.  We feel overwhelmed and yet so privileged  that He would entrust such lives to us – they are just so precious. Thank you to all of you who have been walking with us on this journey. We share this moment with you knowing that you too have been so much a part of encouraging us and supporting us. Holding up our hands like Aaron and Hur so that we could keep running the race that Christ has set before us. We praise God for His faithfulness and His love as we embark on new beginnings serving in a whole new way the people we love and cherish!

Thanksgiving

Psalm 95:2 says: Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. Today as I sit here in Canada and celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend, I can't help but be thankful to the Lord for all that He has done for us at Ratanak and to praise His name!

I am thankful this day for so many things but most of all thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for who He is for being both my Lord and Savior.

I am thankful that He has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives and that plan is always to prosper us (despite our circumstances our how we feel) (Jeremiah 29:11)

I am thankful that while He doesn't need us, He so willingly uses us in all of our frailties to build His kingdom.

I am thankful for His love and for how He challenges us to manifest that love by reaching out to the poor and the oppressed.

I am thankful that He does not forget the poor. He remembers the poor for they are always engraved on the palm of His hands (Isaiah 49:15-16)

I am thankful that He challenges us to seek justice on behalf of the poor and the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17)

I am thankful for the gift of family both here and in Cambodia and that where ever we go or where ever we live, we have the opportunity to experience the family of God in new ways beyond our expectations (Luke 18:29)

I am thankful for all of our Khmer staff, for their beautiful hearts, for their love, their compassion, their gentleness and their desire to be the hands, voice and feet of Jesus to those who are hurting in their midst.

I am thankful to all of our donors ---whether they are individuals or churches or foundations for their generosity and support of our work in Cambodia

I am thankful to our partners in Cambodia - for their collaboration, their partnership, their desire to join hands to work together to make a difference in the lives of those who so often have no voice

I am thankful to the churches and supporters, for my pastor, and the many friends here and around the world who through their prayers, financial support and friendship are committed to standing in the gap not just for me but all that we at Ratanak do in Cambodia.

I am thankful to our staff in Ratanak Canada for all they do behind the scenes to facilitate the work we do in Cambodia

I am thankful for all of our volunteers in all of our Ratanak offices internationally who are using their time, their gifts, their talents to invest in lives of the vulnerable in Cambodia

I am thankful for health, strength and energy to live out God's dream for my life

I am thankful to our Great God whose love is unconditional, unfailing and limitless.