A Trip to Mondulkiri

Thank you to all who prayed for our team and young women as we traveled by bus to Mondulkiri one of the northwest provinces in Cambodia on Feb 1. Our day started early as I left my home at 5am which was a good thing as I was heading to the RAP community home the police had already started blocking off streets as they were preparing for many to mourn the loss of the King Father Norodom Sihanouk. At that hour of the morning, while I was leaving the city, I saw many policemen and people dressed in mourning attire---white tops and black pants or dark coloured skirts making their way by foot towards the direction of the Royal Palace. I continue to be in awe of the immense respect and reverence the Khmer people have for their king and the personal sacrifices they make to mourn His lost. It makes me wonder where we are in terms of our reverence for our King and what personal sacrifices we are willing to make to honor Him!

Heading to Mondulkiri

At any rate, when I arrived at the RAP home at 5:30am, the private bus we had hired was already there and several of our young women were already standing at the gate entrance with their backpacks eagerly awaiting departure. They were wide awake, hair done, make up on, quite excited. I'm always amazed at how easy it is for young people to be up and ready to go when they want to go somewhere that they are excited about. None of them had never been to Mondulkiri---they had previously visited Siem Reap and Sihanoukville so this was a treat to a different place---a more mountainous area, that had more scenic vegetation and is known for its coffee. We opted to go on an organized tour so that our staff too could rest although they never really do as they have to keep their eyes on the young women.

One of the RAP young women singing on the bus

So off we left at 6am sharp beginning first with a prayer for safety as the excitement was building in the bus. The bus was meandering around several side streets because there were already many road closures. We finally made it out and within an hour had our first pit stop---breakfast at a local restaurant. One of the blessings of going with the Khmer is you learn to eat what they eat----although I'm not one for too much adventure eating but a traditional Khmer breakfast can be noodle soup with meat balls or pork, or rice and chicken or rice and bbq pork. Yes no bread here if you are looking for a continental Western style breakfast. As our staff and the young women were feeling a bit cold (it was about 26 degrees)--- they all ordered a noodle soup but my standard diet when I am traveling is steamed rice and fried chicken and some Vietnamse coffee ---which is a common drink for breakfast as it is made with a strong cofee---its one meal that keeps me healthy. With a full stomach, we were off again and the young women opened up the worship books that we had brought with us and began singing a selection of Khmer worship songs for 1 hour in a loud pitch.

Rubber tree plantation

Shortly there after our first picture taking stop was at a rubber tree plantation. Out came the cameras and the photo taking began. This continued at each place we visited. The young women love taking photos and posing continuously. I was tired just watching them take all the photos! I think I'm getting old!

Two of our staff looking at a mini waterfall

One of the places we visited reminded me of a smaller version of Stanley park in Vancouver with all the beautiful flowers and lush gardens. The Cambodia that I am used to seeing doesn't normally have such lush vegetation but in this part of the country, it was a wonderful opportunity to see God's creation.

Little outdoor huts with hammocks

Our next stop was to visit a village of a hill tribe. In fact,  80 percent of the population in Mondulkiri is made up of ten tribal minorities, with the majority of them being the Chunchiet from the tribe of the Phnong. The remaining 20 percent are Khmer, Chinese and Muslim Cham. Most of the population lives off the land, planting rice, fruit trees and a variety of vegetables. Others grow, coffee, strawberries, rubber and cashew nuts. The young women at RAP had actually bought packets of candy to hand out to the kids in the village. It was wonderful to see them going around to the kids on their own initiative and handing out the candy that they had purchased with their own funds. Such a desire to bless others who are even less fortunate than they are is an important part of helping the young women to know that they too are blessed to be a blessing.

Three of the RAP young women talking to the kids and passing out candy

We got a glimpse of the homes in which the tribal people live which were made of straw or hay and bamboo. With the cooler temperatures in this mountainous area, they actually have an open fire in the inside of their house.

Open fire in the center of the home

 With this open pit, the smoke fumes filled the entire home but no one seemed to be bothered by it. They were large vats lined up along the inside corners of the home and these are used to store rice wine.

As we walked around this village area, we had an opportunity to see life on the farm with pigs eating their feed and goats walking around the pasture.

Day 2 on the trip we set out early again to see several waterfalls which are found in this area. It was once again another photo taking opportunity as our young women went for a morning hike to the waterfall.

Posing on a rock

Our staff also got into the picture taking mode and every where I turned, there was a photo shoot going on.

Some of our RAP staff

We are thankful for the opportunity to take all of our RAP staff as they put in many long hours and even on this trip, they never really do get a full rest since they have to make sure the the young women are okay. Nonetheless, it was great for them to relax and just be pampered a bit. They who work on the frontlines need much care and support for their souls so that they do not burn out and we believe these trips are a small token to demonstrate our appreciation of all they do.

One of the most beautiful waterfalls we saw is the Bou Sra Waterfalls. It is stunning and some of our young women took the opportunity to change into tribal outfits of the local hill tribes in that region so that they could take some photos. Even some of our staff  got into the action, trading their regular clothes for the tribal outfits.

RAP staff in tribal outfits

It was a time to just sit in the outdoors and take in the fresh air. Many families were also touring the area and all along the waterfalls, people were simply relaxing and eating their picnic food. We were fortunate that our tour guide arrange for us to have a simple lunch of fried chicken, fried fish, mango salad, curry chicken and rice. In this setting, it was another opportunity to slow our pace down and simply relax.

One of the young women reading her book next to one of our staff

Lunch: fried chicken, fish  & mango salad

After two days of visiting different waterfalls, a park and a few villages it was time to head back to Phnom Penh. On our way back we experience God's protection over us as the front tire on our bus had a puncture. Despite the speed, the bus did not veer off to the side and we were able to stop safely. While waiting in the noon day heat, the young women and staff used the opportunity to hunt for some shade. Some came across a mango tree and I sat marvelled at their ingenuity in finding a stick and picking the mangoes. Within minutes 20 mangoes had been picked and they sat eating the green mangoes.

Mango picking!

Other staff and young women on the other hand were quite contented to find another shaded spot to just hang out and chat.

Hanging out in the shade

In all of these simple little activities, we trust that the Lord has used this time to strengthen the bonds and the relationships between our staff and the young women. As well, this mini trip a way serve to be a blessing to us all to just relax, have fun, recharge our batteries a bit and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

A Time to Mourn and a Time to Retreat

Here in Phnom Penh we are on the eve of a 4 day holiday from Feb 1 to Feb 4th as Phnom Penh prepares for the King Father Norodom Sihanouk's funeral and cremation.  An influx of people from the provinces as well as dignitaries from abroad are coming to pay their final respects and it is estimated that around 1.5 million to 3 million people will descend in Phnom Penh. For those of us who live in the city, we face road closures and many businesses along the funeral route are required to close as a sign of respect. The official mourning period is from February 1st to February 7th and this evening as I headed out for my walk, the streets are much quieter with less people. It appears that some of the residents of Phnom Penh perhaps have left the city. Hun Sen park which is usually busy in the evening with people walking and exercising was much more quieter except for the speakers that were placed in trees along the main boulevard which played Cambodian music. Along the park, large photos of the late King Father were posted and on the main streets, the security forces are out. Cambodian's special force policeman with their purple coloured motorbikes stand at the corner, holding their AK 47 guns wearing their flap jackets. In the blistering heat, I can't help but wonder if they are hot under all that gear!

Flags are lying at half mast and around the park people were wearing black ribbons with pictures of the late king.

Black Ribbons with the king father's face

With all the schools closed and massive congestion expected in the heart of the city (near where I live) and 
an 11,000 member security force including police, military policy and bodyguards present to keep things under control, getting around this part of the city will be challenging.Pray for safety and protection for all those who are coming into the city for the cremation services.

As for our team,  we are using this time to take the young women from the RAP community home for a retreat to one of the northwest provinces in Cambodia that is one of the largest in size and yet one of the most sparsely populated. I am told it can get quite chilly at night but am learning that cold is relative here in Cambodia. What's cold for Cambodians is summer for Canadians so am debating whether to take any long pants or shirts. Our young women who have been studying hard at school are looking forward to the break away from the city to spend some time in a more quiet and scenic environment. The trip is expected to take us 8 hours by bus although I imagine we will be taking many pit stops along the way so the reality is that it maybe a 10 hour bus ride. We look forward to a special time of team building and bonding with the young women. During these past few days, they have been busy buying little treats and snacks to take with them in addition to buying some new clothes from their weekly allowance. Pray for our safety in travel as we leave the city at 6am and begin the journey by bus. We plan on taking the guitar and using the time on the bus to worship, play games and of course eat and sleep (okay this latter idea of sleep maybe a bit challenging with 13 teenagers!). Pray that it will be a time for renewal and refreshment for all of us as we enjoy the beauty of God's creation that we anticipate seeing around us in this mountainous region.

Transitions & Extreme Parenting!

Christian Author Graham Cooke said "Transition is a place between promise and fulfillment where we are tested to see if we can inhabit the place that God wants to give us." As I thought about this comment, my mind wonders to the 13 young women at RAP (Ratanak Achievemnt Program) Community home who have now been staying at the RAP Community home for 2 months. All of them are in a place of transition, transitioning from a shelter environment or semi independent living group homes to this community home. The RAP Community home represents a place between promise and fulfillment for they are each on a journey, a journey towards independence, a journey towards discovering what it is like to live a more normalized life like many other young adults, a journey to discovering that God has a plan and purpose for each of their lives.

The RAP home is a place where they can enjoy more ''freedom'' than the shelter environment they have been used to. It is a place where they learn about being responsible young adults, doing daily chores---cooking for their fellow room mates, cleaning their rooms and the common areas, washing their own laundry,  doing their home work, learning new life skills, attending regular devotional times, learning how to save,  going to work and earning a wage and returning home at a set time in the early evening. But the transition is not always easy for just like many of us, transitions involve adapting to new environments, new relationships, new challenges. It is a place that offers many promises but at times we can get stuck in old habits and behaviors that prevent us from transitioning well. Most often these old habits and behaviors have been learned in environments that have been harsh. For these 13 young women, they have experienced different levels of trauma and so the journey of restoration, is often a journey of transitioning from the old to the new, from letting go of the past and moving forward with hope, that the future is full of promise. This is not always easy for when one has encountered abuse as they have, when one is treated in a degrading way, when one is repeatedly treated as garbage, when one is treated as an object to be exploited, it is easy to see why a person can believe they have no value. 

Such transitions are not easy for ''emotionally healthy individuals' for we too can get stuck if we resist change and new experiences. How much more so for these young women and those of us who act as caregivers on the frontlines. My friend and Ratanak board member Cheryl Weber describes what we do as ''extreme parenting.'' I laughed when she told me this but as I reflected more deeply on those words I realize that is probably how the Lord relates to us as well. His love is extreme--laying down His life for us while we were still sinners---talk about extreme love! His parenting skills involve being ''slow to anger and full of compassion and mercy'' when we keep sinning and falling short of His goals and desires for us. He is the epitome of patience....He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). So we too who work on the frontlines are called to reflect Christ heart to these young women to demonstrate the ''extreme love'' of Christ day in and day out. During this time it is the verses of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that we keep sharing with our staff.  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.⁸ Love never fails

Anyone who has teenager daughters know the mood swings, hormonal issues, silent treatment,  rebellious behavior and attitudinal problems that so often are seen in this age group. Add trauma to the mix and well you can witness extreme behavior. Hence the need for extreme parenting and extreme love! :-)  His agape love really is an extreme love since none of us really have truly experienced that kind of unconditional love from other humans, yet this is what Christ is calling us to do as we minister to survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation. 

Extreme love involves extreme patience as we walk with these young women who so often are still acting out related to their traumatic past. They are still learning what it means to experience a life of freedom. Such a life does not mean that they can do whatever they want, but true freedom involves making wise choices after all, their previous traumatic past prevented them from even having choices. So as they transition to a  new life, a life that offers more independence, it is a life that requires more choices. At times, they often stumble around in the darkness, repeating the same mistake and making decisions that so often hurt themselves and can impact their safety and their future potential. As caregivers, we are called to encourage them to assess and evaluate their choices, to help them understand the implications of taking one path versus another, to encourage them to make the best choice. We are called to not keep a record of wrongs when they make poor choices, but like Christ extend grace and yet speak with truth in a way that builds them up. So as you pray for the young women at RAP, please pray that the Lord will bless them with godly wisdom to make wise choices. Pray too for our staff that they will be filled with the Holy Spirit daily to endure the entourage of demands that are placed on their lives and their time.

Indeed we look forward with faith and hope that these young women will continue to transition well from a place of promise to a place of fulfillment where their true reward is living the life Christ has for them, full of potential, full of opportunity and most of all full of experiencing the deep and abiding love of Christ whose love never fails and who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! He is the ultimate example of extreme parenting offering us extreme love at all times and at all places!

Evil Has No Boundaries

This past Sunday I woke up with four words on my mind ''Evil has no boundaries.'' I was thinking about that because last Saturday I had an encounter with a French pedophile while I was walking along the waterfront with one of my Khmer friends. We had just noticed him having a seat by the water when about a minute passed and a woman and her child who looked no older than 12 years old came and sat next to him. What was interesting was his position. His back was to her as she started to chat with him. Initially we walked by but perhaps it was the prompting of the Holy Spirit that we felt we couldn't just pass by. We had to stop and look and watch. God had given His eyes to see the evil before us. The word ''evil'' is a strong word but for me there is no better word to describe the kind of atrocities that are being perpetrated against vulnerable young kids in Cambodia. It is an outright attack on the innocent and the defenseless.

French Pedophile in the middle of the photo in a white t-shirt with his back towards a mother and her daughter

We decided to sit next to the threesome and eavesdrop on the conversation. The little girl was asking for food. My friend noticed the old man passing money behind his back to give to the woman. We heard snippets of the conversation, like the girl calling the woman ''mak'' (mother') and the ''mother'' telling her that she would have to go alone. What did that mean? We sat and waited. About 10 minutes later they moved on to another section of the waterfront on a park bench that was away from the crowds. So we continued to watch. We then began to pray for the Lord to frustrate the plans of this man, to block his efforts to harm this young girl, to make him so sick and even impotent...yes I pray some outrageous prayers so that he will hate being here that he will never want to return. God brought to mind Psalm 10 at that time as I had just read it earlier that day in my daily bible readings.

Psalm 10:2 in his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.7 His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.8 He lies in wait near the villages;from ambush he murders the innocent.His eyes watch in secret for his victims;9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.He lies in wait to catch the helpless;he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.10 His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.11 He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.”12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.13 Why does the wicked man revile God?     Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? 14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand.The victims commit themselves to you;you are the helper of the fatherless. 15 Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out.

Thirty minutes passed and I began to feel more agitated and irritated. I had to do something.I wanted to plant some fear in this man but what really can I do. I think we often feel this way when we see what appears to be a ''Goliath'' situation before us.  It was so clear that this man was like a lion waiting to catch his prey. Anyway, I felt led to talk to him and share with him four words so off I went in his direction with my friend walking alongside me. He saw us coming towards him and began waving us off. I think he probably felt that we could not speak English so as I went straight up to him I said ''sir, you are being watched.'' I turned and started walking away and he got up, indeed he was a bit of a skinny Goliath over 6 feet tall but very frail looking as he must have been in his late 70s. He looked at me a bit stunned until the words sunk in and then he got up and started in my direction yelling at me ''hey, what I am being watched for." So I repeated the same words again and as he started walking towards me, I looked in the face and pointed at him saying ''don't you come near me, you are being watched.'' 

What did that accomplish? If anything I hope it created a bit of fear and doubt in his mind that where ever he went, he would feel that someone was watching him.   Indeed, someone is watching him all the time. God indeed is noticing the evil intentions of this man. Moreover, I hope that little 12 year old girl did not have to face a night of terror that evening. She had one more night free of violence. But in the midst of such darkness, we are not naive to believe that that mother will not attempt to sell her daughter again or that pedophile will not attempt to hurt another little girl for evil has no boundaries, it simply wants to seek, kill and destroy all the time, any where, anyone. Yet despite this, I call to mind the words of Psalm 10:16-18, The Lord is King for ever and ever; You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. These are the promises of God that we stand on knowing that He does see, He does hear and He does respond just as He did in the past when He sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians. So once again all of us who work on the frontlines ministering to survivors of trafficking and you who diligently pray and give --together we are called to be modern day Moses who God is sending forth to seek justice on behalf of the oppressed  into places like Cambodia, a hot bed for sex tourism and sex trafficking. This battle is not for the faint hearted, it can wear you down, it will disturb your spirit when you hear and read of man's inhumanity to a child,  it will require more than you and I can ever give but nonetheless, it is worth it--it is a fight for life, it is a fight for dignity, it is a fight for freedom, it is a fight for hope and it is a fight for love. Everyday at the RAP home,  we remind the young women how much we love them and how much God loves them. For love is the greatest apologetic.  It is the essential component in reaching the whole person in a fragmented world. The need is vast, but it is also imperative that we be willing to follow the example of Jesus and meet the need.(Ravi Zacharias)

Holiday Activities and Events

The Christmas holidays have come and gone and its back to school and work for all of us here in Cambodia.   Nonetheless, we just wanted to update you all on some of the recent festivities that remind us again of God's goodness.

Courtyard Christmas Party

On December 23rd, our partners in Svay Pak had a huge outreach Christmas Party with well over 600 people attending from the Svay Pak area. The Courtyard which is located at the back of the Sanctuary building was transformed into one big tent city as people from the community joined into what would be a 5 hour Christmas program which included all sorts of drama performances, Khmer dancing, singing by both the youth and elders within the Svay Pak church and a powerful message about the birth of Christ by Pastor Chantha. This land which just a year ago was one big sewage dump was now a place where Christ name was being exalted and preached.

Svay Pak residents taking in all the Christmas events

Story of Mary and Joseph being performed by the disciples in Svay  Pak

As I walked around, there were people young and old watching all the drama skits, listening with curiosity as scripture was read about the birth of Christ. The entire Courtyard was full of tables of people but that did not stop onlookers from around the neighborhood who were determined to not only get a glimpse of the activities but to listen in on all that was happening.

Svay Pak Residents outside of the Courtyard checking out the activities

Kids outside of the Courtyard looking on at the festivities

These people sitting on the fences or peering reminded me of the story of Zaccheaus the chief tax collector who climbed up a tree so that he could get the best view of Jesus. It was that very day that salvation came to the house of Zaccheaus and he felt convicted not only to stop oppressing the poor but he responded with restitution. Perhaps in that crowd on December 23rd, there were some Zaccheaus types---chief brothel owners, chief traffickers, chief Mamasans....we don't know but what we do know is that God's word will not return void or empty to Him but will achieve its purpose and so as it was preached through song, drama and a message of Christ's birthday by  Pastor Chantha and his team of young people, we hope and pray that that day and in the days to come, salvation will come to those who for years have oppressed the vulnerable and exploited the weak in this community and that they will have the opportunity to testify that once they were lost but now they are found by the One who came to give them a new life free from sin and a new life full of hope of a future that is beyond their wildest imaginations.

Svay Pak Youth group performing a Xmas skit

Pastor Chantha preaching about the Jesus our Savior

Pastor Chantha mentioned that he and his team of youth had fasted before this Christmas party. In all of this we believe that seeds are being planted. May the Lord plant them in good soil that will one day grow and bear fruit for His kingdom in this place!

View at Kirirom

On New Years day, our young women at RAP had a holiday so we took this opportunity to take them on an outing to Kirirom which is a mountainous region that is about 150 kms outside of Phnom Penh. It was quite the drive but once we arrived on what was a cool crisp morning, the scenes were breathtaking.  I actually thought I was somewhere in British Columbia with the mountain ranges and the surrounding greenery.

Nary (RAP Operations Manager) and Sokunthy (Home Advisor)

 With the cooler temperatures (25 degrees celsius--okay ''cool'' is all relative) the young women were dressed with sweaters and scarves. One would think we were some where in Canada. Teenage girls are very fascinating to observe....as soon as our vehicles stopped, the young women didn't waste any time jumping out of the van snapping photos left and right, posing like models with each other, giggling and laughing as they sought different venues to take photos of each other.

Some of the young women checking out the picnic site

Thirty minutes of photo taking and we were off to our picnic site in another wooded area of the Kirirom region. The young women had gotten up early at around 5am with the home advisors to cook and prepare all the food that we would be taking with that day. It always amazes me how teenagers can get up early if they are excited to go somewhere they want to go. This day was no different, they had helped fried the fish and chicken dishes and cut up the vegetables and fruits.

A view from our picnic spot

Lunch time

Many other families had come up to this area to swim and here in Cambodia, everyone swims with their clothes on because no one wants to get dark. The young women at RAP are no different, off they went after lunch in full clothing with our home advisors as they waded into the water all for the sake of a photo shot. Others were quite contented to lie in the hammock and nap, while others just wanted to read a book. Nonetheless, it was another fun time for them to relax and enjoy the fresh air as they were surrounded by God's creation.

At 2:15pm it was time to pack up and head back to the city. One of the joys of being around Cambodian youth is that everyone pitches in to clean up and help. No whining or complaining, after a fun filled day, just a ''happy tired'' as we packed up within 20 minutes with everyone carrying something back to the van and car.

We praise God for such opportunities to just rest and relax. Events such as these serves to strengthen the bonding between the young women and also with our staff and to create space for a sabbath rest from all the stresses and strains of daily living.

Merry Christmas from Cambodia

Its Christmas day here in Cambodia but it certainly doesn't feel like Christmas. Its sunny and hot and here and there we see a few Christmas decorations but sadly it is another work day here in Cambodia. The young women at RAP have school today and outside my apartment I can hear the noise of construction work at a new building nearby. As I think of all of this, I am reminded again that Christmas is not about a holiday, but it is about Christ our Savior's birth so despite the visible reality, today I am blessed to just reflect on His birth and am filled with thankfulness for His coming in such a lowly and humble way to deliver us from our sin and to give us a new life filled with hope, peace and love.

RAP Home Christmas Tree

This past week at the RAP home the young women were busy preparing for the first ever Christmas party at the RAP home on Saturday December 22nd. A few weeks ago our staff had gone shopping to buy Christmas decorations with the young women and they all began to decorate the tree and the home.

One of the young women putting up the Merry Christmas sign outside the front entrance

One of our staff finishing off the decorations

In the midst of the decorations, the young women were busy practising different dance routines. One was a Christian Hip Hop dance and the other a traditional Khmer dance known as the ''Blessing Dance''.

Practising the Blessing Dance

The Ratanak Christmas party at the RAP home was an opportunity to invite the previous caregivers of our partner organizations to come and spend time with the young women. We believe it is important for the young women to continue to keep in contact with their caregivers who have played a significant role in nurturing their journey when they were first rescued. All of these relationships are part of a journey of restoring healthy relationships where the young women feel loved and cared for knowing that there is a big family of people who are there for them as they continue their road to healing and ultimately to reintegration.

A Tent is set up for the CHristmas Party

Here in Cambodia when one is having any kind of party, you will see tents being set up at different places and along the road. We are thankful that the RAP home has enough space at the side of the building to have a more private party as we invited some of our partner organizations who have assisted us throughout this past year. As well, the young women were each given the opportunity to invite 3 of their caregivers.

Musicians from the Svay Pak Church

As part of our Christmas program, each young woman at RAP chose what they wanted to participate in...some of them were involved in the dancing, others were leading worship and others were reading scripture while other young women had created a drama skit. We didn't have any musicians so we were thankful that three of Pastor Chantha's disciples were able to provide the musical equipment to accompany our young women in a time of worship.

One of the Young women in the Khmer outfit

Make up used for the young women participating in the traditional Khmer dance

The five young women who were involved in the Traditional Khmer blessing dance were busy getting dressed in a special Khmer outfit that really makes them look like royalty. Indeed they are princesses of the most High God and to see their reaction when our staff completed all the make up for them. They had these big smiles on their faces as everyone began complimenting them. They looked so pretty and looked well like royalty! It is these occasions we see how the Lord is literally restoring value, dignity and self esteem to them as they feel good about themselves.

Some of the caregivers from our Partner organizations

The party began with different events and skits performed by the young women at RAP followed by a message about Christmas from the pastor whose church we are partnering with. One of the young woman who wasn't involved in the skit was busy serving the guests dressed up in her Christmas attire---a Santa Clause hat!

Some of our RAP staff also participated singing a Khmer Christian worship song as they wore their traditional Khmer clothes.

RAP staff 

The party ended at 6:15pm---yes here in Cambodia people eat and run but our young women continued their Christmas celebrations inside the house dancing up a storm to different Christmas hip hop music late into the evening and then ate again like hungry teenagers do! It was always such a joy to see them laughing so hard and having so much fun. They had done a great job that day and at the end of the event I had the privilege of presenting each of them with a rose for in God's eyes and in our eyes, they are beautiful flowers that are blooming and with each day we trust they will continue to be a fragrance of Christ in all they do.

We are thankful to all our donors and friends around the world who have supported our ministry for without your partnership we would not have the opportunity to be Christ hands, feet and voice in the lives of these young women and to host such events that allow the young women to discover a whole new life that is full of joy and laughter despite the challenges they face each day. Events like this become spiritual markers in their lives that enable them to feel special, to feel valued and most of all, they discover that there is a Savior who loves them and wants them to experience an abundant life in Him. In celebrating Christ's birth, they like us are again reminded that Jesus is the reason for the season!