Cambodia Trip - Wednesday, Day 3

Today was a super busy day. I woke up at 04h00 for some reason, and then couldn’t go back to sleep. So I put some music on and had ‘God Time’ – which felt as good as sleeping. Looking back on the day, I am glad I had such a good start, as it was intense and full.

I skipped breakfast so that I could post updates on the blog and photos on Facebook, going to Destiny Cafe in order to do so. I had an iced coffee, which was delicious. I then walked down to the XP centre, arriving just in time for worship.

Straight after this we divided into our teams – I was pleased to see that I was in Malina’s group for the day. I have a particular love for this amazing woman, and never feel like I get to spend enough time ‘hanging out’ with her as I would like.

Our first task was a service project at the hospital, where we were given a choice between cleaning or picking up garbage. Yemi (originally from Ethiopia but now also living in the UK) and I teamed up to collect garbage and we were very busy and very hot for 45 minutes or so. In our last bit of time we went in search of a child Yemi had prayed for a day or two before; this child had been very ill, and she wanted to know how she was doing. We were delighted to see the child looking well and happy and smiling. We prayed for her again, and also for her young mother, who was blind in one eye.

Back at our hotel I had a quick shower and then it was back to Hope and Health for lunch, after which we had a little bit of free time. In the afternoon we divided into groups, some going to the border village and others going to the school to play games with the children there.

I went with Malina and the rest of our group to the border, where we collected a group of street children and took them for lunch. It was a wonderful time and absolutely powerful to watch the transformational energy of love at work. When the children arrived they were scruffy and dirty and hard and a little defensive. One hour later they were clean, fed, tidied, and full of laughter and fun – just like any child should be. The series of photos we took show the change as it happened. I left thinking about how little it really takes to change a life. Just a bit of willingness to get involved; to relate to people as people rather than as problems; to give of the gift of ourselves. These children are so used to being rejected, sent away, treated as rubbish. When we recognised them for who they are, they changed. If this is what could happen in an hour, there is so much hope for what can happen with more long term investment.

One little girl’s hair was so matted and tangled; it looked awful. I took a comb and began trying to make some sort of sense of it without hurting her too much. It was a difficult task indeed. But eventually it was untangled enough for me to begin braiding it; I gave her a French plait, and she looked so pretty afterwards that it was hard to believe she was the same child. The same with the other two girls. After they had eaten, we were able to chat a bit with them. None of the children had a father, although some had a mother. Three of the children were siblings, part of a family of 9 children. We asked where there mother was; apparently she was not well, and was at home with the baby of the family. We asked these three what they do all day. They beg. And collect plastic bottles for recycling. How old are they? 13, 11 and 9 years old. Do they go to school? No. Can they read and write? No. When did they last eat? This is the first time they are eating today.

During the prayer time before our team left on this visit to the border, I had felt God ask if He could break my heart a little more. I had said ‘Yes’, if it would help. I guess I don’t need to tell you that that particular prayer was answered.

We got back at the XP Centre just in time for English class. I had volunteered to teach a class, our experience in Brazil fresh in my mind. My group was very studious. We were learning colours, and they worked hard. Next to us, Julie’s group was wild. Later we joked about the influence of the English teacher (me) versus the Hispanic teacher (Julie). In reality, she just had the lively little kids. I was lucky!

Because we taught English we missed supper, so food was kept and sent to the XP Centre for us. I took my supper back to my hotel room and ate it there while I showered and changed – we didn’t have very long because we were going to Karioke bars to meet with some of the girls who work there. 

I ended up in a one-on-one conversation with one girl, and I had an interpreter all to myself too. This was an unusual situation, as normally we have to share, so there was a lot more time for conversation. Her name was ‘Ya’, and I told her that in Afrikaans it sounds like the word for ‘yes’. She liked this idea! I asked her whether she had ever had a woman come to visit her at the bar and she said ‘Never’. So I asked her if she had any idea why were were there. She said ‘No’. I explained that we were women too, and that we were concerned about her and the other girls, and that we wanted to show our concern by coming to spend some time with them. 

During the course of our conversation I found out that she came from a village nearby, and that she had ended up in prostitution because of debt. She had had a shop once, but she allowed her neighbours and friends to take goods without paying – they always promised to pay later, but they never did. Eventually she ended up with a lot of debt and no means to pay and she lost her business. I asked how old she was and she said 24. I asked how she felt about her work. She said that she hates it but there is no other work and so she has no choice. I asked her what her hopes are for the future. She said she dreams of having a shop again. At which point my interpreter said he should advise her about debt and I agreed, so they had a conversation in which he said that if she ever got to have a shop again, she should make people pay cash always, and even if they got upset with her, they would get over it after a while. I said that it was clear that she had a very soft heart and that she liked to make people happy, but that this was a problem if she did not also look after herself. And then I said that I was similar, and that maybe, like me, she needed a protector. I told her that Jesus was my Protector, and that since He had come into my life I had felt safe, even when there was trouble. I asked her if she had ever heard of Jesus. She said ‘No’. So I told her a little bit about Him, but then said that maybe she needed some time to think about it and that I would just ask God to watch over her. At which point she took the wind right out of my sails by saying ‘No, I want to follow Jesus right now!’ I was like a fish out of water – gasping! I had not expected this and so I had nothing at all to say for a moment or two! But then I recovered and prayed with her to ask Jesus to be her Lord and her Protector. We then gave her a Scripture booklet and took her name and phone number so that we could ask the pastor of the church to contact her. And then I prayed for her to have another opportunity to have her own shop.

By the time we got back to our hotel I was absolutely tired out. Finished! Kaput! What an intense day!