"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." --Isaiah 1:17
Sex trafficking was very prevalent at the first hotel we stayed at, along with the rest of Cambodia. I couldn't stay outside of my hotel room without feeling a slight bit at danger. One night I was feeling a bit venturesome when I decided to sit downstairs for a bit to journal. There I spotted a beautiful young girl who must have been in her teens or early twenties. She sat with her back against the wall on a single cushioned chair twirling a hotel key around her finger. She was dressed scantily clad in a white pair of shorts, high platform shoes, a tank-top, along with curled hair and a face full of make-up. She was waiting patiently for her next customer. I must have sat on the stairs for no longer than ten minutes until a man came scurrying towards the elevator swinging his arms as if he was off to handle some business. He goes into the elevator and beckons the young woman to hurry and follow his lead. She gently gets up and slowly follows behind as her feet wobble in her platform heels. As she walks past me her head begins to lower in shame for what she is about to do. There were plenty more that I had witnessed who shared similar stories.
For the next couple of days I asked God what it meant to "seek justice". How does it look like? Especially with such an unbelievably huge problem that affects us globally. The problem is beyond any of us and I struggled with trusting that God was still sovereign in the midst of such darkness. I have a tendency to want to get up and make peace when I am faced with such injustice. But who am I kidding, how would I be able to rescue the 27 million enslaved people in the world?
This brings me back to a time before our mission trip even began. The team studied Nehemiah 1. At the beginning, Nehemiah is notified about the tragedy of the exile of the Jewish people and the broken wall of Jerusalem. The significance of this story is not only that he ends up rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. No, it is what he did before acting on anything. "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." -Nehemiah 1:4 When he was faced with tragedy, he sought after the Lord. It is near impossible to seek justice on our own strength. It is only when we are weak that we are strong. Nehemiah sat down and wept, mourned, fasted, and then prayed. The very next day of praying Isaiah 1 I was struck with a fever which forced me to rest in bed for an entire day. It was exactly what I needed. I felt like God was forcing me to rest, not physically but emotionally and spiritually. I spent the day praying, writing, reading the Word, and resting. I had forgotten to spend time alone with God with the accumulation of tasks throughout our days. Sometimes He needs to break us down to remind us to take rest in Him, and I am so glad He did. The very next day I woke up back to my old self again. Praise God, and thank you for all your prayers.
On day 6, we visited an NGO called the International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM is a Christian human rights organization that fights against sex trafficking. When I sat down preparing myself for a presentation I looked up at the first slide to find that God heard my cry. The slide spelt out IJM and right below it read out "Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow" (Isaiah 1:17). My eyes welted up with tears as I chuckled to myself. God has such a sense of humor. Before the presentation even began I knew this was the answered prayer I had been seeking for. I had seen too many problems and no solutions. But this was one example which answered my prayer about how it looked to seek justice. IJM is a threat for those within the sex trafficking industry. They have undercover agents to investigate the places where sex trafficking is most prevalent and hire well-qualified attorneys to put these criminals behind bars. In 2009 alone: 54 victims were rescued, 33 perpetrators were arrested (26 were tried and 19 were convicted). The average sentence was 6 years in prison. We met an attorney who had moved to Cambodia earlier in the year with his wife, children, and even house dog all the way from the Midwest in the US. This just shows how willing this servant is to fight for the injustice in Cambodia. My experience at IJM gave me so much peace knowing that God truly loves His people and is bringing justice to this problem through these types of NGOs. If I am torn up inside about this issue I can't imagine how much He is hurting as the Abba Father, Husband, and Maker of His beloved daughters.
The thief came to steal, kill, and destroy but Jesus came so we could have life abundantly. So although I was close to feeling defeated at one point I stand here today with much hope for the future of Cambodia. I stand here today in victory and I refuse to believe that the enemy has a hold of this country. There is light in the midst of darkness.
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
--Hosea 13:14
_____
When I set off to do ministry where I am ideally "serving and blessing others", I in turn am blessed ten folds. I can honestly say I am so blessed to be here. Through serving the older orphans at New Hope Orphanage I have learned so much about love, faith, prayer, and encouragement. The orphans are always so joyful, even when they have little to be ecstatic about in terms of their circumstances, they have the love of God. They continuously remind us of that. Their sincere reliance on God has shed a new light on what it means to have that childlike faith. They understand what it means to go before the Lord before reacting in situations. Maybe our comfort and privilege have blinded us in the States, which makes prayer and faith of less importance. I have so much to learn from them.
Today was our last day working with them. We went to the shopping mall and had lunch there. Later in the evening we prepared food for the infamous annual barbecue GrX has in Cambodia. It was such a delicious feast. I had the best fried chicken tonight. The kabobs were not bad either. But the chicken gets an A+ for excellence. We ate until our stomachs were at the verge of exploding. We had great conversations through eating and cooking together. After dinner the dance team performed for us and it was such a moving sight. They were so passionate. I smiled knowing that these girls and boys are the next generation in Cambodia. I see bits and pieces of restoration through these children. But it did not take long until the lights dimmed and a dance party began! Chris brought couple of bags of glow sticks and the worship room quickly turned into a rave. Hips shook here and there during some parts of the night (okay, baby hips & others who shall remain anonymous). Jesus, please forgive us.
We said our goodbyes and it was the hardest thing to let go of their hands and their bodies pressed against mine. I wanted to hold onto them forever. But I told them it was not goodbye but simply a "see you later". They prayed in a circle around us and we parted ways. Although I am sad inside I am also feeling so hopeful knowing what God is doing in their lives. He will take care of them with or without our presence. I am excited to hear what lies in their futures. I now have a family here in Cambodia, and I hope to return to them very soon. :)
In Christ,
Carrie Lau
Friday, July 2, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Untitled
This being my (Eric) first trip to Cambodia, I felt it appropriate to name the title much like my expectations for the trip. Generic and blank.
..
As my teammates are starting to realize, my method of preparing is to overprepare and pack to be ready for any scenario. Upon further reflection, I believe I do this for two main reasons: One, it's a way of trying to control situations I cannot predict or control. Two, knowing my own limitations, it's a way of both pulling my own weight and being able to support others with health, understanding, and provision.
..
Flashforward to present circumstance. Day 6 of the grx cambodia trip. I'm still recovering from some infection/flu, was able to rejoin the team after sleeping all yesterday. Very thankful to be energic and able to be out with the team, spending time with the kids/teens at New Hope, and we also visited International Justice Missions to hear about their vision and work in this country.
One neat thing I've learned about NGOs, is that they add a very passionate yet purposeful vocation for those searching for a calling. For those unable or unwilling to stay at home, my previous two areas I lumped people into was the travelers and the expats. Travelers just travel, and expats want to experience the whole world in all it's glory. But now there's this NGO area that I'm aware of. Some religious, some secular, and it seems like quite a few Christian. They are the front line soldiers fighting for noble ideas, justice, truth, and fairness. I find the idea fascinating for capable/young professionals. Although I'm sure any age group could do it, I believe the easiest/best fit would be that group.
..
Cambodia is a beautiful country, full of color and life. Yet this beauty is marred by lingering shadows of sin. A sin that occured and I know I am capable of, that we all are capable of. Furthermore, a sin that we knew as a people and a country and did nothing. How does that speak to your legacy, America?
Yet hope remains. I see it in the stories of those here. Who choose hope and joy when they would not be faulted for choosing otherwise. Instead of complaining and blameshifting, they thank God for every blessing received, and want to give their lives in appreciation. Part of me is too jaded to believe it's true, but I'd like to hope this kind of pure faith still exists. And when I shake their gentle hands and warm hearts, and see their smiles, I am encouraged.
..
As my teammates are starting to realize, my method of preparing is to overprepare and pack to be ready for any scenario. Upon further reflection, I believe I do this for two main reasons: One, it's a way of trying to control situations I cannot predict or control. Two, knowing my own limitations, it's a way of both pulling my own weight and being able to support others with health, understanding, and provision.
..
Flashforward to present circumstance. Day 6 of the grx cambodia trip. I'm still recovering from some infection/flu, was able to rejoin the team after sleeping all yesterday. Very thankful to be energic and able to be out with the team, spending time with the kids/teens at New Hope, and we also visited International Justice Missions to hear about their vision and work in this country.
One neat thing I've learned about NGOs, is that they add a very passionate yet purposeful vocation for those searching for a calling. For those unable or unwilling to stay at home, my previous two areas I lumped people into was the travelers and the expats. Travelers just travel, and expats want to experience the whole world in all it's glory. But now there's this NGO area that I'm aware of. Some religious, some secular, and it seems like quite a few Christian. They are the front line soldiers fighting for noble ideas, justice, truth, and fairness. I find the idea fascinating for capable/young professionals. Although I'm sure any age group could do it, I believe the easiest/best fit would be that group.
..
Cambodia is a beautiful country, full of color and life. Yet this beauty is marred by lingering shadows of sin. A sin that occured and I know I am capable of, that we all are capable of. Furthermore, a sin that we knew as a people and a country and did nothing. How does that speak to your legacy, America?
Yet hope remains. I see it in the stories of those here. Who choose hope and joy when they would not be faulted for choosing otherwise. Instead of complaining and blameshifting, they thank God for every blessing received, and want to give their lives in appreciation. Part of me is too jaded to believe it's true, but I'd like to hope this kind of pure faith still exists. And when I shake their gentle hands and warm hearts, and see their smiles, I am encouraged.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
It's the end of our Tuesday night and the mood of the team is great. We are really starting to work cohesively even with our mix of personalities and backgrounds. I feel a much deeper sense of unity amongst the team and many of our individual strengths and weaknesses are coming together allowing us to be the most effective servants as we can be for the teens.
For the girls group we have been able to build relationships with them through intentional hangouts where we can just..."chill" as us Americans would put it. Each day we would schedule a time slot where we take a few girls out on tuk-tuks and they would be able to show us some of their fav hangout spots or even just a little of their everyday life in Cambodia. Today a few of the girls took us out to what I think she tried to translate to as Monkey Mtn where it was a huge park and we were able to feed and pet monkeys, quite the scene, never saw so many roaming the park and climbing on trees freely before. Besides just the fact that they were so excited to show us their hometown, this really gave us an awesome opportunity to ask how God has led them to the place and state they are now. Because language barriers seemed to be an issue for these particular girls, I was very encouraged when one of the girls opened her bible to show me her fav passage. This was a simple act but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was something very amazing- Gods Word is universal and even language barriers don't hold back the joy of reading the Word together in both languages while bringing glory to the same Father in heaven.
Today the girls small group covered the passage John 15- the vine and the branches and the fruit they bear. We had each girl write a strength they possessed and then talk about how their childhood has brought upon or produced this trait. Because Amy, Carrie and myself felt that the specific needs of the girls were confidence and not getting easily discouraged from their past, we figured this might be the best way to empower them and really allow them to see themselves as a huge contribution to the Lords kingdom. The stories and testimonies were so inspiring. I think this time of sharing was really good for them because Many of the girls hold onto these dear stories and never get the opportunity to express how they really feel or how they have healed from it. Ive come to know and love these girls so much already that I'm already dreading the day we have to leave. I want to make sure I leave them all knowing that they are valued, treasured, princesses of God.
After today's session I am convinced that this team is following the road that God has paved for us. It would be impossible to say that it was any of our teams efforts that has caused the growth and the relationships that have formed thus far, it is truly God. The guys group have even taken the guys to their high schools just to see where they hangout and study everyday. There is finally a sense of trust and this was exactly the larger vision we had for this trip.
So as I close, just wanted to share a few of my personal thoughts. I wanted to thank all the prayer support back home. Besides the first few days being huge adjustments and culture shock for me, I really sense that there are and will continue to be many road blocks ahead for this team. Of course Jesus is strong at work within the vision of our team, but I also see many spiritual attacks on the team overall- sicknesses, conflicts, emotionally drained from different things we come into contact with..etc, but praise God that through these issues, Our team is aware of the importance of unity and teamwork as we go forth strong with Gods vision on our hearts. I wanted to thank everyone who has partnered with us and have continually been praying diligently for the teams. We are incredibly impacted by your prayers!! Our trip would not be the way it is without your prayers...seriously. Thank you!!
-Lizz
For the girls group we have been able to build relationships with them through intentional hangouts where we can just..."chill" as us Americans would put it. Each day we would schedule a time slot where we take a few girls out on tuk-tuks and they would be able to show us some of their fav hangout spots or even just a little of their everyday life in Cambodia. Today a few of the girls took us out to what I think she tried to translate to as Monkey Mtn where it was a huge park and we were able to feed and pet monkeys, quite the scene, never saw so many roaming the park and climbing on trees freely before. Besides just the fact that they were so excited to show us their hometown, this really gave us an awesome opportunity to ask how God has led them to the place and state they are now. Because language barriers seemed to be an issue for these particular girls, I was very encouraged when one of the girls opened her bible to show me her fav passage. This was a simple act but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was something very amazing- Gods Word is universal and even language barriers don't hold back the joy of reading the Word together in both languages while bringing glory to the same Father in heaven.
Today the girls small group covered the passage John 15- the vine and the branches and the fruit they bear. We had each girl write a strength they possessed and then talk about how their childhood has brought upon or produced this trait. Because Amy, Carrie and myself felt that the specific needs of the girls were confidence and not getting easily discouraged from their past, we figured this might be the best way to empower them and really allow them to see themselves as a huge contribution to the Lords kingdom. The stories and testimonies were so inspiring. I think this time of sharing was really good for them because Many of the girls hold onto these dear stories and never get the opportunity to express how they really feel or how they have healed from it. Ive come to know and love these girls so much already that I'm already dreading the day we have to leave. I want to make sure I leave them all knowing that they are valued, treasured, princesses of God.
After today's session I am convinced that this team is following the road that God has paved for us. It would be impossible to say that it was any of our teams efforts that has caused the growth and the relationships that have formed thus far, it is truly God. The guys group have even taken the guys to their high schools just to see where they hangout and study everyday. There is finally a sense of trust and this was exactly the larger vision we had for this trip.
So as I close, just wanted to share a few of my personal thoughts. I wanted to thank all the prayer support back home. Besides the first few days being huge adjustments and culture shock for me, I really sense that there are and will continue to be many road blocks ahead for this team. Of course Jesus is strong at work within the vision of our team, but I also see many spiritual attacks on the team overall- sicknesses, conflicts, emotionally drained from different things we come into contact with..etc, but praise God that through these issues, Our team is aware of the importance of unity and teamwork as we go forth strong with Gods vision on our hearts. I wanted to thank everyone who has partnered with us and have continually been praying diligently for the teams. We are incredibly impacted by your prayers!! Our trip would not be the way it is without your prayers...seriously. Thank you!!
-Lizz
Guerrilla Warfare
-- guerrilla warfare noun
irregular warfare, conflicts in which a small group of combatants uses military tactics, like ambushes and raids, to harass a larger and less-mobile traditional army.
irregular warfare, conflicts in which a small group of combatants uses military tactics, like ambushes and raids, to harass a larger and less-mobile traditional army.
When we started this trip six days ago (already), we came armed to the teeth with things that we thought we would need. Because of the unpredictable nature of the work we were doing this trip, we over-prepared and had contingency plans for almost every situation. General Victor said, this trip was like going to war, when going to war, we want as much weaponry as possible. We may not need the sniper rifle, but we want one on hand just in case we might need it.
Well, luckily for us, God pretty much dropped a bomb on all our plans and blew them to smithereens. What once was is pretty much no more, except for a few remnants.
Our vision for this trip was to teach the older orphans how to be missional. We wanted to teach them how to love and serve their community just the way they have been served and loved on by foreign missionaries. To do this we had prepared a series of bible studies and activities that taught them this vision. We expected to hold meetings with them each day and drill home this vision.
But that has changed. After the first few days of trying to execute our plan, we found out that it wasn't going to work. So like any good team, we had to make adjustments and we did.
-- guerrilla warfare noun
irregular warfare, conflicts in which a small group of combatants uses military tactics, like ambushes and raids, to harass a larger and less-mobile traditional army.
We ran into two major problems trying to execute this vision.
The first major problem we ran into was the age of the students we were working with. We were working with university students. And we were trying to force them to fit into the schedule and itinerary we had planned for them... Well, college students in Cambodia are very much the same (in some aspects) as college students in America, they are unpredictable and busy and have lots of things going on in their lives.
The second major problem we ran into was that we knew very little about the students themselves. How can we teach students ANYTHING of depth if we know nothing about them? If we know nothing about their pains, their struggles, their happiness, their hardship?
Hence, birthed the new vision of our trip. Part one of the vision is to find out the orphans stories. To find out about their background, their dreams, their pains. And then from this, build relationships that are hopefully longer lasting than just this missions trip. And also from this, to find ways to encourage and support the orphans to finish their college educations, because one of the biggest problems orphans face is dropping out of university (physically and emotionally). That is the new two part vision.
We immediately found out that trying to have a hard schedule for this type of work would not suffice. Hence, we switched to (Victor's favorite phrase of the trip)... guerrilla warefare.
Instead of trying to fit the orphans into our schedule, we embedded ourselves into theirs. We used smaller groups for versatility and gave each group the freedom to be creative and imaginative. For the last couple of days, we pretty much fit ourselves into their lives. This gave us the ability to get to know the orphans more closely and just see what a normal everyday life of a Cambodia college student looks like.
And this has lead the team to some pretty wild adventures. Some of us guys went to school with a couple orphans today (we took motorbikes, such fun). Some of the girls went to a monkey zoo today to hangout with some female students. Tonight, we took a bunch of kids to the local arcade to play video games that are twenty years old (no joke, they are still on Time Crisis 3, when Time Crisis 10 probably exists in the US). We've been spending time each day tutoring, hanging out, eating with them and just shooting the breeze. In those moments, we have heard some pretty amazing stories, some heartbreaking, some so inspiring, some making me ask how God can be so cruel, and others showing me how good God can be.
At times, it does feel like we are not doing much except chilling with the Cambodian kids in cafes or restaurant. At times, as a working American, i want to do more. To be active, to work, to be busy. But that's not the Cambodian rhythm of life. The Cambodian rhythm of life is a much slower than the busy-ness that floods us in the States. Falling into this rhythm of life has been a challenge for me, but I'm slowly adjusting. But by falling into this rhythm of life, we can hopefully better start to relate to the Cambodians we are trying to serve.
There are so many stories to share, but no time right now (i'll probably save that for my personal blog)... The wait will be worth it, I promise.
For now, i just want to thank you all for your support and your prayers. Carrie is pretty much 100% (that girl ate like a whale today) and Eric is back from the dead. Continue to pray for our physical strength as this team seem more susceptible to sickness than the last couple of years teams.
Steve T
Well, luckily for us, God pretty much dropped a bomb on all our plans and blew them to smithereens. What once was is pretty much no more, except for a few remnants.
Our vision for this trip was to teach the older orphans how to be missional. We wanted to teach them how to love and serve their community just the way they have been served and loved on by foreign missionaries. To do this we had prepared a series of bible studies and activities that taught them this vision. We expected to hold meetings with them each day and drill home this vision.
But that has changed. After the first few days of trying to execute our plan, we found out that it wasn't going to work. So like any good team, we had to make adjustments and we did.
-- guerrilla warfare noun
irregular warfare, conflicts in which a small group of combatants uses military tactics, like ambushes and raids, to harass a larger and less-mobile traditional army.
We ran into two major problems trying to execute this vision.
The first major problem we ran into was the age of the students we were working with. We were working with university students. And we were trying to force them to fit into the schedule and itinerary we had planned for them... Well, college students in Cambodia are very much the same (in some aspects) as college students in America, they are unpredictable and busy and have lots of things going on in their lives.
The second major problem we ran into was that we knew very little about the students themselves. How can we teach students ANYTHING of depth if we know nothing about them? If we know nothing about their pains, their struggles, their happiness, their hardship?
Hence, birthed the new vision of our trip. Part one of the vision is to find out the orphans stories. To find out about their background, their dreams, their pains. And then from this, build relationships that are hopefully longer lasting than just this missions trip. And also from this, to find ways to encourage and support the orphans to finish their college educations, because one of the biggest problems orphans face is dropping out of university (physically and emotionally). That is the new two part vision.
We immediately found out that trying to have a hard schedule for this type of work would not suffice. Hence, we switched to (Victor's favorite phrase of the trip)... guerrilla warefare.
Instead of trying to fit the orphans into our schedule, we embedded ourselves into theirs. We used smaller groups for versatility and gave each group the freedom to be creative and imaginative. For the last couple of days, we pretty much fit ourselves into their lives. This gave us the ability to get to know the orphans more closely and just see what a normal everyday life of a Cambodia college student looks like.
And this has lead the team to some pretty wild adventures. Some of us guys went to school with a couple orphans today (we took motorbikes, such fun). Some of the girls went to a monkey zoo today to hangout with some female students. Tonight, we took a bunch of kids to the local arcade to play video games that are twenty years old (no joke, they are still on Time Crisis 3, when Time Crisis 10 probably exists in the US). We've been spending time each day tutoring, hanging out, eating with them and just shooting the breeze. In those moments, we have heard some pretty amazing stories, some heartbreaking, some so inspiring, some making me ask how God can be so cruel, and others showing me how good God can be.
At times, it does feel like we are not doing much except chilling with the Cambodian kids in cafes or restaurant. At times, as a working American, i want to do more. To be active, to work, to be busy. But that's not the Cambodian rhythm of life. The Cambodian rhythm of life is a much slower than the busy-ness that floods us in the States. Falling into this rhythm of life has been a challenge for me, but I'm slowly adjusting. But by falling into this rhythm of life, we can hopefully better start to relate to the Cambodians we are trying to serve.
There are so many stories to share, but no time right now (i'll probably save that for my personal blog)... The wait will be worth it, I promise.
For now, i just want to thank you all for your support and your prayers. Carrie is pretty much 100% (that girl ate like a whale today) and Eric is back from the dead. Continue to pray for our physical strength as this team seem more susceptible to sickness than the last couple of years teams.
Steve T
Monday, June 28, 2010
Looking for the answers to the questions....and there You were
Today is Tuesday and it's already been 5 days since we've arrived in Cambodia and it has gone by in a flash. It's been quite tiring as 3 people have been hit with stomach/flu ailments along with the humid heat and untimely hits of jetlag. Despite these physical challenges, we are pressing on towards the goal of listening and living out His call to us while we're here. Please continue to pray for the team's health in the coming days.
I began this trip with 3 questions in mind:
1) Where in the world do I feel is home for me?
2) What should I do with my career in order for it to be fulfilling?
3) What is God doing here in Cambodia and how can I join him?
Ravi Zacherias - "Culture is the dress of religion"
During our visit to the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng prison, I unexpectedly gained a new perspective on my parent's trials of growing up in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. While the details of the genocide were gruesome, I feel desensitized to it all because frankly I've seen enough injustice in the world to not be naive. However, this is the first time it's been personalized and that's moved my heart and leading me to action. First, my relationship with my parents is difficult to say the least. My mother was born in Phnom Pehn however the past is rarely discussed and family history is really unknown to me. Up to this point, I had underestimated my parent's struggles and it's allowed me to see God's perspective of them rather than my own. Ultimately, understanding them is really about understanding myself, seeing what impact that had on me to this day, and setting me free on who I will become in Christ in the future. My mother is Catholic however she is Chinese and Confucianism after 4000+ years is a big part of who she is. Now I want to study Confucianism in order to understand more.
Jack of all cultures, Master of none
We visited Hagar International and House of Smiles yesterday. Hagar is a comprehensive organization that focuses on non-profit/social enterprise work who focus on sex trafficked women. They provide holistic care (food, shelter, counseling, rehabilitation) to those they take in and subsequently provide skills training and education to reintegrate them into society and rebuild their own lives. House of Smiles is a family shelter that caters to the mentally disabled (one of the most marginalized people in Cambodian society). It was very enlightening for me to see all that these NGOs are doing here and the struggles they have in fundraising, finding best practices, dealing with internal problems and finding the experienced people necessary to make their organizations function.
Many of these people who work in World Vision or Hagar are from around the world. They come and spend on average 1-2 years here so turnover is very high. Hearing their stories of their dynamic struggles from deciding when to repatriot to their come countries to where to start a family to having to make new friends over and over was actually one of familiarity rather than amazement. But what was amazing to me was how this expat community knows each other so well. It's a small world here. After hearing these stories, I felt this expat side of me has been the most important part of my life in who I am. It's a life that's difficult to understand unless you've moved and lived away from your home country. I'm an expat and that's how I feel most at home.
I immediately started imagining myself here long term. Cambodia is much like Vietnam and the language is more fun than I expected. I pictured myself working for Hagar or World Vision and interacting with the expat and local populations here. But most importantly, I'd be doing God's work here of contributing to fighting injustice in this country (and world). Law, education, psychology, and social enterprises have been the interests I've been thinking about moving into over the last year and a half. And to suddenly find they're all here in Phnom Pehn is mind-blowing to me. Perhaps this is God's call for me. Perhaps it's not.
We will see.......
Simon Tang
I began this trip with 3 questions in mind:
1) Where in the world do I feel is home for me?
2) What should I do with my career in order for it to be fulfilling?
3) What is God doing here in Cambodia and how can I join him?
Ravi Zacherias - "Culture is the dress of religion"
During our visit to the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng prison, I unexpectedly gained a new perspective on my parent's trials of growing up in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. While the details of the genocide were gruesome, I feel desensitized to it all because frankly I've seen enough injustice in the world to not be naive. However, this is the first time it's been personalized and that's moved my heart and leading me to action. First, my relationship with my parents is difficult to say the least. My mother was born in Phnom Pehn however the past is rarely discussed and family history is really unknown to me. Up to this point, I had underestimated my parent's struggles and it's allowed me to see God's perspective of them rather than my own. Ultimately, understanding them is really about understanding myself, seeing what impact that had on me to this day, and setting me free on who I will become in Christ in the future. My mother is Catholic however she is Chinese and Confucianism after 4000+ years is a big part of who she is. Now I want to study Confucianism in order to understand more.
Jack of all cultures, Master of none
We visited Hagar International and House of Smiles yesterday. Hagar is a comprehensive organization that focuses on non-profit/social enterprise work who focus on sex trafficked women. They provide holistic care (food, shelter, counseling, rehabilitation) to those they take in and subsequently provide skills training and education to reintegrate them into society and rebuild their own lives. House of Smiles is a family shelter that caters to the mentally disabled (one of the most marginalized people in Cambodian society). It was very enlightening for me to see all that these NGOs are doing here and the struggles they have in fundraising, finding best practices, dealing with internal problems and finding the experienced people necessary to make their organizations function.
Many of these people who work in World Vision or Hagar are from around the world. They come and spend on average 1-2 years here so turnover is very high. Hearing their stories of their dynamic struggles from deciding when to repatriot to their come countries to where to start a family to having to make new friends over and over was actually one of familiarity rather than amazement. But what was amazing to me was how this expat community knows each other so well. It's a small world here. After hearing these stories, I felt this expat side of me has been the most important part of my life in who I am. It's a life that's difficult to understand unless you've moved and lived away from your home country. I'm an expat and that's how I feel most at home.
I immediately started imagining myself here long term. Cambodia is much like Vietnam and the language is more fun than I expected. I pictured myself working for Hagar or World Vision and interacting with the expat and local populations here. But most importantly, I'd be doing God's work here of contributing to fighting injustice in this country (and world). Law, education, psychology, and social enterprises have been the interests I've been thinking about moving into over the last year and a half. And to suddenly find they're all here in Phnom Pehn is mind-blowing to me. Perhaps this is God's call for me. Perhaps it's not.
We will see.......
Simon Tang
Thy Kingdom Come
When I returned to the hotel room today I checked my email and a friend who was encouraging me about my time in Cambodia said "kind of crazy that you're almost at the halfway point of the trip already!". When I read this, I thought no way, my super-on-top of it friend somehow counted wrong. The reality is that I feel like we just got our feet wet. We changed our lesson plan three times, strategically decided to attack our vision from a different angle in the midst of acclimating to a new culture and environment. But we are all tired and "happy happy".
Over the past 4 days all of us have shared and faced so many challenges. These challenges vary from realizing the injustice of the academic system to the marginalized, witnessing sex trafficking at our hotel, facing physical sickness, dealing with processing a genocide and other mind bending experiences. To say that we are disoriented would only be scratching the surface.
I know must of our blogs have been about what we do on a day to day basis but I would like to share how powerful the movement of the Lord is, a movement that transcends the limits of politics, socioeconomic constraints and human will. Over the past few year I have been given the opportunity to meet people who are solely investing in the redemption of Cambodia. A women named Sotia who is dedicating all her energy and heart into providing education for the children in the villages and reaching out to their families. A man who works everyday to raise funds to keep over 70 orphans housed and sponsored. Another lady from New Zealand who is so in love with the holistic vision of recovery that anything short of that is unacceptable. Another little man who silently shutting down brothels in a very dark town. These are the faces of this story. God's army in Cambodia is praying, working and loving.
Being here I see bright lights that are beacons of salvation in the darkness. This salvation is pouring out little lights into the darkenss, lighting areas of Cambodia that are horrific but must be revealed. There is a generation of kids seeping into the mainstream community of Cambodia and making huge changes. These kids do not have any assurance but the assurance of His sovereignty. With that assurance they plan to be self sustaining but also to give back and serve the marginalized. "These kids" are the future of Cambodia. There is a college being built with crazy plans. Ultimately, they want to start to do small group with each of the students families in the rural villages. First by understanding their needs and meeting them. An almost completed women's shelter is going to open their doors to less fortunate kids to their preschool programs in their community. God is clearly victorious in Cambodia. He reigns.
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Over the past 4 days all of us have shared and faced so many challenges. These challenges vary from realizing the injustice of the academic system to the marginalized, witnessing sex trafficking at our hotel, facing physical sickness, dealing with processing a genocide and other mind bending experiences. To say that we are disoriented would only be scratching the surface.
I know must of our blogs have been about what we do on a day to day basis but I would like to share how powerful the movement of the Lord is, a movement that transcends the limits of politics, socioeconomic constraints and human will. Over the past few year I have been given the opportunity to meet people who are solely investing in the redemption of Cambodia. A women named Sotia who is dedicating all her energy and heart into providing education for the children in the villages and reaching out to their families. A man who works everyday to raise funds to keep over 70 orphans housed and sponsored. Another lady from New Zealand who is so in love with the holistic vision of recovery that anything short of that is unacceptable. Another little man who silently shutting down brothels in a very dark town. These are the faces of this story. God's army in Cambodia is praying, working and loving.
Being here I see bright lights that are beacons of salvation in the darkness. This salvation is pouring out little lights into the darkenss, lighting areas of Cambodia that are horrific but must be revealed. There is a generation of kids seeping into the mainstream community of Cambodia and making huge changes. These kids do not have any assurance but the assurance of His sovereignty. With that assurance they plan to be self sustaining but also to give back and serve the marginalized. "These kids" are the future of Cambodia. There is a college being built with crazy plans. Ultimately, they want to start to do small group with each of the students families in the rural villages. First by understanding their needs and meeting them. An almost completed women's shelter is going to open their doors to less fortunate kids to their preschool programs in their community. God is clearly victorious in Cambodia. He reigns.
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Will you pray for us?
Hey everyone,
I wanted to shoot out a prayer request to our friends and supporters. One of the members on our team, Carrie, is sick with a fever. It doesn't seem too serious at the moment but we are taking every precautionary measure, especially through prayer. It's important to note that we are all in good spirit here. I have no doubt that she'll be fine after a days rest and that God is working unexpectedly through this, as He seems to do in situations like this.
Please pray for:
1. Quick and complete healing for Carrie.
2. Greater awareness for the team of what God is doing through this.
3. Against the enemy as I'm positive he would love to use this in a variety of ways in disrupting our team and ministry.
Peace,
Victor
I wanted to shoot out a prayer request to our friends and supporters. One of the members on our team, Carrie, is sick with a fever. It doesn't seem too serious at the moment but we are taking every precautionary measure, especially through prayer. It's important to note that we are all in good spirit here. I have no doubt that she'll be fine after a days rest and that God is working unexpectedly through this, as He seems to do in situations like this.
Please pray for:
1. Quick and complete healing for Carrie.
2. Greater awareness for the team of what God is doing through this.
3. Against the enemy as I'm positive he would love to use this in a variety of ways in disrupting our team and ministry.
Peace,
Victor
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