Starfish

Thank you so much for your continual support and prayer. This community has brought heaven just a little closer to earth for me. You are in our prayers as we voyage onward to explore more about this great nation.

Today we went to:

• Pursat: for a building dedication of an orphanage that our church helped lay the foundation for last year.
• Svay Pak: to walk the streets of a community where child sex trafficking is widely known. This was led by a staffer in Chab Dai.

The main focus of my post will be about be Svay Pak.

As soon as we made the turn into the alley that led to Svay Pak I heard John utter to me "we enterin' into this hood, I don't know about that...". As we drove through the mud all of us quieted as we observed our new surroundings. In an instant we went from a main road into this small hidden community that was full of Vietnamese children ages 5-9 running around in the streets and older people sitting outside watching us intently. Each house we passed they would stare into the window and peer at our faces. I immediately felt a shift in the atmosphere. A sister quickly questioned "Is this even safe?". After a couple minutes driving through the streets our van stopped and we were greeted by Yeng and welcomed us all into "Rahab's house":

Rahab's house was formally a brothel that they had converted into a church. When you step inside you see a massive empty room. But upon closer inspection, you can see where walls were knocked down, speckled and painted over. Yeng showed us the small rooms (smaller then most American bathrooms) that had been used to hold girls. The brothel used to be just a hall way of doors. The girls would be locked there and were left to only expect a "customer" to come wanting there service. Hopeless. Upstairs, there was a "VIP room" where they held virgins and higher paying clients would go to exploit these girls.

Immediately, I felt the pain and heartache as I couldn't imagine the desolate environment these girls were in. Yeng led us outside to walk the streets of Svay Pak. He cautioned the men to stay close to the group as we were foreigners and the girls' would solicit thier services. I felt my soul writhe with anxiousness and pain for these children and women.

As we stepped into the street I felt the same as when entering the killing fields and the prison. The sense that the presence of God is being fully masked by the dark evil that filled the streets. I had to ask God to be close to my team and me as we pushed through. I had to cling onto His power to really engage in what was going on. Yeng began to share with us about how the moms of these Vietnamese families would sell their children for extra cash and not for survival. He also informed us the people who are seemingly relaxing outside of their homes are not really relaxing they are waiting for clients. The coffee shops are not just coffee shops but have brothels hidden in the back room. All this information was very alarming. We were in the midst of a city that has been posted online to foreigners that this is a place where you can pay to have sex (child or adult women).

We asked Yeng what was the age range where daughters would be sold into the trade and he replied 5-14 years of age. I thought of all the orphans that I have grown attached too and have blessed me with their smiles, my heart immediately began to break. I prayed for more of God's strength and for His eyes.

We walked through an alley where two girls brushed past us and Yeng informed us that "girls that age will ask men for sex. Sex with mouth." Our whole group grew silent. I felt all of us take in the heaviness of that statement as we walked on. A few kids began to follow us, one boy tugged on the pants of a team mate that I was standing near. I saw him jump in agitation.

As we entered another street Yeng received a phone call. After the end of the call, he informed us that we had to head back, as it was getting late, it would be dangerous for us to continue. Erin inquired why and he explained the gangsters will be coming out and foreigners will be coming in. I am guessing they didn't want us to stick around and disrupt their business especially if we were not going to pay. On our way back, he did point out a few brothels that were locked because the police finally took notice and imprisoned them for10 to 15 years. The total amount of brothels that have been closed was less then 5. But some cases take up to two years for Chab Dai to work on and fight.

When we entered the van my mind was racing. Even as the chatter started to pick up I still was having trouble wrapping my mind around everything: The families, the exploited children, the customers, the government not cracking down, the industry and etc. After walking in the midst of a city where trafficking was obvious, it finally became real. I tried to process everything with Steve and Erin. We were all at a loss. I laid my head down and prayed for the city and for Chab Dai. I prayed for redemption among the darkness and that He may fill the girls' and children's heart with hope.

I began to remember Hagar. Originally, we were supposed to visit Svay Pak first before going to Hagar but plans changed. I believe God wanted to give us a story of hope, the result of His everlasting redeeming character. I clung onto the stories Amy (from Hagar) shared. The mission of Hagar to focus on healing the individual in a holistic way. I remembered how obvious God is moving. I recounted the story of Rahab. That her house was located in an area that hated the Israelites yet she was able to protect the Isrealites and in turn God kept her family safe. That she was also a prostitute. Rahab's house sometimes fills up to over 60 people from the streets of Svay Pak. I thought of Yeng and how the community has warmed up to him. How they know he is not there to judge but to help. How the brothels were being shut down and how there has been a response from the government.

I found hope.

Then I remembered Freshmen year of college and in the middle of studying slavery for a History requirement, I questioned my courage and faith. I wondered if I was born during the times where slavery was so prevalent in the south if I would have taken a stand? What would I have done? But, now the question for myself is, there is sex slavery in America, what will you do? Will you take a stand? As I begin to wrestle with this question I will remember the story Erin used to encourage our team:

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a young girl going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.

The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the young girl continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the young girl he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The girl looked at the man. She then stooped down and picked up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"


Please pray for Chab Dai and Rahab's House. (to learn more click on the links).

Love,
Amy