"Chocolate will make everything better..."

"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

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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