Family Vacation

This past weekend I went with 3 of our staff and 3 of our young women to Sihanoukville for a mini ''family vacation for Khmer New Year.'' Unlike the rest of the young women who had gone home to their villages to spend time with their families, these three were unable to go for a variety of reasons. So off we went on Sunday morning with them for a couple days so that they could have a time to just rest and relax.

The beach we visited was a wonderful hide away filled with many Khmer families who were up in the province for the Khmer New Year. They were hanging out together with their kids having their picnic meals. We chose this area as it was a way from the famous tourist beaches in Sihanoukville which would be filled with sex tourists and pedophiles.  One cannot easily escape such sights as there were pockets of people we saw when we went to the market but at least, having a bit of a reprieve from such sights on a constant basis was a blessing from the Lord as it allowed us to relax without much agitation.

One young women had never swam in the ocean before and she thorougly enjoyed herself plunging into the water time and time again as the sunset in the late afternoon. But that was not all, she took the opportunity to wash her hair in the ocean as she put shampoo in it and then proceeded to put some cleansing lotion on her face to clean her face. Its interesting observing all these activities---that was a first---I've never seen anyone wash their hair and clean their face in the ocean ---only in Cambodia! We were all teasing her but she took it in good sport, laughing and continued to do her own thing! Gotta love the originality!  One of the blessings of this culture is the 'family atmosphere'' that is cultivated by picnics on the beach and so like other ''families', our staff went with the young women to the local market to choose what food they wanted to eat and have it cooked there before bringing it to the beach to eat.

Dinner: Fried Snails, Shrimp, Crab and Stir fried vegetables with steam rice!

The following day, we went off exploring another beach area that was a bit more remote. It was another opportunity for our young women to appreciate God's creation as we came across a pristine white sandy beach. We all went wandering off for a relaxing walk down the beach which was interrupted as a couple of the young women entertained themselves with some crab hunting/catching!

Crab hunting on the beach

Chasing after the crab!

Soon a couple of our other staff got into the action as they all took off collecting sea shells, snails and other sea creatures in recycle plastic cups that they had found.

One of our Home Advisors Than with one of our young women

Looking for sea treasures!

On the hunt for more shells in the sea

Trips such as these are meant to encourage the young women that they are not alone, that in the midst of this holiday season when everyone else is spending time with their families, they have not been forgotten. They have the opportunity to participate in activities just like those who have families. It was an opportunity for them to just relax, laugh and have fun like any other young person.

Having said that, one of the aspects of any family vacations is that teenagers all want to do their own thing. These young women are no different. They all enjoy sleeping in and when they are tired, they just don't want to talk to anyone or they just don't want to go an eat. They would rather sleep. Teenagers!  Each day, we would see this typical teenage behavior and I couldn't help but think, it doesn't matter whether you are in Canada or in Cambodia, teenagers have the same attitudes! Surprisingly, it was one young women who became rather motherly in her response to one of the other young women who was not in a pleasant mood---she said ''try to enjoy yourself and be thankful.''   As I reflect on my young friends and their behaviors, they remind me so much of us at times in our lives when we grumble and complain because we can't get what we want. Somehow, we miss out all the beauty that God wants to show us in that very moment because we are focused inward instead of looking outward. Our joy gets stolen because we focus (our Satan causes us to focus) on what we don't have instead of all the we have just received. Pray for all of our young women at the RAP home that each day, God will bless them with thankful hearts. 

We returned to the city yesterday afternoon and am thankful for the clear roads. With accidents increasing during this holiday period, we are grateful to God for giving us good weather, cooler temperatures and keeping us safe without many mishaps. Thank you to all who prayed for us!

Khmer New Year

This coming weekend Khmer New Year begins (April 13th to April 17th)  and here in Phnom Penh, people have started to vacate the city for the provinces as many Khmer head home to their provinces to spend time with their extended families and relatives for the next week. Leading up to this weekend, there have been sales at the local stores as the Khmer are busy shopping to take gifts home to their family. In some ways, this is equivalent to our western Christmas holidays as the events leading up to such dates usually entail a lot of shopping.

RAP Social worker meeting with the local authorities and government authorities  at the family home of one of the RAP young women

For our young women at the RAP home and our staff, it has been a busy time. This past week, different young women depart to the province with our staff acting as chaperones to escort them to their family homes---in many ways that's the easiest part. The more challenging aspects of preparing the young women to spend time with their family began a couple months ago as our staff went to each of the home provinces of the young women to do family assessments to determine if it was safe for the young women to go home during this Khmer New Year. In some situations if the parents or relatives have been complicit in the sale of the young women, then it is clear that it is not safe for them to stay for an extended period during this holiday season. In other situations, their perpetrators are still living in the community and so once again that is taken into consideration. These family assessments are done by our Case Management Team (Social workers)  and involves quite a bit of paper work as we are required  to meet with the local authorities and a government agency in each province so that they are aware that Ratanak is now the organization responsible for caring for these young women. As well, these meetings allow the government authorities in those provinces to advise us on the family situation. This week, as some of our young women head home to the their provinces, we once again meet up with the local authorities to sign certain documents which highlight that during this holiday time, it is the local authorities responsibility to ensure the safety of the young woman.

While most of our young women are off visiting their families, we have three who will not be able to spend time in the province. So we look for alternative ways to encourage them during this time. Most of our staff are also off on holiday time and so four of us will be ''on call'' including two home advisors as we will be taking our young women for a brief holiday trip to one of the nearby provinces. Psalm 68:6 says ''God sets the lonely in families.'' While we can't replace the birth families of our young women, we act as surrogates during this time, providing a place of safety and a sense of family to these who do not have the benefit of spending time with their blood relatives.

As for the other young women who are away, pray for them that this time with family will be a time of joy and blessing. So often that is not the case and in fact, time with their families can trigger past pain, trauma and brokenness that often has a way of undoing some of the healing that has occurred prior to the visit.   Pray for the Lord to be a shield and refuge for all of the young women who live at the RAP home that this holiday season will be one in which they are not only blessed as they reconnect with their families but it will be time of healing and a time of joy instead of a time of pain and sadness. Pray for protection over them that they will not be tempted to join into activities that could be detrimental to their journey to wholeness. So often during these holiday times, there is lots of revelry, lots of drinking, lots of gambling and even the potential to be actively involved in taking elicit drugs. We thank God that He is sovereign and watches over each one of these precious lives to preserve and keep them and be a shield around them in the midst of challenging environments and circumstances. Pray for our staff who are ''on call'' during this holiday period that in the midst of working, that God will renew, refresh and strengthen each of us as we continue to be His hands and voice and feet to serve the young women He has entrusted into our care.

A Baby is Born!

The young women crowding around Vone and  her baby!

This past Thursday evening, our young women went to the maternity ward of a local hospital to visit their bible teacher Vone who just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl called Hosanna. Vone and her husband Ratha, a wonderful Khmer Christian couple come nightly to the RAP community home to lead the worship time and bible study. They have been mentored by missionaries for several years and have been involved in youth ministry for a few years. Our young women at RAP love spending time with them and so when they heard that Vone had given birth they wanted to go and visit her at the hospital and to see the latest addition to her young family.

Vone our RAP bible teacher

One of the young women looking at Hosanna!

Opportunities like this help the young women to see and experience a ''normal'' family life with a healthy married couple. They watched how Ratha ---Vone's husband was changing the diaper and confidently cleaning his little daughter as if he had been a father all his life.

Cartons of milk

What was so encouraging to see was that several of our young women brought their own gifts of ''milk'' to give to Vone and Ratha. Each week at the RAP home, the young women are given little cartons of milk so to see them sacrificially giving up a week's supply of their own milk as a gift to bless their bible teacher was so touching but a demonstration again of how generous their hearts are despite how little they have. While we at Ratanak also blessed Vone and Ratha with a couple gifts, the greater blessing was seeing our young women take their own initiative to bless others without being asked to do so.

Before we left, we crowded around Vone and Ratha, as our young women led the prayer time, asking God to bless this family, to give them wisdom as they raise their young daughter. We are thankful for opportunities such as these in which our young women can experience a taste of the joy of family life despite all the hardships they have endured. We trust that such events encourage them too that one day they will have their own families and experience the same kind of love and blessing as they freely demonstrated that night to their bible teacher!

How Great Is Our God!

One of the joys of being in Cambodia is spending time each Sunday morning worshipping at the Khmer church we partner with. It is a vibrant Spirit filled church with many young people who seek to worship God with all their heart and soul and mind. So often when I am in this service, I find myself touched by the Holy Spirit. At times when I look across the room and I see so many young Khmer praising God, I have tears in my eyes as I reflect back to what I read in Don Cormack's book ''The Killing Fields, Living Fields'' when 90% of the church was wiped out during the Khmer Rouge Era. Yet in this land where so many have suffered, where the darkness seems so prevalent, it is churches such as this, that remind me that Jesus has the last word in this place! His kingdom will endure forever!  His light will shine and His plans and His purposes will always prevail! He has not only preserved a remnant, but He is raising up a whole new generation to worship Him in this land!

So a few weeks ago it was pure joy worshipping in our new church building. Just 5 months ago, our Khmer pastor challenged his congregation to give to this new ''house of worship'' and did the people give....many of them students, many of them young families, tithing one month's salary. This is significant for a congregation whose monthly salary is around $145.00 per month. Suffice to say as we sat in this new building, the funds donated for this came from both the congregation and outside sources. It was truly the body of Christ partnering together. Yet, I am humbled by the sacrificial giving of my young Khmer friends who have far less than those of us in the West. Yet, they have led by example, stepping out in faith, trusting that as they give their 5 loaves and 2 fish, the Lord will multiply and indeed He has!

So as we sang one of my favorite Chris Tomlin's song's in Khmer ''How Great is our God''(see video above) two Sunday's ago in church, it truly was a testimony of How Great He is for this building is reflection of the great provision of our Heavenly Father who when we ask according to His name, supplies all of our needs according to His glorious riches! How great is He indeed who gives us good gifts!

Chinese New Year In Svay Pak

Yesterday was the official New Year for both the Chinese and Vietnamese lunar calendar. While it is not an official holiday it is widely celebrated in Cambodia and many shops were closed in Phnom Penh. In Svay Pak, many Vietnamese families were celebrating the Vietnamese equivalent known as Tet for the New Year. But it was a busy time, every where I walked in Svay Pak, Vietnamese families had gathered together drinking, gambling,  and playing cards. Pastor Chantha and I were walking around and he stopped to talk to this ''old granny'' who was in a drunken stupor but who was happy to chat with me.

She was offering me the áng pow'' or red money packet which is usually given to single people during the new year festivities.  So I initially took it and then told her I would pray for her on the spot.  I remembered her from 3 years ago when she had come to the medical clinic in The Sanctuary. She was a trafficker and had wanted to have medicine for herself but we knew it was for the ''young women'' she was trafficking. At that time I had prayed for her and once again our paths had crossed so I told her I would pray a blessing over her. So I did, I prayed that Jesus would draw her closer to Him into a deep and personal relationship and she would know the truth that would set her free. I prayed that He would convict her of any activities she was doing and frustrate any plans to hurt others. When I finished praying, she insisted I take a photo of her and I gladly cooperated. To look at this frail old granny, one would think she could hardly harm a fly but I couldn't help but think about the many little ones whom she had made a profit from. In this village, the ties to sex trafficking run deep as all generations and relatives from grandmothers, to mothers, to daughters, sisters and cousins can be involved in this illicit trade to sell the young girls in their families.

Korean Pedophile chatting with some local Vietnanese

Pastor Chantha had mentioned that this weekend was busy as many boratey (foreigners) were in town looking to buy kids. In the brief time that I was visiting, I saw three foreign pedophiles. One of them was a familiar face that Pastor Chantha had seen a few times already this past weekend. Just a day ago this Korean pedophile had come to negotiate to buy a little girl for $100 but the traffickers had refused. Nonetheless, he was not deterred, he was back in the village and we happened to see him as I was being shown one of the newest ''holding pens''---a house where several little girls were hanging out on the steps in front of the home. Several of them were all dressed up looking like they were ready to go to a party. Once again, I was face to face with the reality of this horrific trade of innocents. These little five or six year olds were being prepared to be auctioned off.

Shortly thereafter, I was sitting around at the local coffee shop opposite Rahab's House having some Vietnamese coffee when a beautiful little girl probably around 7 or 8 years old came up to me. She was wearing a pink colored shiny satin dress with eye liner and a light eye shadow and a handbag over her shoulder. I was told that she was adopted by some traffickers. I can only imagine what her life must be like and what she must be thinking on this new year's day ---a day when people should be celebrating with family, she was being prepped to be sold.

Not long after that scene I went to see Pastor Chantha's disciples play some volleyball. They have been doing this daily as part of their exercise and fun. Once again I came across two little sisters all decked off in matching yellow dresses. They attend the Svay Pak school but this day, they were off heading to the adult world of sexual perversion. I asked them if I could take a photo of them and they quickly responded with a ''no.'' That response in itself was interesting as many kids love when one wants to take a photo of them, but not these two. Perhaps they had seen enough of such photo taking that exploited them.

These grim encounters are a reminder that trafficking of minors continues in this place and on such special occasions, the demand for them is even higher. Yet in the midst of such darkness, God once again shows me a pocket of light as I meet two dear little sisters that I have known since 2009.  ''SN" and her sister ''C'' who now attend the school in The Sanctuary come by to say ''hi''. They are a living testimony of the power of prayer for many years ago they too were trafficked by their parents who own a brothel. But in the summer of 2009, I along with many of our intercessors in Canada had the privilege of interceding for these two little ones. God in His sovereignty responded resoundingly and since then, their grandmother who attends the Svay Pak church has been their guardian angel protecting them from those who would abuse them and from their parents who would willingly sell them on a regular basis. In seeing SN and C, it is the verses from Galatians 6:9 that come to mind:  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Despite the ongoing darkness that is so ''in your face'' in this village, my two little friends serve to encourage me, to keep fighting, to keep running the race, to keep persevering and pressing on, for as we do, we will have the privilege of seeing many lives that were once crushed and broken, be set free from the chains of oppression.

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.