It's been quite a while since I've updated (sorry). I want for people at home to be able to know how my time here is going but the longer I'm here, the harder it has been to make time to do that.
I have begun teaching English at a college dorm, which is a ministry hosted by GCF, the church plant I attend. The Cambodian girls are all so eager to make “foreign” friends and improve their English, God has given us an easy in and an open door for building relationships with them. On different evenings of the week we help them with their studies, teach English, and attend some “fellowship meetings” with the college men’s dorm. I can already tell it is going to be a lot of fun. Most of the dorm girls attend GCF for church each week so I see them there each Sunday as well!
I’m helping with our team’s branch of ministry called the Cambodia Freedom Project, which is seeking to help serve those in this country who are sex-trafficked, but also seeks to connect them to and educate the Cambodian church as well. I’m on a planning committee for a justice conference that our Project will help host alongside of International Justice Mission. The point of the conference is to connect to pastors and churches to help educate and challenge them to care about God’s heart for justice.
I’ve also had the chance to learn more about this country’s problem through a trafficking outreach evening with a local anti-trafficking ministry called Precious Women that I've been getting more involved with. The way an outreach generally looks is this: one evening, a team gathers and goes out together to a local club or bar where Khmer girls are known to be sold. Most of these women entered this line of work originally because they were sold into it by one of their own family members, and usually at a very young age. Our teammates pair up and invite a couple of the girls to sit and talk for a bit - a simple attempt of friendly conversation. If the opportunity presents itself, we have a chance to offer these women a way out - to tell them that Precious Women has job training and counseling programs and a job that would allow them to work in the light of day with fair pay and integrity. If they are interested, we leave them Precious Women’s contact information. While you can imagine the heaviness these nights bring to my heart, I’m actually also thankful, I’m thankful because now I have specific names and specific faces to pray specific prayers for. These women are no longer an idea. They are my friends.
Other events along the way...
This is my whole team at our retreat during a Cambodian Holiday.
Phnom Penh at sunset with friends
Took a road trip out to the village for a couple of days
Janice (fellow intern) protecting herself from the sun.
We took a bike ride to a dam with a beautiful mountain view
Janice and me on our way back to the city. Hard to tell from this picture but there were SEVEN OTHER people in the car. Learned on this trip that there is a seat called, "left of the driver".
Susan let us abuse her to teach some vocabulary in English class
Sunset from the roof of my apartment building
No comments:
Post a Comment