Sexually abused as a child
In Cambodia, we lived in a village working with children teaching them English, teaching them how to brush their teeth and how to wash their bodies. All the children had holes in their clothes and lice in their hair. Some of their teeth were black from not understanding the importance of taking care of their teeth. We shared the gospel with them, taught them fun songs and danced and gave them food and water.
We taught them so many things in the days we were with them, but their was one subject very heavy on my heart I felt like must be talked about. Sexual abuse. Cambodia is known for its extremely high amount of child sex trafficking. Parents can’t afford their needs, so they sell their children to make ends meet. And in this very village we were in this same thing was happening behind closed doors.
Some of the children showed signs of sexual abuse and it broke my heart. We were instructed at training camp never to be alone with a child or let them control your hands. Some of them don’t understand what love is and their view of love has been skued to understanding it as abuse.
As we played with these children I decided I would do something about it. So, I wrote a song for them to learn. I don’t write songs, it’s not my strong suit but I did for this.
Here are the lyrics and actions
This is my safety zone (rotate hands crossed and in V position)
I call it all my own (point to self and hug self)
No one can touch me there (shake finger)
Or else they must be ware (Yell hi-yaw and do a karaoke kick)
I serve a God who’s fair (prayer hands)
He loves me with all care (heart shape with hands)
One day he’ll make me a pair (point to ring finger, bow and say “I do”)
So till then be ware (mean face)
No means no! x2 (Call and respond)
I taught the kids this song and we did the motions. I explained to them what Gods love looks like and how our bodies are only for the Lord, for ourself and for our partner one day. NO ONE ELSE. It can be an awkward talk, but I gave up caring about what’s awkward a long time ago. This is so important for every child to know. After my talk, I walked over to my host who was in tears from listening to what I had told the kids. She explained to me that no one had ever told her what sexual abuse was and that she had been abused. She explained that a talk like this could have helped her and that she wants to continue to educate the children about this topic even after we left. She asked for the lyrics of the song and hugged me.
It’s opportunities like this God lays in our path for us to make a diction; do we branch out, do something that looks weird and is out of our comforts zone and trust in him? Or do we stay quiet and hope someone else does something about a problem? We have a choice to be bold everyday, whether that’s with sharing the gospel with someone we are afraid to or having an uncomfortable talk with some one that calls them to a higher standard. Be the person who chooses boldness, by choosing boldness you can help create boldness in someone else and the effect can keep build. Boldness creates some of the most amazing change.
