For the past week I have been in Cambodia. The squad left the other day to head to their ministry sites. Christian and I stayed back with my alumni leader, Christy to get some intentional time with her and hang out in Siem Reap for a few days and see what Jesus is up to here. Cambodia is another one of those countries that has totally captured my heart. What has captured my heart you ask? Once again, the children. They have literally stolen my heart! They are so cute and I find myself just wanting to go and hang out with them all day long.
Asia has one of the highest rates for human trafficking. As you know last month I was in Thailand helping fight against the sex slave trade, which is a huge part of modern day slavery. This month as I am in Cambodia and walk down the streets here I am hit with a whole new aspect of trafficking, child labor.
There are so many orphaned children here in Cambodia. Children without a mommy or a daddy. Children with no one to take care of them and provide for their needs. Children that have nowhere to go so they end up living on the streets. This leads to the problem of trafficking and child labor. They get caught up in the system. They are put on the streets as beggars to sell things for their 'boss.' They are required to make a certain amount and give it all back. They have no one so this becomes their life. The poverty is very real here and culturally it is accepted.
The other night Christian and I were eating dinner and as we were leaving the restaurant there was a little girl outside the shop sitting on the pavement. She had a basket of bracelets and some flowers next to her. I knew she was one of the ones that have been forced into this vicious cycle of child labor. I couldn't help but stop, she was precious and I felt my heart drawn to her.
I got down on the ground and sat next to her. I'm pretty sure she was startled but pleased by my company.
I asked her what her name was and she said "Linda."
I said "Hi, I am Rachel."
She responded with a smile and proceeded to talk to me in English trying to sell me something.
“Hey lady, do you want to buy bracelet? One dollar for one, I make good deal.”
I smiled and told her “No, thank you.”
I didn’t want anything but just wanted to sit next to her and hang out for a few minutes. My heart desperately went out to her. I had a very real moment with Jesus.
“Why Lord, Why?”
He didn’t exactly answer my why questions but He did give me this indescribable steadfast hope and reminded me of a few things.
“This is exactly why I’ve brought you here Rachel. This is exactly why you are traveling the world living out of a backpack. This is why you are here, for opportunities like this. You are to tell people about Me, to display My love, hope and grace. You are called for this. Tell her about me. I am the One that can change her life. Won’t you introduce her to me?”
These words hit me hard and I had one of those ah-ha moments. As we were sitting there hope and joy started to rise. This is what I was made for. This is why I am here. Yes! These are the opportunities that I pray for every day. I get to be the hands and feet of Jesus and pour love and light into this little girl.
She kept smiling at me and we just talked and talked and talked. Our conversation slowly changed from her trying to sell me something to us just laughing and being silly together.
She told me that she is 9 years old and has a mother that lives on the other side of the city but has no father. She said works on the streets and sells bracelets and flowers for $1. She has a boss and is required to be at ‘work’ every day at 4 pm. Despite the gravity of her situation, in that moment we were able to laugh together and find joy in playing a game of tic-tac-toe. I lost all three times!
In the midst of it all, God opened a door. I got to tell her about Jesus! I told her that even though she doesn’t have an earthly Father she has a Heavenly Daddy that loves her so very much. I got to share the story of the gospel in just a few minutes. I told her how Jesus came to this earth for us and is in Heaven now and desires to talk to her. He wants her to know Him. He wants to hear about her day. He wants her to know she is worth it all. He wants her to know she’s beautiful and is never alone. I got to tell her about the cross and how He gives new life. I told her that He also gives her purpose and wants to help her. And that He wants her to know that she can pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor one day.
She gazed up at me with the most precious eyes and pulled out the pad of paper that we were playing tic-tac-toe on. She told me to write down everything that I had just told her about this man named Jesus Christ. She said she wanted to remember His name and would never forget me.
While we were still sitting on the pavement we made eye contact. It was the first time she actually looked me in the eyes, every other time she would look down at the ground. We held eye contact for a few minutes and I finally asked her this question.
"What do you see in my eyes, Linda?"
She said,"I see blue."
I sat there and laughed to myself because I have brown eyes. But just as quickly as I laughed I also remembered blue is a color that Jesus has been talking to me about recently. He’s been telling me that it is a symbol for water, life, refreshment and the presence of God. I was blown away and in that moment realized she was able to see the Jesus inside of me.
"What do you see in mine, Lady?"
I said,"I see a princess. I see a little girl that has purpose and destiny. I see a girl that is strong and bold and very smart. I see a girl that has big dreams that she will see come to pass. I see a girl who knows who she is. I see a girl that is never alone. I see a girl that will one day help people. But most of all I see a beautiful daughter of the King who is loved by Jesus."
There is this need inside all of us. The need to be seen, the need to be heard, the need to be understood and the need to be known. It goes so deep, traveling to the depths of our inner being and hitting the core of our existence. I truly believe that those are needs that we all have but the only One that can fulfill them are God himself. How beautiful and amazing it is when He chooses to use you to help someone else recognize the reality of being known by the God of this universe.
God, “He the God who Sees You.” Genesis. 16:13.
Thank you Jesus. Thank you for using me. Thank you for sending me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for sweet little Linda. Thank you that I don’t leave hopeless. No! I leave with Hope. I leave knowing that You love her and that You have a plan for her and that her rescue is coming. Thank you that I got the opportunity to love on her tonight. Thank you that you used me to speak into her life. I trust You with her. She’s your little girl. I know that the words you had me speak are taking root in the garden of her heart right now and that she will come to know you as her Heavenly Daddy. In Jesus name!
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." Paul, in Romans 10:15
