As we’re walking down the street back towards the tourist-ridden part of Siem Reap, the women continue to follow us, clinging to our sides and pleading for help. One woman in particular stayed close to my left side and matched me step for step, saying “just one dollar, you have money”. I kept my eyes forward and responded, “I’m sorry but I really don’t have any more money.” And, I didn’t. But, she didn’t know that I had a credit card and even though it would charge me $10 to withdraw money, that I could go to the nearest ATM and withdraw what little amount of money I had left if I truly wanted to help her. You can judge me, it’s ok. I judged myself.
If you’re an avid reader of my blog, then you read a post called Just Look At Me a few weeks ago. It was about an experience I had when I got completely wrecked by seeing a mutilated man lying in the middle of a crowd; people continued to walk around him, without even glancing in his direction. It broke my heart. Yet, here I was, in the middle of Cambodia, lacking the courage to look a woman in the eye when I honestly told her I had no money with me. I cursed myself for being a hypocrite.
Although the woman eventually turned around, there was still a young girl following us; the tone she used when she spoke wasn’t one that pleaded for pity, she had a whiny and angry way of asking for money. Suddenly, she looked at me and said, ” You say you don’t have money, but you’re about to go eat lunch at one of these expensive restaurants [and by expensive, she meant $6]. How can you help one and not the other?” Bingo. That explained the angry way she spoke to us; she wasn’t a fan of rich tourists that weren’t interested in anything more than souvenirs or women for sex.
I immediately thought “Oh no you didn’t girl”…but, oh yes, yes she did. Talk about a dagger to the heart. I looked at her and smiled. I liked her realness and the fact that she had a little spunk to her, so I began to ask her questions about herself. Her name was Soulee. She is 14. She has 4 brothers and sisters. She goes to school when she isn’t begging for money on the street. And, she speaks English pretty well.
I asked if she was hungry and told her that we wouldn’t give her any money, but we would take her to lunch. So, Mike, Dave, and I sat down to lunch with her; something about the way she sat so closely to my side and kissed my cheek made tears spring to my eyes. My heart was a mess in Thailand and Cambodia, so I would either cut a conversation short or struggle to hold back tears any time I interacted with a child. After eating lunch with us, Soulee hurried off to school and disappeared around the corner.
I immediately felt a sense of loss as she walked away. All of these thoughts began to flood my mind: will she have enough food to eat? will she be safe? what if a “kind” stranger lures her away, forcing her into a life of prostitution? Jesus, protect her. God, send your angels to guard her.
I mindlessly walked through the market, wandering from shop to shop, pretending to be interested in scarves and clothes. We eventually made our way back to the hotel, which is when I finally let the reality of the day settle within me. I had just spent the day with a child that, a few hours later, could very well be forced against the wall of the very alleys we had just walked through, raped against her will. I don’t type these things for dramatic effect; I type them because it’s truth. These things are happening daily around the world.
I went to my room, trying to pretend that things were great, until I began to share my heart with Kayla. I asked her questions that I’d been asking myself: Who’s taking care of these children roaming the streets? Why are there so many women and children being trafficked here? This is NOT OK. Why aren’t more people DOING SOMETHING?
Every time I meet someone that has started an organization, there always seems to be a moment that defined their decision to dive in completely. My moment was the day that I met a young girl named Soulee, who boldly asked me how I could help one person and not another. I’m diving in completely, praying that the love and glory of the Lord will be brought through the dreams He’s placed in my heart.
I’ll be attending a 6 month leadership school called G42 Leadership Academy in Mijas, Spain beginning in July. This is a school that will mentor and develop the dreams that are being sprung forth in my life. I will once again be raising support.
The total cost of this school is $8,000
$6,000 (room, board, mentors, food)
$2,000 (flights to and from Spain)
That’s 26 weeks.
182 days.
If you’d like to join me in developing the27project more thoroughly, you can:
sponsor me for one day: $44
sponsor me for one week: $308
sponsor me for one month: $1,333
donate frequent flier miles for flights.
This organization is apart from the World Race, so you will need to go here: www.g42leadershipacademy.org/donatedonate
type: Stacey Compton in the intern section or write it in the memo portion of a check
Thank you for saying yes to the things that God is speaking through my life. Thank you for the support, love, and encouragement that has been offered during the past two years. The journey is just beginning…will you continue to follow along?
