Ministry in Cambodia
Cambodia is an amazing beautiful country. I pretty much fell in love with it the moment I stepped off the plane! The people are so sweet and kind!, the culture is rich and a big bonus is most people can understand/speak basic English so it was very easy to communicate!
Beyond the beauty though, there is a deep pain and brokenness. Cambodia suffered a genocide about 40 years ago and is still suffering in many ways. It’s a young and deep pain the country still feels.
Unfortunately from that there is a struggle with poverty and lack of education in some of the villages, which feeds right into the heartbreaking business of the sex trade.
The very short way of explaining the situation as it was explained to me is the small villages still recovering, still struggling with education and poverty are often targets for people in the sex trade. They go into the small villages and tell the parents that they can pay them to take their kids to go get an education. In reality they are taking their kids to sell in the sex trade, often times due to lack of education the parents willingly send their kids (boys and girls) hoping for them to have a better future. Sometimes due to poverty though, kids are willingly sold. Another way they trick young girls into debt by offering them a job in the city upon arriving in the city the money for their travel is demanded, when they can’t pay they are then they forced into “working it off”. The list goes on and on for ways they “staff” this heartbreaking field of work but the unfortunate truth as I was told, In the Cambodian sex trade if education and poverty weren’t such a widespread problem the sex trade would shrink down to almost nothing.
*Please educate yourselves on the genocide and sex trade in Cambodia and join in powerfully praying and proclaiming the truth of God over this country!*
I can’t put into words the pain of seeing these girls lined up outside of beer gardens, massage parlors and KTV’s being sold. My heart is so broken for the guys and girls stuck in the sex trade.
Be encouraged though, God is on the move. His heart is even more broken for them than mine. He see’s the pain of this country and He loves them so much. Over the short 3 weeks I spent in this country I was completely overwhelmed with the love God feels for these lost, hurting, broken and Beautiful people!
The kindness and joy these people carry among there pain beautifully reflects that of the Father!
With that said my ministry this month was different. A big part of ministry was being educated about the country, genocide and sex trade so we could join in praying specifically praying over them and praying for breakthrough! I also helped at the World race base- painting, organizing keys, inventory to help take some of the workload off the amazing long term team working there. I also had the opportunity to help teach the local Cambodian staff English. Lastly we were doing unsung hero which is searching for new ministries to work with in that area, It was so cool to see how many ministries are in Siem Reap serving and caring for their community, getting to hear their stories and visions and getting to offer to come alongside and serve them! It was a beautiful month and definitely one of my favorites! I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to learn about the beautiful people of Cambodia, hear their vision for their community and get to serve alongside with the body of Christ there!
Please partner in praying for this beautiful country as it heals, for the sex trade, for the educational system, for the orphans and for the amazing people on the ground working in all of these areas!
Fundraising update! I’m only about $2000 away from my final goal praise God! The deadline for having it in has passed though so I need to get it in as soon as possible to stay on the field! Please donate, partner with me so I can continue to serve!
Love and blessings~ Megan <3
