I looked down at the tag of my new shirt to see how to properly wash it and I read these words…
“Made in Cambodia”
Those three simple words immediately pierced right through me and so many emotions and memories of my time spent there flashed before my eyes. The fear of when I drove a woman to the hospital because my team and I thought she was having a heart-attack and her going unresponsive twice during the ride. The horror of seeing a woman, (Moam), naked and chained in a room because Cambodia doesn’t have the resources to properly treat people; helplessness because we couldn’t do anything to immediately change the situation. Fury and disbelief when witnessing women and men being bought on the side of the road for someone to satisfy an urge. At first I felt rage towards The John’s, those who purchase prostitutes, but then I felt pity and grief because they desperately need the love of Jesus too.
You know…it’s easy for me to only focus on the bad things that I witnessed in Cambodia. But the truth is that I saw so many good things. God’s redemptive love shined through.
The woman we rushed to the hospital was fine when we arrived to the emergency room. I believe, with all my heart, Jesus healed her while on the way, after her second time going unresponsive. And while at the hospital she learned she had a disease and was able to receive treatment!
My team and I experienced joy when meeting with so many organizations that are fighting the war against the sex trade industry. Jesus is truly changing lives through them!
I felt Joy and peace when seeing bold and courageous first generation Christians (who were just teens) creating a lasting impact in their community because of the life changing power of Christ’s love.
In the midst of all of the darkness in Cambodia, there is a growing light!
“That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.” -John 1:5.
Re-entry is an interesting thing. You think you’ve processed through an event but something as small as a shirt tag can tell you otherwise. Cambodia was the hardest month of my Race and the things I saw changed my life. This blog post is a small way of helping me process…
I’ll leave you with some photos of the beautiful faces I met in Cambodia. 🙂
Thanks for reading.
