We flew into Cambodia that evening from Bangkok and we were all excited to go explore the town! We headed to Pub Street, which is a popular street full of adventure and authentic Cambodian culture. We danced the night away and had an amazing time trying fresh smoothies & cooked scorpions and snakes from street vendors. They have a wide range of street food!
We were having such a great time and we decided to go get some ice cream before heading home. While we were on the street getting ice-cream we noticed multiple kids coming up to all of us and begging.
There was a group of kids that came up to my friend and I and begged for us to go buy something for them at the store earlier that night, so we followed them in knowing we wanted to help them somehow. They led us right to an aisle and pointed straight to a large can of Baby Formula. It completely broke my heart. Of all the things and food at the store all they wanted was some baby formula.
My mind raced with possibilities of why they would need this formula and each one pierced my heart even more. So when these kids came up to us again by the ice-cream I quickly realized they were begging for the same thing. Money or the Baby Formula.
We tried to just play with the kids and let them be young and carefree for a moment.
But a man kept on coming up to them and yelling at them to keep begging the tourists.
At that moment God opened my eyes and I felt like the veil was gone and I could see for the first time everything that was going on.
The children were involved in trafficking and begging was their job.
They were forced to beg till late hours of the night and report everything they earned to the man in charge. They didn’t know anything else, this is how they survived & what they called love. The man kept on circling and surrounded us while we were talking to the children. Once he realized they weren’t begging he would go up to them and yell or push them and you could see the light in the children’s eyes extinguish. And they would instantly start to beg again, refusing the already made food we were offering to them.
They would only accept money or the Baby Formula.
I was awoken to the darkness and looked around and could point out everyone involved. There was the man who kept encircling us, 5-6 children, an older lady holding a young baby who was sitting on the floor with a can of Baby Formula, and a younger women standing a little bit back who was encouraging the kids to keep begging also.
We realized the Baby Formula is all a scam to get more money since it is one of the higher priced items in the store. They have a deal with these kids that once it is bought for them, they can go into the store and return it for a percentage of the cost and the store gets the other percentage.
This is a major scam to get money from tourists and it helps fuel the trafficking and mistreatment of these children.
The children are taken out of school and forced to stay up all night begging & almost often mistreated for the scam to get money.
I saw the darkness that night, I saw something I could never forget. Something that is hard for me to even put into words.
It was our Friday night wake up call.
A reminder of why we are all here, why God called us here in the first place.
To spread His light and love.
To set captives free.
To go tell about the love that changed our selfish hearts.
& Each one of us left there with tears running down our faces.
We knew we couldn’t personally help fix this situation at that moment, so we covered it all in prayer.
We prayed for the area and the protection of the children. We prayed for their release and that they would feel the love of God in their lives. We prayed that God would convict the people’s hearts that are involved in this darkness so that reconciliation and healing could happen. We prayed that God would be seen there and shown there for these people. We prayed that God would cover this area and do what only He can do. & Lastly we prayed for the man in charge of this whole thing that he would have a change of heart and know God because when you truly know God everything changes.
I felt extremely helpless and heartbroken in this situation but I know a God who is all powerful, who already defeated the darkness. Who already won the war over good and evil. Who sees these children right where they are at and loves them too much to keep them there.
I am going to continue to lift these children and this situation up in prayer and I would love for you all to do the same. Prayer is a powerful thing that can break chains, set captives free, and turn darkness into light.
So I would love for you all to join with me in this and spread some light where only darkness used to be found.
“He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.”
Psalms 107:14
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5
