As we headed out for the night, my stomach was full of butterfly’s. a mixture of excitement, nerves, and uncertainty filled my emotions and thoughts. This is what I came to do on the race. This is what Jesus did and it is what we are called to do. After being dropped off by our tuk tuk drivers, we began the walk towards our destination, Pub Street. Although Pub Street is lit with a million blinking lights, the darkness that resides there not only can be seen, but felt. We walked past restaurants with live music pouring through the doors and open patios, tourist gazing upon a foreign culture, and beautifully strung lights that made it feel like Christmas. Walking a little further, the scenery began to change. We stumbled upon a bridge where women were begging with their small babies. Looking down at the peaceful sleeping angels made my heart ache because I knew something that other tourists did not know. These women actually drug “their” babies to keep them quiet and asleep while they beg. Infants and toddlers who may or may not be related to the women being used to receive money. Heartbreaking.
Walking on, we were now in the midst of the night life action. Music blaring from bars and clubs, extremely intoxicated tourists stumbling around, side carts selling tarantulas and $1 shots of tequila, and flashing lights to distract one from seeing the surrounding darkness; a sensory overload. We finally made it to our destination, a small bar on one of the more quiet sides of the street. A bar filled with girls. Girls in scandalous attire. Girls flirting and throwing themselves at the men who entered. Girls society has taught me to avoid and stay away from; prostitutes. Yet, there I was, walking in to talk, have fun, and share the love of Jesus with them. These girls haven’t been trafficked, they are selling their bodies on their own free will. In Cambodia, prostitution is more socially acceptable than begging on the street. Some tourist visit the country specifically for that reason. Bars are filled with girls making a living by selling their bodies; a stomach churning reality that I was able to experience first hand. My team and I were able to walk confidently and boldly into this darkness in order to share the love of Jesus to girls who have never experienced true love and the grace of God. We were called to love everyone, not just those who are convenient or comfortable to love, but EVERYONE. We are called to fiercely love like our Father who fiercely loves us.
This experience reminds me of John 4:7-26, the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Jesus did not have to go through Samaria. He CHOSE to so He could encounter this woman with many husbands. He did not go around or shy away from the undesirables, He went straight for them. He truly loved the unloved. So many thought that what Jesus did in showing grace and love to people like this was scandalous.
I want to challenge and encourage all of you to live a scandalous life like Jesus, sharing the love and grace of our heavenly father.
