Loved ones, I know this is lengthy, but bear with me.
Human trafficking is a massive problem in Cambodia. Despite it being a crime, sex trafficking specifically is extremely prevalent here. Children as young as 5 years old are sold by their parents for money or are lured into a masked job, later being forced into prostitution. They are often beaten, starved and held captive. Pimps imprison young children who are virgins, seen as being of more worth, and present them to high bidders – such as military officers, politicians, business men, and foreign tourists.
Svay Pak is one of the worst areas for this type of trafficking. Two days ago I was able to walk through the town and see for myself. Many of the brothels that used to exist there have been raided and transformed into schools, shelters and workplaces for those who are at risk of sex trafficking and also those who have survived. Agape International Missions is putting a big dent in the tragic problem in that town. I met with one of their staff members and he showed me around their ministry.
The first building that I walked into was an old brothel that had been transformed into a shelter for girls who were at risk of being trafficked. The long skinny room was filled with bunk beds and subtle evidences of the brothel that it used to be. Though the small bedrooms that used to fill the room had been torn down, leaving an open room.. there remained one small room in the back of the building. It was left as a memorial for a girl who was found dead there when the brothel was raided. It was a tiny little room with just a bed and a door that locked from the outside with a padlock. Just a glimpse of the living conditions of the girls that were forced to live there. My heart dropped in my chest. The back of the building used to have a door, but was cemented up by the traffickers so that there was no possible way of escape. I felt sick to my stomach, looking at that little room and knowing what had happened there. Upstairs was called The Pink Room. This was a special room where they would have the high-priced virgins being sold. Another building I walked through was originally built to be a hotel for men to bring prostitutes back to. Luckily the project fell through and the building is now a beautiful school. Other buildings I walked through were used for church, sewing and jewelry rooms – employing people in the community, kids club, and homes specifically dedicated to the healing and preparation of women going back into the world after surviving such atrocity. I think it’s truly incredible to see the restoration of this town. Something that Satan meant for such perverse evil, God took and turned into something beautiful.
This morning I went to the busy riverside in the city to have coffee and spend time with the Lord. I prayed about feeling distant from Him this month and He reminded me that His very Spirit constantly dwells inside of me. I have the Almighty King with me, always. He reminds me time and time again that I am an empty earthen vessel, filled with the Spirit of God, guiding my every step as I am willing to walk with Him. Where I walk, Jesus walks. There is insane power in that. I sat there and prayed that God would not just whisper to my heart, but that He would literally be my mouthpiece, my hands, my feet, my direction, my passion, my mindset, my eyes, my everything. I prayed that I would be able to radiate His very essence and that whatever grieved His heart would also grieve mine.
I looked at the tables next to me. Each table was complete with a lonely, guilty, middle-aged, white man sitting with a young beautiful Khmer woman. I watched the same kind of couples walking the streets every so often in front of me, usually the woman trailing miserably behind the man. I noticed them in the tuk-tuk’s as they drove by. I remembered the women I had seen standing on the streets the night before and the disguised “VIP” rooms in cafe’s and restaurants. I sat there and cried. I became devastated by everything that surrounded me.
My heart continued to break as a man without legs dragged himself across the sidewalk in front of the restaurant I was sitting at. I remembered seeing him the day before and I had wanted to buy him an ice-cream. Before I was able to, he disappeared. This morning as he passed my table, he paused for a moment, looked at me, and we both raised our hands in prayer as a sign of respect for one another. He slowly moved on. I watched as he passed the tables next to me. I saw the blind eyes of the people around me. I watched them as they shooed him away with their hands and the looks on their faces. I followed him to the end of the road and asked him if he wanted an ice-cream. His face lit up with a huge smile and he followed me to the ice-cream shop. I got him 3 big ol’ scoops of Rocky Road, Cookies & Cream, and Caramel. I could see him through the glass door as I picked the flavors that I imagined he would like. I handed the ice cream to this precious man and then walked away weeping. My throat constricting, my hands shaking, my heart completely broken. I am crying as I write this because God is completely and totally softening my heart. I begged him for this. I begged him to break my heart for what broke His. He is showing me what to do and who to love, even in the most simplest ways. I am so thankful for opened eyes and the Spirit of God constantly invading my heart with revelations.
This is my heart today.
