One night, Paul and I decided to eat at a nice restaurant on the corner of two streets. As we were sitting outside enjoying each other and our drinks we were approached by several kids selling knick-knacks and postcards. We’ve become quite used to this because it’s a norm in every country we’ve visited so far. The trick is to politely say no thank you and then avoid eye contact.
After having dismissed several of the children, a boy who was probably about 11 years old came up to our table. He asked if we would like to buy a book and I said no, but offered him a piece of bread. He declined the bread and looked over his shoulder. He asked, “where you from?” When we said Canada, he replied, “Oh, Steven Harper is your leader, and before that, Steven Harper”. “Your country speaks English and French and it is very big. The capital city is Ottawa. Also, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver.” Paul and I looked at each other in amazement. This little Cambodian street boy (he called himself Hank) knew more about our country than the majority of our [American] squad-mates. We asked how he knew all that and he said he learned it at the English school. Then he said, “You buy my book?” We said that we didn’t want to buy the book but that we would give him some money. He said that he couldn’t accept any money and nervously looked over his shoulder again.
Hank proceeded to tell us in a quiet voice that he needed to make money in order to go to school. However, someone is in charge of the material that he sells and he must bring all the money back to that person. Then his mother would be given a small amount which would help him go to school and feed their family. He told us that if he has any extra money in his pockets that the tourism police would take it and he would get in trouble. It was obvious that he was caught in a conniving circle and I worried for his safety. I asked him if we bought a book whether it would actually help him and he said yes, because he wants to go to school and he can’t go home at night until he sells a certain number of books. So, we bought some knock-off book which was probably published by the manipulative government to make tourists believe lies about the truth in their country. We wanted to do more for this precious little man but there was simply no good option. I asked if I could pray for him, so I took his hand in mine and prayed,
God please protect Hank. He is such a smart boy and he
wants to go to school. I pray that you will bless Him and
his family. Help them to have enough food to eat. Thank
you for Hank. Help him to know how much you care about
him and how much you love him. Please keep him safe
and help him to sell his books quickly so that he can go home
tonight and be with his family.
