The first few days and weeks working for EMOD were happy and light. We were making new friends and playing with kids. As relationships deepened our contacts opened up more and we learned more about the children at the children’s home and the teenagers at Wings Home. We learned the heart of EMOD is to provide a safe place where these kids and teens can learn about God, grow, and have a future.
The teenagers at Wings Home are students from surrounding villages who are studying either high school or university in Kampong Thom. They have a home and family at Wings Home but are responsible to provide their own food, clothing, and school supplies. As village children from farming families they come from impoverished families and the older siblings often have to support the younger.
Some of the children At Hope Children’s Home are orphans but most are not. Most come from large village families dependent on agriculture for a living. Some were abandoned by their families or rescued from bad situations and brought to the Hope Children’s Home for a chance at a better future. Such was the story of three siblings: Seng Han, Srey Pov, and Tola.
Seng Han, Srey Pov, and Tola’s parents were successful. Their father was a mototaxi and tuk tuk driver with a growing business. Then their mother went in for a loan to expand the business and learned that the accounts were empty. Their father was having an affair and had taken all of the family’s money to leave with his mistress. Their mother tried to take out a loan to support her children but was turned down. Then she was offered money for her younger children. Srey Pov was worth $1,000 and little Tola $300 to a broker. Two precious little lives reduced to dollars. Seng Han is such a caring, protective older brother it must have been devastating for him to watch helplessly. Thankfully an aunt learned of their mother’s plans and brought the children to Hope. Now they have a future.
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
We too are abandoned children until we find our hope and future in the Lord. The world can seem so secure when in reality it is all shaky ground ready to collapse in the littlest storm. In the Lord we are sheltered, we are free, we are safe. We can rest in Him knowing we are loved and provided for.
One day when the children came up to spend time with us they were surprisingly calm and quiet. We turned on worship music in the background and pulled out paper and markers so they could color as we journaled. When I looked up Victoria was stretched out on the floor with Srey Pov in her arms. Both sound asleep. I had to capture the moment.
Two girls who were rescued from this world. Two girls who know the depth of love and can rest in peace because they have a hope and a future in their Heavenly Father.
