For this post, I will briefly describe what you should expect from these updates as well as what the main mission I am doing while I am here.
I am working with an organization called the SHE Rescue Home. Our goal is to restore and reintegrate girls into the societies from whence they came. The home takes in girls that have been trafficked, rape, or are at high risk for either of the two and houses them until circumstances with family improves. The home cares lovingly for the girls and shares the love of Jesus with them. It is absolutely incredible to see the great joy that radiates from some of these girls that have been through the worst of circumstances, and a couple of the girls are as young as six years old. The Lord is so good to restore what has been broken and used!
The home also works with the families and communities that the girls come from. In most cases, the immediate family is not responsible for the prostitution or rape of the girl, and therefore they are willing to get help from the home to come out of poverty and become a better living place for their children. Once the girl and her family are back on their feet, the home reintegrates the girls back into their families.
All that being said, do not expect any photos of the girls, any of their names, or any of their individual stories. This is because some of the families and pimps are actively looking for the girls that they once used wrongly, and it is our duty to protect them from these predators. I will be able, however, to share small stories about what we are doing and what the Lord is doing in Cambodia and generally in the lives of these girls.
I will end this short post with a story of a small moment that touched my heart. On my second day in the home, one of the girls affectionately grabbed my hand. She noticed my True Love Waits ring and ran her fingers across it. In her broken English, she asked me what my ring meant. I tried my best to explain it in simple English. It can be really difficult to communicate here because I speak absolutely zero Khmer (pronounced "come-eye"). I simply told the young girl that my ring meant that I was waiting for my husband to come someday. I didn't think she would understand, but her face lit up and she held up her left hand to show a ring in the same place where mine is! She excitedly told me this:
"Where I am from, the men in my village look at me like I am bad because of what I have been through. But I know that God loves me and that is enough. But someday God will send me a husband that will love God and take care of me. Now sometimes boys ask me if I have a boyfriend, and I show them my ring. They ask me what it means, and I say that I only want one man, and that is my husband." Then she simply smiled, squeezed my hand, and walked away.
What a beautiful picture of restoration!
God is good. There is much more to tell, but I will update the rest this weekend. Thank you for your prayers and support!
Goosebumps!
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