This was our first full day in Cambodia! For me at least, it was still totally surreal to be there. Like, mentally, I was aware I was in Cambodia. It just didn't totally sink in yet. I kept telling myself, "We are in Cambodia right now." I mean, it was obvious; nothing looked like America. We had been preparing for so long, it was hard to process actually being there.
On Friday we woke up for our first taste of Gateway. This is an amazing restaurant that we went to every morning for breakfast and a couple of evenings for dinner. It was founded by a Canadian named Matt a few years ago.
Matt is awesome. He loves Jesus. He also has a Khmer wife that helps him run Gateway and at least two (I'm not sure if I counted all of them or not) children that play around the front all the time.
Gateway is special, because it is a Christian facility. So, they play Christian music. We walked in, an Chris Clayton (a member of my team) was singing inside. No, he didn't run ahead of us and set up a welcome concert; his CD was playing there. Which is awesome! He is famous in Cambodia. Haha!
After breakfast, which was entirely delicious, we drove up to the IJM office.
Driving. Let me spend a minute on that. Driving in Cambodia is NOT like driving in America. They still drive on the right side of the road (well, they are supposed to anyways), but there are not any real rules of the road (at least not that anyone follows). We had an awesome driver though! His name is Chanthorn. I traffic got so bad at times we'd hear him, "Oh my God!" It was so funny!
At the IJM office we met several people, and since I'm not absolutely 100% certain I can say any of their names, they are all remaining anonymous. IJM is International Justice Mission. They work to end injustice around the world. In Cambodia, they are working specifically with regards to sex trafficking of underage girls. They set up investigations to find out where the girls are that need rescue, they work with the police to put together busts (which is made difficult because of massive corruption), and they help to place the girls once they get out of the brothels. We heard from every department: investigations, legal, and police (I know I missed some...Oops!). The representative we heard from told us about the department and about challenges that they face.
We had heard a lot of these things before in our trainings, but it was way more impactful coming from the people who were actually doing the work every day. It was also incredibly encouraging. Hearing about the ways that God has been working in Cambodia for justice and about the changes that have occurred in the past few years was incredible! I have so much hope for the future of Cambodia because of what God is doing in these people.
Then, we got lunch with a few of the IJM team at The Living Room. I thought it wasan odd name for a restaurant, but it was one of my favorite places we ate for the entire trip!
Excerpt from my journal: "The way He is working in Cambodia makes me fall in love with Him every second! Seriously, you can feel Him here and see Him; especially with all of the staff that are doing justice in His name every day!"
Ready for a change of tone? Next we went to Tuel Slang, which I don't even have words for. One of my teammates said it best when she called it Hell on Earth. It was an old torture prison of the Khmer Rouge. People who were rebelling against the evil rule of the Rouge were brought to this camp and tortured for months before being brought to the killing fields for their death. Torture doesn't even seen to grasp the fullness of what went on there.
It's hard to process that God is there, too.
We went back to Gateway for dinner and a live performance by none other than Chris Clayton! It was breathtaking to watch and listen to Khmer believers praising my God! What a picture of unity to watch God bring the church together, from across the world, under one roof to praise His name! He is at work there!
Thought of the moment: Sometimes we get a little self centered as Americans. We forget that the whole world isn't just America. I challenge you to pray for Cambodia right now. Pray that God would be active there. Pray for salvation there. Pray for justice there.
Verse of the moment: Mark 16:15 "And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'
Song of the moment: God of This City // Chris Tomlin God showed up to me in Cambodia so many times; this day was an example, but he was there every second. He IS the God of that city.
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