October of last year (2009) I went to visit my friend Jessie in Kampala, Uganda. The original plan was that her and I were going to go to Uganda for a month e
arlier that year in June, however, it didn't work out for me to go due to a restriction on the shots that I could get. It was neat to see God redeem the situation by allowing me to go a few months later for a couple weeks. I didn't know going into the situation that I would be sleeping in the slums where Jessie lived with 15 street boys and other people who were helping raise these incredible group of young boys. Jessie and another girl, Abby, were running a program for street boys called A Perfect Injustice. (Make sure to check out Abby's blog at http://africa-love.livejournal.com). While I was there, every Mon
day, Wednesday, and Friday I would take the short walk through the slum of Kivulu with Jessie and Abby to a church where the programs are held. The church, Grace Fellowship, had two walls and a roof made of sheet metal, a dirt floor with a humble platform for the speaker to preach from. On these days, several dozen rambunctious boys came to play, learn, eat, an
d brush their teeth. Some brought drugs, some tried throwing stones at the others who made them angry. Some would hold onto your arm for the three to four hours that the programs lasted. All came to have a few hours a week to be kids and feel loved.
Dissan, Kato, and Me
A few of the boys who attended the programs.
About a week into my short stay, the thought came to me "Where are the girls?" We had even stopped by a drop-in center for street kids one day, and I saw no girls. I eventually asked my friend, and her response was "That is more of a justice issue, most of the street girls are picked up by pimps and live in brothels in the slums." This news sickened me.
When I returned home, International Justice Mission was my first thought. I e-mailed them asking to visit aftercare programs that they have, really anywhere in the world. I just wanted to go. A few days later, I received a response, and the answer was "for confidentially purposes, no." They did provide, however, links to several different organizations and places to find resources. One organization was World Hope International. I perused their website and came across their Hope Corps with an upcoming trip to Cambodia to work with girls who have been pulled out of brothels. When I realized the trip was 10 days, and not 6 months, as I originally thought, I decided not to apply. "What could 10 days do, I want to do long term." I think I was still on the 'getting back from Africa' high. I told a friend later that night that I wasn't going to apply because of this, that I was, in fact, looking for something long term.
I went to work the next day as normal and had to take our adult patients to Barnes and Noble on an outing. I was walking through the store, counting to make sure everyone was in the same store, and I ran into one of those tables that sits in the aisles with sale books or books with the same theme. One book caught my attention, which was my favourite book to date "The Road of Lost Innocence" by Somaly Mam. You can see a picture of it below. There isn't anything remarkable about this book. I saw the word "Cambodian" on the front and turned it over. Sure enough it was about a woman who was sold into prostitution at a young age, ended up escaping, and has now rescued thousands of young girls. I read the book in a day or two, and applied.
Sweet little connections have kept coming up that are small confirmations that this is where I am to go.
Things to pray for:
My heart- Lately, I have been a little distant from Jesus. Been distracted, and need prayer for my focus to be only on Him.
My team- I haven't met any of them yet, pray for unity and love for one another.
Cambodia- This small country is hurting, yet resilient. They are beautiful people. Mostly prayer is needed for their souls, that they ultimately meet Jesus.
Girls still captive- Pray for the release of all girls being held. That they also may have hope whilst imprisoned.
Girls rescued- That their healing isn't necessarily painless, but that it is freeing.
