There's no doubt that Cambodia made an indelible impression on me, but not really in any of the ways I expected. I expected to be crushed by the weight of poverty and trafficking and sadness, and that did happen at some points in the trip. But when I think back, I most remember laying our hands on women in prayer, sitting in a rickety house marveling at God's love through a translator, the young men at church telling us how they believe Jesus can change Cambodia for the better. I remember the best coffee of my life, crazy rides in tuk-tuks, the beautiful smiles of children, well-worn school uniforms, playing duck duck goose on a dirt road, and pipe cleaners. (Those kids went so crazy for brightly colored pipe cleaners!) I remember how God got bigger and doctrine got smaller. I remember that evil is more horrible than I ever knew was possible, and I remember that God's redemption and hope goes beyond what I ever imagined.
Cambodia taught me that we have our own kind of poverty here. I found myself jealous of their community, their lack of front doors, their children running around together in the alleys all day. I know this is insane because it's also these situations that make them vulnerable, but still I grieve for our locked doors and our fences and our "don't go out there" mentality. I really wonder if much of our anxiety and depression can be traced to this root. (And I say this as someone who has struggled with anxiety recently.) We simply are not meant to live alone within four walls. I think this is the thing that has had the very most impact on me from my trip, and that I am most passionate about in my American Life right now. Finding and fostering real community.
Cambodia taught me about laying down our lives for the gospel. Our hosts for that week were a young couple from Australia. They left everything to come to Phnom Penh and work at SHE Rescue Home. When we were there, they had just found out that she was pregnant with their first child, and conventional wisdom would say that it was time to hang up their mission work and go home to raise their baby in a safe, comfortable place, but they planned to stay. There was Rod, also an Australian, who did such amazing work with the poor despite his own health struggles. We are so stinkin' selfish with our resources here. We are so concerned with protecting our own homes, families, money, and time, that most days getting tangled up with needs and injustices around us feels all but impossible. We talk a lot about "putting Jesus first" but what does that even mean to most of us? That we'll try real hard to read our Bible every day?
And can we talk for a minute about women? Cambodia taught me so much about women. I know that feminism can be something of a dirty word in certain circles, but at the heart of feminism is simply valuing women equally. I saw firsthand the need for that. There's a saying in Cambodia that girls are like white cloth and that boys are like gold. In essence, once white cloth is stained, it's worthless, but gold can be polished up and clean again. Girls are trafficked and raped because they aren't valued, and once that has happened to them they are further devalued because they're "stained" in so many eyes. This kind of thing happens all around the world, and it has to change. It has to be a priority for us. Galatians tells us "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." If we as the church nearly 2000 years later cannot agree that men and women are one in Christ Jesus, we have a problem! I watched amazing women on my team, in the rescue home, pastoring churches in garbage dumps, little girls healing from wounds I could never fathom... Girls matter. Women matter. If there is any sense of God-given justice in us, we should care about this.
My team of world-changing women.
Precious girls (and boys) who matter so very much.
If anyone is interested in getting involved with Cambodia or anti-trafficking efforts, see this list I wrote not long after my trip. I'd also add to that list International Justice Mission. I am constantly in awe of their work. There are so many good people out there fighting the good fight in this arena, and God can always use another willing heart!
