Andy and Shane preparing the bananas to feed the kids
This baby is adorable and makes me so sad to know what obstacles she is facing as she grows up. I met her in the village where we fed the children.
One of the precious girls praising God
Pastor Sokahn and Esther (left) and all the kids who live at the Hope Center
Tuesday, Aug. 5
We were up bright and early to drive 2 1/2 hours to Kampong Thom to visit Pastor Sokahn and his wife, Esther and the Hope Center. Sokahn took us with him to a village a few miles outside of town to participate in a feeding program the church does 4 days a week. In this particular village there are about 100 children. Total, the church feeds about 400 children 4 days a week in villages near Kampong Thom. These are the only meals these children eat. The faces of these children will be in my mind forever. They have such precious faces and are hungry, filthy and hopeless. Thank God for Sokahn who shares the love of Jesus with these children by feeding them, telling them about Jesus, teaching them songs (which they performed for us), and teaching them hygiene (the children have to wash their hands before they can eat). Pastor Sokahn is a pastor, runs the Hope Center our church built last year and runs this feeding program among many other things. All of this is done by a 27-year-old man who was abandoned by his parents at age 12. It is truly remarkable and heroic.
We also got to spend some time with the children at the Hope Center and give them backpacks with school supplies and other gifts. It was really great to also honor Pastor Sokahn, Esther and their baby Christina Joy with a gift basket and offering. Can I just say that Cambodian babies are the cutest little things ever!
Then we drove to meet Sue & Sue from Hagar for an orientation about the next 3 days we would spend with the girls rescued from the sex trade. Sue & Sue oversee the children's programs at Hagar, which has several homes in Cambodia. Hagar is an aftercare program for girls who have been sexually abused, primarily in the child sex industry. They provide housing, schooling, medical care, intensive counseling, court preparation (as many cases go to trial both in Cambodia and other countries including the US) and biblical teaching. These women have give their lives and are committed to restoring and offering hope to girls affected by the horror of sex slavery.
Thankfully Sue & Sue (from New Zealand) speak English, so we were able to communicate very well with them.
Afterward, we met the girls at the Hagar House where they performed a traditional Khmer dance for us. It was beautiful and seeing their faces made it so hard to imagine the terror they've been through in their short lives. Their ages are 3 - 14. Next, we took them shopping for a new outfit and finished the evening doing crafts with them. Because of our trip last year we were able to come very prepared with crafts and supplies to give them a chance to do things they don't have the opportunity to do in Cambodia.
* To protect the girls, unfortunately I cannot post any pictures of them.
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