Beautiful Things

Yesterday we got the opportunity to go visit Agape International Missions (AIM) in Svay Pak which is a small village 11 kilometers outside of Phnom Penh. Svay Pak is known for it's trafficking of young children. Don Brewster and his wife, Bridget, moved there in 2006 and started AIM with a rehabilitation home for girls rescued from sex trafficking. They have grown so much since then. When we visited yesterday, it seemed they owned every other building on the main street in Svay Pak. All of their buildings are aimed to defeat child sex trafficking, and it is awesome to see all of the work God is doing in that village because of AIM. 

It was so amazing to see how God is creating such beauty and life out of death and darkness. Every single building they have used to be a brothel. I don't know how much more evil you can get then a brothel filled with children. The thought of it makes me sick to my stomach. But God, in His goodness, is so much bigger than any evil in this world and He can and will destroy evil and put beauty in its place. 

What kept coming to mind while we were in Svay Pak was Genesis 50:18-20. This is when Joseph's brothers, come to see Joseph after they realized he has become very powerful in Egypt. They are scared of him and bow before him saying “we are your slaves”. The reason they tell him this is because years earlier, out of jealousy, they sell their brother as a slave. Now they realize they deserve the same fate, and beg to Joseph for mercy. But Joseph's response is so great! He says, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid, I will provide for you and for you and for your children.” What an awesome picture! This type of imagery is so important when fighting sex trafficking because it can be discouraging and hopeless at times. You may ask, “God, how could you let a child go through this kind of suffering?” or “What hope is there with so much brokenness?” But God is constantly reminding me of His goodness and His sovereignty in the midst of confusion. He reminds me that he can and does bring good and beauty out of evil and decay. In an Andrew Peterson song, "Don't You Want to Thank Someone," there is a line that goes, “Maybe it’s a better thing to be more than merely innocent, but to be broken and redeemed by love.” I’m not sure why or how this can be true sometimes. But I do know that I can trust that Our God is greater than any evil on this world and can, will, and does use evil to create good in our broken world. And that is a very beautiful thing. 

You should check out the Gungor song, "Beautiful Things" which talks about similar themes.