Cambodia - Josh's Perspective
A blog post from Josh's perspective follows!
It feels like its been a long time since we arrived not because its
been a long, difficult week but because there has been so many new
experiences and we've done so much. The week has been really good and
I'm starting to find my roles to fill while serving The Hard Places
Community (HPC).
First, thanks for your prayer, everyone. The beginning of the week was
tougher as we were clueless in a new foreign city, figuring out how to
eat safely, Gretch battled a two-day bug, and seeking to know God's
place for us here. The church has been a huge encouragement and refuge
in all the newness though as we still have all things in common with
the body and our shared salvation transcends all foreign experiences.
As for my role, it's still being revealed. However, I know I'll be
teaching the discipleship class for the older boys (8-12 years old) at
the HPC boys center which serves boys victim of physical or sexual
abuse or are at high risk for such abuse. The class is sort of
catechetical in nature but employes a lot of creative activities and
teaching. The boys are kids that love coming to the center and are
filled with a ton of joy while there but experience a hard life for
the other 22 hours of their day. I'll be teaching the older boys basic
Biblical truths and training the staff leaders to do this job when I
leave. Pray for my words with the boys. That God would give me faith
that I can communicate his truths to such young boys. That God would
grant me creativity it teaching his truth and that his words would
bring them life.
Additionally, every Friday night from about 10-2 a.m. we are part of an
outreach through an organization called Love146 that walks an area
known for its sexual solicitation. Every odd dated Friday we target
those men and women selling their bodies: young girls, older women,
transvestite, and homosexual. On even dated Fridays we are striking up
conversation with the local Khmer and foreign men buying sex. With
both groups were wanting to be familiar faces who care about their
well being. We are building relationships and praying for God let us
speak his words of life into theirs.
Last night was the first outreach and it was great. We definitely got
invited to sit down and hangout at an outdoor birthday party of a
young homosexual man with all his LGBT friends - another first in our
Cambodian experiences (pictures may appear on Facebook of this -
haha). Later in the night though an experience that was much tougher
to view occurred. While Gretch, myself, and a HPC staff named Derek
who speaks Khmer were talking with a group of young Khmer, two men
walked by that caught my attention. They stood out as they said
"Hello" in a less accent-heavy way than most Khmer and continued
walking. I replied with a hello myself but remained with the group we
were talking to. God's Spirit prompted me to watch them as the two men
kept walking. They had evil intentions. After saying a kind hello to
the men I watched them walk another 150 yards, sit down on a bench
with a girl, then walk with her into their hotel directly across the
street from where they met her. I could see them the whole time even
as they walked through the glass doors of the lobby and enter the
elevator in the back of the hotel lobby. I was sick to my stomach as I
knew what was happening - sick because of the situation, the girl's
compliance, the men's abuse of her, but mostly by my missed
opportunity to speak with these men who knew English, wanted sin, and
needed intervention. The whole experience frustrated me but also makes
me eager for the outreach to the "Johns" - the men buying sex - next
week and every other week thereafter. Pray for those conversations and
for God to make me an effective minister to these guys.
Lastly, pray for Gretch and I to have a constant knowledge and faith
in Gods authority, sovereignty, and presence as we serve in some of
the most physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding ministry
we even been a part of. Pray for rest in our hearts and for God to
drive us nearer to each other through it all.
It's a joy knowing you're behind us in heart and prayer.
We'll talk again soon.
Josh
It feels like its been a long time since we arrived not because its
been a long, difficult week but because there has been so many new
experiences and we've done so much. The week has been really good and
I'm starting to find my roles to fill while serving The Hard Places
Community (HPC).
First, thanks for your prayer, everyone. The beginning of the week was
tougher as we were clueless in a new foreign city, figuring out how to
eat safely, Gretch battled a two-day bug, and seeking to know God's
place for us here. The church has been a huge encouragement and refuge
in all the newness though as we still have all things in common with
the body and our shared salvation transcends all foreign experiences.
As for my role, it's still being revealed. However, I know I'll be
teaching the discipleship class for the older boys (8-12 years old) at
the HPC boys center which serves boys victim of physical or sexual
abuse or are at high risk for such abuse. The class is sort of
catechetical in nature but employes a lot of creative activities and
teaching. The boys are kids that love coming to the center and are
filled with a ton of joy while there but experience a hard life for
the other 22 hours of their day. I'll be teaching the older boys basic
Biblical truths and training the staff leaders to do this job when I
leave. Pray for my words with the boys. That God would give me faith
that I can communicate his truths to such young boys. That God would
grant me creativity it teaching his truth and that his words would
bring them life.
Additionally, every Friday night from about 10-2 a.m. we are part of an
outreach through an organization called Love146 that walks an area
known for its sexual solicitation. Every odd dated Friday we target
those men and women selling their bodies: young girls, older women,
transvestite, and homosexual. On even dated Fridays we are striking up
conversation with the local Khmer and foreign men buying sex. With
both groups were wanting to be familiar faces who care about their
well being. We are building relationships and praying for God let us
speak his words of life into theirs.
Last night was the first outreach and it was great. We definitely got
invited to sit down and hangout at an outdoor birthday party of a
young homosexual man with all his LGBT friends - another first in our
Cambodian experiences (pictures may appear on Facebook of this -
haha). Later in the night though an experience that was much tougher
to view occurred. While Gretch, myself, and a HPC staff named Derek
who speaks Khmer were talking with a group of young Khmer, two men
walked by that caught my attention. They stood out as they said
"Hello" in a less accent-heavy way than most Khmer and continued
walking. I replied with a hello myself but remained with the group we
were talking to. God's Spirit prompted me to watch them as the two men
kept walking. They had evil intentions. After saying a kind hello to
the men I watched them walk another 150 yards, sit down on a bench
with a girl, then walk with her into their hotel directly across the
street from where they met her. I could see them the whole time even
as they walked through the glass doors of the lobby and enter the
elevator in the back of the hotel lobby. I was sick to my stomach as I
knew what was happening - sick because of the situation, the girl's
compliance, the men's abuse of her, but mostly by my missed
opportunity to speak with these men who knew English, wanted sin, and
needed intervention. The whole experience frustrated me but also makes
me eager for the outreach to the "Johns" - the men buying sex - next
week and every other week thereafter. Pray for those conversations and
for God to make me an effective minister to these guys.
Lastly, pray for Gretch and I to have a constant knowledge and faith
in Gods authority, sovereignty, and presence as we serve in some of
the most physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding ministry
we even been a part of. Pray for rest in our hearts and for God to
drive us nearer to each other through it all.
It's a joy knowing you're behind us in heart and prayer.
We'll talk again soon.
Josh
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