I’m back in Cambodia doing some consulting for an anti-trafficking organization the next few weeks.

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I was incredibly humbled today to share with the group of teachers and caseworkers I’m working with about our work with displaced Syrians in Jordan. They were so eager to learn about the situation and were filled with compassion over what the people in Syria are experiencing. They pray for Syria every morning together. They understand on a painfully personal level what it is like to watch your country be torn apart by war and to see your family members killed, as their country experienced the horrors of the Khmer Rouge civil war and genocide just over 30 years ago. When I showed them a photo of Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, one of the other (American) staff asked, “How many of your families fled to Thailand or Vietnam and lived in refugee camps during the civil war?” My heart broke as one by one, many of them timidly raised their hands and lowered their eyes to the floor.

This world is so cruel and broken, but yet it is not without Hope.

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Today Lindsay and I visited S-21 (the torture prison) and the Killing Fields that were used by the Khmer Rouge during the 3 year, 8 month long genocidal campaign to wipe out the educated citizens and transform Cambodia into a completely agrarian society from 1975 - 1979. For me, it was my second time visiting these places and it was no less disturbing, no easier to digest. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with people and organizations who refuse to watch the effects of this tragedy continue to plague this nation in the form of human suffering and exploitation; who are committed to helping this country heal.

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I’ve spent the past few weeks working alongside Cambodian Christians serving hundreds of families in the village of Svay Pak, a community where extreme poverty is pervasive and a large percentage of the children have been sexually exploited or trafficked. In fact, it is one of the most notorious hubs for child prostitution in the world. I see the Church here going into the darkest of places, witnessing some incredibly disturbing sights, serving the poorest of the poor, confronting injustice, and restoring hope. As people participate in the #EndItMovement today, marking their hands with a red X to shine a light on modern-day slavery, let us also remember that fighting human trafficking is anything but glamorous; it is painful, gruesome, and heartbreaking; it more often than not involves failure rather than success; it is better when it is prevented rather than combated; and it is best prevented and combated through the donation of our financial resources, which is not nearly as glamorous as most of us would like.

If you would like to know more about how you can partner financially with organizations fighting human trafficking, or if you would like to apply your skills and knowledge toward helping to train NGO staff who work in these programs, please let me know. Don’t stop with just an X.

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The program staff filling out their surveys on Lindsay’s social work trainings from this week. They had an intense week learning about trauma, trauma-informed practice, the impact of secondary trauma, reflective listening, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and more. We were both so exhausted from the whole week, but the staff managed to stay alert and engaged the whole time! Thank you all for such a wonderful time and we look forward to the next time we can see you in Cambodia. God bless you all and your work with the families in Svay Pak!

25 home visits and community assessments completed, in large part thanks to this guy! (and Sinath Chay :)) We make a great team, Saroeun Sek!

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Grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to serve alongside one of my dearest friends this week. We dreamed of doing so over ten years ago, but never imagined one day we’d end up on the other side of the planet together!