Friday, August 24, 2007

Praying For Frontline Workers

Thursday was a fairly quiet day as it was one really spent praying with different people that are living here. I had the privilege of meeting an 'old friend' who returned to Cambodia a few years ago. He exudes such humility and yet God has placed him in a role that carries significant influence. He is a man after God's own heart seeking to bring transformation at leadership levels and continuously desiring to see God's kingdom come in the heart of his people. I am always blessed when I spend time with him and count it a privilege to pray for his needs. He also has a heart for the widows and orphans of this land and a keen interest in educating his people about the sexual exploitation of children that is going on within this country. We discuss ideas on how we can partner together and perhaps do seminars in the future. Much to think about after this meeting.

Later in the evening, Cathy, Shannon and I head to TLC to spend time with our 9 young friends and their caregivers. We just step in to a Tuk-Tuk--a motorcycle driven carriage and a torrential rainfall hits. As our driver takes us towards TLC the rain is in our faces and we are getting drenched but this is life in Cambodia so we laugh it off. We finally arrive at TLC and only a few of the girls are at home. Some of them haven't come home from work and others of them apparently have boyfriends so are out. They have an 8:30pm curfew but like all teenagers they try to stretch it and test the boundaries.

TLC has 4 full time staff who either live with the girls or are there daily. Jane (not her real name) supervises the whole centre and lives on site. She is in her 50s and is such a joyful lady whose desire is simply to pour out love on these girls. Then there are two counsellors--- Pauline and Savy (not their real names) who spend time ministering to the emotional challenges and hurdles that the girls face. Finally, there is Sokhan(not her real name) the house mother, a single young woman whose gentle spirit is so evident. God has given each of these women an enormous heart of compassion and grace to care for the girls and this at times is not an easy task given the fact that the girls have had minimal exposure to godly parenting before. There are all sorts of dynamics at play when one is seeking to minister to older teenagers. It is our prayer that the Lord will bless the staff with much wisdom and discernment as they continually care for these precious ones and that HIs holy love would continually flow through them as they seek to be His hands, voice and feet to these young women.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Lisa,

Sounds like your trip is panning out to be everything that you had hoped it would be. I know that God is following you and your friends closely and will keep you safe from harm. I applaud you and the others for making these important sacrifices in your lives to ensure the enrichment of others. Safe Journey.

Dorothy