Cambodia adventure continues

Its Tuesday. My team encouraged me to stay back and rest today so I could get well. I left California with a cold, and its gone into my chest and sinuses. I'm praying that this day of rest will allow me to get well. I'd appreciate your prayers too. There is so much to do, and it will take everyone on the team contributing these next two weeks. Please pray for strength and the ability to deal with the extensive heat and humidity as we work throughout the day.

We're up at 7 am and leave by 8. We're not home until 5pm. There is no airconditioning, and electricity for fans comes and goes throughout the day at Rahab's house. Rahab's house was bought by Agape International in the center of Svay Pak. It used to be a brothel, but they've turned it into a church and community center for the kids during the week. A young pastor and his wife and infant son live there now, up in what used to be the virgin room. Young virgins yield a lot of money, so little girls under ten are sold as virgins. When Agape took over they found permanent blood stains on the floor and bed in that room.

But now the whole building is flooded with joy, laughter, light and God's presence. You can feel it. The people who now come to this building every day are safe. Those who work here now care about the people, and love the children. Here the children can be children again, if only for a couple hours a day. Yet some of the people, especially the traffickers, even the parents who profit from selling their children, resent Agape for being there. The young man who runs Rahab house has been threatened. They say to him, we know why you're here...you can't stop what we're doing. The traffickers work like the mafia...the people don't go against them.

The little boys are taught young to be runners for the girls. Little boys starting under 10 years old are paid to get the girls and bring them to customers. There's no use going to the police, cause they're in on it. In fact the chief police of Svay Pak is the one who used to own the brothel that's now Rahab's House.

In the midst of the hell of Svay Pak, God's light is shining. Young children are coming to know Jesus, and are discovering for the first time that what is happening to them is wrong.

I don't know about our little girl yet, but will find out when the team gets back tonight. I'll let you know if she came in today. Svay Pak is like living in hell. Its a huge filthy, dark slum. Almost all the children in that area are trafficked.

Last night while I was blogging to you, an older woman, probably a grandmother came in with three little girls all dressed up. They were very little, all under ten years old. About fifteen minutes later she came out with a different girl and met a man. It turned my stomach. Even here in our hotel girls are sold. Our first morning for breakfast an old American man came in with a young local girl. I see him around here all the time...the emotions I feel towards him are ones I've never felt before.

Thanks for your prayers and reading my blog. Please pass the link to as many people as you can who will pray!

Blessings, barb