The Enemy’s workers are out and about…

Well, I have been back to work at Daughters for a week now, after having 3 weeks off for the retreat, vacation, and just me-time (which I am loving more and more as time goes on). This is the first time I was really gone from work for more than a day since I started working at Daughters of Cambodia, and I realized I was nervous. I have my system of doing things that I have worked out and now someone else (Amanda, a wonderful woman from the UK who is like my supervisor) was going to be doing my role. I was nervous because I was worried it wouldn’t be done exactly how I did it, which obviously it wouldn’t be since we do things differently. Thankfully I was able to not worry about it while I was on vacation and just enjoy being away. 

Amanda did a wonderful job keeping up with all the admin stuff I have to do, in addition to keeping her responsibilities for the job she usually does, but nevertheless, there were some things that did not get done. So as I anticipated getting back into work, that made me nervous because I was afraid there would be too much to do. In addition to that, Amanda told me that there were two clients who were in serious domestic violence situations before Khmer New Year (one of the biggest holidays in Cambodia), and there was quite a bit of work that needed to happen when I got back to in regards to finding safe places for them to live and figuring out what’s next for them. This kind of thing usually happens around any major Buddhist holiday since there is so much spirit worship that goes on. That extra work made me more nervous, and I knew the week back would be very stressful. So I geared myself for that.

My first day back was calm. WOW! I only felt stressed within the first half hour, and after that, I finished tasks much more quickly than I anticipated. I even got some extra work done that I didn’t think would happen until this week! It was a very busy-productive day (which I’m learning to love), but not stressful. What a God-blessing! I praised God over and over again that day! 

The two domestic violence cases smoothed out and didn’t require as much work as we thought. I want to share them with you so that you can praise God for them, as well as to continue to pray for these clients. It will also give you a sneak peak into some of the common issues we find our clients dealing with.

Client #1 – She is a client we have been working with for a year or two. She has been using drugs (and denying it) for quite a long time, although not as regularly and as seriously as her husband. Her husband is an alcoholic, drug user, and lazy butt who hasn’t been willing to work to support his family for a long time – even when we have set things up for him. They have twin girls who are about 5 or 6 months old. The husband LOVES these girls and is a great father to them – when he’s not drunk or using drugs, which is not often. Right before Khmer New Year, he tried to strangle our client in her sleep and slept with a knife inside their mosquito net. She was worried he would stab her in the middle of the night to kill her (which happened to one of our clients last June). Anyway, over Khmer New Year, the family went to her husband’s family’s house in the province. While they were there, his grandmother talked with him about how to be a good husband and encouraged him to love his wife. Ever since they got back to the city, he has been a gem! He is helping out around the house, using sweet words with his wife (which is a phrase they use a lot here in Cambodia, which means calling her the Khmer equivalent of ‘honey’), and being very understanding with her. He stopped using drugs and drinking alcohol too! He even went and got a job with a decent salary ($90 a month)! Our client is so happy with these changes in her husband! Praise Jesus! Pray that these changes will continue.

Client #2 – Our other client’s story doesn’t have quite as happy of an ending, but at least for the moment, she is safe. This client has only been at Daughters for about 2 months. Her husband has been very abusive in the past and she has a scar on her neck where he cut her with a knife. She had moved out of that house and into a house with a friend. Right before Khmer New Year, her husband paid another of our clients to find out where Daughters’ center was. He came there during the work day and threatened her. After work, despite our efforts to get her out of work through the back door and home safely, he again paid a client to find out where her house was. That night, he went to her house and beat her badly. Amanda and the social workers worked hard to find an NGO or other safe place for her to stay over the holiday while we wouldn’t be working, but there was no place that had room for her to stay. She ended up staying with her sister, but not before her husband found her and beat her again. After Khmer New Year, she found a new house to live in, and we are working at keeping it’s location secret from her husband and from other clients, so the husband cannot pay off our clients for information. Some of the clients will do anything for money, especially if they have debts. The husband, however, still knows the location of Daughters’ center, so we are all a little bit afraid of what could happen if he comes back to the Center. Please pray for safety for this client, all of the clients, and our staff. But more importantly, pray that this husband would give up the chase. He says all he wants is their child so he can sell her, but our client will not give her up (thank goodness!) Pray for God to change his heart and to draw him to Himself.

Now I am back into the swing of  things at work and it’s going well. I have a choir concert on Saturday, a sleepover with an American friend when we are going to make lots of yummy food, and a renewed love for talking to Jesus. He is quite beautiful, isn’t He? 🙂 I love sharing my heart with Him. And when we share our hearts with Jesus and slowly our will becomes His will for us, the Enemy’s workers may still be out and about, but they have far less power in the marvelous light of Jesus Christ and His living presence! AMEN! 

Talking to Monkeys

I am sitting along the sands of Dolphin Bay, Thailand, relaxing in one of the occasional hammocks hanging between coconut trees. My toes drag in the hot sand as I gently rock my hammock back and forth to the rhythm of the breeze. The breeze is warm, but it is breeze enough to whisk away the sweat that threatens at my pores. I watch as the one or two people brave enough to be out in the hot water under the hot sun, splash in the tiny waves that roll into shore. And I thank God that I am here.

I wish I could say this and have it be true, but unfortunately I am too lazy and am enjoying my air conditioner in my room too much to actually go outside and relax in a hammock. But that gives you a picture of what I COULD be doing. And I really am thanking God I am here. It is so beautiful and relaxing, and it has been so refreshing for me. I guess I forgot to explain why I am here. I am at a retreat for missionaries from Anabaptist mission organizations who are in the Southeast Asian region. EMM is the biggest organization here, but there are others from MCC, Virginia Mennonite Missions, Mennonite Mission Network, and some others I forget right now. We have been here since April 3 and it has been a wonderful balance of relaxation, worship, sharing with each other, and delicious food! 🙂

Yesterday, a bunch of us kayaked over to an island called Monkey Island, known for the monkeys that rush up to tourists that come to see them. They know tourists have bananas and THEY WANT BANANAS. We brought LOTS of bananas and I’m pretty sure we fed those monkeys for the next 3 days. It was hard work paddling against the wind and waves to get to the island, but it was so worth it. I had so much fun feeding eager monkeys and trying to escape the king of the island when he jumped at us with bared teeth – SHARP teeth. But it was so life-giving for me. I don’t feel like I often get to do random fun things like that, so I almost felt like it was an afternoon of connecting with Jesus, even though, to be honest, I didn’t really consciously talk with Jesus at all. At the retreat, we are talking about unconventional spiritual disciplines and the importance of recognizing that our whole lives are spiritual, not just the times we are with Jesus. So I am claiming that my time with the monkeys was a way of connecting. I connected with the nature that God placed in my path by battling waves and wind, feeling the strain of my muscles as I paddled, talking to monkeys (naturally, I talked to them), and feeding them bananas. Despite my sore muscles and burning skin, I felt so refreshed after that trip – more refreshed than I did after any of the worship sessions.

I have also had a wonderful time with new friends and friends I have known for months. My roommate, Jamila, and I, have been sharing everything – our room, stories, every meal, cultural shocks to Asian culture, and laughter. It has been so good to have a dear friend to just hang out with all the time and share questions and frustrations with. I haven’t had that for almost a year – since I graduated from college. It is such a blessing, and I know after this year, I will never again take my close girl friends for granted.