A day in Svay Pak

Now we have been in Svay Pak for over two weeks.
We have been working out of Rahab's house which used to be a brothel. Recently, I was standing in the room that used to be known as "the virgin room". Horrible things were done in this room to young girls. We have heard some of the stories. We know that videos of children being abused in this very room are still being sold on the streets. It can be overwhelming. But standing in this place, I hear one word.
RESTORATION
I am reminded of Isaiah 58 and specifically Isaiah 58:12, "Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."
I am reminded that the Lord has come to restore. He desires that captive people be set free and relieved of their burdens. The Lord desires to bring restoration to Svay Pak. Restoration to the children and girls whose lives and bodies have been used and abused. Restoration to the families stuck in a generational cycle of poverty. Restoration and justice for the men and abusers.
The Lord has come to repair and restore.
I am encouraged by this truth as I see the adults in the community starting to smile at us. Some of the children who would only cry or frown during the program are actually timidly smiling and laughing. These are the same children that are sold every night. As I see these little changes, I count them as big changes. Nothing is too big for my God! Sometimes it's the small steps that lead to great things. I will continue to ask the Lord to bring healing and restoration to these people and know that it will happen.
Will you pray with me?
*pray for open doors in the community
*pray that we would be able to connect with families as we enter homes in the village
*pray for justice-there are many people that know what is happening in Svay Pak, however there is still a lot of corruption. Pray that someone in law enforcement will care and do the right thing for these girls

New ways to join the journey

Hello friends!
As I mentioned in my last note, I will be going to the village of Svey Pak three days a week. I am so excited to see what the Lord is doing in that village. There is still a lot of prostitution and police corruption in the village. But there is hope! The Lord knows each and every one of the people in the village. He knows the name of every child that is forced to have every night. He knows the level of poverty and hopelessness that surrounds each each person. But He is hope and He is light.

Will you partner with us as we visit Svey Pak? We currently will be teaching children three afternoons a week. We will be teaching them about their identity in Christ. We will also offer English classes and creative expression dance classes for the children. Almost all of the children do not attend any school, so we believe our program will be very welcomed. Above all else, we seek to show real love and hope to the children.

As this great opportunity has opened up for us, we see that we have a financial need. It will cost us $96 dollars a week to travel to Svey Pak and pay two translators. We currently do not have this money in our budget. In addition to $96, we would love to have extra money to purchase supplies for the children (we could have close to 200 children show up for our classes.) Please prayerfully consider making a financial donation to this cause. You can give by mailing a check to the address listed to the right. Please remember to attach to the check a piece of paper with my name on it. Any money you give by the 21st of February will be hand delivered to me by our visiting CPX friends and available for immediate use. If you choose to make a financial donation, please email me to let me know what amount we should be expecting.

I am very excited about this opportunity. Thank you for considering partnering with us.
Love,
Ruthie

Greeting friends!

I am overjoyed right now to be writing you all. And for those of you who think I might be over exaggerating-I’m not! I was quite ill for more than a week and was unable to make it to the internet café (or anywhere for that matter) until this week. Luckily, I am doing much better now. I had a case of food poisoning that hit me with all kinds of unpleasant symptoms and eventually landed me in the hospital for two days. Now, I’m back on my feet and regaining strength and my appetite. My next adventure was that I fell down the stairs and hurt my back. My back is healing more everyday. I may end up even getting a massage once my bruises have healed.What have I learned from these ordeals? First, don’t trust the street vendors even if they do appear the sterilize their silverware. Second, I have really big feet! The stairs in our house are uneven and steep and small by American standards. I have learned that for my shoe size I must take the steps very slowly and never let go of the hand railing!

During the last two trying weeks, I have been reminded that God is a mighty and faithful God no matter what my circumstances. Being sick and injured is no fun in any country, but I can say that I am now more convinced of the great God we serve and his purpose for me here in Cambodia.

Speaking of purpose.. . here's what I've been doing when I haven't been lying in bed sick.

*On Monday and Friday I teach two English classes. I love my students. I have elementary to adult ages and they are amazing! I feel very blessed to meet with them each class and pray with them throughout the week.

*On Saturdays I will be having a bible study/mentoring time with 2 or three teenage girls. We are going to be reading the book of John together and of course have needed girl talk! :)

*I have spoken with a lady named Michelle from Samaritan's Purse who has asked me to help her with a day care project. In Phnom Pehn, whole neighborhoods of people are forced to leave their houses if the government wants the land. These people are forced out of town with no compensation. They live in makeshift villages without water or electricity. Many of these people then loose their jobs because they can't travel so far to the city. It's a very bad situation. Michelle has asked me to be a consultant for the three day cares they want to start in these villages. I will be talking regularly with her to help with the planning of the day cares and to answer any early childhood questions staff might have.

*This week, I have the opportunity to start working three afternoons a week in a village called Svey Pak. I am extremely excited and feel like this village may be the reason I am here. In this village every young girl has been sold for sex. International Justice Mission did a raid on a brothel a few years ago and rescued 30 something girls. Since then the brothel has been turned into a center for the children of the community. It's called Rahab's house. Alli and I ,and possibly Christina, will go there to teach and love on the children. Unfortunately, the condition of the village has not changed. Almost all the girls we work with will be sold that same night. It's heart breaking, but I'm really asking the Lord for these young girls. I pray that I could show light and real love to them.

** Book recommendation: Terrify No More. This book tells about the village of Svey Pak and about the raid that took place. It is a little graphic but still hopeful. Reading this book will give you an idea of the darkness in the village, and better yet the hope that Rahab's house will bring.

So that has been my life in a nutshell. I do intend to write more often, however sometimes the Cambodian computers have different ideas. :)

Prayer requests:

*For me personally please lift up all of the activities I am involved in. I really want to encourage others and see God move in mighty ways.

*For the team please pray for encouragement and rest. We have all been struggling with sleepless nights and a case of the "blaghs" sometimes. Pray that we would be energized for all that needs to be done in the day.

Please feel free to email me any time. I love hearing what is going on in every one's life.

Blessings,

Ruthie