Siem Reap

At the moment I am sitting in an internet cafe with Izzy. Outside there is a pool with fish in. If you put your feet in all the fish swim up to your skin and suck off all the dead skin. A peculiar sensation.

We arrived in Siem Reap on Friday after a three hour Khmer style taxi ride from Battambang. We had four adults squeezed into the back seat as well as a nursing toddler and no seat belts. We prayed before we left and although there were some near death experiences we made it in one piece. On the way back to Battambang we will travel by bus!

Yesterday we got to tour the town a bit before visiting the White Doves ministry that YWAM run here. Iz and I wanted to do a village visit this weekend but it wasnt working out, so at the last minute we arranged to come here instead. Definently a God appointment. A couple called Martin and Dary set up the ministry which offers a way out for women at risk having to earn a living in the sex trade. They give them a salary making craft items as well as getting to learn about the gospel and having the chance to go through prayer councilling. The house is set up with sewing machines and a place to teach the ladies beauty therapy. I didnt know how I would react to meeting the ladies yesterday but I've been thinking about them ever since. They just don't have any sparkle, they are so broken in spirit. Its like I just wanna bring Christ to them and mend them up, soak them in worship music and give them hope. I'm wondering if God wants me to come back here in the future.

http://www.uofncambodia.org/siemreap/whitedoves.html

Siem Reap is bitter sweet; there are a lot of people in crappy darkness and yet knowing that there are awesome ministries here brings hope and restoration out of exploitation and pain. Add to this the tourist factor: East meets West, poverty and riches side by side. Street kids walking around, people living in slums and tourist coming to get some culture, drink, party and visit brothels. Its a weird experience being here. Like its not exactly nice, but at the same time there is so much need for Jesus to fill that it is good to be here.

We were walking down the road yesterday and there were these two kids one girl about 5 carrying a kid about 3 these were the first street kids we'd met they looked pretty skinny and poor they came over to us and the older one had a story about how they were orphans and lived with their grandparents. It seemed like a well rehearsed story and she had good english for a Cambodian 5 year old. We asked them if they wanted something to eat and they definately did. It kind of seemed like even though they were young they had been trained up to beg from foreigners. They lead us to a shop, and they wanted us to buy them milk formula. I've heard that there are schemes here with milk formula, how people beg for it and then sell it for other things so didnt really wanna buy it. But we got them an icecream each to eat there. This really faced us with the issue of what do you do about kids begging for stuff, you wanna help them but whats the best way to do it? Walking out of the shop, about 5 other kids run up to us asking for stuff.

Heather was the lady from yesterday who we talked to about the White Doves ministry, she works there fulltime. I asked her, "How do you not get overburdened from living in the mist of so much need?"

She said, "I just take each day and do what God has for me that day. Not putting the second commandment; to love people above the first commandment; to love God."

Heather with a bag woven by the girls at White Doves.

Ankor Wat

After sneaking around this ancient temple just before closing I turned around to capture a snap of the nation's highest pride: Ankor Wat. We then continued to the exit, splashing through the warm puddles with bare feet. As we cycled back to our guest house a thunder storm brewed and lightning bolts gashed through the grey backdrop sky. I felt like it was God showing how he felt about the overtly prevalent idol worship in this country.