You ask a lot of questions in Cambodia. In Thailand, too. But particularly in Cambodia, because you’ll be in a tuk tuk near the riverfront and look over and see a passing tuk tuk with an older Western man and a young, dirty child, (boys and girls) dressed in rags, inside. And you’ll just know… that isn’t a relative.
Or sometimes it’s in your hotel.
Like the last day of ministry, when Connie asked me to run to the store to run an errand before we left. When I returned, I noticed a European man in the lobby. I went over to sit with the team, and Bryan held up his phone to the teammate beside me, a picture he’d taken of the European man from behind, from the shoulders down… with a girl of around 11 standing near him (not the picture above).
“Do you think that’s legit?” he asked.
None of us had a doubt that it wasn’t. This man waited until we all left before he motioned the girl closer and walked closer to the desk, as if booking a room. There was nothing we could do but pray – and that was everything.
We left… praying for a horrible bout of diarrhea to overtake him.
It’s a hard balance… because it’s not my place to judge. Sometimes you just know you’re seeing a creeper. Other times… well, what if that child is adopted? What if that woman is really his girlfriend/fiancé/wife?
But either way… it’s not my place to judge.
That’s really hard, the second hard thing I'm thinking through this month- how to love and be the light of Christ and how not to judge when confronted with something like that. And it's impressed on me all the more how important it is to look for the little moments to share the love of Christ at all times, in all times.
Nikki from the team shared in a blog that she struggled with being in Cambodia once she got there. She felt like she wasn’t making a difference… like she was learning a lot but hadn’t had a chance – she felt- in the first 2 days to truly make a relationship and share the love of Christ.
Then, we prayer walked the riverfront. We split into two groups, but towards the end, found a place to sit together. Street children ran over to us… some of the very children that are trafficked… trying to sell us anything. We were interested in buying. Instead, we tied bracelets on their wrists. We played games with them. Julie, who’d brought her violin from the States- held children close to her, tucked the violin under their chins, and helped guide their hands with a bow… making music. Some children danced with Alexis, others played rock-paper-scissors with Alex. Nikki got to play “Thumb War” with this little one.
At some point in that half hour, the children forgot they were supposed to be selling. They put down their baskets. And they became children. Playing, squealing, laughing… twirling, dancing, shrieking in delight… sitting in laps, holding hands.
Bryan pointed out later that week… that it’s kind of like the story of the boy with the starfish. It’s overwhelming to think of the horrible pain and incredible need of Southeast Asia. And on a short term trip, the hopes of making a BIG difference mix with the reality that there is so much more underneath the surface than what meets the eye. Discouragement can set in.
But to those children on the riverfront, and again the next day at the Wat where we also prayer walked…. It made a difference to them. They became children again… carefree.
Lighthearted.
