Cambodia Day 3- Women's Center

Good fortune, I have internet while here at the women's center. Ronda is with us and she brought her computer complete with a wireless card. Yeah for modern technology!

We got up this morning and the rest of the team left the hotel on a 5 hour trek to their destinations. But I stayed with Ronda, Setan's wife, and Beth and Karen. We atteneded the transformasia church this morning. It was a great service. Then off on our adventure to the women's center.

It was an hour drive so we took our time and Ronda talked and showed us the sites along the way. The countryside is beautiful in its own way and I am happy to be out of the big city. We were in Phnom Penh and now are in Kampong Chanang which means pots by the water.

It was a nice drive and we took our time. We stopped at a 40 acre plot of land which Ronda and Setan bought 8 years ago with dreams to put a medical hospital and university on. There are some locals living and taking care of the land. They have planted a crop of cashew trees. When we arrived, the parents were no where to be found but their two kids were in the hut alone. So strange to me. We walked out to the middle of the property (ok, so maybe not the middle, it is hot) and prayed over the land. It was a great feeling to be part of something bigger than yourself. To know that every prayer offered up brings the land closer to having the dream fulfilled.

Along the way we got brave and stopped at two places to eat. One we bought fresh corn on the cob. 10 ears for $1.50. Then we found some fried sweet potatoes and bananas and bought some to try. Yummy. Since these are all cooked food and places Ronda said were ok to eat we went ahead and indulged. Plus we had so much good fresh fruit today. Mangoes, asian pears, and some new fruits I have never seen or heard of before. All good stuff.

We had a little extra time so got to see the market, just drove thru. Ronda took us to see the floating houses. Yes, floating houses. It's the dry season here but when it rains the entire countryside is covered in water. So they have a river that floods and all the houses are up on stilts. I don't mean 5-10 ft up on stilts, I mean 20-30 ft in the air because the water gets that high. So you are driving on this road and all the buildings look ground level but when you look behind, they are all propped up into the air from the backside. And they build floating houses that just are all over the river. People live in them and have canoes to get where they want to go. Ronda says that they are not anchored so someday your house would be over here and the next day it might be way over there. It was really an amazing site.

Finally we arrived at the Women's center. It is highly secretive what happens here. Setan said that any women's center that advertises what they do is not doing anything at all. The industry is dangerous and like the mafia, these people mean business. So this women's center is way out of town and the neighbors don't even know where these women came from. They are just a tradeschool as far as they know. I didn't realize they kept a low profile. Ronda said they bought this land for very cheap because it was supposedly haunted by ghost. So Ronda was happy to buy it, they bought it cheap and prayed all the spirits away. Now it is peaceful and beautiful. They know the authority that comes with being a child of God, authority over any spirit of the enemies.

The women are beautiful! As usual, it was a bit ackward at first. You don't know their names, the faces look very similar at first and the language is impossible for me so the names are difficult to understand. But we prayed God would break thru the ackwardness fast and he answered that prayer. We had a total blast playing all sorts of games with the girls. First we broke out frisbees and hacky sacks. Then they should us tug of war and jump roping. They have a funny tradition that the winners sing a song and the losers have to dance to the song. HILARIOUS!!!! I found it quite fun to join in the little dance and they certainly had a good laugh at me. My moves were not so graceful, as you can imagine. :) Then we taught them a game where you have to suck beans up with a straw and carry them (no hands) to the other end of the field. It was a relay race. It was a bit chaotic to teach as they didn't understand at first you were supposed to go one by one. But they caught on pretty quick after that. Then they showed us a version of duck duck goose. You get a scarf that is like a whip and one person runs around the circle. When you are handed the scarf, the person next you has to run and you chase after them whipping them on the behind. Very funny again. Finally we ended with teaching them a game called SNORT. I thought this game would be internationally safe since it is just a snorting noice you make and the person you make it to can't laugh or smile to stay in the game. But come to find out, Cambodians can't make a snorting noise. So it ended up being pretty funny as they tried.

I literally has so much fun!!!

After that I got to braid the girls hair, it was a quick line up when I did the first braid! Then we had an amazing dinner and a massage! Yes, a massage. So nice. One of the girls, named Mom (but not pronounced like we would, a little different) unfortunately was taught massage while she was in prositution. Sad to know that is how she learned it, but she was so eager to give back to us.

The Holy Spirit has brought to mind a couple of times that we are to wash these women's feet before we leave. I am so looking forward to the power of that time coming up. Tomorrow I am teaching at 6am!!! That is their devotional time. I wanted to do it after breakfast but somehow it ended up being so early. It will be a long day.

I am content knowing I am here in God's will doing the best work that ever there was. Just caring and loving for people. Pray these women, many of who have not made a commitment, will understand God's love for them this week. They need healing, they need grace, they need the power of his love in their lives.