It was Monday afternoon and children were gathering for the kids program at Rahab’s House, but something was different…Something was wrong.  Two young girls, one 13, the other 7, were missing,  two girls that hadn’t missed a day at Rahab’s House in nearly two years.  Pastor Chantha noticed this immediately and went to the girls’ house.

When he arrived at the house, the girls were nowhere to be found, so he asked where they were.  He was told they were gone on a holiday.  Chantha didn’t believe it so he continued to press the family and amazingly they told him the truth.  The girls were sent to one of their mothers who is a prostitute in another town.  More amazing they told him the name of the town, the location of the brothel and the telephone number.  The girls had been trafficked away from Svay Pak.  Armed with all this information we felt confident the girls could be rescued.

Immediately authorities were contacted and given all the information we had, including photos of the girls.  We then waited anxiously for news of their rescue.  But the news never came.  Due to a number of circumstances beyond the control of those involved, the girls were not rescued.  And we were certain these precious ones were lost to us forever.

It’s Tuesday morning at Rahab’s House and children are gathering, but this morning is different from any other in Svay Pak.  Recently we selected 36 of the poorest children that attend our children’s programs, children whose families cannot even afford to send them to public school, and have paid for their tuition, books, and uniforms to attend a private school just outside the village…and this is their first day.

Each child is filled with excitement, anticipation, and a hope they never thought could be theirs.  The girls have their hair pulled back tightly in pony tails or pig-tails; the boys have their hair slicked back and parted, and for the most part clean faces.  Rahab’s House youth pastor Ratanak lines the kids up 2 by 2 and begins marching them down the main street of Svay Pak, and as they march they are singing a worship song at the top of their lungs. 

It’s an awesome parade made even better as people along the street come out of their homes and businesses waving to the kids and cheering them on.  What a sweet moment on a street most famous for the trafficking of little girls.

‑‑ seizes the power of every moment and who unleashes the full potential of their life is that they have an advance mentality.  And no matter how much fear, no matter how much self doubt, how overwhelmed they are by the obstacles they face, they still move forward, and they jump.  And it’s a great privilege for me to introduce you one such person whose life I believe reflects these very attributes.  His life is a long obedience in the same direction.  It has been one of focus, one of intentionality, one of commitment; to a country for the last 20 years as God has used him to be involved in rebuild the broken gates and walls of the nation of Cambodia.  Brian has shown me that when we harness our potential for God’s kingdom and are willing to enter into those places of pain and darkness, one person indeed can make a difference.  And so, would you please welcome Brian McConaghy, the founder of Ratanak Foundation.

Well I’m not sure who that guy was being spoken about.  That’s humbling indeed to listen to.  What I hope is that you not catch any kind of a glimpse of Brian McConaghy over this weekend, but that you catch a glimpse of what God is doing with children in Cambodia.  When we were singing I was very conscious of the fact that we were not singing in a vacuum.  We’re singing in a rich rich historical heritage.

In the late 18th early 19th century England, which was at that time the naval and economic power of the world, was subjected to the madness of one man.  A man, who over and over and over again, would not give‑up on what was on his heart.  He worked years for his goals.  That man was Wilberforce.  And his long journey started with education.  He needed to be educated about the problems of this world in order to make it personal for him.  For if things are not personal,  we simply do not have the drive to make change. 

In making it personal he understood grief.  I believe we too will understand grief if we take it upon ourselves to look at some of the ugliness this world has to offer.  But, more than anything else, he applied his faith.  The celebrated acts of Wilberforce were not so much acts of social justice as they were a logical outworking of his faith. 

Today’s slavery is no less grotesque.  It is no less daunting.  There are thousands of people in sex slavery just in Cambodia.  There are millions in slavery throughout the world.  Let’s be under no illusion this is brutal brutal stuff.  Western society has the luxury to look away, to change the channel, to isolate ourselves in this western affluent cocoon, to create a studied ignorance in which we all live.  God has no such luxury.  He is compelled to be involved because this for him is intensely personal.  There are no options if love is involved.  We can only love that which we know. 

And so I’m exited to see you here this weekend; that you are giving up time to learn and to know.  And my hope is that through the process of knowledge you will grow to love those who suffer, that that will become a personal thing for you.  The personal relationship that God has with all the unseen kids that we don’t know about drives him.  He is absolutely passionate for these children. 

Rich Mullins, in one of his songs, has described the love of God as the “Reckless raging fury they call the love of God.”  I love that illustration.  For this is a father that is angered.  This is a father who rushes to the defense of his children.  Such love is not diminished, not sidetracked, not tamed, not domesticated, and it’s absolutely not afraid of grief.  So do we want to see as God sees?  Those are fearsome words.  That’s a very tall order for us. 

What I’ve said to many people getting involved with Cambodia over the years is, “To learn to love Cambodia is to learn to grieve.”  Those two are absolutely joined.  We are subject to such grief if we chose to look into the darkness.  Like God, if you choose, you will share burdens, you will know grief, you may feel overwhelmed, you may experience trauma, you will know tears, as any of us who have worked in Cambodia know tears.  

I would encourage you not to shy away from these things.  For such emotions are a picture of God’s heart for his children.  They drive us to action because it personalizes this.  These are no longer distant children, they become more and more real the more we learn.  That is dangerous stuff.  It’s life changing stuff.  But it’s very powerful stuff. 

So, will all the hardships of the world, all the trauma of the children we are gonna hear about this weekend, will this drive us away?  Absolutely it will drive you away; if you do not have love.  Without love, don’t even start this process because that is what will keep you going.  That is the sole thing that keeps you going.

How much hardship, how much distress, how much grief would it take for you to give‑up on your own children if they were suffering?  There is no amount of hardship, there is not amount of grief, there is not amount of trauma.  Parents will keep coming back and coming back and coming back, year in, year out in the defense of their children.  And God calls us to make this whole issue, of far‑off children being exploited, personal.  He calls us to be as parents; driven.  That we will not give‑up, that we will not be dissuaded, that we will move forward whatever the difficulties, and we will see lives changed, claimed by him into joy.

And in so doing, despite all those negatives I’ve talked about, let me assure you that at the end of this process, and even as a blessing through this process, you can experience even joy as we see lives changed.  For this is a rich, rich thing, not easy, but it is a rich rich thing to serve our God for those who do not have a voice.

Wilberforce was faithful.  He was tenacious.  He was driven.  He was passionate.  He was a man of weakness.  He was a man that suffered from constant ill‑health.  In the great strong leaders we seek in the world today, he was a failure, but he had love and he had faith.  And he kept going for decades.

He stands as an example to us, of one who is tenacious.  His task was huge; ours is no less so.  But we work alongside the very same God he served.  And we have rights to expect the very same thing from God who loves his children and works for his glory in their lives.  I hope you experience just a little of that passion of God this weekend.  Thank you.

Don: Good Afternoon. We are at ARC, Agape Restoration Center, this afternoon. The girls and staff have just gotten back from their first overnight trip to see Siem Reap. They had a great time on the trip. They visited temples, the national museum, they went to the cultural village, they went to a lake swimming, and just had a great time. And I have four of the girls here with me this afternoon that would just like to say a little bit about the trip and I’m gonna turn it over to them right now.

Bella: Hello, my name is Bella. I just want to say thank you for your support us to go have to have a good trip at Angkor Wat. I really happy to see my country. They have a great temple and when I, when I visit there I see a lot of many many people and I really enjoy there. I really proud, I really proud of my country because have a good, a good temple and want I hope some day you will come and visit there too. It’s the end, I want to say thank you so much. God bless you.

(Whispers and laughing)

Keo: Hello, my name is Keo. It the first time I go there go to see Siem Reap. I am great to be there with all the girls and I can see a lot of people and I can see a lot of beautiful temple. I hope one day you will go there too. And I want to go there again. Thank you for your support (whispers and laughing). I want to say thank you. God bless you.

(Whispers)

Chanthy: Hello, my name is Chanthy. I would like to say thank you for your kindness people for my trip to see Siem Reap. We have a good trip. I hope I go there again. You are my blessing. I am really thank you for your generous. Thank you, God bless you, bye.

Don: Sochea do you want to try again?

Sochea: Hello, thank you for support. Hello thank you for support for everybody. We all go to see Siem Reap. We already have been and we all want to you come to go there with us. (whispers and laughing). Bye. God Bless you.

Don: Well, I wish you could be here to see these girls. They’re all very beautiful and they all have very big smiles now that they’re not speaking into the recording. But we thank you so much, We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for all your support of ARC. You are a great blessing to us and we hope someday we can return that to you. God bless you all. Bye now. 

Girls: Bye.