This morning I read an email from Cambodia. I had been up before my alarm praying about today's blog and wondering why I could only think of a verse to send out.
Only a verse? Alrighty.
As I rolled off of the most comfortable nest in Georgia, my email pinged. And I read this note from Lauren Stuck about kids in Cambodia, sex trafficking, and seeds of real solutions:
"Hey there!
I hope you are doing well! I wanted to write and let you know about an opportunity to be a part of a project with Kone Kmeng. I have been able to facilitate art therapy sessions with two groups of children in two different dorms in the provinces. These children are at risk of dropping out of school and being sexually exploited. Kone Kmeng has made it possible for them to attend school and live in an environment that uplifts and encourages them. Some of the children in the dorms have become Christians and have been able to grow in their faith. Many of the children face extreme pressures from home. The dorms have been able to be a safe haven.
In June we would like to invite the students to attend a camp at the beach. We would also like to include a group of girls who are a part of a sewing project and who were at risk of being exploited. The total number of students would be around 70. Kone Kmeng they is hoping to raise $4,500 for the camp experience. These girls and boys have never been to a camp before and they have never seen the ocean.
The camp would serve several purposes. We want to give the children something to look forward to so that they work hard and stay in school. Many of their friends are dropping out of school to work on the border of Thailand. Many of these children are sucked into leaving by materialism and thinking they will make a lot of money but then don't return. On the border they are at high risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
We want to use the camp to speak value into the children. We will have various sessions about self worth, how God sees them, the heart of God and their purpose in life. We want to encourage them in their faith and plant seeds for those who don't know Jesus yet. We also want it to be a time were we can give them rest and relaxation. We want them to know their value. We will have different speakers and activities for them to partake in.
If you feel led to help in any way please contact me. And if you don't feel led to give financially please join with us in prayer. A lot needs to happen quickly to make this work but I know it is possible. I also believe that this camp could be very powerful for these children. Thank you so much for your support and prayers! They are soooo critically important! Please feel free to pass this need onto friends!
Talk to you soon!
Lauren
Amen.