Dear Family and Friends,
I want to share with you about my upcoming trip to Cambodia and invite you to be a prayer supporter with me on this journey. I will be part of a team of six people -- Lisa, Charlene, Brenda and and myself from my church, Rexdale Alliance Church, Janice from Upper Room Community Church and Genie from Young Nak Presbyterian Church. We will be going for 3 weeks from July 10 to August 2nd. Our team has been meeting regularly for training since the spring.
Why am I going?
As many of you know, for the past couple of years, I have been quite involved in the ministry of seeking justice on behalf of the vulnerable and the oppressed. I volunteer regularly with International Justice Mission (IJM) (http://www.ijm.ca/, http://www.ijm.org/) - a Christian international human rights organization that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression - assisting IJM with research, advocacy with the federal government, supervising law students and representing IJM at speaking engagements. Through this involvement, I have learned much about the heart-breaking reality of human trafficking – an unthinkable reality of 27 million people around the world suffering from slavery – whole families in debt bondage, forced into back-breaking labour for oppressive owners, and young girls and women forced into sexual slavery, where they routinely face violence and abuse. In the face of this, God has given me a passion for partnering with him in seeking justice for those who are in these situations of oppression. I have been blessed to have met like-minded people and to be part of a prayer group that focuses on countering sex trafficking in Cambodia. As I read about the plight of these girls and women, helped to organize conferences and work to educate others about the extent and horror of this trade in human beings, and pour out my heart to God on behalf of the victims and those who work with them, I felt a need to go deeper. I sensed God calling me to go and see first hand the horrific reality of these terrible abuses, to meet the survivors and to see the transforming power of God in the lives of these people, and to encourage and refresh the front-line workers.
What will we be doing?
1. We will be involved in a Vacation Bible School / Kids Club Outreach in the heart of Svay Pak – a notorious brothel area in Phnom Penh. A mission organization called Aim4Asia (http://www.aim4asia.org/) runs an outreach centre called “Rahab’s House” out of a former brothel building, with the aim of reaching children who are at risk or have already been sold into prostitution but live in that neighbourhood. International Justice Mission actually rescued 37 girls from that very brothel 5 years ago and it was shut down. We will be partnering with Child Evangelism Fellowship Cambodia in running our VBS and we will likely also partner with former child prostitutes who are now believers and live at an aftercare centre called Newsong Centre. I am so excited to be a part of this ministry that seeks to shine the light of Christ into dark places and to witness first-hand God’s transforming power in the lives of the survivors.
2. We will be visiting and meeting with a number of other organizations, including the Cambodian office of International Justice Mission and Daughters Cambodia (http://www.daugtherscambodia.org/), to learn more about their work and how we can partner with them. Each of these organizations is involved in the front-line work of helping the victims of sex slavery. We will also visit one of the aftercare centres to spend time with some of the girls who have been rescued from forced prostitution and to encourage and refresh the staff there.
3. We hope to be involved in some prayer ministry with Pastor Sok & Savy who work with rural pastors and to also spend time with Kim who runs a Vietnamese school for disadvantaged children.
What about my family?
I am blessed to have the full support and blessing of my husband and children as I set out on this journey. Alana and Emma will be taken care of by Steve’s older sister, Ruth, who is coming from Los Angeles for the three weeks that I am away. This is truly an answer to prayer, since I could not have picked a better person to care for my family and manage my home while I am away. Ruth and the girls are planning their own adventures, visiting various relatives in Sault Ste-Marie and the Ottawa area.
Prayer requests
As we continue to prepare for our trip and travel to Cambodia, please join me in prayer:
- Pray that I will find rest in God and be filled with His Spirit as I prepare to go, and that God will redeem my time and enable me to both prepare for the trip and be fully engaged as a mother to my children.
- Pray for God’s protection in our travels and for energy, strength and good health for all of us on the team, especially as we have a demanding schedule.
- Pray that throughout my time in Cambodia, God will fill me daily with His Spirit and open my spiritual eyes to see things from His perspective and to always seek His direction and discernment.
- Pray for spiritual protection over our team, as we enter into places of darkness and oppression, that we would be able to proclaim the freedom, the love and the rule of God.
- Pray for the people we will meet in Cambodia, that God will be preparing their hearts to hear of his love, and that we will be able to show them His love, mercy and compassion.
- Pray for unity within our team and in working with our ministry partners (most of whom we’ve never met), for good communication and that all our interactions will be God-honouring.
- Pray for my family, for God’s protection, sustaining power and provision for my husband, children and sister-in-law, and also that this would be an enriching experience for Steve, Alana and Emma, as well as for myself.
Thank you for partnering with me in this journey. I so appreciate your support and your prayers!
Love and blessings,
Hiroko
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