Reflecting God's Beauty in a Broken World...

...Setting the Captives Free!
That was the title theme of the conference sponsored by the Ratanak Foundation last weekend. The theme verse is : Proverbs 31:8 - "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." Their vision for the conference was threefold:
--To bring Awareness to child sex trafficking and exploitation.
--To Advocate on behalf of children in the global sex trade.
--To encourage individuals, groups and institutions to take Action to end child sexual exploitation.
This video clip is a Dateline clip, "Children For Sale" that gives a brief picture of sex trafficking in Cambodia:


I first attended a similar conference last year and wrote about it here.

I was shocked, horrified, angered, and moved beyond words that people could harm children like that. What do I do with this reality?
This weekend, God had been preparing me by bringing my personal brokenness to the forefront, so it was with a tender heart that I heard Kathy Klassen speak. Her topic? Broken and Spilled Out: Binding Up The Broken Hearted. In my previous post, I wrote about how her illustration about "you can take the girl out of the orphanage easily, but much more difficult to take the orphanage out of the girl" had confronted me about how I struggle with accepting my royal status. A breakthrough. Thank you, Lord.

This was preparation for how I should process the brokenness of these dear children. One of the speakers mentioned a book called Compelled By Love written about Mozambique orphans who were discarded at the side of the road and picked up and nurtured by someone who felt compelled to love them. They are all now educated and men of integrity. Two of these orphans were accepted into Ivy League schools. I got an image of a sense of greatness in them. The 'before' and 'after' images were powerful in my mind.

The next day, we were again confronted with the real horrors of children being sold, drugged, raped, beaten, tortured in Cambodia. With my set of personal traumas, I have nothing to compare to what these children are confronted with. Then, we see an "After" picture, girls rescued, put into a centre where they can receive medical care and counselling and most of all, hear about Jesus. I wondered, How on earth can someone so demoralized even smile? How on earth do you recover from something like that? Nothing I have experienced can compare to the horrible abuses they have endured. Yet here they were smiling, even radiant. Was it real?

Then I remembered the image of the Mozambique orphans, now holding their heads up high. And God brought to mind Lidj's blog profile, Crown of Beauty, and my friend Elaine's post, A Noble Stirring and a vision started to form in my mind. The theme? Nobility...royalty...

This was further developed as I watched the Presidential Inauguration today of President Obama: the presenting, the motorcade, the cheering, the tears. His Oath of Office was planted on a soil made rich with redemptive suffering and that is from where the tears flowed: greatness had now arisen from ashes.

Then I thought of these young girls, like Nhu and Sung** and the many others who have now accepted Jesus and are slowly being renewed in their hearts, minds and bodies. And I thought, to God, they are no less important than the US president today. Each one is presented before their Heavenly Father, and there is a holy chorus of cheering when each embraces the love of their Father and King for the first time. These girls have now become daughters of the King and although it will take time for them to process and grasp and live this out, my vision is that God, through the help of ordinary people like you and me, is raising up a generation of young princesses of noble character, who will stand out and raise up a new generation with a fragrance that is pleasing to Him in a country that has been ravaged by genocide, poverty and sex trafficking, the country of Cambodia.
**(except for Sung who has only recently been found and still lives in a brothel and has told her sister, Who notices me? Who will help me? quite unaware that people have been praying for a couple of years for her, some everyday...please continue to pray for her rescue and redemption).

There is no richer soil for the beauty of God's glory than the soil of suffering, in their case, extraordinary suffering. That is the hope I received in the midst of the reality of the horrific evil that abounds in Cambodia and other parts of the world where children are trafficked daily, even in Canada and the USA.

The Father is singing over us, them, me, you. Hear the song that my friend Lidj dedicated to me:


Isaiah 62:3-4

(NIV Version)

3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand,

a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,

or name your land Desolate.

But you will be called Hephzibah,

and your land Beulah;

for the LORD will take delight in you,

and your land will be married.

(The Message)

You'll get a brand-new name straight from the mouth of God.

You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand,

a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.

No more will anyone call you Rejected,

and your country will no more be called Ruined.

You'll be called Hephzibah (My Delight),

and your land Beulah (Married),

Because God delights in you

and your land will be like a wedding celebration.

For as a young man marries his virgin bride,

so your builder marries you,

And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,

so your God is happy with you.

In the midst of the huge task before us and the enormity of the evil, let us not be overwhelmed, but let us remember that our God is MIGHTY to save:

Father, let each of these young children along with me have a vision daily of You singing over us, of the heavens rejoicing at our coronation. Let us grasp and live as daughters of the King. And Lord, please move your children here in the west to ACTION to help those who cannot help themselves. In the Name of Jesus, Who is mighty to save, I pray, Amen.

***I invite you to visit Lisa's blog (coordinator of conference) to find out more about her journey and how God is using her in this ministry.

What Action can I Take?

Donate to the Ratanak Foundation child sexual exploitation programs which are involved in prevention, restoration and rehabilitation of child sex slavery victims.

Click on the links below to check out the programs in place.

--The Newsong Centre -- a long term aftercare rehabilitation facility.

--Chab Dai -- a child prevention trafficking program.

--Daughters Cambodia -- a transition life skills program.

--Hagar -- a foster care program.

--International Justice Mission.