Update from Cambodia

We’ve been in Phnom Penh for 2 days. As I write this I am traveling by bus to the next city, this time in northern Cambodia. The Internet has been unreliable and painfully slow, thus the lack of updates.

I don’t even know where to begin to communicate with you about all that I’ve experienced in the last 48 hours. No words will ever convey what I’ve seen, but I must at least try to write in the hopes of raising awareness of what is happening on this side of the planet.

We traveled by tuk-tuk to a slum where Destiny Rescue does prevention work. Tom (our leader) warned us that what we were about to see would be difficult, but nothing could have prepared me for what my eyes were taking in.

Huts made of bamboo and palm leaves up on stilts to prevent flooding during the rainy season. Rotting garbage, mangy animals, swarming flies. Children played all around us as we went through the village, smiling to the residents of this community. The huts are rented out for $5 per month and most of the residents struggle to pay the rent and have enough leftover for the most basic necessities, even rice. One sweet lady invited us into her home. We politely took off our shoes and climbed the primitive ladder into her home. She rolled out a grass mat for us to sit on, the best one she had. Through our translator we discovered that 3 families live in that hut, a space smaller than my dining room. She smiled to us warmly and thanked us for being in her home.

Destiny Rescue offers day care to the children who call this slum home. While both parents try to find work, these children have a safe place to play and a nourishing meal, keeping them off the streets and away from human predators.

Our tuk-tuk took us to a local restaurant to have lunch, then we were off to the day care center to play with the children. As soon as we walked through the gate, we were swarmed with children as if we were celebrities. “Take our picture!” they hollered and we happily obliged. We laughed as we took their pictures then watched their reaction to seeing their faces on our cameras. We tossed soccer balls back and forth, snuggled with the babies and soaked in the therapy their happy faces provided for us.

Then we were off to another slum. Tom warned us that this one would be worse than the first, but my mind couldn’t even comprehend his words. And then I turned the corner and got a glimpse of the village he tried to warn me about. I felt my entire body and mind shut down. Rows and rows of huts were up on stilts, under the huts flowed a river of raw sewage. Even as I write this, I am struggling to comprehend what my eyes saw. But it’s true, these homes full of families, including many children, were built over a sewer.

Between the houses were bridges made of broken and rotting wood slats. We walked through the village delicately, fearing just one misstep that would send us plunging into the filth beneath us. The stench, oh the stench. I have no words.

I have to be honest and tell you this: I am on total emotional shut-down. I can’t even begin to process all that I just experienced. I know that I’ll need to at some point, but for now I am holding my emotions at arm’s length, trying to focus on today.

This post is just the tip of the iceberg. I wish so badly I could show pictures. Hopefully the Internet connection will be faster at some point in the next few days.

This is probably sounding redundant, but I can’t post this without once again saying how much I appreciate your prayers. Despite what I just described to you, I am feeling peaceful and safe. We have a lot more work ahead of us, I will update as I can.