Transformations

This morning at church I met a very nice young man and woman who work together and are friends. They were very talkative and happy people. They invited me to come visit them at their workplace this week. Later in the worship service there was an invitation to those who felt called to give their lives to God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to raise a hand. The young woman was one of several people in the congregation to do so. (It has been a while since I have been present when someone gave their life to Christ and it was such an overpowering experience.) Being right next to this young woman I joined a small group of people who prayed with and for this young woman. Tears began to flow as during the prayer God reminded me that this young woman was once lost, but now is found. Before she left church today the young woman said to me, “I love God so much!”

Yesterday, I had the privilege and honor of hearing the testimony of a Khmer friend. She shared that when she was only 9 years old her parents sent her to live with her aunt and uncle so that she could work. (This is, unfortunately, a cultural norm for Cambodian families who live in poverty – that children, sometimes very young children, must work to help support the family.  Sadly, it also happens far too often that families who live in poverty will sell their child(ren) into sex slavery.) My friend told of how deeply this hurt her, that she cried all the time and did not feel loved by anyone at all. She worked very hard and studied as much as she could, but she was so tired and there was little time to study. She spoke of being so poor that she would look for clams and snails that she could sell to street vendors to make just a little bit of money and she would also crawl through rubbish looking for things to salvage. She once found a bomb and didn't know that it was a bomb that failed to explode in the war. She took it to the market to try to sell it to a couple of men, but when they saw that it was a bomb that had not exploded they ordered her to leave and take the bomb back to where she found it. She became very sick and had frequent fainting spells. She shared of several experiences she had and the impact of the lives of her friends that led to her eventually coming into a personal relationship with God and being baptized on her birthday. She shared with me that before this time she was very sad, cried often, and never smiled, but if you met her today you would find that hard to believe as she is never without a huge smile on her face. She is another life, another soul that once was lost, but now is found. The world is made brighter through the redemption of her life, the relighting of her bright smile, the joy and love that she now feels deeply and shares generously. Her relationship with her parents has also been nicely restored.

In Cambodia, 20% of workers make less than $0.63 (United States Dollar)/day and are unable to meet their basic needs; 26% of Cambodian workers make less than $1/day. There is one established minimum wage in Cambodia (it is for garment, textile and shoe workers). That minimum wage is $0.29/hour and 46.4% of Cambodian workers make less than the minimum wage. Families living in this kind of poverty are constantly in an urgent survival mode and often suffer malnutrition, illness and early mortality, stress/depression, and when children live in these kinds of circumstances (and often are forced to work) they almost certainly are not ready and able to study and learn in school. When children are not properly educated then they will not have opportunities for successful employment, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty known as Generational Poverty.  Increasing wages in Cambodia will not be easy and it is not the only answer to the challenges facing Cambodians, but it is a step that must be taken toward Cambodia becoming the vibrant Country that it has the potential to be. Increasing wages and improving education, training, promotion opportunities, and working conditions for Cambodians is the right, just, and fair thing to do. I feel compelled to do something to help Cambodia see this change.