Last day - Tim

Last day in Cambodia. Here's a random jumble of some of the things I will not forget:

• on the third day at Rahab's House in the dark because the power had been cut - cleaning out the debris along the back wall of the 'kitchen' - weeping, not letting anyone see - for my own little troubles or for what had happened to kids in this miniTreblinka? - both?


• treading on some poor doctor's shirt and bones at Cheung Ek killing field, exposed through the dirt in the middle of the path and still not yet put at respectful peace by his country


• sitting across from the angels at ARC - and an offer I could not touch - it was Sacred


• the little tiny girls of Svay Pak. Always the little girls. May the Lion protect you and heal you.


• accelerated sweat


• meeting rare individuals of the Kingdom, like Helen, Clayton, Marie Ens, Cheung Te, and Ratanak, the ones who are on the front line of this anti-trafficking business for the long haul, leaders God Himself has raised up


• a senior army officer in a fancy SUV and wearing a contemptuous scowl, throwing his weight around by ramming a young woman's moto from behind when she had no place to move it out of the way anyway because she herself was boxed in


• one beggar with horrendous injuries from a landmine (both arms, most of both legs), yet still able to perambulate


• orange-clad monks who not only don't work but parasitize the rest of the population and encourage the worship of stone cows, the repetition of meaningless mantras, and much worse


• a spiffy (Saudi-financed?) mosque and Islamic centre amongst the most putrid poverty of the Muslim quarter just before you arrive at Svay Pak


• a free market economy on steroids and with no safety net, trying to do accelerated time travel down the 25 years they are behind other parts of Asia


• portraits of a nattily dressed but weak king not held in true respect by his own people because of his fear of Cambodia's neighbors and desire to maintain his own privileged position


• the much caressed elephant parked in front of his/her favourite bar and gloriously oblivious to traffic cops (sort of like everybody else)


• the beauty, patience, and natural grace of the Cambodian people. This could be Eden.


• other moments, from within the team, which are too private to disclose to the world

A deep thank you to Fairview and to the Lord Jesus for the privilige of being able to take these memories home.