Now that's righteous

Marty's Daily Diary #6

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to [daughtership]. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are [all] God’s children.

Romans 8:15-16

A few weeks before we set off for Cambodia the youth of our church created some banners that we would present to the projects we would be visiting during our time here. Renovating a brothel in Sway Pak into Rahab's House is why we are here. Over this past few days I have experienced so many emotions from working in this place. I have been angry at the animals who abused these kids. I have been overwhelmed with thoughts of what the past held for some of these girls. I have been bewildred as to who would actually come here to do this stuff to children. I have been dwelling in the past.

But meeting the girls on Thursday put everything into a new light. We knew that girls who had been rescued from brothels (including Rahab's House) where at ARC. We knew some of them were coming weekly to RH to minister to the kids in Sway Pak. I never dreamt I would ever meet them. I never dreamt I would see ARC. I never dreamt that I would sit and eat lunch with these angels. I never dreamt that I would meet Hanna and she would smile at me and call me "Marty." Today I saw that angel in heaven. ARC is beautiful. To sense the joy and love that fills this place today was surely what heaven is all about.

Over the past few years at College I have discovered that one of the best words used to describe God in the Bible is "righteous." God is all about "right-relationships." Righteousness is all about love, respect, wanting the best good for the other, agape.

These angels are expereincing God's righteousness and it makes them shine with the brightness of the sunshine yellow colour I am seeing a lot of at Rahab's House. We presented the pictured banner to ARC and explained that the banner is drawn from Romans 8:16. All the children of the world are loved by God. Each of them is an angel in His eyes. I have been blessed to meet those angels today. I have been blessed by them becasue they fill me with hope.

They have re-oriented me to the future. A future that includes the ministry and work in Rahab's House, as they reach out to the hell-hole of their pasts in order to give other kids a chance for a better future. They are reaching out with hope, becasue they know God's love and they know God loves the kids in Sway Pak. I am so looking forward to working at Rahab's House next week, for in some small way which God has brought me here, I can physically be involved in helping establish that future of hope for this village. "Jesus, all for Jesus. All I am and have and ever hope to be." Amen.

Marty