The nugget., February 13, 2019, Page 24, Image 24

24
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Capturing Cambodia in missionary work
1970s 4 who returned to
their country after fleeing
to the United States and liv-
ing the last 30 years in Iowa.
For the past four years they
have built and run what has
become essentially an oasis
of hope within their small
community.
Providing education to
preschool-aged children and
feeding the local kids at no
cost are a few ways Lyhoung
has slowly begun to change
his village. It wasn9t until his
return to Cambodia in 2011
that he began to see a deeper
crisis within his culture.
large number underaged 4
have fallen into a rampant
Correspondent
industry that Cambodia has
My second time to
failed to control. Extreme sto-
Cambodia I was welcomed
ries emerge of parents selling
with a lecture about avoiding
their children into traffick-
the voluptuous prostitute.
ing for quick and easy cash
Apparently the streets of
to feed the rest of the family.
Takeo, Cambodia where we
And the country has seen an
were staying, were a trap
unskilled population become
for tourists. Traveling alone
the victims of the needs of
was not an option. A talk of
tonight.
that sort isn9t a welcome you
Lyhoung saw this and it
would expect on day one of a
broke his heart, he said.
two-and-a-half week mission
<I see these people, these
trip to southern Cambodia.
children, and they have
As it turns out, the human
nowhere to go, nothing to
and sex trafficking trade
do,= he told me.
would play a
I n e v i t a b l y,
part in our pur-
the young gen-
pose there.
eration has
For those
fallen into traf-
two and a
ficking or drugs.
half weeks in
In the fall
January, I was
of last year,
part of a 37-man
Lyhoung and
crew with the
Sarin broke
Men Of Vision
ground on what
E v a n g e l i z e
he prays will
organization.
change the des-
Dedicated
tiny of families
t o b u i l d i n g
and children
churches and
in Cambodia.
PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT
ministry struc- The site of M.O.V.E.’s project
With funds pro-
tures around
vided through
the world, M.O.V.E has been Cambodia is the second-poor- Open Bible Churches and
in operation for more than est country in Southeast Asia, private donors, he is seeing
50 years. Taking men from with an average monthly his dream of a vocational
around the States, these min- income of only $180. Poverty education center come to life.
istry trips focus on providing is the status quo in Cambodia With the intention of teaching
local organizations with the and fosters an environment
funds and resources to con- of desperate acts done for
M.O.V.E. is working
struct a building to suit their money. Lyhoung shared with on an education
needs. Many of these places me that many families will
center in Cambodia
can9t afford the cost and lack send off their young chil-
the manpower, but M.O.V.E dren 4 sometimes as young
provides these resources and as 14 4 to work in govern-
changes the lives of the men ment factories in the capi-
on the team through brother- tal. Expected to send money
home regularly, these kids
hood and camaraderie.
This was my third time find themselves pressured
abroad with the group. into working long days for
Serving as the man in charge little pay.
For the capable but sus-
of documenting the trip
through images, videos, and ceptible unskilled girls, this
words it9s my job to observe often means finding other
the progress as it happens and ways of earning money. If
they weren9t already lured
capture it.
Three hours south of into the sex trade with
Phnom Penh, the capital of promises of a cushy factory
Cambodia, lies a small mis- job, many of these young
sion base inside a remote girls find their cash on the
village. Lyhoung and Sarin streets at night, working as
Mak are native Cambodians prostitutes.
While the occupation is
4 survivors of Pol Pot9s
Khmer Rouge in the late hardly new, many girls 4 a
By Cody Rheault
Helping Cambodia’s vulnerable
children is a focus of mission work.
PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT
computer and sewing classes,
he hopes that education in
skills will keep more kids off
the streets and more parents
able to support their families.
M.O.V.E. heard of the
need and gathered 37 men to
help build the first phase of
the building. That first phase
included constructing forms
and pouring concrete beams
as well as an entire second
floor. The bottom floor will
contain two classrooms out-
fitted with computers and
sewing machines, and the top
floor divided into a dormitory
set up to house people taking
classes.
In 11 days, our job was
completed. Pouring concrete
late into the night of our last
day we accomplished a por-
tion Lyhoung couldn9t do
himself or with help in that
amount of time. We were
humbled by his vision and
desire to change a country
through such palpable means.
The need among the commu-
nity was visible and served
as a constant reminder of the
deeper meaning of our visit.
Some 2,000 images and
a hard drive full of footage
later, I have a lot of work
ahead of me to tell the stories
of our time in Cambodia. But
for me, more than anything,
the trip was a reflection of
the blessings we have here
in the States. While travel-
ing the world is a favorite
occupation of mine, I still
call Sisters my home and our
country a place I9m proud to
be a part of. When things get
tough, I look back to places
like Cambodia and the people
I met there. They remind me
of the opportunity we have
here as well as the ability to
become who and what we
want to be.
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PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT