Finding The Home of Hope
Heather ︳Acting Field Director
While writing this article to share, the author had just returned to Cambodia from Hong Kong after celebrating Chinese New Year. During the holidays, when I was reuniting with my family, I occasionally thought of the people we serve, especially “Second Sister.”
A while back, a co-worker told me that she really wanted to help a 17-year-old client to build a house, and she invited me to visit her home in the countryside. According to our house-building principles, she (the “Second Sister”) did not meet the requirements, but I still went with my colleagues.
After getting out of the car, we walked along a small slope lined with weeds to her house. What came into view was a wilderness full of wild plants and an abandoned house next to it. If a house is defined as having four walls and a roof, then the second sister’s house can only be considered a shed.
Her house, apart from the roof, only had three walls. This means that wild animals including snakes, insects, rats, and ants can invade at any time, leaving those living inside unsafe. It is really hard for us to imagine this kind of insecurity. When God first spoke to me to confirm that Cambodia was where He wanted me to go, I was initially not sure which province he meant. I asked God, “Are there locks to the doors and windows of my future house?”
It was never expected that the danger would not come from the animals outside, but from someone inside the house. During the visit, my colleague told me that many nights, in order to escape the sexual assault of her biological father, the “Second Sister” chose to hide under trees in the fields or in the outhouse. This lasted for 12 years, which meant that she was enduring this since the age of 5. What’s even more heartbreaking was that her younger and older sisters were also victims.
Leaving this abandoned so-called shack, I got on the village chief’s motorcycle, tears streaming down my face. A little girl, no older than 11 years of age, kept appearing in my mind. In the dark of night, I imagined her hiding alone under a tree, and would rather risk walking into the mountains where wild beasts were lurking, in order to escape the “beasts” at home. The fear, loneliness, helplessness and heartbreak spread in the endless wilderness and darkness. Days later, even now, this scene is still deeply imprinted in my mind.
Short-term ministry teams often ask: “With so many people in need, how many can you help? Do you think you can change this society?” Yes. Sure; the number of people we can help is limited to the point where we don’t even dare to hope to change this society. But we cherish every life that God brings to us, and strive to complete the mission given by God. In the eight years at the Pleroma Home for Girls, we have come across countless sad cases, which at times make us feel exhausted. But because of this, every time we walk into the Pleroma Home for Girls, the blooming smiles, warm hugs, and confident faces are even more precious, becoming the biggest motivation for us to keep going.
Note: The older sister is married and the younger sister is currently living with her grandmother. I wanted to have her come to Pleroma Home for Girls, but unfortunately the dormitory is full.
