“Be careful because Cambodia is the most dangerous place you will ever visit. You will fall in love with it, and eventually it will break your heart.” This history of Cambodia is horrendous and heartbreaking. In the months leading up to our departure, I read articles and watched videos about the genocide caused by the Khmer Rouge. Yesterday and today, we experienced 2 separate places where torture and murder took place. The S-21 and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center tell chilling stories that seem too terrible to be true. At S-21 we walked though rooms where Cambodians were chained to concrete floors and we saw photos of hundreds of people who were brought here, many of them young kids. At Choeung Ek, we saw mass graves, clothing arising from the dirt around us, skeletal remains, and tools they used to murder innocent people.

Everything we saw and experienced at these two places was heartbreaking… but Cambodia belongs to the Lord and He hasn’t surrendered to anyone. Although there is a brutal history, with families currently enslaved at brick factories, and parents selling their daughters for profit, our God is on the throne! There is work being done to combat the evil out here and it is glorious! It won’t happen overnight but God is there in the process. Where there is light, darkness cannot exist! I know that Jesus loves these people and desires to be in a relationship with all of them. Glory is just around the corner.

Becca C.

Today we attended our first Church in Svay Pak. The church is currently meeting in the upstairs room of a garment factory while their new building is being completed. It is a blessing to attend a church service on the other side of the world and feel right at home and welcomed by fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Pastor preached today on racism. Ironically, Pastor Chuck preached on the same topic just last week. Two different churches in two different parts of the world hearing a similar message.

The pastor shared his own very personal story how he had to overcome his own feelings of hatred towards people. When he was five years old, his pilot father was taken by the Khmer Rouge. He was never seen again.

He was later taken to a relocation camp for children. He recalled being so hungry he would eat lizards or anything else he could find. For years he carried a lot of resentment and hate toward a group of people. It wasn’t until he was introduced to Christ, through AIM, that he was able to forgive those who had caused him and his family so much hurt.

Cambodia is a country still recovering from a terrible period of horrific genocide and mass murder. In the past two days we have visited some of the memorial sites dedicated to remembering the darkness of those days. Millions of men, women and children were murdered in an attempt to create the perfect society on earth.

The memories are still fresh in the minds of many Cambodian people. In the midst of this, Christ is still working to restore his people to him. Not just some people but all people. This is a lesson I learned today at a small church in a poverty stricken neighborhood in Cambodia.

It was a message we can all learn from. No matter where you are from.

Joe V.

Today was an incredible day. It was our FIRST day of VBS for the FIRST time in Cambodia!! It was evident that God hand-picked this team Himself because it could not have gone any more amazing. In a place that couldn’t get much hotter or more humid, our team of 8 loved on 250 children, played games, sang songs, did crafts and had bible time. We were each other’s strength. These kids are so adorable, and just knowing what they go through and the dangers they face breaks my heart.

We also had the opportunity to do some brick factory outreach. These are poorest of the poor families who are enslaved to their employer and pay off debt with absolutely no necessities. Running water, toilets, refrigerators? Think again. Also, these children never get baths or showers and have lice. So today as part of our outreach, I got down and dirty and washed the hair of these children, gave them head massages, passed out small bags of food, and truly was reminded of the gifts God gave me.  I became a hairdresser because I wanted to bring the light into dark places. Seeing these kids and families was the best part of my day.

These Cambodians love Jesus and worship with their whole heart and soul. I hope to take back home with me half of the passion and commitment they all possess. As they thank us for coming into their home and being with them, I just want to thank them for reminding me it’s okay to be a little uncomfortable sometimes, because we have SO much to be thankful for. Really Jesus did all the hard work for us.

McKenzie V.

… in Your presence there is fullness of joy … -psalm 16:11 ESV

This verse could not be more fitting for today. It’s our third day here in Cambodia and it’s our first day of doing VBS with the kids from AIM organization. Our day started early and it ended with an amazing experience of a day filled with so much joy.

We shared the stories of Jesus, did crafts, and played games with these precious children. The smile on their faces and the joy of their laughter truly reminds me of the verse above. God’s presence was there and the fullness of joy was the highlight of my day today.

The best part of it was that I got to experience life with these little worshippers of GOD, who love Him in the most beautiful way. Almost every kid I encountered gave me their sweet hugs and said to me, “I love Jesus”.

What an experience! It was those moments, those memories that will hold a special place in my heart.

They truly thought me how to love. Just love. Because God’s love is for everyone.

-Nadia R.

There is a theme for our trip that I think all of us would agree on, and that’s “Love.” As one of the disciples who is managing her way into the hearts of all of our team members shared, Jesus loves everyone and His love is for everyone. Pastor’s message this past Sunday shared the same theme. God loves us all and sent Jesus for all of us. His love and His grace is for everyone: tribe, tongue and nation.

Today was day 2 of Kid’s Club, and let me say that two of these days are not for the weak hearted. The disciples who run Kids Club are an amazing group of young adults ranging from ages 17 to 24. They are modern day heroes for all the work they put in and for the love they have for all of these little ones.

One of the things that truly resonated with me during our orientation was that “Kid’s Club is a great place for the children to experience appropriate love.” This staff labors to show the kids the love of Jesus or ‘Preahyesaou’ as they call Him. Many of these little ones come from places where abuse and neglect replace cuddles and kisses. The church here has made intentional moves to provide a daily dose of love for the kids who wouldn’t receive it otherwise. They have worked to re-establish value of life in their community.

After an hour of jumping and shouting praises with the little voices, we are blessed to join the disciples for some outreach in the local neighborhoods. The brick factories are a raw and life-altering reminder of the many things we take for granted. The factories are places of extreme poverty and oppression. Little feet run around the muddy properties without shoes. Playing and giggling at the risk of stubbing toes on bricks, getting burned by embers, or stepping on broken metal or glass. Sweet little half-naked newborns breathe in the toxins from burning fabric scraps, and older siblings help carry toddler brothers and sisters through the muck. Factory owners refuse to provide basic human needs like running toilets or clean water. I praise God that the church has built relationships with these owners and has provided families with wells so they are in less danger of contracting sickness from dirty water .

The disciples drive to pick up the kids for kids club every morning and drop them back off at home once the hour of fun is over. It is so fun to see all the brightly colored VBS shirts throughout the communities and in the brick factories. We are thankful to serve the families hand in hand with the disciples by passing out food and washing the kids’ hair.

After being a human jungle gym for the children, we were led to a back area by the well. We crossed a bridge over the latrine where little ones sat in a circle to receive their weekly hair washing. The kids laughed as water ran over their faces and we scrubbed their heads with the team. I’ll always remember the cute little “ah feels so nice” comment and smile from one of the sweet girls whose hair I washed.

Everyone has an incredible story. Each new person we interact with shares a story of redemption through the love of Jesus. One of the girls we have already grown to love has been a part of the church since she was a little kid participating. Now she is in the leadership and helps pour into the younger ones. She shared how Jesus changed her heart and gave her His passion to love and give back to her own people. She knows there is great work at hand and she is a force to be reckoned with. She sports a cute little tattoo behind her ear as a reminder to “delight in the Lord and He will give you all the desires of your heart”. In Khamer language, delight or rikreay can be translated to “happy.” She never wanted to work or be around children but she listed to God’s call for her life and has found great joy.

Pastor was raised in a time of hatred and grew with revenge on his heart, but heard God speak and followed the call to serve a community of the very people he hated. In that there have been countless walls torn down and bridges formed to bring hope to an entire community.

One of the other staff members shared how he was rescued out of a brick factory and able to come and work for this church to bring love sharing the Gospel. Through his example of love, and despite persecution, he was able to see his mom come to the church as well.

God’s love is amazing and for everyone. It’s amazing that when you delight in Him, you receive unspeakable joy in the midst of hardships and devastation. When many are out to devalue and strip the humanity away from those who are vulnerable, we can rejoice that God is still good. We see so many glimmers of light all around. We see it in the 150 little faces of beautiful Khmer children. I pray not to lose sight of the lesson God is teaching me through these short and amazing days. We all have a duty to carry out God’s greatest commandment. To love. To truly love.

“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”

Psalms 37:4-5

Brianna H.

Today was our second day of Kids Club with AIM’s kids and the disciples. God continues to work in amazing ways and He never ceases to amaze me. The Kids Club begins with praise and worship, then story time, craft time, and finally games. These kids have so much energy and even bigger hearts. Every time our team walks in the room, they greet us with the biggest smiles on their faces. Some of the braver ones come over and give us hugs or hold our hands. A couple of them actually attempt to climb on us wanting to be held and carried. Every time we try to put them down, they’ll say no…no… or lift up their legs away from the floor. It clearly shows how much love and attention they are craving. I am very grateful for our small team because each of us are able, in our small ways, to love on these kids.

Isn’t that what Jesus is all about? He loved on the kids when they were brought to Him. He doesn’t ignore them, push them away, or say “wait”! When His disciples shooed them away, Jesus rebuked them saying, ” Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” He bent down and loved on the little ones. (Matt 9:14)

During Kids Club, one of the disciples shared her testimony with me and Brianna of how she found Jesus through the Kids Club and how He has changed her life. One who did not like children before now works with children, and she is amazing with those kids. You can see how much they love her. She also shared that the Kids Club is the only place these kids can see and be shown appropriate love.

Her testimony shows me, yet again, that we cannot limit God, and I am continuing to learn this lesson during our mission trip:  getting out of my comfort zone and becoming ready to serve however I am asked to serve. He created us and knows how to best use our talents. It may not be what we want or how we imagined it would be, but we just have to be flexible and trust that He knows what He is doing. Sometimes we are so stuck on our plans or how things should be done that we forget that God has a bigger plan. His way is not our way, His plan is not our plan. We are His vessels ready to be used how He sees fit. When we are not flexible, we are hindering God from His plans and His work. The sad part is we may miss a wonderful opportunity or miracle.

Over and over, I hear testimonies of how God uses AIM’s Kids Club to bring these disciples to Jesus, and now they are working with and loving on these kids from the brick factories and the surrounding communities. To show them that there is hope, there is a greater love that they could find in Jesus where they couldn’t get at home or anywhere else.

There is more work to be done. Each passing day, more and more kids continue to show up at the Kids Club. The ratio of kids to disciples is staggering. They try as much as they can to play and love on these kids, but I can see how thinly stretched they are. As Jesus says in Matthew 9:37 “ … The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few…”

Are you ready to get out of your comfort zone?

– 1 Corinthians 13:8a “Love never fails.”

Zenia B.

Kids Club Day 3! I am praising Jesus for the strength and energy He gave our team today! We were told that Kids Club is a place where appropriate love can be shown to kids who are at risk of being trafficked or have been trafficked. On the first day, a little girl came up to me and wanted to be held. When I picked her up, she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder. Little did I know, this would become a regular thing at every session since that first day. Her smile is so bright and her sweet giggles are so contagious! When I try to put her down, she holds on even tighter. I am incredibly thankful that God chose me to be here to hold this sweet girl! I seem to have become the human jungle gym during our time with the kids and I usually have about 4 kids hanging onto me! I can’t imagine being anywhere else than right here, showing the love of Jesus to these sweet kids!

Today we took a tour of the organization we are working with and saw some of the incredible things they are doing in the community. They teach women different skills and employ them to use these skills to earn honest money. They produce soap, jewelry, silk screen printing, paper, and many different kinds of garments. They have taken multiple buildings that, 10 years ago, were used for  brothels primarily visited by pedophiles, and turned them into places of safety and light. They are shining the light of Jesus in many different ways. Although there is still such evil going on right around the corner, God is on the throne. This ministry is making a huge difference and Jesus is being glorified through it all.

If you’re still reading this, pray for Cambodia! Pray for the parents who are contemplating selling their daughter to make some more money. Pray for the kids who live at the brick factories where they are getting burned by fires that burn constantly. Pray for the people who come to these small towns to prey on the most vulnerable people. And pray for these organizations that are doing something about it.

-Becca C.

We went on our tour of Svay Pak today after the morning session of VBS. We walked down a dirt road, through an empty lot, and passed by concrete houses which have small shops in the front with bars on the windows and doors. We entered a building called the AIM Employment Center. I’m impressed to see the women cutting fabrics and sewing garments. They seem happy to be working. In a back room another woman is making soap. It smells good. In another room up narrow, steep stairs we see another area where they are making silk screen t-shirts and tote bags. Through another door, they are making jewelry. All items are sold in a shop in town called ‘Three Strands’. It’s an amazing way to help the women who are rescued. As we leave the Employment Center, I’m reminded of what this building used to be, a brothel. When we walked back down the stairs, our attention was brought to a metal door bolted to stay open. This had been formerly used to close off the stairs trapping women on the upper floor, waiting for the next… well, you can imagine!

We walked further down the dirt road to another building. This one is a day care for the babies and small children of the women who work at the center. Across the street is a transitional home for young women who are rescued and are being helped in many areas. On this street we also see a church, a gym, a school, and another sewing factory. Above this factory is the place where they have a kids club. Kids are brought in from the brick factories by the ‘disciples’, who are young adults that volunteer diligently toward the cause.

AIM is in the process of building a new school, to reach and teach even more children. So many things good things are going on here that are not apparent to the world. As we passed another building, I looked through the front door. I saw children napping on bunk beds. This particular building, too, was once a brothel and is actually where the “pink room” was. It was weird to be standing in the very place where so much evil happened. All these buildings were built for such vile things that it makes me sick. But I praise God for the lives changed, the children saved, and the women rescued. I praise God for the people of AIM who work so hard to make a difference, who love and give so selflessly. I praise God for allowing me to be here, and to love on these children in a healthy way.

I had so many emotions walking through these buildings. There was a lot of darkness. But I see hope and joy in the children. I see the love of Jesus in the people who help here. I see the love of Jesus in the team I’m serving with. I’m blessed to be here.

Jennifer V.

It’s day 4 of kid’s club and it gets better every time. Part of it is because we’re starting to get to know the kids a little more each day and have built a friendship with them. An average of 150 kids attend kid’s club each day, and some of them even remember our names. Most of these kids came with bare feet because they didn’t own a pair of shoes or sandals. Some of them even arrived with wet pants because there’s no such thing as diapers.

Despite all that, I love how every day they come in a van all piled up ready to start the day with us. There’s so many highlights all throughout the day. Each day after the morning kid’s club we have visited the brick factories around the community. Today, during our visit we got the chance to sing a couple of worship songs and prayed with the families who are supported by AIM. These families work for the factory’s owner. Some of them have no choice but to work for the factory because of the amount of debt they owe to the owner. And so, to repay that they have to work for the factory by making bricks after bricks with the amount of heat that most of us wouldn’t be able to tolerate. And all of that done without any machine to help them produce the bricks automatically. No, they have to do it one by one with their hands. Let’s not forget that their children, from the ages of 5 to 15, have to be put to work as well. These are the kids we spend our time with during the kid’s club.

We then split into 2 groups including the disciples and young pastors of AIM. Some of us gave out the food supply and some of us washed the kid’s hair. This is the part that gets me the most emotional. There’s no doubt I love everything about it from the kid’s club to visiting the bricks factory, but what stood out the most to me were the servant hearts of all the disciples and the young pastors. Often time we lose sight of that. We tend to focus only on the fruits of their works but we forget that they too sacrifice a lot of their time and lives so that these families who have never heard about Jesus can have hope in Him.

Most of these young disciples and young pastors are students. Their day begins with picking up the kids early in the morning, serving in the kid’s club and loving on the kids, then doing some outreach work in the community like giving out food, washing the kid’s hair, cutting and cleaning the kid’s nails. Meanwhile, some of them stay to help prep the lunch for the workers and volunteers. They do all that in between their classes. I can’t help but to think what servant hearts they have. In the midst of carrying out their lives, they still go out serving the community not only for 1 day, 2 days or 3 days a week, but for every single day. This is not something that they have to do,  but they chose to do it because they want to do it and love doing it, so that the people they’re ministering to truly experience God’s love through them. Through their humble servant hearts, not only do they give these people hope in the Lord but they help change their lives for the better.

I’m forever thankful and grateful to be given this opportunity to serve alongside them. In this trip, God is truly teaching me how to serve better. How to have a pure servant heart. This is the lesson I’ll take home with me.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve .. -Mark 10:45

Nadia R.

Today was the last day of Kids club. After a crazy exciting fun filled week, it is always hard to say good bye. The relationships you build are ones that will never be forgotten. I had the opportunity today to bless a few disciples and turn the office into a hair salon. It was such a blessing for me, blessing them and giving them the morning off. It was amazing to get some quality time with them and really get to know them. These are moments I will cherish forever.

Tired, worn out, hot, and sweaty, we gave it our all as we pushed through our last session. Not thinking about goodbyes, we scurried off to dinner. It was such an exciting time as we took the disciples to dinner and to the night market.  Listening to all their kind words of encouragement, I know Crossroads knocked their socks off. I love each and every one of them.

As we say our parting words, all I can think about is my prayer for the AIM children and staff. I hope they will forever know their worth and know how much they are loved. But most importantly, know that they know how much they each matter, and above all God loves them.

McKenzie V.

Day 5 of kids club! Wow what a whirlwind! I can’t believe this was the very last day we sang “teach me how to pray.” The kids are SO amazing. Today as we said our final goodbyes, I received kisses on my cheeks and hands from the sweet girls from the brick factory. So many sweet final goodbyes. The church team is incredible! These young people work their tails off to bring the word of Jesus to a wonderful group of kids is a very dark place.

I remember the first time I ever heard of the ministry here in Cambodia through the screening of “The Pink Room” film. It amazes me that every building we’ve entered was built with dark intentions. On day 1 we entered a large building where the Pastor’s office rests in a corner room. The building, now used for schooling and education, was initially built as a hotel for pedophiles to use children for days or weeks for the purpose of sex. The building where sweet little babies now nap had been raided to free dozens of young girls from ages 12 to as young as 4 years old. The pastor’s home was also once a brothel that now houses young girls in need of a safe place while they go to school. These stories don’t even scratch the surface of the darkness being uncovered here.

Now, thanks to this incredible organization, there is prevention and re-integration for the survivors of these terrible crimes. This nation, although beautiful, has such obvious and lingering scars from its past. Devastating and terrorizing hatred that stripped the entire nation of its humanity is not something that can be quickly healed. I am praising God today that this one street we called our temporary home is making great leaps to heal their people. The love they have for their community is infectious and I am so thankful to have been a part of it.

Because of the nature of this work and the difficulty to overcome exploitation, we are not permitted to photograph our time spent. To me this made every single moment a treat. A gift. Language barriers make it difficult to remember every name so each face is engraved on my heart. With each embrace I remembered that these hard working disciples remain in the daily fight. These kids will still be in need of love, affection, fun and protection. I am thrilled to be part of a church that partners with an organization like this!

Tonight we celebrated a long, exhausting week by taking all of the disciples to dinner. We started off with some reflections on the week and our favorite moments. I was so taken back by how the church staff wanted to bless us. We were thanked for bringing “a spirit of fun and encouragement”. One of the lead staff members told us that if we are a reflection of our church, then they are excited that churches like ours exist in the US.

So overwhelmed by love and the tug on my heartstrings, we gave the last hug to each person. I thank God for all He’s doing here and for more things to come! I’ll never forget these moments.

Brianna H.

Today was a long, difficult, and tiring day. After flying from Cambodia to Thailand, we celebrated a joyous reunion with Dianna Bautista and her staff at Shear Love. The facility is impressive and well thought out. It contains a salon, classrooms and even temporary living quarters for visiting instructors. Dianna spent time explaining the work they are doing, focusing a lot on the environment the students come from.

Dianna’s description of the life of these women was graphic and disheartening. Young girls caught up in an industry that is so far from God’s plan for their lives. They become simply a commodity to be bought and sold.

After dinner we had our first experience walking through the area known as “Walking Street” in downtown Pattaya. As our group gathered at the entrance, I was taken aback by the convoy of tour buses filled with tourists. There seemed to be no end.

On the streets you could see groups of foreigners being led by guides holding up flags and asking everyone to stay together. The scene seemed surreal. The depravity of human trafficking is a tourist attraction in Pattaya.

I walked with Alex and Josh from Shear Love. The sights and sounds can be overwhelming. Everywhere women in every kind of outfit and from every nationality were beckoning you to enter their establishment. The street was crowded with people. There were gawkers but mostly there were men. Lots of men from all over the world. Some by themselves and others in groups.

From there we walked along the beach walk area where Dianna tasked us with counting the number of men and women we suspected of being buyers and sellers. In just a few blocks the numbers were in the hundreds.

I saw one young girl surrounded by a group of men speaking to her in loud voices. She turned away from them and looked right at me. I saw fear in her eyes. Her expression was the universal one for “help me.”

The last area we walked was “section six.” This street by far seemed the worst. There were hundreds if not thousands of girls at the front of the bars.  In the midst of this God is making his presence known through the efforts of the Tamar Center.

The Tamar Center not only does outreach but is also a place where the Christian community in Pattaya gathers to pray over the crowds on the streets below them. After visiting we joined them as they shared what God was speaking to them and we prayed for a while.

It was after midnight when we returned to our hotel. My heart breaks for the victims of modern slavery. Even the men who victimize them are caught up with their own demons.

The good news is God is present here in the darkness. There is hope. I am glad Crossroads is standing alongside Shear Love in bringing the light of Jesus.

Joe V.

Our first day in Pattaya, Thailand was a full day. We met up with Dianna, our missionary partner there. We had lunch and toured the beauty salon. I was amazed to see how beautiful and efficient the salon is. From caring for the girl’s growth physically and spiritually, to caring for each other. God is doing amazing things here!

Later we had dinner with the staff, then a briefing before we headed out to “Walking Street”. We went out walking two by two. Men went with men because they would get a different perspective without walking next to us. Joe, Josh and Alex led out. Actually, we went in threes, two team members and one staff.

As we entered the street, it was just like walking into an amusement park: bright lights, food, and people of all ages. We saw young children with families, groups of men, groups of ladies, couples, and tons of tour groups. You know the kind, where a leader stands with a flag in front. So many buses of tourists, it boggles my mind. And for what? Sex? Exploitation? Entertainment? But I found no joy there. No smiling faces. The girls being exploited looked empty, sad, afraid, lonely and lost. Even the people walking down the street, for whatever reasons, were unhappy. With all the bars, restaurants, and shops on this street, it was not a fun place but a dark place.

As we exited Walking Street, we walked along the beach front on a boardwalk called “beach street” where there are more girls. We helped Dianna and her team with a survey. Some of us counted girls (waiting to be purchased), some counted men (looking to purchase) and some counted men making the transaction. In less than a quarter mile, we counted 156 girls, over 300 men looking and 65 actual transactions made. I heard the transactions as I walked by. They were haggling as if she was a souvenir, not worth the asking price but “let’s see how cheap I can get her”. It was so disturbing in so many different ways.

We moved on to another street called ‘Section Six’. Here it gets worse, if you can imagine. It’s in your face, anything goes, anything is for sale. The girls drag the men into their bar. In the middle of all this is a light of God, Tamar Center. They too are fighting human trafficking and exploitation. They have a salon across the street from a “lady boy” bar. The “girls” come in and get their hair done.

God in the middle of all this? Where else would He be! Those are his precious children lost in a dark world. It takes amazing people to sacrifice their time, talents, and treasure to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Listening to the stories of victories and answered prayer is so encouraging. We are only here for a few days but I am so glad God brought me here. We all need to fight this battle together! Pray for Pattaya, for the girls trapped here, for the men stuck in bondage, for the teams here working and the Spirit of the Lord to continue working through his people.

Blessings, Jennifer V.

I haven’t had the pleasure of writing a GO blog for 5 years now… it’s good to be back!

The Global Outreach department has been a constant support of the missions work I have been a part of worldwide. Since going on my first trip to Kenya with GO in 2010, I have felt encouraged by them to pursue God’s calling on my life. 

I was met with overwhelming support when I shared with Lisa, Missy, and Patrice and the whole of the Crossroads staff that I was moving indefinitely to Thailand to start Shear Love International. Crossroads and the GO team provided the funds to build our training salon, school, and provide salaries for our staff and students. Having their trust and support has given me the strength to persevere. 

Two years later, a team has come to witness the seeds Crossroads has sewn. It has been the biggest blessing and honor to me that my home church has brought a team of servants to work alongside us in Thailand. This team has walked with me and with our Shear Love staff through the depravity we witness on a daily basis. They have stood with us and prayed over the darkness of the red light district. They have chosen to boldly stand against what the enemy meant for harm. They have given grace to those most people would shun. 

Thank you all Missy, Brianna, Jennifer, Kenz, Zee, Becca, Nadia, and Papa Joe for traveling through the heat, humidity, and hostility to give hope to a cause and a community. 

Dianna B.

” Start believing today that you are rare, one-of-a-kind, valuable and precious…” – Joyce Meyer

On Monday, we started the day at Shear Love by spending some time in a quick meeting with Dianna and a couple of Shear Love’s workers. They are all beautiful, amazing women with a big heart that loves God and His people.

Promptly at 10 o’clock, we met Shear Love’s students and split up for devotional time. The women stayed on the first floor and the men went up to the second floor for their devotional. Jenn and I spent time discussing and sharing about God’s purpose in our lives. Expounding on Psalm 139:14, Ephesians 2:10, & John 15:16, we talked about our purpose in God, who He created us to be, how we are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image, and to bear fruit with the talents He has given us.

After the devotion, Missy and Brianna held a make-up training. The women were very much into it. They inquired about how to do make up on dark skin, in which Missy and Brianna did a great job explaining using what is available to them. Later we found out from Dianna that in the beginning the women only wanted to know how to do make up on light skin. In a culture that highly values lighter skin (they’d even bleach their skin!), by these women wanting to learn how to do make up on darker skin shows how far they have come. Jesus does not look at our skin colors, He sees us as His children. And I pray they will see themselves how God sees them:  Beautiful, fearfully and marvelously created in His image. God does not make mistakes.

“God will never anoint you to be anyone other than yourself. Let now be your time to go forward and be set free from the torments of comparing yourself with others and trying to be someone you’re not. God is proud of who He made you to be!” -Joyce Meyer

After the makeup training, we were able to spend time with Dianna, the students, and the teachers during lunch time. We hung out, relaxed, and got to know them. During this time we could see how each student’s personalities are peeking through. Not only are they beautiful and handsome, but they’re also very kind, caring, and funny. One of the girls has a wicked sense of humor, although you wouldn’t know it just by looking at her. It fills my heart with so much joy and love to be able to spend some time with these amazing strong men and women.

Once we were finished with lunch, we went back to Shear Love to get our hair done by the students. This is the time they get to use what they’ve learned through Shear Love on actual hair instead of a doll head. McKenzie was so amazing with these students. She worked with one of the male students, and the laughter would not stop from their corner. She was so patient and encouraging. It was amazing to see McKenzie in her own element and having an amazing time with him by pouring her knowledge into him.

After all of our hair was done, we sat together and a couple of the men shared their stories. I was amazed by these men and even more in awe of God, how He can use these men and turn them completely around from their former lives– a drug addict, a drug dealer, a prostitute, and a lady boy. They shared how they tried to get out of the bad cycle but were not able to with their own strength. But once Jesus transformed their hearts, their lives changed 180 degrees.

God is so amazing, He is so good. Time and time again during this mission trip, He has shown me that when we are willing and open to His calling, He will use us above and beyond what we’ve ever imagined. He created you and me with a purpose and when we walk in that purpose, He will use us to further His Kingdom. He will use us to reach out to the people who need His light and His love. Sometimes, it gets very uncomfortable but when we surrender it all and say, “Yes Lord, here I am. Use me.” Sit back and watch what God will do in our lives. We will not be disappointed nor will we ever be the same again.

Kop khun kha Thailand.

Zenia B.