JESUS LOVES YOU (IN KHMER)
DAY 6 The genocide museum was HORRIFYING. I was breaking down periodically. Shall not post pictures for this one...and the killing field.
DAY 7
Went to the dump slump. It was BAD. literally. The smell was so foul a 3 seconds unwinding of the window equals one minute of breath-holding excercise. What was even more dreadful wasn't the physical condition of the place, but rather, the poor little children walking around, bare-footed to see if there are any leftovers that can find to eat, or to sell. It was heart-wrenching, and it still is even when I'm reflecting now. To see them walking through these heap of hot dump is like a ripping off a portion of my heart! I really wanted to get out of the van and buy them something to eat or do whatever I can to help them:( I really wish I could and I would, but the dump is so smelly I don't know whether I even have the courage to step out of the van.
Our next stop was the slump. It was not as smelly, but the living conditions were equally bad. Walking into the slump is like walking through a very very very narrow 'pasa malam' on a wet and muddy day, with black mud that smells foul sticking to the sole of your shoe as your trudge through. Every step I took was welcomed by the horde of flies on all the rubbish that are littered on the mud. The children again were without shoe, and some were without clothes. Even if they had clothes on, their clothes smelt of urine. I wanted to back out halfway and not bathe them. All the adults, even the mums did not want to bathe them. Well, these kid deserve a good bath, so I told God "Here I am, you can send me to do it!" At the end of the bath, I smelt really bad, but the kids smelt awfully good, and I'm glad I didn't back out, or these children would have to go without bath for another week. It's also very satisfying to watch them bathe, because they really really really enjoy being splashed all over with clean water. I guess their smiles and laughter would sustain me through any tough job:)
There was one issue at the slumps and provinces that I am really concerned about. The children are not healthy! :( :( So many of them are malnutritioned, so many. Their tummmies are bloated up and it's so devasting to look at them, even more so when they smile despite their condition. Some of them have really bad infections too. There's this young boy that I bathed at the slump, he had this very severe infection of the eye that caused severe swelling and pus accumulated around his eye. He was hurting so badly yet he wanted to have a bath. When the water splashed on him, I could tell he was really trying to hard to control his pain. It's so painful for me to watch. How i wish I could do something to alleviate his pain! There's another boy who has infection on his ear. He came to me for a bath in spite of his infection, which I know it certainly would sting when i wash his hair. It was very devastating to watch. Very.
I do hope you would continue to pray with me in this area for the children at Cambodia. Our intercessory prayers would definitely be heard.
By the way, this is the crusade we conducted on friday night for a few hundred children!
