Conquering Fear

I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with the McDonald’s play place, but I haven’t been familiar with it myself since I was really little. But when you have a 2 ½ year old nephew that is a picky eater and loves nothing more than a trip to McDonalds with his aunt- you familiarize yourself with it again pretty quickly. And to be frank, it’s not my favorite place in the whole world. The McDonald’s play place is full of snotty nosed elementary student bully’s that use that play ground as a way to show their dominance in the world over poor little toddlers like my nephew. The first time I took my nephew there he was playing innocently when out of the corner of my eye I see this towering child maybe 10 years old barreling forward towards my nephew with 2 hands out. Before I could grab him away, she had pushed him full force into the ground leaving him dazed and confused. I scooped him up quickly and ran him out of that play place!

The following week, Anth asked me to take him back to the play place for another aunty-nephew date and reluctantly I said yes hoping the towering kids stayed home that day. We walked in and we were the only ones there, but I could tell right away he still had a healthy fear of this play place and going through the dark tunnels to get to the top. I encouraged him but he didn’t want to be pushed, so I let it go. A few minutes later a little boy a few years older than Anth and his grandma walked in. Right away he walked past my nephew and started climbing in the tunnels. About half way up, he turned around came back down and gently invited Anthony to climb with him. Anthony looked back at me for an encouraging nod and then he slowly climbed in. Before you know it, he was at the top and laughing as he came down the slide. I was so so proud of him for facing his fear, and getting to the top. He came down the slide just long enough to push away my hug and run to climb again.

I realized a few significant things that day watching my nephew conquer fears. Fear loses its grip on us, when others see our potential and offer to walk past it with us. A hand held out from a new friend was all Anthony needed to enter into something unknown and daunting.

Change cannot be forced or pushed, but comes with gentleness and a safe place to take risks. The environment in which Anth conquered his fears came when only a few people he could trust were around and willing to take each step with him. I’m sure next time he will have little or no reservations running into that play place no matter how many kids are around.

Fear. It’s a word every human being on the planet is familiar with. We all have places of fear in our lives. Maybe you’ve been hurt, abused, torn down, told you can’t and it has left your potential frozen by fear. I’m here to say don’t let that fear hold you down any longer, grab a friend, ask a stranger- take someone with you in the journey who is gentle and can see past the fear that seems to have a hold on you. It is so worth it to stand on the other side of fear and see all you are capable of. There have been people and places where God has allowed me to step out of fear from my past and into something really beautiful on the other side. Maybe you have already stepped over the line of fear, and you need to be a safe place to reach out your hand for someone else to do the same. I’m so honored to be able to walk through life here in Cambodia with the hurting and broken because I was there too at different points in my life crippled by fear of walking through the pain. I love giving away what God has so graciously given me and seeing others come alive when they know someone will not only call out their potential but walk through the mess to get there with them. Walk out of fear. Be the invitation for others to do the same, you just might see chains of fear broken today.

How to Pray for Cambodia This Month

A few days ago, my church in Buffalo asked me to write a list of 31 prayer requests for each day of January. This month is Human Trafficking Awareness month and I think it's a great way to band together as the Church and pray for trafficking victims in Cambodia and around the world. If you want to take up the challenge and pray with us- here it is! If God speaks anything specific to you, you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me with them! (sarah@aim4asia.org)

Day 1- Poverty Mindset-  Pray for Cambodia to reestablish what it means to value human beings and live with purpose in mind.  

Day 2- Pray for Government Corruption in Cambodia and around the world to step up, take responsibility, and protect their own people.

Day 3- Police Corruption- Pray that the police would be leaders for their communities and actually protect and fight for justice in Cambodia. 

Day 4- The Justice System- Pray that the officials making decisions would make decisions of justice and protection instead of what looks best for them or gets them the most money

Day 5- Education- Pray that Cambodia would once again value education and a future over quick money that is obtained through making their children work in factories or selling their children.

Day 6- Men- Pray for men of Cambodia to step-up and lead as men, instead of taking advantage of women, doing drugs, gambling, drinking, and trafficking women and children.  (80 % of men are drug users, alcoholics, and/or gamblers)

Day 7- Women- Pray for the women in Cambodia to know their value and purpose, to protect their children, and stop the cycle of abuse and trafficking in their families and communities.

Day 8- Children- Pray for the children in Cambodia to value and fight for their futures through staying in school, standing up for themselves, and chasing after their dreams.

Day 9- Brick Factories- Pray for those stuck in brick factories as indentured servants working long hours for little to no pay and stuck with a fake debt unable to leave. Abuse, drugs, alcoholism, & trafficking run ramped in these factories.

Day 10- Traffickers- Pray for the traffickers and the young boys being groomed to be traffickers, that God would grab ahold of their hearts.

Day 11- Pedophiles- Pray for the American and European foreign pedophiles that are landing in Cambodia and buying woman and children.

Day 12- China Trafficking- Pray for the Cambodian girls being trafficked to China as brides and our team working with the embassy to get them back!

Day 13- NGO's- Pray for the many organizations that are in Cambodia fighting human trafficking from all angles, as well as unity among them from God!

Day 14- Pray for AIM- Gods protection and provision over this organization

Day 15-Freedom Mandate-  Pray for the Freedom Mandate to fundraise for AIM- that the church in America would step up and join the fight against human trafficking.

(http://freedommandate.agapewebsite.org) 

Day 16-Leaders- Pray for the founders (Don and Bridget Brewster), Elders, and leaders of AIM- that they would hear God’s voice clearly as they make the big decisions that affect the organization.

Day 17- Missionaries- Pray for the Missionaries on the field in Cambodia working with AIM- Wisdom, discernment, protection, and provision.

Day 18- ARC- Pray for the Restoration Center taking in girls rescued from brothels- Provision, healing, protection, education.

Day 19- SWAT- Pray for the SWAT team on the ground in Cambodia making arrests and partnering with the Cambodian Children’s Protection Police to rescue women and children, and work with cases of abuse.

Day 20- Legal Team- Pray for out legal team and court cases putting traffickers in jail and protecting the victims & the legal system would keep them in jail!

Day 21- RHPP- Pray for our half-way house reintegrating victims of trafficking back into society in a slow and supported manner.

Day 22- Emergency Foster Care- Pray for our foster care and the children who are being taken care of some of which are victims of abuse and trafficking.

Day 23- Factories and Business- Pray for our factories and businesses that are providing jobs for trafficking victims and community members- that we would have business to keep them running and discipleship of the Cambodian staff through it.

Day 24- Lord's Gym- Pray for our gym that reaches traffickers and young men for Christ through boxing- for more men to disciple that want to change!

Day 25- Church- Pray for our Church, Cambodian Pastor, and disciples in the church- God would be creating leaders and a safe place for community members to come to and find the healing and redemptive love of Christ.

Day 26- Kids Club- Pray for the influence on the hundreds of children hearing about God and his love every week- for the disciples from the church leading it, and the influence it has on the community.

Day 27- Community School- Pray for the children and teachers coming through our doors everyday, the influence of Christ, a safe place for them to share about their lives, and the team of staff meeting all the needs of abuse cases, student and family needs!

Day 28- Medical Clinic- Pray for the patients walking sometimes miles to receive reliable health care, our team treating them, and the influence this has to build trust and relationships to help families that may be stuck in trafficking.

Day 29- People- Pray for a generation that rises up and ends human trafficking, by fighting this injustice all over the world!

Day 30- Culture- Pray for Western countries like America and the sex saturated cultures that are feeding into human trafficking all over the world.

Day 31- You!- Pray about your part in fighting the injustice of human trafficking around the world and start fighting somehow, somewhere even if from the place your praying from right now! Commit and join the fight!

A Glimpse into the Next Year

As I begin my second year here in Cambodia, my role with the school is shifting to some of the giftings that God has shown me that I have in the past year. I am going to be working with more of the special cases in the school, writing IEP's for the students who have learning disabilities, creating counseling and plans of action for our students being abused or trafficked, training our teachers on how to address abuse and trafficking when it comes up during the school year, and working with families to create a healthy environment for our kids to go home to as well. It is no small endeavor, but I know it is exactly what the Lord wants me to be doing- and He will equip me as I go. I am thrilled to be in Cambodia another year, to continue to build relationships with my teachers, our students, and their families. I've seen what investment in lives can do here, and the transforming presence of Christ. Lives have been changed in the past year, and God will continue to do so this year. 

But the thing is I need partners. I need people like you who want to invest prayerfully and financially in this calling, so that I can keep putting the most marginalized people in the world at the center of my concern. For the one. The one family that finally sees value in their child. The one child that finally doesn't have to go home to a place of abuse and neglect anymore. And the one who needs to be fought for, loved on, and valued that never has before. I need monthly committed partners and people that feel like the Lord is telling them to give, and partake in the restoration He is doing in Cambodia. 

Watch this video for a glimpse into what I'm doing here and if God is telling you to give, here are some practical ways to do so: 

This is the link to give through my Paypal:

Paypal Missionary Support

This is the link to be a monthly partner- Just put my name (Sarah Hendee)  in the spot with reoccurring  missionary support:

G42 Missionary Partnership

If you have any questions or would like to be a part of my monthly private newsletter please email me at sarah@aim4asia.org

One Year in the Kingdom of Cambodia

Monday will mark one year living in Cambodia. It’s pretty crazy to think of how drastically different I was a year ago, and that I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, packing all my things and moving across the world. Sure I expected a little adventure, for God to move, and to be a part of His work fighting for the trafficked and abused here but I don’t think I could have fathomed all He had planned for this past year. It has been a year of doing a lot of things I never thought I would do, diving deep into God’s heart in ways I didn’t think I could, and loving and being loved by others in a way that has redeemed a lot of what love is for me.

 In the past year, God has...

Given me an amazing staff of Khmer teachers to love and be loved by. 

Given me a Khmer family who treats me as their own, challenges me, and loves me more than they know, and I had no idea I needed that coming here a year ago.

              

\Given me great friends here to support and challenge me when things are hard, and when things are good.

Given me so much grace to learn more of how to love others and work for His Kingdom and purposes.

  

Shown me new gifts I didn’t know I had, and given me grace in learning how to use them well.

Shown me how to bring the Kingdom of God to the Kingdom of wonder.

Given me increasing responsibility of some of the hardest and best things I’ve ever done and will do in my life.

Shown me the power of sleepless nights full of prayer to partner in fighting for our sweet students.

Let me be a part of rescuing and restoring children’s lives here.

Given me a deeper respect and love for my family in New York, and grateful heart to be able to miss people that mean so much to me.

Dear Cambodia,

Thank you for letting me enter into your kingdom with such humbleness, hospitality, and love. You have given me countless laughs, tears, and moments of shear confusion in the past year, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have been left breathless watching the beauty of your people, and how they care for one another.

Your people truly are Kingdom people, and I believe that they will grasp hold of the promised land God has for them. They aren’t satisfied wandering in the desert, they are hungry for more of heaven to come down, and I believe God has been and will answer that hunger with His presence. See the Lord’s report for this land, what He is restoring and bringing to life from the dust here. Don’t believe those that are seeing only what’s in front of them and the negative of what they think the future holds here, because I am here to say it’s beautiful and greater waves of redemption is coming. The promised land is full of milk of honey- the giants will flee when you are ready to stand up for your land.

I’ve experienced with you some pretty broken places the past year and seen how a genocide can leave such beautiful people broken even 45 years later. I am here to tell you that there is hope and it’s here right now. I see it in the twenty something’s rushing back to the universities in the city hungry to learn. I see it in music emerging that is restoring what’s been lost and making it new. I see it in my staff as they bring life into the world and start to parent the next generation with love and value. Hope is here, and it is your people. YOU are HOPE Cambodia, not only for your future, but hope for the whole world when you are full of Christ.

Thank you for a beautiful year, and letting me truly be a part of you. I cannot wait to see what this next year holds for you- I know it will be beautiful in the messiest and most perfect way.

Love.

Sarah

**If you would like to partner with me this next year I am still in need of monthly and one- time partners. Hit the partner with me tab above for all the details!**