TOGETHER,
WE ARE STRONGER
THAN SLAVERY.
February 27, 2014
Every year, Father Martino gives the girls a chance to go shopping for Tet (Lunar New Year) to spoil themselves or their families. This is called "Li Si" or "lucky money". Part of the volunteer fee for every mission trip is allocated to the girls for this shopping trip...
February 25, 2014
Without enough time to gather our thoughts and emotions of the morning's visit to the "devil's playground", our group swiftly navigates to the small parish of Father Tuan in Can Tho, Vietnam. I mentioned this place in last year's post"Say a Little Prayer for Me". The p...
February 17, 2014
Once again we find ourselves in the devil’s playground in Can Tho, Vietnam. I dubbed it the “Highway to Hell”in one of my posts last year. We meet Father Tuan once more, the man with a heart of gold. Since last year, a new facility is underway for the undesirable membe...
February 16, 2014
Now I've never had a family reunion before, but I think that seeing the girls again was the next best thing. Throughout the year, I feared that the exact moment I see them again would not be as impelling as I imagined it to be. Perhaps they wouldn't remember me? What i...
March 6, 2013
Today is my last day in Cambodia. I fly back home tomorrow morning. I reflect on the past two weeks with troubled thoughts and bittersweet memories. Feelings of guilt and sorrow flood my emotions. Life is a fragile matter. This mission trip has opened my eyes to the da...
February 24, 2013
Buying sex with a 12-year-old girl in Cambodia takes less time and effort than paying for a telephone bill. For a modest amount of USD, a shady motorbike will take you on a 20 minute ride up the haphazard highway north of Phnom Penh to the dark and grim village of Svay...
February 24, 2013
An imaginary black cloud hovered over my head as I gathered the sights and sounds of suffering and despairof the past few days. However, where there is bad, there must be good. Amidst all this anguish and misfortune, there are angels who shine a rays of hope for all of...
February 8, 2013
Cambodia is deceiving. Hidden in the shadows of its vibrant city streets, modern architecture, eclectic culture, and majestic mosques is the discrimination and enslavement of Vietnamese people. Worse, the diseased tradition of trafficking Vietnamese women and children....
January 31, 2013
After a couple days in Can Tho connecting with the local church community, we head back to Saigon for a BBQ with the girls. It would be the last time we would see them. I carried mixed emotions on the bus ride back to Saigon. On one side I was super excited to see the...
January 29, 2013
With my spirit already low-lying from the events of the morning, our group drags our heavy souls to the Orphanage of Can Tho, which is also a shelter for victims of "Agent Orange" or dioxin. Agent Orange is one of the herbicides and defoliants that the US Military used...