You may wonder why I decided to make this trip to Cambodia. Last year, I read two books that had a signficant impact on me. The first was Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The introduction features the story of a young Cambodian woman he met in Poipet at the Cambodia/Thailand border. She had been a victim of sex trafficking and is now a vivacious entrepreneur. I also read the memoir of Somaly Mam, entitled The Road of Lost Innocence, which tells her story of being sold into sex slavery at 16, escaping and now devoting her life to assisting other victims. After reading these two books and having a lengthy conversation with the Chairman of the Board of The Somaly Mam Foundation, I knew I needed to make the journey to Cambodia.
I also read the story of Marilyn and Joseph Chan, as told by Carolyn Ritch Guess in Because He Lives: Love, Faith and Hope in Action. Marilyn and Joseph survived the Khmer Rouge persecutions, escaped to refugee camps in Thailand, later came to the U.S. to live and attend school, and then returned to Cambodia as United Methodist missionaries. Marilyn and Joseph will be our primary hosts and guides in Cambodia. They are an amazing couple, and we are honored by the opportunity to learn from them over the next two weeks.
So, this trip all started with a book. And now for the song. My father used to sing "Far Away Places." The lyrics, in part, say " Far away place with strange sounding names, far away over the sea... Going to China or maybe Siam, I wanna see for myself. Those far away places I've been readin' about -- from a book-- that I took -- from a shelf." Be careful what you read!! '
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