Go Beyond

Mary teaching in Cambodia.

Who | Mary Whittington

Where I’ve Traveled with Kingsland | I have traveled to Uganda four times and to Thailand and Cambodia this past year.

My Most Recent Trip | A few months ago, we joined the Life International team in Cambodia in partnership with Steve Hyde, Director of Asia for Jesus, to teach church leaders about the sanctity of human life. We also visited one of the children’s homes that Steve and his wife Noit founded to care for orphans along the Cambodia/Thai border. These are children who otherwise would be vulnerable to being kidnapped and trafficked for sex and labor purposes.

Why This Matters to Me | The Christian church is very “young” in Cambodia — a culture that has known only death and oppression. It is crucial in this culture to disciple and train church leaders on the value of life. This is foundational for protecting the unborn from abortion and for helping Christian women and men who have experienced abortion to heal and to experience God’s forgiveness. To value life is also to rescue and protect children and adults who are victims of or at risk of human trafficking.

What Troubled Me Most | The bondage of past abortions and the toll it has taken on some of the women I prayed with was heartbreaking for me. One woman, the mother of 9, had 2 abortions after 2 months of development. She grieved not only her aborted children but also her lack of bonding with her living children. After the conference she understood her pain and loss.

My eyes told me more than I wanted to know about human trafficking and forced prostitution in Cambodia and Thailand. I watched a 3-4 year old little girl from my hotel room wander in and out of her lean-to shelter unattended all day. She wandered alone up and down the road of the slums where her family lived. She is forever on my heart. I have even given her a name that I use when I pray for her.

Why We Must Care and Act | God uses us to move and act for justice. The people of Cambodia and Thailand are valuable to Him – they are not discards. A chorus in one of the Cambodian songs says “Cambodia is for Christ.” And, Christ is for Cambodia.