Welcome Home, Angela

 Well, I am home!  Forever changed, again!

Since my last update we visited our flagship safehouse that has the most girls.  They always throw the best welcome party for any of the teams that come to visit.  They dress and dance traditional Khmer dances, they sing songs, some traditional, some they have written about their freedom.  If you were unaware of the reason these precious girls are in our care, you would feel like you were visiting any christian camp or home for girls.  Rapha truly does mean healing and it is so evident in the faces and lives of these girls.

We were blessed to witness another rescued girl brought to Rapha through one of the many rescue organizations in the country.  She looked so incredibly scared and had the saddest eyes I have ever witnessed in a child.  As we watched the head house mother communicate with her, bring several girls over to meet her, including the youngest child at age four, I cried at the fear on her face.  In the thirty or so minutes she stood there, I don't believe I saw her even blink - just a blank stare.  As some of the team members came to me to ask about her, I did my best to explain that she has no idea that she has been "rescued" yet.  She still sees people that have taken her and brought her to a new, frightening place.  I am positive that she was even more confused by the laughter and playing that she witnessed in all of the girls.  My only comfort is that I had witnessed this on our last trip and was assured that all of the girls would, in their own time, welcome her in, give her space, try to comfort her, etc., because they had, at one time, been the one standing on the "outside".  That is the most amazing part to me, watching these girls minister to each other, probably better than we would ever be able to.

Once again, the team I was with has been forever changed.  On our bus ride back to Phnom Penh, we took the time to debrief and share how we thought God had moved us and how we thought we would be different.  Some found the clarity they felt they would find, others were too overwhelmed to put anything into words and still others want to continue to make a difference, not only for Rapha House, but for the country of Cambodia.  God is so amazing and uses these trips to show us all how incredibly blessed we are as a country and as children of His.  One of our team members repeated on several occasions how brokenhearted she is for the people on the streets of this country, those who have never heard the name of Jesus.  I would not be surprised at all to see her back, not to work for just Rapha, but to share Jesus with these people.  We were also blessed to have a professional photographer on our team.  She questioned her purpose for being on the trip and how God could use her, but was encouraged by all of us once we saw her talent for capturing in a picture what we only wished we could put into words.  She is going to put together a video of our trip and I would love to share it with all of you.  I see God using her in a mighty way, again, not just for Rapha, but on any mission trip or country she plans to visit.

Thank you all for your encouraging words and for letting me share my thoughts with you.  I will be updating most of you, as supporters, with some of the future plans Rapha has for me.  I have several speaking engagements in September, October and a benefit concert scheduled for November.  I will be speaking to a Sociology class at one of the local colleges in early December, too.  I look forward to sharing the purpose of Rapha House with any and all that will listen, so again, if you have any need for a representative for any organization you are a part of, please don't hesitate to call me.

In His love,

Angela