Operation Justice

How easily the Lord can grab your heart and say, "Go".  In my case this e-mail from a friend of 28- years grabbed this mother's heart and she just knew who was to "Go".  Tears rolled down my eyes with compassion while my prayers ascended before the throne for the sons I felt the Lord was leading to this place.   It would take a miracle...as Beth Moore calls it, "an elephant prayer".  I started my "elephant prayer" in January for God to soften, provide and convict my sons to go.  As moms of grown children we walk such a fine line.  We gentle suggest and step back.  I gentle forwarded the e-mail, allowing God to speak through the e-mail to my sons.

In a few days I will be leaving for Cambodia to begin a new relationship with some ministry partners that work with children and adults that have been rescued from sex trafficking. Specifically, I am going there to finalize plans to return there in May, with a team, and build a playground area for over 130 children that have been rescued and are in the process of being healed and restored. The playground will be located at a school founded by Cambodia Hope Organization in Poi pet, Cambodia. My good friend, Mike Lynch of BnF Minneapolis, will be traveling with me to help set up this very challenging project.

We have also been invited to go on a tour with other church and business leaders to see the conditions that the people of Cambodia live in. The extreme poverty makes them very vulnerable to abuse in many forms. One of those forms being that of an ever-growing sex trafficking industry. This billion-dollar business takes children of all ages for purpose of selling them to others. I know that this is a hard thing to imagine, but it is happening all over the world. The region that we are going in is what is called the “Golden Triangle”. It is a place where over 60% of all sex trafficking victims come from. Poi pet is a place where the love and justice of God needs to come.

I waited!  One grabbed it as soon as it came through...but he had conditions.  The other said he would think about it...now we all know that usually means "no" and is said to appease the person so they will back off.

Months started to fly by and I prayed and waited.  Justification started to come...I listened, nodded and returned to my prayerful knees.  "Please God...I know you want them there!"

As we all set at the Easter lunch table one son shared who all was going. He had just spent the weekend around those planning to go.  I held back tears of frustration that they had both decided the cost was too much for them to go.  I just kept saying "oh, oh!" when he listed the names.  Inside I was crying out, "God please...you put it on my heart, can you not soften their hearts?  Can you not let them step out in faith? Lord please."

Text went back and forth...one brother waiting on the other to go in order to justify going.  Business was good this time of year, so it would be a double sacrifice of loss business and the cost of the trip for one son.  The other son trying to meet another job "goal" couldn't justify the time off.  One son and I text back and forth... "it takes faith"... "faith isn't logical"...."it wasn't logical  to be thrown into the fire"..."no, but when they were they saw God and lived to tell about it"...silence from the texting fingers.

Monday after the discussion around the Easter table one son went to re-new his passport.  The other...silence.  They had shared the joy of building a playscape for inter-city children in Atlanta  11 years ago.  One son had also built a playscape in the inter-city San Antonio four years ago.  This would be their second one together.

Text came..."got my passport renewed".  Mine back, "why?"  "Because I am going to Cambodia."  Joy flowed from the other end of the hand held phone...one had said "yes".  The Lord provided jobs that evening after his step of faith to re-new his passport, which would provide money for the trip and the two weeks of missed work.  Isn't God good?

Other mothers joined me in prayer for this trip....one prayed as if the second son would also go.

May 6th our oldest child steps on a plane to Cambodia.  Would you please join us in prayer for the safety of all going,  for the power of God to be seen in this place,  for captives to be set free,  for each person on this trips hearts...for hearts to be forever changed for the kingdom of God.  As they come back, may they touch and bring revival to us back in the States.  May we all learn to say "yes" when God says "GO!"


I guess all my mommy post this week...praying knees...is appropriate as we enter the month of Mother's Day.  It truly is more than just giving birth....it is a life time commitment to seeing God work in and through our children. Praying when we don't understand, yet believing He holds them in His hands.