Why do we do it?

Last week, the entire staff in our building in Colorado Springs had the opportunity to hear Dareth Ly's story.  Dareth was 7 years old in the late 70's when Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia.  The Khmer systematically "cleansed" the population - a genocide that claimed the lives of 2-1/2 million people - a third of the entire population.  The cities were emptied and many were sent to labor camps.  Dareth was separated from his family and was sent to a children's labor camp.  He experienced horrific torture and he was forced to watch as other children were brutally murdered in front of everyone.  Of the more than 1,000 children assigned to the camp, less than 50 survived.

Dareth was able to escape and joined a group of 100 people that journeyed for over two weeks by night to make it to safety on the Thailand border.  Land mines claimed many lives, and only 25 of his group made it through the trek alive.  The mood in our meeting was so quiet and somber that you could hear a pin drop.

Despite the mass genocide, no one has been prosecuted for the murders.  Only four people are now in the process of standing trial.  Many top government officials were members of the Khmer Rouge and have no desire for justice.  These are the oppressive conditions that the people of Cambodia still face.

When Dareth made it to safety at 11 years old, he was sent to Minnesota as part of a refugee program.  The family that took him in were believers and he came to a personal understanding of God's love for him.  Despite never wanting to go back, he answered the call, and has been ministering in Cambodia since 1996.  Dareth believes that in order to change Cambodia, you have to start with the children.  He is involved in the work we support through Mission of Mercy.  Almost 3,000 children in Cambodia participate in our program.

A couple years ago, Dee and I had the opportunity to travel to Cambodia.  We saw first-hand the reserve of the Cambodian people.  No wonder, the people who perpetrated this atrocity are still running the country.  The country of Cambodia is beautiful.  One of the projects we got to see was the Floating School near Siem Reap.  There are villages on a vast lake.  They eke out a living by fishing, which is becoming more difficult each year.  There is no electricity, no clean water, no medical facilities and no educational opportunities.  Several years ago, Dareth's ministry built a school on the lake.  It is an amazing journey to get there.  At certain times of the year, with the rise and fall of the water levels, the village needs to move.  So, the school moves first, gets anchored and set up, and then the rest of the village follows.  Kids come to school on little boats.  It is an amazing thing to see.

Operating a sponsorship program is very complex.  There is a need to link the child to a sponsor; to process correspondence; to hold the project accountable and to keep the sponsor informed.  When I stepped into my position here, I had no idea of all the complications and complexities.  We have over 40,000 children in 19 different countries.  Each program is different and each culture unique.  Frankly, it can be frustrating and overwhelming at times.  We have a great staff, but, at the end of the day, they can still see the pile of work that will face them the next day.

So, when someone like Dareth comes into our lives and shares his story and his passion for the kids, it rejuvenates us.  It reminds us that this ministry is not about our workload.  It's about the children.  Knowing that we are supporting people like Dareth gives us great encouragement.  That's why we do what we do!