I have an incredible community group, and I couldn’t be happier with the heart each of them has for loving God and loving people. Every Thursday, the guys from our group get together just to take things a little deeper. A few weeks ago, we started discussion about how trying to take our community group into being much more outward focused – and not just in theory or “being open to it,” but actually doing something that made a difference to someone/something outside of ourselves.
Each of the guys in the group went back to our wives and talked about this and then with the entire group. We decided to commit an additional 5% of our income to a ministry need, in addition to our current tithe. We committed ourselves for a three month trial period, and then we’d reassess after the three months. We had prayed and talked about how we wanted our little money to go a long way, and so we probably wouldn’t give to something like a Habitat for Humanity or American Red Cross, and although they do good stuff – we wanted to really see our gift have a substantial impact on someone/something. Anyway, just as these conversations happened and we started to pray about who our gift would go to, my wife, Jen, received an email from a ministry that her mom is very much involved in called The Rapha House, where young girls are rescued from the sex traffic industry in Cambodia.
We’re losing the lease on the halfway house where we operate our vocational training and reintegration programs at Rapha House. And if these programs go away, our girls won’t be able to take their last step to freedom. We need your help. And we need it soon.
This November our lease expires on this property in town. And the landlord has indicated that he intends on selling the building.
We would buy it, if the price were right. But he knows that American money is behind this ministry. So the price we were quoted was more than double what the property is worth! We passed on the offer.
Now we’re afraid that our rent will skyrocket in November. Or possibly, the property will be sold from underneath us. This would be a major setback to this vital ministry program. So we’re acting now and asking for your help.
Think what this vocational training program means to our girls. We’ve been there when some of them have taken their first steps to freedom as they passed through the gates of our safehouse. Imagine what goes through their minds when they come to us. People have promised them so much before, and they’ve found those promises to be nothing but lies. Then we come along and tell them that they’ll be safe with us. They can have their own beds. And we’ll teach them how to get started in a new life. But if we can’t stand by them until they take their last step to freedom will they trust what we say? We won’t risk disappointing these girls. But we can’t keep this promise without your help.
You, our generous donors, have made it possible for us to purchase our safehouse—the first step to freedom. Now we’re asking you to help us buy our own building for our vocational training program—the last step to freedom for these girls.
During our last trip to Cambodia, we walked through a building that would be perfect for our vocational training facility. It’s brand new and as big if not bigger than our current location. It sits adjacent to a new market that’s being built in town. And it’s HALF THE PRICE of what the owner of our existing building is asking!
We can’t purchase this or any other property without your help. To buy something like this is a cash deal, no mortgages are offered. So we need to raise at least $210,000 before November in order to buy a building for our vocational training program. Yes, that’s a lot of money; but we serve a big God who works in a big way through people of faith.
Our little community was able to raise just over $2000 towards this ministry, and while I know that The Rapha House isn’t what everyone is called to do, we are tremendously grateful that we are able to come along side this incredible ministry and help out in a big way. We’re committed to praying, and whatever else God would have us do.
These are real classics! I haven’t actually seen any of the videos, which are only offered on VHS, and I’m not a Christian Man who hates Women — so I haven’t dove into any of it. But judging the book and video by its title…
people are my art 