A Thought About My Birthday

Hey All,

This is the first time I’ve been on the internet since my birthday (which, really, it hasn’t been that long), but I want to tell you about something that has been on my (and all of our) hearts for a while now. Last Friday, we had the awesome opportunity of going to that UN meeting with Ruth as I’ve mentioned, but the most impacting thing about that trip was actually the tuk-tuk ride over there. We got to talk with Ruth a lot during that time—I think it was the first time we really got to hear her heart—and what she said about Daughters and the Center girls and all the trafficking going on into and (more commonly) within Cambodia will never leave any of us. I say all this with my birthday in mind, because I know without a shadow of a doubt what I would like for my birthday from anyone who has yet to give me a present (if you were already planning on doing so, of course ;). >>>>>SEND MONEY TO DAUGHTERS!!!<<<<<

Seriously. Whatever you were going to spend on me—don’t. Spend it on Daughters—Spend it on these girls, spend it on their salaries to keep them out of the brothels and away from the beatings of their own families. Spend it on these children and their food and shelter, that they may not be trafficked into the local brothels by their own parents or sold and shipped away as slaves. Spend it on Ruth and Sam’s salary—their family’s income, which is strictly whatever they get from sponsors of Daughters and only what is not invested in paying the girls and bettering the Center. Spend it on helping with their advertising for the amazing businesses they are attempting to keep going/start up. Don’t spend it on me. Spend it on ordering a bag. Don’t spend it on soda—spend it on ordering a necklace or curtains. I’m not just ranting and spending my words on a useless spark of passion—I’m trying to be an advocate for a mission, a heart, and a person who could be impacted profoundly by this change in where you place your money.

A good friend and mentor of mine has planted this following thought into my mind: “When you usher the Kingdom into even one person’s life, you usher the Kingdom into the world—because that life is inextricably a part of the world, and so you are most assuredly bringing the Kingdom into it.” Again, I am reminded that it is God’s mission to the world, and we are simply one part of it; but He chooses to use us in it to bring Himself joy and to bring us joy. We as a team must keep reminding ourselves to take joy in those opportunities. While there are challenges and sorrows galore over here, there are also joys to be found in the most unlikely places. Who would have thought that the most loved I’ve ever felt on my birthday would be from those who desperately need to understand how MUCH Love Himself loves them? Who would have thought that I would receive the most precious gifts of priceless effort and care from those who don’t even have a change of clothes for every day of the week? And who would have thought that the most honor I would ever receive from anyone in this world would come from those who are holding so much shame inside? I would have never thought it… And I would have never thought that having my birthday so far away from “home” would actually show me a comfort closer to “home” and a purpose of being born that is greater than any I’ve ever experienced before.

So don’t sell yourself short and think that your birthday, your money, or your home, are for you alone. Because you just might miss out on what having a GREAT birthday, enough money, and your true home really feels like. It is a joy beyond words. And on June 25th 2008, I was very, very glad to be turning 22 in Cambodia.


Please continue to pray. And thank you for your unwavering support.


Blessings and Love,
Jenna