In March, AIM SWAT assisted Cambodian law enforcement in arresting a 59-year-old American man, for sexually abusing young children and soliciting child prostitution. Five victims have been identified, including minors aged 8, 11, 12, 17 and an 18-year-old woman, who were sexually abused by the perpetrator over several years. All five survivors are being represented AIM’s legal team and receiving aftercare at the AIM Restoration Home. The perpetrator has been charged with multiple counts of rape of a minor and soliciting child prostitution and will await his trial from prison. Our team is continuing to assist the police in identifying other possible victims and recovering additional evidence. If you would like to read more about this story Click Here. I am grateful to be able to love on and serve these 5 survivors, along with the 70 other residents currently at ARH. I thank God for moments of restored childhood, whether it's through swimming, puzzles, or salon students braiding my hair. One of my favorites has been through coloring. In ARH counseling, clients work on how to share their feelings. If they are having trouble communicating, they are encouraged to share through pictures, especially young clients. I'm always touched when a resident shares her heart with me through a drawing and asks me to respond. Whether it's a picture of a pretty princess, or a sad sun rising, I know God is working in her heart.
Healing comes one day at a time and each step brings her closer to restoration. While I am thankful to see the transformation and hope that is possible through Christ, it brings me to tears that we have to continue to rescue young girls. Many improvements have been made to combat trafficking in Cambodia, but cases like this remind me of the urgent work that still needs to be done to stop the exploitation of children. We need to be committed to the protection of at-risk girls and the freedom, restoration and future of those rescued from exploitation and trafficking. For the girl who needs a safe school to go to… For the girl who is waiting to be rescued from a brothel… For the girl who is seeking healing and restoration… For the girl who has dreams for her future… FOR HER Thank you for supporting HER! Whether you support our ministry financially or in prayer, we are so grateful!! Together for Freedom, Rebecca McGill
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The longer I spend in Cambodia, the more my life feels so different than it was in America. I want to share a glimpse into my Khmer life with all of you. I thought this help all my prayer warriors better know how to pray for me.
I made a post everyday for a week to paint a picture of my life. I am so grateful to walk through this journey with all of you by my side and thankful to get to share pieces of it with you. Thank you for taking the time to read about all my adventures, walk with me through the ups and downs, and pray for this ministry. Together for Freedom. (Click Read more for the Monday-Friday Blogs) I urge you to read "A Day in the Life Classified"! International Women’s Day is a great time to honor the women we admire and those that inspire us. I am so lucky to have so many amazing women and girls in my life! And I am thankful that Cambodia celebrates this holiday with a day off school! I love going into the Restoration Home on holidays like today, because the girls have free time to play games! This makes it the perfect excuse to set my projects aside, open up the game cupboard, and pull out crafts and puzzles! However, God knew he needed me at ARH for other reasons today. Instead of starting my morning with fun and games, I spent it holding and comforting one of our youngest survivors while she cried. This little girl is on the last step of the counseling curriculum, where girls share their trauma. Needless to say, our little resident is processing through a lot. Nothing makes my heart ache more than seeing a small child feel broken over the terrible ways the evil one has hurt her. I sat outside with her, rubbing her hair and stroking her back while she let the tears out. All the while, I prayed that God would heal the pain in her heart (Psalm 147:3). I was so proud of my tiny person this morning, because after letting some of her feelings out, she told me she wanted to meet with her counselor. We walked hand and hand up to the counselor’s office and the two of them went to a counseling room to process together. I feel the need to be vulnerable with you and share that I had to take a few minutes in my office to compose myself before I could go out to spend time with the girls again. God has really been breaking my heart for what breaks his. I wish so much that I could take her pain away, but I know only God can heal those wounds. A little while later, this brave young resident came back down the stairs and we spent the rest of the morning playing together. Her exclamations of excitement after completing parts of a puzzle filled my heart with so much joy! Each laugh felt like a piece of her childhood restored. I am truly inspired everyday by the women at the Restoration Home, both by the loving staff and by my 65 “little sisters.” Today, I was inspired by a brave girl, with a fighting spirit, who is growing up to be a strong young woman of God. I am grateful that these girls are teaching me what it means to have a childlike spirit. While, I may not be the counselor that girls share with or the school teacher that helps them learn, I am honored that God is using me to do His work as a part of the body of Christ. Today, that just meant being there for one of His children. However, I wouldn’t have been able to be there for this girl, or others like her, if it wasn’t for my supporters. The best way my ministry here can have a long lasting impact is by forming relationships built with love and trust with those we serve, and this takes time. I am so thankful for those supporting my time here. Thank you to those investing in young women in Cambodia and empowering their futures. And thank you for believing in me and allowing me to be a part of it. This Women’s Day, I want to say thank you for fighting for the freedom of women and girls around the world. Together for Freedom, Rebecca Schmidt “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” - Matthew 18:2-6
I wanted to share a video about what love looks like on my mission field here in Cambodia. The women and girls who’ve been sold, abused, held captive, and devastated by sex trafficking need more than a one-night raid and one day of healthcare. To be truly rescued, they need love, hope, healing, and tools for a new life...but the greatest of these needs is love. At the AIM Restoration Home, our goal as a staff is to show the girls and young women in our program the love of Christ. Many survivors have been so badly hurt by this world that only through this love can they begin to heal and have hope once again. A few of our young ladies recently shared with us about how the love they have received at ARH has changed their lives. Please take a moment to hear their stories in the video below. Hopefully it will give you a glimpse into life at ARH and allow you to see first hand how Agape Love truly changes everything. -Rebecca "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." - 1 John 3:16-18 On January 25th, 2017, I got engaged to the love of my life! Just 2 short weeks later, I moved to Cambodia, leaving my amazing fiancé Connor in California. Despite the many miles between us, Connor's unconditional love and support has played a special role in my life and ministry. Connor is my minister of encouragement. He strengthens my faith and reconfirms God’s calling on my life. His visits have been so up-lifting. It was so amazing getting to serve alongside each other in Cambodia.We cherish the time we can share together, growing with one another in love. I am so grateful that the man I will marry is truly a man after God's heart. "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken."- Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Click "Read More" to hear about Connor's role in our ministry and God's plans for our future.)
It is definitely not an understatement to say that daily living in Cambodia is very different than my life in the states. One of the biggest differences would probably be transportation. Traveling around Phnom Penh city is a whole new adventure! (Click "Read More" to read the rest of the blog post.)
I thought today would be like any other. After a long morning of language class I went out to lunch. Studying can make you quite hungry. In the spirit of experiencing more of the city, I spent some time researching a new restaurant to try, but when I got on my Moto, I felt a pull to just go back to a chain restaurant I had tried earlier this week. When I got there, I asked the hostess if I could sit inside (nuhoo-khnong) so I could eat in an air conditioned room. She nodded, so I showed myself to a seat. Being at a restaurant with wifi my first thought was to call my fiancé and tell him I missed him, but something else caught my attention instead. Beside me, a young girl took a seat at table parallel to where I sat. She was maybe 15 or 16. She did not look Khmer; her skin seemed much darker and the short inch of hair she had on her head had a curl to it as if she was from African decent. She joined a white male, about 55 years of age, with an American accent. What I heard with my ears and saw with my eyes told me one very important thing - that girl was being trafficked... (Click Read More...)
One of the greatest blessings of taking a position with Agape International Missions was having to raise my own support. Now this may be surprising to you, but please take a minute to let me explain. I have the special opportunity to be a mediator connecting God’s people and his resources with his plan. I got to invite people to be a part of something bigger than themselves…something truly important. My supporters aren’t just supporting me; they are supporting survivors of trafficking and the women that help them. And the most beautiful thing is that so many people took that call! People from all walks of my life, family, friends old and new, and old and new church communities, have come alongside me to be a part of what God is doing through AIM in Cambodia. In just 3 weeks of fundraising, I raised a monthly support team of 35 different individuals, couples, and families, and many more 1-time supporters! I wouldn’t be here without them and for that I am so grateful! You see the Secret Privilege I have as a missionary is partnering with God and my support team on this amazing journey. (Click "Read More" to continue...) For the safety of those we worked with, I was not allowed to take photos at most of the ministry sites I visited with AIM while on the ground in Cambodia in November, 2016. However, I do have a few pictures that have been approved to share :) I hope some of these images can better speak to how God moved me in Cambodia when my own words fail me... "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'" -Mark 16:15 During our short term trip to Cambodia in November 2016, we got the chance to witness how AIM fights to end child sex trafficking through their many amazing ministries. (Click "Read More" to hear about what Rebecca's experience was like.)
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