Dear friends,
This message is a bit long, so bear with me.
This is a story that has developed in our lives and hearts
over the last four months.
Most of you have heard us talk about Emily, a young girl who
lives on the streets of Phnom Penh and has been entrapped in a world of abuse,
addiction, and darkness. I won’t go into all the details of her story and
situation at the moment. For now I hope you can remember the bits and pieces of
her life that we’ve shared with you so that I can share with you what her life
is like now.
As some of you may remember, Emily is pregnant (currently
she is about six and a half months along) and soon to become the mother of a
precious little boy. When we first learned of her pregnancy in September,
Melissa’s heart longed for this girl to come to know her Father and for her
life to be renewed in him. Melissa also felt a tug in her heart for this little
boy. What would happen to him? Would his story be different than his mother’s?
Could both of their stories be transformed by the good news?
One day she came to me and brought up the idea of helping
this girl. I said no. At that time I had a hundred reasons why any intervention
on our part was not only a bad idea, but an impossible one. As quickly as she
brought it up, I shot it down, and moved on.
A month later, I was spending some time alone with the
Father, reflecting on all he had done during our time so far, and then I moved
into a time of intercession for a long list of needs, situations, and people.
As I went through the list, I came to Emily’s name, and I asked that the Father
provide her with protection and supply godly parents for her little boy, if she
should decide to give him up.
And I heard the Father say, “You.”
As you might imagine, I freaked out a bit. Ever have one of
those times when you hear something from the King and, in that moment, know
exactly what he said but, in the next moment, immediately begin to second-guess
yourself? I spent a long time after this trying to find a way to justify what
I’d heard, but eventually came to a position of even greater clarity, which,
honestly, terrified me. When Melissa came home later that day, I shared with
her what had happened. She went on to say that she had told the Father back in
September that if we were meant to be a part of Emily’s life, he would have to
lay it on my heart as well.
At the end of November, we travelled to Kampot province for
a short respite, and on the return trip, Melissa was listening to some praise
music on the bus, and felt the Helper impress on her this idea: what if we took
Emily into our home? This girl has literally no one and no place but the
customers and guesthouses that seek only to manipulate and abuse her. That
night Melissa shared with me what she felt the Father was saying to her on the
ride home, and, to her surprise, I told her that the same thing had happened to
me as I sat in the seat next to her. I was also listening to music and lifting
up various requests when I felt the Helper whisper to me that he wanted us to
invite Emily into our home.
We immediately began to intercede more intensely over this
situation, asking for clarity, direction, and favor. We knew we needed our team
to support us. We knew we needed the staff and directors of the NGO and safe
house to support us and give us regular counsel.
We made no advances during December or January, except to
continually lift up Emily, her baby, and all of those we felt would have to
become a part of her life if we were to bring her into ours. All the while,
Emily’s life was repeatedly endangered, and, by his grace, repeatedly spared.
Gradually the Father helped our hearts to a position of
peace and trust over her life. We began to see that the Shepherd was guiding
many hands and hearts towards two lives in need of rescue.
In February we went to conference in Thailand, and shared
with each one of our teammates what the Father had been doing in our hearts the
past few months. That process was affirming and strengthening, and upon
returning to Phnom Penh, we found Emily again in a life or death situation, and
the NGO director desperately trying to find help for her. She had been asking
that the Father would raise up a couple to invite this young woman into a
community—a family—where she and her son could begin to be renewed and
transformed by the love of the prince of peace.
We are now entering a new chapter, not merely of our time in
Cambodia, but in our lives. At this point, we have committed ourselves to
become guardians (not in a legal sense) for Emily, at least until her baby is
born. At the same time, we are working to get her into a work program at a
likeminded NGO renowned for its work in aftercare and renewal ministry with
girls. We want to help her get into a position where she can raise her son if
she so chooses. Our hope is that, in the weeks to come, Emily will find our
home as a source of safety, rest, encouragement, and hope, and that her heart
would be filled with love for the little boy that God—not man—has given to her.
We trust that the Shepherd will manifest his love through us to her. No program
or system is capable of transforming her life. I wish there were more forceful
words to express that. We believe entirely that this is the Father’s will and
that he who calls has the power to enable, save, and restore.
Starting this week, we will stay with Emily and a few other
staff members overnight at the safe house. We have discussed with her all that
is happening, and have made it clear to her that it is the Father who has
brought us into her life, because he loves both her and her son, and she has
responded very well to the idea. If all goes well, she will begin working at the
NGO next week, learning basic skills in sewing or cooking. It is our hope to
bring her into our home sometime around this weekend. We’ll take things one
step at a time from there.
Many of you may have more questions about this situation,
and we welcome them. Some of you possess experience, knowledge, and wisdom
particular to these circumstances. We ask that you share such things with us.
We are stepping out in faith on a day by day basis. Each twenty-four hour
period is going to be a challenge and a risk. We don’t know what the outcome of
this will be, and we hope that this letter does more than simply stir up
emotions or romanticize these delicate events. We hope it stirs to you
intercede, to counsel, and to support. Emily needs you as much as she needs us;
the Father is calling all of us into her life. We plan on keeping you all
updated with this as time goes on so that you will know best how to fulfill
what our King is calling you to do with us.
I suppose I’ll stop here, since this story is still
unfolding, and will continue to unfold. In the meantime, lift us up, a day at a
time, as we move into this new season a day at a time. May his grace abound and
his righteousness reign.
Love,
Ryan and Melissa
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