Things Money Can’t Buy

“Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.” Proverbs 23:23, NIV.

Things are cheap in Cambodia. You can get a nice T-shirt for $1. You can get a good imitation pair of designer sunglasses for $5. When you are poor, everything is for sale. In the lobby of the hotel where I stayed, there was a list of services. One list caught my eye. It showed weapons you could fire: AK-47 $30, M-16 $30, Grenade Launcher $100… What isn’t for sale, I wondered?

The refrigerator in the hotel room also had a list of services. One offer shocked me. It said, “Massage (for Lady 1 hour = USD 5 and men 1 hour = USD 10) – We have beautiful girl serve 24 hours Khmer – Vietnam – men and lady for sleep please call …” More shocking than the prostitute room service is the growing problem of Cambodian children being sold into the sex trade. Posters at the Phnom Penh airport warn that any foreigner caught engaging in sex with children or exploiting children pornographically will be prosecuted.

One of our personnel relayed the story of one poor mother offering to sell her daughter to him for “adoption” for $50 U.S. Many families can’t afford to feed their children and see sending their daughters to work in factories or to be “adopted” by foreigners as a good solution. Daughters are usually more at risk, because they are not valued as highly as sons. Some do not realize that their daughters are being exploited as prostitutes. The tragedy deepens as many of these young girls believe that they must deserve this fate because of some sin in a previous life.

Life is cheap in Cambodia. Satan has blinded the people to their true value. They do not know that they are made in the image of God. Cambodians desperately need to hear how much God values them. God values the peoples of Cambodia so much that He sent Jesus to die for them. That is a worth and dignity that no amount of money can buy.

Pray that:

God will encourage and give wisdom to believers involved in the difficult task of rescuing girls from the sex trade.

A growing number of Cambodians will understand the incredible worth each child has in the eyes of God and will stop allowing their children to be exploited.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.