Yesterday, I went with two of my coworkers to Stung Meanchey. This is where most of the kids at the shelter call home. I was in shock as we drove through the dirt roads with potholes big enough to bury a small animal and arrived at the city garbage heap, with trash piled over thirty feet high and going on for over a mile, as far as the eye could see. It was huge and the smell was overwhelming. The “houses” to the side of the dump where most of the kids live were little more than shacks, most with tin or wood roofs built over the mud floor or with a wood floor directly over piles of garbage. Some didn’t even have walls; they simply had a tarp attached to the roof and hanging down from the sides. The muddy pathways between the houses were paved with trash. As we drove up, we were greeted by a gang of naked little kids having the absolute time of their lives in the pouring rain. It was one of their few chances to have a real shower. Some of them were taking advantage of the mud instead, rolling around in it until they were completely covered in sewage. They eagerly tried to talk to us, wanting to practice the English they knew. I asked one of the girls how old she was, and she told me thirteen. This broke my heart because malnourishment had left her looking no older than seven or eight. As many as three generations were living all together in one of these shacks. I prayed as I walked through the village, visiting the families of the students. God is there, God is there…Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. I fought against the feelings of shame at how I had grown up and the life of selfishness and materialism I’ve lived. God’s given me what He’s given me, and I pray that the time I spent at Stung Meanchey would forever remind me how to be a good steward of what I’ve been blessed with. I can’t describe the hope I feel, and I don’t understand it…God is a good God. Even as we were driving some of the kids back to the shelter after their weekend back home, they were singing and laughing. They know how great the opportunity they’ve been blessed with is, and they want to work hard and use what they’ve been given to help bring their families to a better life. Redemption…praise and glory be to God. Please pray for these families, the people living at Stung Meanchey. And please continue to pray for the children at the shelter.