We just released trip dates and details for this year’s Storyteller Group Trip to Phnom Penh! We challenge you to travel to Cambodia with us this summer to love and be loved in return. Find out more HERE.
Life is scary. Often times we worry what our future will hold; what will I be doing? Where will I be in the next ten years? Will I be rich? And will I land that dream job? These are all questions that go through our mind at one point in time. Life can be frightening simply because of the unknown. In Cambodia this phrase takes on an entirely different meaning. For most of Cambodia’s inhabitants they don’t even know if they will make it through the day let alone the next ten years. Instead of asking, “will I get that dream job?” they ask, “will I be able to feed my family tomorrow,” or “will my baby be able to get the medication he or she needs to live?” Life there is tough, hard, and unforgiving.
The babies and toddlers we had the opportunity to love and play with are the babies of prostitutes; their mothers are known as “night workers” and their fathers, if they were even around, are often abusive. These babies are so accustomed to being abused or forgotten as well; they were scared of us the first time we arrived because often times “the unknown” means danger.
Going out into a country such as Cambodia gives you a whole new view on the world; it allows you to construct relationships with so many different people that neither distance nor time can break. This brings me to my belief that people of the younger and upcoming generation need to go out and experience the world; they need to be a part of this.
Many times it’s easy for us to just make a donation, which is still fantastic, but there is something exceptional about experiencing it yourself. Going to these places, witnessing these things for yourself, making those friendships, helping those people, it instills something deep in your heart that will never be taken away. It will always be with you no matter how long ago it was; your life will never be the same—you will never be the same.
After coming back from Cambodia I feel myself having those exact same emotions and this deep desire to make an impact on this world to the best of my ability. Saving Moses is an organization like none other, helping these children and talking to these mothers has changed my entire perspective on their situation and their country. It gives you the chance to help and make an impact on this world; it gives you a sense of purpose and responsibility, which is something everyone wants to accomplish at least once in their lifetime. Being able to aid an organization such as Saving Moses made me realize how extremely fortunate I am, and how important it is to help others who are stuck in the most horrendous circumstances.
I strongly believe that every young adult should experience this as well; this new generation needs to see the world, especially the bad parts of it, so they too will want to join efforts in making Earth a place we, the human race, are all proud to live on.
