Sonderous Journeys: Sena — A Living Picture of Cambodia
By: Kristene Odell
Tags: Cambodia, Writers Life, Christianity, Oppression

“If writers just sit and talk about oppression, they are not going to do much writing.” ~ V. S. Naipaul

I started this series with a look at my pro-life involvement which began in 1995. Usually when one hears the term pro-life, it is only equated with the issue of abortion. However, in the truest sense of the word, pro-life means that I stand with those whose lives are being oppressed and I seek to bring about justice and liberty to the one being oppressed. I may shock some of my ultra-conservative friends by saying this, but there are legitimate claims of oppression by those within the feminist movement. I am an advocate for standing up for the rights of women who have been degraded and oppressed through control and manipulation.

However, when a cause becomes high-jacked by an agenda, those who have tasted oppression often become the oppressors as they attempt to grasp hold of their new-found “liberty.” If my ideology allows me to oppress the life of another in order to maintain my ambitions, status, authority, or self-realization, I need to reevaluate my true motivation. True feminism should create a path that allows women to develop their potential to its fullest. However, part of the fullness of that potential is the ability to value, nurture, and protect children — not dehumanize them.

In June of 2018, I was privileged to lead a church sponsored missions trip into Cambodia. I have several stories to share that highlight the resilience of the Cambodian church and the joy that they exhibit, but it is important to start with telling you about Sena. One of the responsibilities of a Kingdom-minded writer is to give a voice to the voiceless. Sena is one of the voiceless.

Before our ministry in Cambodia began, we were taken to a remote village an hour outside of Phnom Phen. The pastor we worked with, Pastor Dara Khea, has built a relationship with the people in the village and ministers to them on a regular basis. We were the first westerners to be invited. After visiting a school that taught 800 elementary-aged children, we made our way into the heart of Cambodian village life. We had a specific assignment — to pray for a lady identified by the Cambodian people as demon-possessed.

After asking the tribal chief for his blessing to pray for Sena, we walked down a dirt path that led through the simple huts and into the heart of the community. The entire team noticed the drastic change from the bustle of women working, small children playing, and chickens darting about as we neared our destination. There was an unnatural stillness as we walked up upon where Sena stayed. The air seemed stagnant. A strange quietness enveloped us as we took note of the lack of life surrounding the area — birds weren’t singing as before, and the children seemed distant. All eyes turned to the small frame of a woman huddled in the corner of the open cattle stall.

Sena had on a hoodie that was pulled up over her face. Her index fingers were squarely placed in her ears to convey the message that she was unwilling to hear what we had to say. Someone obviously attempted to take care of her because there was a bowl of rice next to her. We began to pray as Pastor Dara told us her story. As a young girl, Sena had been abused by her father and then given into the hands of the local witch doctor. No one knows the extent of her abuse, but the effects had left her soul shattered. We were told she had a tendency to get angry and throw things in order to keep people away from her, but we didn’t see that. Instead, we saw a woman in desperate need of compassion and divine intervention.

We prayed. We sang worship songs. We spoke softly to her as we extended our hands and asked her to take them into hers. We told her that Jesus had his arms extended wide to receive her, to love her, to heal her. We stayed in this posture for over an hour. At some point, two of us ladies went under the wooden rails so that we could gently touch her. She had been looking at us intently for quite some time through the thin threads of her hoodie. When we touched her, she recoiled from us.

But, something drastically changed in the atmosphere. You could feel warm light enter the stagnation. A gentle breeze began to blow. A momma duck ventured by with her ducklings in tow. Birds began to fly directly over us as children gathered around our group to see what we were doing. The Holy Spirit had entered the scene and the darkness had to flee.

We left Sena in God’s hands knowing that her healing would be a process that Pastor Dara was committed to seeing all the way through. But, he helped us understand something that set the tone for our entire trip: Sena is a prophetic picture of the spiritual condition of Cambodia. When Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia, the abuse the people endured was beyond what the human mind can conceive. In many ways, the Cambodian people are still curled up in a self-protective ball, living in abject poverty, and fearful of authoritative voices that want to speak into their situation.

However, the Cambodian church is vibrant and alive. Their worship is joyful, and they offer hope to all who will listen. The pastors we worked with are full of the Spirit and exude deep compassion for the people. They boldly proclaim the Gospel knowing that “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV).

Being pro-life means that I see the value in all people. That where the enemy has brought sin, abuse, oppression, and shame in order to shatter the image of God within, we seek to bring about a restoration of God’s image in people that recreates beauty, purpose, and eternal design. There is no life so shattered that the Master Artist cannot restore.

Below is a link that gives you opportunity to partner with God in reshaping lives into his intended image in Cambodia. Remember those 800 village children? Pastor Dara wants to build for them a school library full of English books written from a Biblical worldview. Would you prayerfully consider helping us build this library?