An Unexpected Guest

We've recently been exploring opportunities to spend time with Hagar clients. Our first experience was a bit more hands-on than we expected!

Sovann was sold by her mother to be a domestic worker at a young age. She was rescued, and Hagar took her. She was reintegrated to her family - to her grandmother - a few years later. But her grandmother became unwell, and passed away. Sovann was taken by her mother and sold again, this time to a karaoke bar. Sovann was rescued, again, and came back to Hagar. Hagar has done whatever it takes with Sovann for 15 years. She's been through Hagar's programs but yet she has not settled anywhere.

2 weeks ago, Sovann was in hospital because she had been cutting herself. She was told by other women where she was staying that it was a good idea to kill herself. Sovann had nowhere to go and Hagar felt like they were at the end of the road with her. She was discharged from hospital and needed a place to stay for the night. My friend Catherine and I were having lunch with Sue (another Hagar staff member) that day to discuss what we could do to spend time with the women at the shelter. Sue was obviously distracted by Sovann's situation and as she talked about it, I felt to offer for Sovann to stay with us the night. And she did. She doesn't speak a vast amount of English but we managed to communicate. Catherine came over for dinner as well, and we (the girls) painted our toenails and talked and laughed in broken Khm-English.  Sovann sat out on our balcony and watched the people come and go from the Golden Rainbow bar across the road. She was possibly reminded of and maybe even longed for the familiarity of the karaoke bar, despite that she was sold into that experience.

We were a bit nervous that she might try to hurt herself or run away - so we just prayed that God would give her peace and keep her safe, and we put away anything that she could use to hurt herself. Sovann slept soundly and the night went by without drama (except when I awoke to find a cockroach in our bed). When we took Sovann back to the shelter the next day, I told her (and we hope she understands) that we loved having her stay, that she is precious and cared for. We pray that she knows that to be true in the days, months and years to come. Sovann has gone back to stay temporarily with her foster family just out of Phnom Penh and Hagar is supporting her to find a new job or apprenticeship.

-Karen