So what are we going to do there?

Now that you know what lead us to Cambodia, here’s the next part of the story.

Floyd applied for the position of Director of Reintegration. I'll let Floyd tell you more about this role in the future, but for now, here's my summary. Basically, his job is to oversee the employment centers that Agape currently has in place and develop more opportunities and methods of safe employment for the young women once they’ve completed their recovery and are ready to reintegrate into society. This part is crucial. If a woman does not have a way to financially support herself (and her family when necessary), she is most likely to end up back in trafficking.

As Floyd began communicating with Agape, we found out that the spouse of any volunteer or staff must also have a background check, an interview, and all the other aspects of joining the ministry. Due to the nature of their work, it is very important to be sure that both people are on board and have a clear background. So, they asked Floyd if I was interested in a position or if I would just be filling out the spousal application. This opened up a new and exciting dialogue.

Many of you may not know what I did before Uganda, but I was a high school math teacher in Texas. I also have a Master’s Degree in Special Education. As we learned more about the holistic approach of the ministry, we learned that part of the prevention model is a school. The AIM School is located in Svay Pak, which is an area of Cambodia described on Google maps as "an infamous center of child prostitution". It so happens that in 2018, they’re opening a new building that is enabling them to expand their program. In addition to their elementary school, they’ll have an English Institute and eventually a secondary school.

Due to this growth, they are in need of someone to fill an important role: mentor teacher. You see, the teachers are all Cambodian and they are the ones that pour directly into these children. However, they don’t have a formal education in how to be teachers. So, the need is for someone to walk alongside the teachers, brainstorm ideas, teach them different strategies and methods of teaching, answer their questions, give them guidance and direction, and encourage them in their important task of developing the future generation.

What an amazing opportunity for me!! So, Agape has an immediate need that Floyd can fill and one for me, too. Of course God already knew that. So, I submitted my application. We went through an interview process and background checks and all that stuff.

During my interview, it also came out that they had started looking specifically at how to reach the children with special education needs. I was asked if I’d be willing to help with the development of that program as well.

By early September, the only thing left to do was visit Cambodia. Floyd and I communicated with a member of the staff in Cambodia and got a trip planned to fit in just before our last trip to Uganda and Floyd’s second back surgery. The trip was wonderful, but that’s an entire blog post on its own. I’ll just stick to the topic of this post.

The trip confirmed what we had been feeling and the ministry’s work is completely legitimate (as we knew it was), so we felt that the answer was clear. Floyd committed to his position while we were there, which worked out perfectly because the day before we were flying out, they had their “State of the Union” type meeting to talk about the vision for 2018. Floyd and I got to participate in that meeting.

I have also committed to a position. Although our boys will still be home schooling, they are a junior and sophomore right now. At this level, they are very independent. I will work at the school 4 days a week and on the 5^th day, work from home and do status checks on the boy’s weekly progress. Of course, that’s also when the boys can do things like exams that require my presence, even if not my direct involvement.

Some specifics, like grade levels, could change if the needs of the school change before we arrive, but as it is right now, I will be the mentor teacher for 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade and Special Education. In addition, I will assist with the opening of a library for the school in late 2018.