The Good Samaritan
Suffering is not something any one of us would like, nor can it be avoided. It is universal. In fact, I think if we were all honest, we love to medicate our suffering to avoid the reality of it. Who wants to embrace pain and suffering? It almost seems somewhat masochistic. Yet, one of the realities of living in a third world country is that every day we are confronted with stories of suffering in ways that continually pull at our heart strings. We read about torture, about hangings, about rape, about rampant abuse. We are bombarded constantly with endless stories of trauma. It is easy to close our hearts to such pain. If you live here long enough, compassion fatigue can kick in and you find yourself feeling numb by all the pain surrounding you. Part of you wants to shout and say ”enough” because it can all seem overwhelming as the darkness encircles us day in and day out. So how do we keep living and walking in the light of hope? I have thought much about this in light of an event yesterday shared by one of my staff. How do we steward the suffering and pain well?
Four of them were returning back from the province after the reintegration of a client. They were nearing the outskirts of Phnom Penh when they witnessed a horrific car accident. Two 10 year-old girls were hit from behind by a car that sped away. It was a classic hit and run as their mangled bodies lay on the roadside. One Range Rover apparently attempted to block the alleged car, but somehow the driver managed to manoeuver around him and got away while another vehicle continued in pursuit of that car. Hit and runs are common sights on Cambodian roads and people rarely stop.
But this was not the case for our 4 RAP staff yesterday. They decided to stop and to see what they could do. Here in Cambodia, people may stop and look at the victims. Some may take photos, and others will be cautious in helping. There is a risk in stopping and helping because false accusations could be made against those who seek to help. But also, the whole issue of karma comes into play. To help a victim is tampering with their karma and yours. So fear can easily creep in and help is not rendered. Yet, I am so proud of our 4 Khmer staff – for their courage to model love in spite of personal concerns. While contemplating the risk, they were moved with compassion to respond. They were moved by the suffering they witnessed. They did what Jesus would do. They chose to get involved. They chose to be His hands and feet.
As I heard their story, I was touched by how they modeled the parable of the Good Samaritan. They did not just stop, and they did not just look. They decided to do something. As the crowds assembled, the families of the two young girls were nearby. Our staff member beckoned them to bring the girls and go with them in the RAP truck – a 4×4 with an open-air back. One victim who was more seriously injured and bleeding profusely came inside the vehicle with her family and two of our staff. The other young victim was lying at the back of the truck with two of our other staff and some other family members. The family members of the two girls were in shock and crying, while our staff members were trying to hold it together in the midst of such a traumatic event. In a strange way, all their experiences and training working with trauma clients were coming into action in a whole new way. The RAP vehicle became an ambulance as our staff sought to find the nearest medical clinic. Sadly, one of the girls had to succumb to her life-threatening injuries enroute to the hospital. But the other little girl was admitted.
The families of these two little girls were Vietnamese. They hardly knew any Khmer except for one aunt who acted as translator and even offered our staff money for helping but they turned it down. They were thanked profusely and were hugged as they said goodbye. Strangers bonding in a time of pain. This morning our Program Director Nary called the family and the little girl in the hospital is stabilizing. Praise God! Pray for this little girl who has survived, for complete healing. Pray for the other family who has lost a daughter as they grieve her sudden death.
As I think of our 4 staff, I am reminded of various scriptures. Jesus says ”whatever you do for the least of these you do for me”, ”Jesus saw the crowds. He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.” I commend our staff for entering fully into this painful situation, to risk their own lives to demonstrate Christ’s love to total strangers, to a people who are often discriminated against and are marginalized because of their ethnicity. They modeled love and care to their ”neighbors” as their Savior did on many occasions!
But embracing the suffering and pain of others is not easy. Our staff have been touched and affected by the trauma they have seen. They have weeped with those who were weeping, their own hearts broken by what they saw. Three of them are experiencing images overnight in their dreams of this painful experience, weary in spirit from all that has transpired. Secondary trauma is real, for this is the cost they have paid as they have modeled compassion and have chosen a path that is often less traveled. As blog writer Sarita Hartz said: ”Understand just because you do good and are serving God does not mean you are guaranteed protection from pain.” Pray for them as they process and debrief this event. Pray that they will experience a profound sense of heaven-filled grace and comfort ministering to the deepest areas of their soul, that the God they serve and whose heart they have modeled will reach out to them and touch them with a fresh outpouring of His love.
In all of this, I am thankful to the Lord for the privilege we have of walking this way of the cross. It is not pleasant. It asks everything of us. It reminds us of our own humanity and vulnerability. But more than anything else, it reminds us that life is short. We need to make the most of our time and use it wisely. It reminds us that there is mystery in suffering—why did one little girl survive and the other die? We don’t have answers to these questions. But what we do know is that God has given us the opportunity to walk alongside those who have been broken, and to offer them the gift of His presence in the midst of their pain. He has given us the privilege to be witnesses of His love and His compassion. He has given us the privilege to comfort those who mourn. In encountering death and loss, we are somehow ushered onto the road to Gethsemane knowing that Good Friday while profoundly painful, is followed by Easter Sunday. And the reminder that the resurrection of Christ gives us hope to press on and persevere. God works in all things for our good (even if we cannot see it in the visible reality) and for His glory as He leads us ultimately to a place where there is no more tears, pain and sorrow – our heavenly home!
– Lisa Cheong
Cambodia Country Director