“When things become overwhelming, I try to remember that God is at work in ways I cannot see.”

25-year-old Hannah Barden of Adelaide, Australia, got pitched into life in Cambodia the hard way in October 2005. She is a newly-arrived recruit with Mercy Teams International. Hannah spent her first two weeks in Phnom Penh living with a poor Khmer family in a slum.

The dust and rats, rice-dominant meals and lack of sanitation were a sobering slice of reality. Back in affluent Australia, Hannah had majored in linguistics, then spent two years teaching English in Japan. After returning home she completed a Master’s course in fitness training and became a personal trainer. She was restless for something more. Along with doing volunteer work, she began exploring options in aid and development.

“When I learned about OM everything flowed, and God gave me a peace about joining. I then got a letter from MTI’s directors, Dave and Dawn Greenfield, saying they needed help.”

Several years before, her third year of university, Hannah had backpacked around Indonesia for two months. The experience had been an eye-opener.--“The transport, food and heat gave me some idea of what to expect. I saw whole families living on what one person might eat in my country. But obviously, Cambodia is unique.”

Just how unique she is only beginning to grasp. Hannah’s day generally starts at 5 a.m. and before long she is heading off for Khmer language study at the university. Afternoons at the “White House”—the MTI base—she coordinates children’s programs and volunteer projects, networking with other NGOs. Thursday afternoons all hands are needed for a kids club, giving baths, first aid, storytelling, games and practical help when cases of abuse arise. Sexual exploitation, trafficking and violence to children in the home have reached epidemic proportions in Cambodia. MTI’s focus is on helping such children. Leaders Elijah and Grace Sim are experienced social workers, and many of the Cambodian staff are trainees.

Hannah admits that the suffering in this country often tears her apart. “The question remains of how to support the kids on the streets and empower them to rise above the pain of providing for an AIDS-ridden mother and siblings without education, above the battering of a drunken father, above the trap of glue-sniffing or drug abuse.” But then, she adds, “I see six year-olds with a baby on their hip, wearing dirty clothes, and I go and speak to them. They’re so responsive! Their faces change. Seeing them laugh-- become a kid again--makes it worth it.

“Also, seeing the way the local team members worship—their faith—challenges me. It hasn’t been that many years since Pol Pot and the Killing Fields. Getting to know them is a very special part of coming here.”

Asked how long she’ll be in this country, Hannah smiles. “God’s timing is perfect. Only He knows! But I knew when I said ‘yes’ it would be for a few years, at least.”

She reflects, “Back home I had been offered a lucrative job as a personal trainer—but it would never have given the same joy. To me, what I do now doesn’t feel like work. Loving what you do makes the difference!”

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