Four Years of Hell at Sea

I found this article this morning and thought it would be a good one to share. It is very common that people in Southeast Asia are kidnapped and forced to work hard labor on fishing boats. These jobs are extremely dangerous and many people lose their lives. Almost all fish that comes from Thailand has been caught by people who are forced to work on these boats, even from very young ages. 

I wanted to post this article to bring awareness about this industry. How can you help? When you buy fish from Thailand you are supporting this slave trade, please look at where your food is coming from and choose to not buy any seafood from Thailand or Southeast Asia. By doing this you are decreasing the demand and therefore are helping to put an end to this form of human trafficking. 

*** I did not write the post below. I do not take any credit for any of the pictures or written material in the below article. All credit goes to the Phnom Penh Post. 

Hundreds of rescued foreign fisherman are gathered by Indonesia’s illegal fishing task force during an operation earlier this month on Benjina island. AFP

Four years of hell at sea

Fri, 24 April 2015

Ethan Harfenist and Cheang Sokha

Like many Cambodians before him, Sopheap*, 29, moved away from his home country in search of work and a better life in neighbouring Thailand. His brother was working in construction and suggested he come join him. Sopheap agreed, and left his home in Kampong Cham’s Prey Chhor district.

He went through the motions: He arranged to be brought to Thailand with a broker, and planned to join his brother working in construction. But his pursuit of happiness abruptly ended once he was in the Land of Smiles. After losing contact with his brother, Sopheap was offered work on a fishing boat, instead. He accepted, despite never having worked as a fisherman before.

“I was then taken to work as a fisherman on a Thai boat,” Sopheap said in an interview yesterday from Tual, Indonesia.

“I was told that in only 15 days I would be able to return.” 

But 15 days turned into more than four years of nonstop work, hellish conditions and threats from both his captors and fellow fishermen. 

Sopheap was among the more than 300 Thai, Myanmar, Laotian and Cambodian fishermen freed by Indonesian authorities earlier this month from Benjina, a remote island village in the east of the archipelago, following a devastating report by the Associated Press. The investigation exposed the slave-like conditions for those forcefully kept on Benjina and working on mostly Thai-owned trawlers: living on little more than daily nibbles of rice and curry and being caged up lest they tried to escape.

“On the boat, there were 17 workers – among those, five were Cambodian, and the rest were Thai,” Sopheap said. “We were sometimes threatened by the Thai workers . . . We lived in fear on the boat, but we had no choice . . . We had to be patient and keep working hard.”

On Tual, 58 Cambodians – many of them likely trafficked – are waiting in limbo to return home. Officials from the Cambodian Embassy in Jakarta have visited twice, said Sopheap, and promised the fishermen that they would be home by early May. 

Joe Lowry, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), confirmed Wednesday that embassy staff have “visited all the Cambodians [on Tual] . . . They’ve started to verify citizens and issue travel documents.” 

However, the IOM recently discovered that among 210 men still left on Benjina, there are 36 Cambodians. They have yet to be paid a visit from their government. 

A spokesperson at Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached for comment.

US-based NGO Freedom House on Wednesday presented written testimony to a congressional hearing on “Tier Rankings in the Fight Against Human Trafficking”, skewering the Cambodian government’s response to the issue, but adding that the country is taking baby steps toward tackling it.

“High levels of corruption and poor rule of law in Cambodia continue to foster a thriving environment for internal and cross-border trafficking,” wrote Freedom House president Mark Lagon.

He added, however, that while Cambodia has restructured its National Committee for Counter-Trafficking and it is “encouraging to see the government of Cambodia take more steps to address trafficking”, more pressure must be applied.

Government spokesperson Phay Siphan dismissed Freedom House’s claims, saying he “didn’t trust them because they work for someone else”. He cited Cambodia’s reformed trafficking laws as proof that the government was trying to combat the practice.

But for those who have spent years living as virtual slaves, all they can think about is getting home. 

Taing*, 27, another Cambodian from Siem Reap’s Chi Kraeng district, slaved away on a separate boat for six years. 

“On the boat, I worked very hard and there was no time to relax,” he said. “For one or two months, we went to shore for a few days. But then we went back to sea for further fishing.”

“I want to go back to Cambodia . . . I want to work and help my parents,” he added, maintaining that he never planned on trying to work abroad again. 

For Sopheap, his return can’t come soon enough. 

“This experience has been so painful for me,” he said. “I will never go back [abroad].”

*Names of victims have been changed to protect identities.

Six Years and Counting

This past week has been so beautiful and inspiring. I am going to share with you the story of how I met Lahn and the great things God has birthed out of it! Prepare yourself, because this week has been phenomenal!

Two weeks ago I decided I wanted to start getting back into shape. Along with lifting weights at the local gym I have been eating nothing but clean and healthy foods. I have always enjoyed the gym and really thought I was going just for me but God had much bigger plans than I could have ever imagined.

One day as I was working out, the Lord impressed upon my heart that I was not coming to the gym just to get into shape. He shared that rather than to use my time just to focus on me to get big and lean, instead He wanted me to use my influence in the gym to expand His Kingdom. I had no idea what that would look like practically but I was encouraged to see what He had in store.

On Friday April 10th I was in the middle of a workout when I saw a young man on the other side of the room that the Lord highlighted to me. I immediately knew that I needed to tell him that Jesus loves him (Preah Yesu srolaun neak) before I left. After I finished up I walked over to him and told him what God had said. He gave me a smile, shook my hand, and then I went home not thinking much more about it.

Around the same time the next day I went back to the gym to workout. Near the end of my workout I did the same routine, walked around the gym saying bye to "the guys". I wanted to tell some big guy in the corner that Jesus loves him too, but I felt the Lord say no. Instead He led me to the same young man I had talked to the day before and I felt led to tell him once again, "Jesus loves you!" He was sitting down talking with a friend and I unconsciously sat down on the floor and started talking to both of them. I asked him if he was going to church tomorrow and his eyes got really big! He was so excited and told me that he had just been talking to his friend about how he wished he would one day be able to attend a Christian church but how he didn't think it would ever be possible. He told me that for the last six years he has prayed that he would one day be able to go to a Christian church and begin a new life with "his God". He said he had heard about Jesus from a small pamphlet someone gave him across the street from his middle school six years earlier and he said that even though he grew up in a Buddhist world he knew Jesus was the only true God.

It was so hard to process what I was hearing as I sat there talking to him. Was I really hearing this young man say that at 17 years old, he had spent the last six years dreaming that he would be able to go to church? and this felt like an impossible dream to him?

I immediately invited him to come with us to New Life Church the next morning. He got so excited, in ways I could never do justice by describing, and eagerly said yes that he would meet us outside the gym in the morning if I would pick him up and take him. After heading home I told Hillary the whole story and we couldn't believe what was unfolding before us.

The next morning as I approached the gym he came running out in a nice polo shirt and dress pants ready for church! On the way in the Tuk-Tuk he repeatedly told us he couldn't believe God had done all this for him! That God would send someone from America to help him find a church that he had been hoping to go to for so long. He kept thanking us over and over saying that he was so happy and acting like we had given this kid the greatest gift in the world. Hillary noticed that he was looking around very intently and asked what was going on to which he said: " I am trying to memorize the way to this church so I can come by myself every day!" We had to inform him the church services were just on Sunday morning!

Once we got inside he was grinning from ear to ear. He tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Look brother, look at all these people. Everyone here is so happy! Everyone here smiles and laughs, they are so happy. This is so great, I have never seen people like this, I want to come here every day!"

Getting excited before church starts.

Wow... The things I realized I had taken for granted were such refreshing and overwhelming experiences for him! Then he tapped me on the shoulder again and said, "I feel like I want to cry, this is so wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here." And he couldn't help but to tell everyone around him that it was his first time and that he had waited six years for this.

At the start of the service the pastor opened up the service in prayer. I felt another tap on my shoulder as Lahn said "brother I don't know how to pray, how do I hold my hands? Do I close my eyes?". I told him that it doesn't matter what you do with your eyes or hands, but you talk to God from your heart. 

As worship slowed down, the preacher asked if all the missionaries who had come to Cambodia would please raise their hands. Hillary and I raised our hands and he called for the congregation to pray for the missionaries around them that had come to bless their country. That's when the whole experience hit me hardest and I almost wanted to cry too. I looked over and here is this young man praying for me after his biggest dream of coming to church was fulfilled. We serve such a good God!

After service I was able to connect him with the senior pastor of the church as well as the regional pastor over the area that we live in. They gave him a Cambodian translation of the New Testament so that he would have something to study. What a blessing!

Timothy* getting prayer after service

As we were riding home Lahn asked us if we were hungry, it was around noon and my reply was, "Oh yes! I'm very hungry!" He laughed, telling us "Today was such a great day. I am too happy to be hungry."

Later that afternoon (just a few hours after church) I saw him at the gym. He came right up to me to show me that he had read the first six chapters of Matthew and had a page of notes he wanted to discuss! I was blown away by how hungry he was, especially the level of dedication he was putting towards studying. We talked about so many things after working out, I had to explain to him how a Bible works. He had no understanding of how to use the numbers for chapters and verses. I had told him that he should start with the first four books in the New Testament, and he said well I need three more books then! He thought that the entire Bible he had was only one book and he was looking for the other four! We were amazed at his hunger to read and to study so we decided that we would meet at eight o' clock every morning to read the Bible and discuss the questions he had.

In Cambodia it is very taboo to convert to Christianity, it would be the equivalent of an American Christian converting to be a Muslim.  He started coming to Bible study looking very tired. When asked if he was tired he said yes and informed us that his parents would be very upset to find out he was a Christian so he waits for them to go to sleep every night and then reads the Bible until 1:00 AM or later. By Tuesday he had read all of Matthew and part of Mark. Everyday I was blown away by his hunger and eagerness to learn. He came to us and asked me if he could be baptized because he had read that it was important! We talked about the meaning of baptism and what it symbolically stands for. After seeing that he clearly understood I told him that he could definitely be baptized and we set up a time.

All this week he has been reading through the gospels and when we would meet up we would read through Genesis together. It is amazing the things as a Christian culture we just grow up knowing about, but here there is absolutely no foundational knowledge of anything in Scripture. So we read about creation, Adam and Eve, the fall, sin, on up through Noah and the flood. As we read he would ask questions, take notes on all the English words he didn't know and try so hard to understand everything. By the end of the week we had read through Genesis chapter ten.

Today after church exactly one week from his first time at church, I had the great pleasure of taking him to a local club and baptized him in the pool. It was such an amazing opportunity on so many levels. He was so excited just like he always is, he couldn't wait to be baptized and to start his new life with Jesus. On top of that, it was the first time he ever had an opportunity to swim and play in the pool! At first he was terrified of the water (which was quite deep for a baptism and he had no clue how to swim)  and he was clinging on to me for dear life. He kept saying that he was praying to his God that he wouldn't drown, which we found funny. His desire for baptism was greater than his fear of drowning and we had the great opportunity to pray with him right there in the middle of the pool, and baptize him in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.  He was so thankful and constantly reminded us how grateful he was.

As I look back over this week it is so amazing that God can do such great things when we least expect it. I was just saying Jesus loves you, to a random stranger in the gym because the Lord put it on my heart and in only one week his life was radically transformed. It's so easy to walk past these opportunities the Lord places all around us, but because I stopped for the one God has blessed both of us in ways I never would have imagined!

Please pray for this young man. Pray for strength and maturity. Pray that his roots go deep and that the Lord will guide him in everything he does. Pray that he does well in his last four months of high-school. Pray for his future here in Cambodia because I know that he is going to touch the lives of so many people, he loves his country and the people who live here. Most of all pray that his family will have open hearts towards his walk with Christ and pray that he would have the strength to stand strong in his new faith. He has the heart of Christ and I am so blessed to be able to learn from him as we share our journey.

What an amazing example of how ripe Cambodia is for a spiritual harvest! We can't wait to continue our time of study and discipleship with this amazing young man. Please continue praying for this country!  Pray that God would continue putting people in our path that are ready to experience his love and pray that our eyes and ears would be open to His plans.

God bless you all!
Ward and Hillary Farrior

The Tipping Point

Have you ever felt like you were in a season where you continuously poured yourself out and persistently pressed in for breakthrough but weren't seeing any results? I think we have all experienced the frustrations of being in a season where you press in for something only to be disappointed by not seeing the results you were looking for. Although I am no expert on the subject God gave me some insight on this subject last week and I wanted to share... I want to talk to you about plants!

Last week Ward and I were asked to water the plants at our organizations new guest house. We filled up a pitcher and started making our rounds. Many of the outside plants are small and don't take much water at all. After watering the outside plants we went inside to water the indoor plants. These plants are a bit larger, and so require more water. On top of that it is very hot and humid inside, so the plants were very dry. Each indoor plant sits on the the small plate that serves as a water reservoir for the plants to pull on when it gets hot. Since it was so hot I told Ward we should water the plants enough so that the water filled up the bottom of the plate. Upon approaching the very last plant Ward poured out a good helping of water leaving the pitcher empty. As we sat there we could actually hear the water being absorbed as air bubbles came up from the soil. Knowing that the extreme heat probably dried out the plant Ward went to refill the pitcher and came back to add more water to the plant. Pouring another helping of water again we could hear the crackling of the soil as it soaked in the water but still no water was filling the plate under the plant.

 "Wow that is a dry plant!" I said "Go and get a little more water!".

So he did. When he returned he poured only the slightest bit of water on the plant and suddenly from the bottom of the plant water started gushing over the edge of the pot and not just a little bit of water either! It came out like a gushing waterfall as it climbed over the edge of the plate and poured out all over the floor. I quickly ran to get a hand towel and began sopping up the water that had now created a giant puddle on the floor.

Later in the week I reflected on that moment as I thought to myself, "Why did it do that? There was no water at all and then all of a sudden it was a river?".

Then I heard the Lord say to me "It's The Tipping Point".

I didn't really understand, but He continued to talk to me, "The plant was dry, the soil around it was cracked and dry. When you watered the plant the soil was so dry it was absorbing all the water that you added. When you came back to water the plant the third time, the soil had reached it's maximum amount of absorbency and so even though you only added a small amount of water on the third pour it was the tipping point and all of the extra water flowed out onto the floor."


I thought, "OK Lord.... thanks... that's a really good lesson in science, but what does it mean?"

I felt him tell me that this was a physical example of what often times happens in the spiritual. He said Cambodia is being prepared for The Tipping Point. As we daily go out and minister the gospel, as we meet for morning prayer, as we worship, as we talk to people in the streets we are watering the soil. We are saturating the dry, dry soil with the love of God, and although the results are not immediate and we may not see the water being absorbed there is a day coming where it will reach full saturation and there will be a tipping point. The tipping point is the complete outpouring of the love of Jesus, the outpouring of His Spirit that will flow across this entire country and overflow even beyond that.

I want to encourage you in your own walk with the Lord. If there is something that you are pressing in for, a move of God that you are waiting to see manifest DON'T GIVE UP.  God hears every prayer, every yearning, and every desire of your heart. Each one is a drop of water that is added to the soil. Some things have small pots, that don't take a lot of water, these are the situations where we see obvious changes and quick breakthrough. There are others that take a lot of water, and these take determination and persistence. Just because the result may not be visible does not mean that your prayers are being wasted! They are filling up those spiritual pots and preparing that  situation for the tipping point. What a privilege it is to "press in towards the goal" and what a sweet reward it will be when those situations finally overflow with the goodness of our God.

 I am amazed all the time at the amount of people who have never even heard about Jesus. These people are looking for something, they are looking for answers, they are looking for love, and they are looking for hope and our God want's to give it to them. Please partner with us in prayer as we press in for the tipping point of this nation.We are believing the Lord for a great overflowing and a revival that will not only sweep across Cambodia but will also overflow to the surrounding nations.
We are believing that a nation can be saved in a day!

Thank you for your continued prayer for us and for this amazing country.
If you would like to contact us you can do so through our email: farriorfamilymissions@gmail.com.

Love and Blessings
Hillary Farrior

Health Update

That moment when you wake up freezing cold but it's actually 100°F inside your house..... 

Waking up early in the morning with severe head pain, stomach cramps, chills and a fever I knew something was very wrong. Immediately all I wanted was to be home, surrounded by cozy blankets, snuggled into a comfortable bed, and surrounded by family and friends. Instead, as I opened my eyes all I could hear was the prayers of the chanting monks praising Bhudda outside my apartment. A sound that dashed my feelings of comfort and reminded me how far away from home I really was.


After several days of trying to let my body fight off sickness on it's own, my symptoms were increasing and I was unable to keep down any food or liquids. My headache had grown from a migraine into something I cannot even put into words. Ward decided to take me to the hospital. Once we arrived Ward started filling out paper work at the registration desk but the hospital staff rushed me to the emergency room before I even had a chance to tell Ward where I was going. They immediately  knew by looking at me that I needed treatment and quickly able to determine what was wrong with me. They began preparing needles and IV's immediately and treated me for severe dehydration and began drawing blood samples to run further tests. I was told I had a very bad bacterial infection in my tummy and that the infection had grown to a point that the toxins were causing the most severe headache I have ever experienced. After the IV was administered I was given antibiotics, and anti-parasitic medications. I have never experienced such severe pain and levels of discomfort in my life.

The sickness was caused by food I had eaten which apparently contained some kind of bacteria. This bacteria can be caused by a number of different things. For example: improper sanitation, lack of refrigeration of meat, or vegetables could have been washed in unsanitary water. There is no way of really knowing for sure, but I will tell you I WILL NOT be eating at that restaurant again anytime soon.

Being sick in a foreign country is not only uncomfortable but can also be scary. I am happy to let everyone know that I am now 100% healthy and back to normal. I want to thank each and every one of you for your kind words and your prayers for me during this time and a special thank you to all of those who helped us make sure we were making good medical choices. We couldn't have done it without you! It was so incredible knowing there was a community of people at home that care about me and were sending their love. I honestly took great comfort in knowing that all of you were there praying and supporting me, I knew that no matter what I would be taken care of. I really appreciate all of you and I thank you for walking with us on this journey! You are such beautiful people and we are so incredibly thankful for you.


I am really excited to be back on my feet and doing the things the Lord is calling me to here.
Can't wait to hear from you all again soon!

Love and Blessings,
Hillary Farrior