Sak Saum Thanksgiving Highlights

So this holiday season has been the busiest yet for Sak Saum. With our wholesale business increasing in volume and clientele and our home parties ramping up for Christmas shopping, we have found ourselves barely keeping our heads above water. Don't get us wrong -- we aren't complaining! This is a great problem to have. We are so thankful that Sak Saum is self-sustaining and that God has opened such fantastic doors and introduced our product to so many.

As we enter the holiday season and anticipate the end of the year, it is fun to think through some highlights of the past 12 months. Here are just a few things Sak Saum is thankful for this year along with a couple of prayer points as we finish 2011.

Sak Saum Vocational Training Center

We started 2011 crammed into two buildings in Phnom Penh. It was evident that God was growing Sak Saum both in ministry and business -- we needed more space. Thanks to the generosity of Pearl Aliance and John and Lisa Bevere, we were able to realize a long-term dream of building a vocational training center in Saang. Our girls love living and working in this community, giving back to others what they have received themselves. Such an exciting and beautiful gift to Sak Saum!

Punh working at her machine in the VTC.

Human Trafficking Outreaches

After we made the move to Saang, we began to pray and work toward another God-given idea -- human trafficking seminars. The Saang community is known to be high-risk for trafficking and much of it is due to a lack of understanding and education. Theavy and the girls desire to change that by bringing information and help to rural villages. With the government's permission, we have been able to host several seminars in communities that desperately need revelation. In fact, one of our newer girls came to our ministry as a result of a seminar -- it is incredible to see God shining light into darkness.

Local villagers learning about human trafficking...

Malaysia

During the summer, Ginny, our international director, began to sense the Lord leading Sak Saum to look at helping Cambodians in Malaysia. Many Cambodians are trafficked to Malaysia each year and then, when rescued, are reintegrated back to their country. Sak Saum has connected with a shelter in Kuala Lumpur that helps Cambodians and several trips have been made there to get to know the girls and share with them about Sak Saum. We now have several girls who are a part of our ministry as a result of this effort. It is encouraging to see these girls come from places of extreme brokenness and desperation to find hope again -- the heartbeat of Sak Saum!

One of our newest girls from Malaysia.

Sak Saum Freedom Facility

This is our latest project that is now in full swing! We opened a sewing facility in Saang that offers a caring, fair trade work environment for local sewers. Our desire is that they will help us meet our international product demand and that we can bring empowerment and change to the community through job creation and modeling a new way of employment. Garment factories are often the first step in trafficking. We believe the Freedom Facility will offer individuals a future that these factories cannot. We are excited about this latest development and thankful for the doors God continues to open.

The Sak Saum Freedom Facility.

Looking Toward 2012

As we anticipate 2012, we have a few areas for which we would welcome your prayers.

Volunteers

Sak Saum is growing at a rapid rate for which we are so very thankful. We truly believe it is God who is the head of our ministry -- we want to follow His lead. As one of our volunteer staff said the other day, "There is enough work here for 10 people." True enough. So it is with that reality in mind that we ask you to pray with us for more volunteer staff and interns to come and serve in 2012. We specifically need people with a longer term (at least a one year commitment) vision in mind.

If you are interested or know someone who is, please email Ginny for more details and next steps.

New Girls and Growth

We have added a number of new girls to the ministry over the last six months. We are excited about this but also know that this means growing pains as well. Please pray for wisdom, revelation and a greater capacity to minister for those who are involved in the training, discipleship and healing of these women. Pray for their continued adjustment to Sak Saum and an eagerness to receive God's restoration for their lives.

Empowerment for the Cambodian People

In everything that we do, we try to think about how we can best serve the Cambodian people. We want to see them empowered in a changed life so that they can share the same with others. As we make decisions about Sak Saum's ministry and business, pray that we will continue to be led by the Holy Spirit to know what is best for them. And pray that we will continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the broken, oppressed and disenfranchised -- the ones that are rarely seen but deeply loved.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are so very thankful for YOU. Your care, support and advocacy for Sak Saum are a rich blessing to us. Be blessed this holiday season.

Until next time!

Sak Saum Updates: Teams, Malaysia and Design

How special to share some of the amazing events and changes happening at Sak Saum with you. When you walk with God, life is certainly not dull. He is constantly at work and we love being a part! Here are a few highlights from the last month...

Teams 

We had a summer full of teams. The girls love having teams -- it is an opportunity for them to make new friends, practice English, receive love and encouragement, and grow in opening their hearts and lives to others. Each team was welcomed to our new vocational training center by Sak Saum's blessing dance. We enjoyed flower days, English classes, devos, cultural nights at the riverside, treks to the girls' land on the island, hair and nail time, conversations, love and so much more. Thank you to all of the teams for pouring your time and love into Sak Saum!

Sak Saum performs a blessing dance for the New York team.

Enjoying pizza, crickets and games at the river.

Travels

One of the most exciting doors that God is opening for Sak Saum right now is the opportunity to connect with Cambodian women who have been trafficked to Malaysia. Ginny, our international director, her husband, Eric, and Theavy, Sak Saum's national director, made a trip to Malaysia in June to visit an organization working on that side to provide protection and safe transportation for rescued girls back to Cambodia. Many of these girls have been through absolutely horrific experiences. Without intervention, a good portion of them will return home to the families who trafficked them initially and find themselves re-trafficked. This breaks our heart and we feel passionate about doing our part to prevent this cycle from continuing in their lives. 

We were so excited to welcome our first Cambodian returning from Malaysia a little over a month ago. Praise God that she has already accepted Christ and is beginning to grow in the Lord. Her passion is to protect others from having her experience and we believe she will return to Malaysia one day with Sak Saum to be a part of God's healing and restoration to the girls there!

Chen Thuen learning a new bag design at her sewing station.

A couple of weeks ago, Ginny, Theavy and Serey (a Sak Saum girl who oversees our operations) made a second trip. We are thankful to be a part of God's answer for these young women and are opening our arms to these girls as they return to their homeland broken but desperate for hope. Stay tuned for more updates in the future!

Design

Fall is already upon us and we have been working for most of the summer developing new designs for our Fall/Winter line of products. After tweaking, revising, contemplating and deciding, we have several new bags that we believe you will absolutely love! And of course the return of Sak Saum's favorite, best-selling items. Last week we journeyed to an absolutely beautiful resort in the middle of Phnom Penh for our photo shoot -- a gorgeous setting for Sak Saum's product. We will debut our fall/winter catalog sometime in September but here is a sneak peek of a couple bags from our photo shoot.

The Marnie...

Sak Saum's classic Serey bag is ready for the fall season.

That's all for now. Until next time!

This is Sak Saum: Meet Serey

Some of you may know Sak Saum as a bag or a scarf. Some may see it as a ministry. Others as an avenue to have a voice against human trafficking. You would be right on all counts. Sak Saum does represent all of these things. But at the end of the day, Sak Saum is about people. Women. Individuals with memories, hurts, abuses, futures, hopes and dreams. 

We are thankful to introduce one of these women to you here. Meet Serey.

Age: 23

Length of time in Sak Saum: 3 years

Family: 1 sister, 3 brothers (I am the youngest!)

What was life like before Sak Saum? When I was younger, I stayed at home but I had a lot of problems with my parents. Every day I was fighting with my parents because they wanted me to work and earn money for the family. I really wanted to study English but studying does not make money. So I looked for a job. First I tried to find a job in the garment factory but I did not know how to sew and did not like to sew. My parents told me that I must not be smart enough to find a job. I kept looking because I did not like having problems with my family every day. 

Then I got a job working at a karoake bar. I thought if I found a job that made money then my parents would love me and care about me. But soon I realized that they only cared about the money I could make for my family, not about my heart or my dreams.

How did you find out about Sak Saum? My sister, Theavy (now Sak Saum's national director), was working with Mom (Ginny Hanson, international director). Theavy had been helped a lot by Mom and wanted me to come and work at Sak Saum so that I could have a job and be helped too. I didn't want to, though, because I really hated God. My dad had been involved with the Mormon church when I was young and it made him very mean. Because of that, I hated anyone who believed in God.

So why did you come to Sak Saum? My father told me he didn't want me to work in karoake anymore but that I still needed a job. This seemed like a good plan. When I came, I was surprised that Mom and Dad (Eric and Ginny Hanson) spoke so kindly to me. No one had ever talked to me like that. Even my own parents were not nice to me.

What changed your heart toward God? Mom's love to me. I wanted to make Mom hate me so that she would fire me. I did everything I could to make her angry. Then one day, she came to me and said, "Serey, no matter what you do, I will always keep loving you more and more. I will never hate you." I will never forget that day. It changed something in my heart.

After a year and a half, I opened my heart to God.

How has Sak Saum changed your life? Sak Saum has changed everything for me. I have a skill for my work -- and now I love to sew! I have been given opportunities to grow in my job and learn more about business. But most important, I have learned about forgiveness and love. I see God changing me every day. And Mom has helped and encouraged me to believe that I can learn more and become stronger in God when I trust Him.

How is your relationship with your parents today? It is better all the time. My parents say that I have changed a lot. I don't speak with anger towards them. And I see God helping my parents to love me more.

What gives you hope for the future? When I was a little girl, I watched a children's show on the TV. It was about Jesus. I didn't know anything about Jesus and I didn't really understand who He was or what He did for me. Then that night, I had a dream. In my dream, a man in a white robe came to me and called me to come with Him. I knew it was the same man from the TV show. Now I know it was Jesus. When I feel discouraged about my life, I remember that dream and I know God is with me and has plans for my future.

A Sak Saum Debut: The Srey Win Bag

The creative juices are always flowing here at Sak Saum. Our latest bag is named after one of our Sak Saum girls. She is beautiful both inside and out. Her heart for God is evident and her desire is to be an ambassador for Sak Saum -- communicating God's love and value to other women. She is blessed with a beautiful daughter. We are so thankful for Win.

And without further adieu...the Srey Win bag.

Also comes with a matching cosmetic bag!

Made from linens of various colors. Available at home parties. 

$37 w/matching cosmetic bag.

Meet a Sak Saum Advocate: Origin Coffee and Tea

Several months ago, we were contacted by a friend and advocate of Sak Saum -- Emily Snyder. Em first started helping Sak Saum through our annual Mother's Day apron sale. She loved doing it and we loved having her do it! The purity of her service and heart for Sak Saum was such an incredible blessing.

Fast forward to November 2010. Emily wrote Ginny about a coffee shop called Origin Coffee and Tea opening in California which would be run solely by volunteers for the express purpose of helping ministries like Sak Saum. Since it was volunteer-driven, all proceeds from coffee sales and product sales would go directly back to the organizations they support. Pretty incredible! 

God has since taken Origin Coffee and Tea and given them an incredible platform to share about their vision and purpose. They have been invited to talk shows in New York and are now traveling to churches to share. And out of their generous hearts, they are bringing Sak Saum product with them. We are so thankful to Em and Origin Coffee and Tea!

All of our advocates are incredible and we wish we could highlight them all. From the 10 person home party to the individual sale to the church conference to a volunteer-run coffee shop, each is helping make a difference in the lives of Sak Saum girls.

Origin's passion and purpose.

A picture of Origin's beautiful surroundings.

Some of Sak Saum's products being sold in the coffee shop!

You may recognize these Sak Saum bags...

The shop is volunteer run, allowing proceeds to go to organizations fighting human trafficking. These baristas are wearing Sak Saum aprons made specially with coffee bag accents.

We hope you are as blessed and encouraged as we have been! 

Until next time...