Roza's Story
My parents got divorced when I was 3 years old at a refugee camp in Thailand. I was abandoned so, my grand mother brought me to stay with her. One day when I was 3 years old my grand mother discovered I had a bad fever so my grand mother took me to hospital. I received a shot and a few days later my left leg lost its feeling and began getting smaller. I could not walk but my grandmother kept pushing me to walk everyday and even though the leg did not develop as well as my other, I can walk now but, it is not normal walking. I have a limp.
When the U.N. send all the refugees back to their country my grandmother and I came back to live in Cambodia. In my family there are my grandmother, uncle, and me. My uncle had a mental problem and love drinking alcohol, he even wanted to rape me and beat me sometimes. My grandmother knew about the attempted rape so my grandmother sent me to sleep at neighbor’s home. When my uncle discovered this he took a big knife threatened to kill the neighbor for hiding me. The result was that no one would allow me to stay in their home anymore because of my uncle's behavior. One day my uncle forced me to say I love him, I would not say that and he got very angry, and in a mental rage he cut off one of his fingers. I saw a finger cut off from his hand by my own eye. I was in shock and I told my grandmother.
She came up with an idea to secretly leave me at her friend’s home. In my grandmother’s friend's home I cooked, cleaned the home, and washed clothes for them. Then to my horror my grand mother’s friend's husband tried to rape me also, but I cried out and he ran away, by this time I was thirteen years old.
I told my grandmother about her friend's husband trying to rape me. My grand mother knew I was not safe with relatives or friends so, she did some searching, and she found an FCOP Church/Home. I lived in the FCOP Church/Home from the year 2000 on. It was full of many friends who had a bad experience like me. The home was comfortable, I felt loved and cared for. I began going to school like normal children do. In the FCOP church/home I learned to worship and sing praise songs. God gave me the gift of leading worship. I led the worship in my church/home then some times I went to provinces with my youth team to lead worship for different program’s like church dedication and Christmas.
When I look back on my old life, it was terrible! I wanted to commit suicide sometimes in the past, but now I am married to an orphan boy that I grew up with. Now we have four children. I thank God that Pa Thom and Mak Thom were led by Him to created these church/homes and to bring me from the darkness to the light; to rescue a person like me and many others. The result is that now, at age 31, I am teaching the young generation to lead praise and worship. I am also on FCOP staff so, I can provide love, care, and comfort to many kids at risk. I remember my experience and it propels me to do the best for the kids I watch over.
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