Zak in Cambodia

08/04/2026

*** UPDATE ***

From the post below.

Please keep our boy Thomas* in prayer. Thomas was burned in a fire and still in hospital. It is our hope that any day he can come to join us and live with his new brothers and sisters and start going to school.

His path to recovery is long but according to the wonderful doctors at the local hospital he is recovering well and doing his Physiotherapy.

Additionally, we have received 4 new cases with relatively high risk.

Keep us in prayer as we continue to navigate several challenges and I am looking forward to sharing when we have made the rescues.

Thank you all and God bless.

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05/02/2026

*** Snake Saga ***

As most of you know we had an approximately 16-20 foot long Burmese Python, affectionately named Susan, live beside our Children's Home not too long ago.

We attempted to find and remove it but it somehow escaped our grasp.

So then around 10 days ago when I received a phone call at 330am about a snake I was sure it was not a problem. Answering the call I heard the fear in the staff's voice.

"There's a snake inside the house!"

I rushed over and after some methodical searching we located a 6 foot long Burmese Python (Susan's daughter) inside one of the clothing lockers. It had been quite cold outside and it clearly wanted to warm up.

Myself and a colleague devised a plan and stunned it with a chunk of metal before reducing its length to approximately 5 foot 10 inches.

One of many things I would have never imagined needing to do while living abroad serving the Lord.

04/02/2026

*** RESCUE IN PROGRESS x2 ***

With a heavy yet joyful heart I wanted to update everyone with 2 profoundly challenging cases we are currently working through.

Case #1 - Not pictured here - A young girl was born and thrice abandoned. Unfortunately in that process it appears she was shaken and a brain bleed resulted. This precious girl is in need of a permanent home and due to some physical and possible neurological deficiencies it makes housing her quite challenging.

Case #2 - Pictured below - This young boy was playing with friends when his legs and lower abdomen were set on fire. The circumstances surrounding this are unclear. What is clear is that the other boys left this young one to fend for himself. Thankfully with the care of passersby and the amazing work done at a local children's hospital this boy has a chance at hope and a future.

It is our hope that the boy comes to live with us as we currently have no information on the whereabouts of any relatives.
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While both of these cases are challenging for us we know that the Lord has His hand on their lives as they now cross paths with us.

It is a joyful burden to bear the load for these little ones and to work collaboratively with the government and local agencies to ensure their lives are protected and they have a future full of hope and love.

Please join us in partnering through prayer and if possible financially to help these little ones transition and find long-term safety and family.

12/01/2026

*** UPDATE ***

Post-Holiday we are back and finally getting organized.

We have reduced our active caseload from 15 to 8. Fortunately this is because kids have been safe and families have been able to help stay on track with our safety plans.

Although we will continue to followup with these families at some future time, we are hopeful that we will not need to re-engage with them.

Please do continue to pray as we have 8 active cases and a handful of assessment waiting in the wings.

Pray for wisdom, guidance, and finances to continue to support these vulnerable children.

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31/12/2025

Happy New Year everyone!

I am so grateful for each of your support throughout 2025.

Together you have helped us here in Cambodia to rescue dozens of children from human trafficking, sexual/ labour exploitation, and/ or serious child abuse.

This work can't be done without faithful supporters all around the globe.

For each of you I hope and pray the Lord Jesus draws you nearer to Him and that you would continue to see His heart for you but also for the lost and the oppressed.

Thank you so much for helping to make this work possible.

May the riches of Christ's mercy and grace be poured out in abundance.

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22/12/2025

*** MEDICAL TRAINING ***

Last week we trained a partner NGO in "Introduction to the Basics of First Aid".

This brief training brought awareness to how to treat:
* Minor Cuts & Scrapes
* Fever
* Bleeding (minor and traumatic)
* Respiratory Problems
* Traumatic Head Injuries & Broken Bones

While what we taught was a simplified version of First Aid what it accomplished, aside from some skills, was providing a sense of courage and calm among those who may be called upon to provide care for children and families.

Our team was involved in the training but also reaffirming what they already knew from their own training.

We will go into the communities to put into practice these skills in order to best provide services and care to our communities.

This will also, more importantly, bolster our relationships with communities by not only tangibly providing help but by us furthering our love for those in the communities.

Additionally we will be literally hands on with children and families in order to get a pulse on what is happening in the communities and what may be leading to children receiving the injuries we encounter.

Please pray for us and this new outreach as we officially launch in 2026.

14/12/2025

*** STAY TUNED ***

Starting this week we are officially launching our new outreach project!

We will be sharing photos soon!!!!!

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22/11/2025

*** General Update ***

1) We are still missing Susan (our 12-16 foot Burmese Python). She has yet to resurface and we are hopeful that she fed on a local animal and left the area.

2) Our Child Protection Team has successfully placed a previously rescued baby in Kin Care with her relative, her aunty. We will followup in coming weeks to ensure her care and then transition her care fully to the partner NGO and her relatives. We always seek to have children placed in families whenever possible and this week it was possible.

3) We have had a slight uptick in HIGH RISK cases. Usually we receive 1-2 high risk children every few weeks. Last 2 weeks we had around 7 children who were HIGH RISK for trafficking, exploitation, and/ or abuse.

Please pray for us to have wisdom to order our cases, protect the most at-risk children first and press on to our proactive projects as well. More on that in the future.

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17/11/2025

*** SNAKE SAGA Day 7 ***

Our python Susan is in hiding. I believe she has retreated into the sewers after our show of force. The rakes and skinny metal bars thumping on the ground must have shaken her tiny boots off.

We will continue to monitor the situation for her return, but until then, our eyes are peeled and kids are safe.

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11/11/2025

*** SNAKE SAGA Day 1 ***

Today we were out in force, 4 or 5 of us, delicately stomping through the tall grass in order to try and find this massive python.

Unfortunately we were unable to locate Susan, the pythons new name.

Day time isn't the best but we believe now we know that she has gone underground.

The neighbours will keep their eyes open and if we see it again, hopefully we can tactfully remove it from the area.

Please keep us in prayer for safety and wisdom and keep your eyes open while we pursue this slippery serpent.

11/11/2025

*** PRAYER REQUEST ***

Do you see what I see? In the photo is a small segment of what we believe is a Burmese Python. It appears to the locals in the video I received late last night that it is "old", has "eaten recently", and has "had babies".

Surprisingly, this is directly beside our children's house. Not the safest place. Even though a Burmese Python eating a child is extremely rare is it not without precedent.

All things considered we are in gear trying to get rid of this with the help of our landlord, local governments and agencies, and possibly a zoo/ wildlife park.

Please keep us in prayer so we can navigate this unique challenge quickly!

30/10/2025

*** RESCUE UPDATE ***

We are currently working with a VERY pregnant mother. Being forced to beg to take care of her needs we were curious and began to meet her. She has shared that she has arranged for money in exchange for the baby in her womb.

Currently we are planning to go to a province around 2 hours away to meet with her family and the local government in order to try establish a safety plan to best keep the child safe.

Please pray for us and pray that the government and our team would receive the wisdom needed about how to best serve this mother and the baby.

Keep your eyes open for a follow up on this case!

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