A First Mission Trip Reflection
I stepped into my first mission trip knowing it would change me, just not how. Even in that uncertainty, I understood that how I carried myself mattered. These simple intentions for each day helped anchor me, wherever we were to go: to learn, to encourage, and to see.
This reflection isn’t a complete account of the trip, nor an attempt to capture everything I saw but to offer a window into a small part of the work happening in Cambodia & Thailand.
An invitation to consider how we, as a church, might engage in God’s heart for justice.
Arriving in Cambodia, there was a clear difference in temperature. More humid than what we had left behind in New Zealand, and this was their wintertime! Orange dusty roads, overgrown greenery, and colour was everywhere, from merchandise for sale to the warm tones of the people moving through the streets. The roads were alive with movement, shared by motorbikes, tuk-tuks, vans, tractors, and trucks, all weaving together. It was clear this was a nation shaped by work, rhythm, and resilience.
Our first full day in Cambodia was spent with the A21 team across two spaces, the Child Advocacy Centre and the Freedom Centre. The Child Advocacy Centre exists to conduct forensic interviews with children who are suspected to have experienced abuse or exploitation, while the Freedom Centre provides survivors with daily access to ongoing care and support. As staff guided us through each room, they explained how every detail had been designed to protect, comfort, and build safety, allowing children to speak at their own pace and reducing the need to relive their trauma.
Across the walls was the story of the organisation itself: its beginnings, milestones, and the lives it has walked alongside over time. The focus was less on numbers and more on people, perseverance, and long obedience to a hard calling. In bold lettering was their mission statement, “ABOLISH SLAVERY EVERYWHERE FOREVER,” like a commitment written into the bones of the building.
The team gave us a thorough and moving overview of A21’s mission, values, and response model, grounded in real stories of impact. Their work extends beyond rescue alone, with a strong focus on prevention wherever possible. At the same time, they hold a clear commitment to consistent, meaningful aftercare, recognising that lasting healing requires long-term support.
That afternoon, we travelled to a rural floating village to run an awareness programme.
The conditions were confronting, yet the people themselves were warm and generous. The contrast was powerful, and it really struck me. The A21 team ran two exercises: identifying safe people by naming one for each finger on their hand, and using a traffic light system to recognise dangerous, cautious, and safe relationships. We learned “God Is Good” in Khmer and sang it with actions alongside the children, filling the space with laughter. Before leaving, we distributed resources and small treats, offering practical tools to help recognise human trafficking, reminding me again that awareness is often the first step toward protection.
This was most of our group’s favourite part of the trip as we got to interact with the small children of the village and be immersed in their community, giving a clear insight into their needs and the diligent efforts of the A21 Team to support and educate them.
The following day, we met a trafficking survivor.
She was fourteen and had been rescued from a sex trafficking situation by a man in her own village. He was still at large, which meant her safety remained a very real concern. Through the generosity of donors, the A21 team could build her a home to share with her mother and grandmother, far from the place where she had been harmed. It was a place that was hers. At one point, while I moved building materials, she walked over to sit beside her mother in the shade of a tree. She looked up at the blue house being built by people who genuinely cared, and her eyes gleamed with hope. From her gaze, I could see what it meant to have something that was hers, something that would protect her and her family. I will never forget her face.
As we rounded out our final day with the A21 Team of Cambodia, we longed for more time with them. Every single person who made up this exceptionally talented, faith-filled and warm-hearted team, had deep conviction to do the right thing for the vulnerable in their community. Even in times of hardship or immense stress, they relied on God’s hand to provide, and they met each day with faith, hope and joy.
In Thailand, we had an opportunity to walk through a red-light district.
Although prostitution is illegal in the country, Bangkok’s well-known red-light districts are hot spots for sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. It was about 150m of bars and strip clubs squeezed in, neon lights everywhere, the street drenched in a red tint. I was surprised at how busy it was, at this time we walked through at around 9:30pm. There was sex workers lined up outside of every establishment, about eight from each and most of them had a very distant, even vacant look in their eyes. Our group, huddled closely, walked the entire strip up and down in a sober silence. We stopped in the middle of the street where our A21 rep explained some of the behind-the-scenes details of what goes on in these bars. These bars revolve around lust and perverseness, deep brokenness. It was a bizarre environment to be in, as predator and prey share a space. I couldn’t help but feel a wave of compassion come over me for everyone I saw: the friend group sightseeing and laughed while taking a selfie with the street as the backdrop, the couples on a date night sharing drinks on the porch of the bars, the ladies enticing customers inside, the men on their commute home walking through. I knew Jesus was there with these people.
When I look back on the photos and videos from the trip, or when a particular moment or face comes to mind, what I feel goes beyond fondness. I am deeply grateful for the way I was welcomed into the work of A21, and to witness the lives of those who are committed to faithful servanthood over the long term. Their example has added an entirely new dimension to how I understand justice, service, and what it means to remain present where God has placed you.
