Accomplishments: Hope for Trauma Healing in Cambodia Mission Trip Nov 2015

Trip to Cambodia Accomplishments

This was an incredible trip out to Cambodia. As I stated in a previous blog this was an interesting 4 year anniversary return for a group of missionaries I went to visit on this trip. In 2011, Mark and Jessica Neitz and their family, of Why Not Now ministries, and Don and Maria Whitney, who now oversee bible schools in the region of Battambang. We all visited Cambodia together for the first time in 2011. The 2011 trip affected each of us and how we would run our own personal ministries and spiritual growth. For M16 Ministries, the 2011 trip was first time I ever encountered dissociative identity disorder. Didn’t really know what it was when I saw it, but the Holy Spirit put me on the fast track to understanding how to minister to survivors of severe trauma and how to provide pastoral care.

The primary objective for this trip was to provide education to pastors in Cambodia on what dissociative identity disorder is and how to care for individuals with shattered souls. I had the fortune to provide a 4-hour workshop, in Phnom Penh, to church leaders and pastors. This workshop was a condensed version of the all-day Hope for Healing and Deliverance workshop presented back in October through, In the Potter’s Hands, counseling. In fact, I presented director Toni Taigen’s material from that workshop on the dynamics of the trauma and the human mind.

I pretty much evangelized Hope for Healing, which is what I called the condensed workshop title for ease of translation. I spoke a lot to pastors and brought a lot of awareness to dissociative identity disorder that is persistent in world, with children who are sexually trafficked and violently abused.
What I discovered was that dissociative identity disorder (D.I.D.) was prevalent in Cambodia’s population, in both survivors of the countries traumatic history, and through their epidemic of trafficking children. When I spoke to house moms of orphanages about D.I.D. they confirmed they were seeing children and young teens exhibiting traits of multiple personalities (or what we call identities or “parts”).

I was able to provide some simple tips to the house moms on how to handle the D.I.D. switching. As well as care for the children who were exhibiting “parts” switching. After long sit downs it was agreed that a team needed to return and train house moms and house counselors in how to work with D.I.D. And bring healing!!!

My intent was to do some one on one training with one or two children this go around but the opportunity didn’t present itself. I think the Holy Spirit just wanted me to evangelize the hope for healing on this trip.

A follow up trip is now in order where we do have a house that would like training in assisting the children heal from trauma. This is a trip that needs to be seeded so I can return. Getting into these homes is no easy task. So having one open up and requesting training is huge. This next trip the objective will be to equip house moms so they can work with the children and teens and help be a tool in their inner healing from severe trauma from trafficking.
Some other great objectives were met. You have to leave room on the table for the Holy Spirit to run the trip.

Property Blessing

A house cleansing was conducted on a property that was having spiritual activity. This property was a school for children. The spirit would come through the walls in partial and full manifestations. The spirit would also violently shake the children’s bunk beds. This is a Christian school so the head mistress was a prayer warrior and did an awesome job of punching this thing in the nose. One of the women telling me about the shaking beds I was later told was a former Buddhist who came to work at the house but became a Christian. And she was a fairly new Christian. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing your own words in spiritual warfare being affective against the forces of darkness really must have built up her faith. The property was completely exorcised over a several day period. The house is spirit free now.
I posted the details over on A Field Guide to Spiritual Warfare blog .

Street Ministry and Night Strike in Phnom Penh

I accompanied my friend, who was one of the original founders of Night Strike in 1999. When my ministry friend moved overseas to rescue child we separated and went our own ways and really didn’t do much street ministry to anymore. In San Francisco we ministered on the streets to the homeless, the drug addicts, and the prostitutes. We decided to put the band back together and go out and minister on the streets in the Phnom Penh red light district.

The initial kickoff of Cambodia Night Strike!! Don't know if that will be the official name. We went into a bar in the red light district and ministered to 4 young women. Very powerful prophetic words from their Father in heaven. Lots of tears as the words were delivered. We spoke into their destiny and dreams. The Father revealed dreams they had given up on. What was really cool was that two of the girls also became our interpreters and translated the words for us. So they too got to witness firsthand the power of the words we were giving.

Relationships were made and the process of evangelism was started. And we were invited back and not kicked out.

We’re were excited to see that process evangelism and radical love worked so well in this environment. Mark, his wife Jessica, I think we were strategizing  up until I left on effective ways to minister in that district and to those young women.

And since this trip extended into Thanksgiving, what is Thanksgiving without a good old fashion family road trip to Battambang. Mark, Jessica, there two young boys Cole, and Liam, myself, a good friend Tong, piled into the ol' Family truckster, in this case a 93 Corolla, and we set off on a 6 hour white knuckle road trip up to see Don and Maria Whitney. We had a fabulous and memorable Thanksgiving with them. And their ministry neighbors had a backyard theater viewing of the Jesus movie in Khmer. It was a good old fashion, sweltering, mosquito infested Thanksgiving. Maria somehow pulled off getting turkeys, yams, mashed potatoes, pumpkin and apple pies. It was some good eating on that day!did

Ministering to the Orphans

This trip there was a lot of ministry time to kids and orphans. Because of the dangers of posting children's pics from area where they are trafficked I simply won't post their pics. Incredible kids.
A couple of young ladies tore me up in soccer. One young lady insisted I hit the ground and give her 10 GOOD pushups whenever I missed the goal. And then the other little girls wanted piggy back rides while you were attempting to dribble the soccer ball. I think they were all in cahoots to force me to do push ups. I think I swallowed Aleve pills by the hand full for the next two days to recover from that event. 

Closing Remarks

So much happened on this trip. I could right volumes, and put you into a sleep coma. I want to close with –this was a very fruitful trip. I am pleased with the turnouts. Mark and Jessica and his family extended their home to me. We had a lot of fun just hanging out and decompressing between teaching, preaching, and ministering. Thank you so much to my friend. We share the same street DNA, I got mine from you and Bob.

I am planning ahead and just speaking into returning to Cambodia, next November at the latest. This healing workshop and training for the house moms needs to take place. These kids need to brought into a place where Jesus heals there broken hearts and sets them free from trauma.
I do this ministry full time here in California. We really need senders and sowers for the ministry here in California and for the ministry that needs to be put in place in Cambodia.

Even if you can’t donate, if you shop on Amazon.com you can help us out by using their charity portal AmazonSmile and select M16 Ministries as your 501c3 charity.
We really could use large sowing and blessing as well. We’re seeing fractured souls healing on a daily basis and we need the sowing in the ministry to continue so we can focus on ministry.



God Bless

Rev. Michael Norton