This summer I had the opportunity to spend 2+ months living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia while working as an MBA intern at Hagar International. Since my return in August, friends and colleagues have asked, “How was your summer?” This exchange often happens in passing, and so I know many are looking for a quick answer. So, I usually offer a brief reply, accompanied by a grin, “Hot!” And hot it was. High 90’s by day, low 90’s by night and an apartment without the modern luxury of which I’ve become so fond: air conditioning. If, however, the question is followed by a deeper interest, there is much, much more to say.

First, I would tell them about an organization that is doing tremendous work. Hagar International is committed to the social rehabilitation and economic empowerment of women and children who have sustained some of the most extreme forms of human rights abuses, like human trafficking. Hagar’s mission is to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to restore life in all its fullness. As I witnessed first-hand this summer, Hagar takes this commitment extremely seriously. Hagar fulfills its mission through programs that range from catch-up education, to health service procurement and intensive counseling. It offers job training and invests in and partners with businesses, like its high-end restaurant and catering company, to connect Hagar clients with job opportunities.

Hagar’s model resonated with me as a Christian and as an MBA student pursuing a career in social entrepreneurship. Hagar does not give up on the clients it serves. There is a deep and abiding commitment to provide to women and children, whose lives have been nothing short of a living hell, the opportunity for healing and a new life. What a powerful picture of the Gospel and the ‘Hound of Heaven’ that chases each of us down with patient, persistent love and deep sacrifice.

My summer experiences also affirmed my professional inclinations to work in the social sector in an organization that means well and does real good. Even as mission and vision are at the center of many faith-based and not-for-profit organizations, mission and vision alone are not enough to provide evidence of faithful use of resources. Not everything that matters can be measured, but asking hard questions and wrestling with the outcomes (or lack thereof) is an important part of the process. For me, these questions tie in with what faithful stewardship looks like in action, where careful and objective reflection is woven into the fabric of the organization. Is there evidence that the work is actually making progress toward achieving the organization’s mission? Is the organization making changes based on what it has learned? From what I have seen of Hagar, it stands out as strong example of what it looks like to wrestle with these difficult questions.

And, if my now beleaguered listener has not walked away already, I would close by sharing two lessons that day-to-day life in Cambodia illustrated for me--one humbling, the other painful.

Lesson #1: Prayers often reflect our priorities. One Sunday in church, the leader prayed for the children of the congregation and in Phnom Penh. When I’ve heard prayers for children in churches back home in the US, they are often to the tune of asking for spiritual growth and meaningful time together in Sunday school. The leader’s prayer for Cambodia’s children had a very different tone: “Father, please watch over our children. We pray that they will not have to turn to living on the streets, digging through garbage, or be forced to beg.” The contrast was humbling. The day-to-day realities and cares of the church concerned human dignity. The broader theme that resonated for me was how small and self-focused we (and I certainly include myself in this ‘we’), the body of Christ in America, can let ourselves become. Doctrine is important and growing in relationship with the Creator is extremely important, but that is only half of the equation James outlines. Faith plus works. Not just one, and not just the other.

Lesson #2: Be careful when dismounting a motorbike. I also had my share of miscellaneous and sundry adventures this summer including the acquisition of my very own ‘Cambodian tattoo.’ No, I did not visit any tattoo parlors in Southeast Asia. My tattoo is a golf-ball sized burn on the inside of my calf sustained from an improper motorbike dismount. I made it through 95% of my stay in Cambodia riding motorbikes at least twice a day only to enjoy this branding during my last week. Lesson learned.

The glazed-over eyes at this point in the conversation usually tell me I’ve said too much. So, I’ll probably show them the proper motorbike dismount technique, just to make sure they’ve got it. Then I’ll make a swift exit before they realize that “Hot!” would have been a sufficient answer to their original question.

To learn more about Hagar International, visit them at www.hagarinternational.org or watch this clip from Dateline NBC.