BURMA: A wave of relief washed over Elizabeth as the Burmese government official handed her her passport - with the hoped for Thai visa nestled inside.  Months, indeed years, of praying had brought Elizabeth to this point; now it was time to leave her old life in Burma behind.

Only nine years earlier, Elizabeth had caught a bug--the acting bug.  The young woman was raised in a Christian family and had been taught from childhood to seek God for her life's direction.  At age 17, Elizabeth was in a local play and loved it.  At once she decided to pursue acting as a career, knowing that her faith in Christ could benefit people in whatever situation she was in.  The acting world in Burma, however, was a small community of the nation's elite; Elizabeth realized she needed to break into modeling if she ever hoped to become an actress.

Elizabeth's mother, wary of the corruption that held Burma's film industry together, could not persuade her daughter to take another road, so she insisted on traveling with her to her modeling sessions.  Before long, Elizabeth won a modeling contract, and began traveling the country.

The favor of God was on her life and she landed several high-profile movie roles in a short period of time.  A production company soon hired Elizabeth and the roles came pouring in for both TV and movies, including a movie role as supporting actress to the most famous actor in Burma, nicknamed the Burmese Tom Cruise.

Elizabeth's star was rising, yet she never forgot God's call on her life to minister. As she traveled from set to set, Elizabeth would speak boldly of Christ to anyone--cast or crew-- who would listen. One famous actor got saved because his father had been a Christian; but as a rule, the movie industry was largely unresponsive to the message of the gospel. 

It is popular for an entire movie crew to burn incense before production begins, and make a show of Buddhism; there seemed to be no room for a new message.  Elizabeth was frequently forbidden even to pray in her own way. She continued to preach the gospel in the face of great hostility; people argued with her many times on TV and movie sets. Though Elizabeth and her family fasted and prayed for people, her words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

After several years of this disappointing cycle, God spoke to Elizabeth, saying He wanted her to go to bible school to be better equipped to minister. Elizabeth, disillusioned with the movie industry, lay down her career and moved back home in 2006.  But stepping out of the limelight proved more difficult than Elizabeth had anticipated: she had become a high profile figure in Burma, something she did not fully realize while working on movie sets.  As she prayed about bible college it became apparent that she would need to go to another country to study.

God began to orchestrate Elizabeth's life in wonderful ways in the months following her return home.  She met her husband, Tom, an American, when he came to Rangoon to preach in her church.  He introduced her to Victory Bible College in Thailand and she began to take steps toward studying there.

Those steps have led her to this moment in time.  Until today, the Burmese government refused to issue Elizabeth a visa because they knew she was famous and did not want her to leave the country.  But God has a plan for Burma, and Elizabeth has a part to play in its future.  She knows her call is to minister the gospel in her nation, and will return with her husband with a better foundation and vision for her nation.

CAMBODIA: I'm tired, hot and sweaty, and covered in dust. My team and I left our home base in Sriracha, Thailand, and traveled all day to get to the poverty-stricken border town of Poi Pet, Cambodia. I want to have a cold shower and put my feet up, but instead my teammates and I hop into the back of a pick up truck and head deep into the Cambodian countryside.

We turn off the one and only paved road in Poi Pet and continue down a deeply rutted road that is really only suitable for ATV's and dirt bikes. It's a blast; we hang onto the truck for dear life as we laugh out loud and snap crooked pictures. For a moment I had forgotten, but this is missions and I love it!

A trail pops up out of nowhere, two tire tracks wide and veering to the right; this is our turnoff. We only travel a hundred yards before the trail disintegrates into a foot path, and we are instantly greeted by children living in this tiny, hideaway community.

It has been a while since I have experienced ministry in this capacity, but I fall in like a soldier who never left the front lines. My team and I gather together on the woven grass mat laid out for us, and wink at the curious little onlookers, making them giggle. After songs are sung we begin teaching the kids all about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego -- they laugh as we act the classic bible story out for them.

We give the kids an activity, and I take in my surroundings. What I see saddens me. These beautiful people, struggling for each meal, living in shanties consisting of three walls and a roof, deserve better. Chickens, geese and pigs root around where children live and play. And what jumps out at me is the incredibly misdirected priorities: each home I look in has a TV and stereo equipment.

How can villagers afford such luxuries when they can't buy a kilo of rice and a few small fish to sustain themselves? The answer is horrifyingly clear: predators of the worst sort have come to exploit the villagers' poverty.

Parents struggling to survive the day are offered a solution for the moment; unable to see past their needs and wants, they jump at the chance to lighten the burden and earn six months of income instantly - selling their own child for the amount of a small colour TV.

The stories are shocking and all too frequent. The missionaries working in this area regularly discover that children go missing.

I lift a toddler into my arms as I wonder, was some small child's innocence sold in exchange for these things? Are they now, at this very moment, crying and trapped in a room with grown men they don't know and can't trust?

The work being done by our missionaries and national contacts in Cambodia is relevant and necessary. These Christian leaders live with the bare necessities and step up to shepherd and teach the Cambodian people the saving knowledge of Christ. Without the love, hope and forgiveness of Christ how can these trends be brought to an end?

I leave the village exhausted but grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a far-reaching ministry. So much so, that during the rutted ride back to Poi Pet, it is decided that our trip will be extended and we will stay in Cambodia longer than planned. We want to return to the village.