ASIA
Asia: Contrasts Are Only the Beginning
Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent, covering about 30% of Earth’s total land area. Asia is notable for not only its overall size and population but its dense as well as barely populated regions within the continent of 4.4 [?] billion people. Asia has exhibited economic as well as population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen to world average levels. Given its size and diversity, the concept of Asia may actually have more to do with human than physical geography. Asia varies greatly across its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties and government systems.
Population: 1,439,000,000
Spiritually lost: 1,400,000,000 (98%)
Unreached people groups: 3909
- Serving Cambodia since 2008
- Mission focus: fighting against child sex trafficking
- Active in four areas in Cambodia
Cambodia: Alli Mellon (HPC)
Alli Mellon is the founding director of the Hard Places Community, a team of passionate missionaries who came together in February 2008 to be “a glimpse of hope to the hopeless in the darkest corners of this world.” After more than 20 years of short-term missions, Alli moved to Cambodia in January 2009 to focus her teams’ efforts on the child sex trade. She lives in Cambodia today with her four Khmer children where they enjoy eating black beetles, playing with huge blocks of ice on steaming hot days, and seeing God at work among the beautiful, broken people of Phnom Penh. Contact Alli at Hardplacesalli@gmail.com. See below for more
More About Hard Places Community
In January 2009, the Hard Places Community planted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and dove into a world of darkness deeper than any we had experienced thus far—the child sex trade. We already had a thriving home for orphans in India—Asha House which is a forever home for 19 children who’ve lost their families and who come from heinous situations of abuse and poverty. In India the children who live with us are in a safe place they call “family.” In Cambodia, the children we work with are often sold by their own families for sex with adults.
To date, our youngest child who has been sexually exploited is three years old, and our Boys and Girls Centers called “Punlok Thmey” Prevention and Restoration Centers provide services to 347 children who have either been sexually exploited or abused or who are at high-risk as they live in the sex tourist area of Phnom Penh. We also have a wonderful program for young men working in male brothels where we offer them a new start at life through our discipleship and jobs programs.
For more information about HPC, visit www.thehardplaces.org