I Hated My Mother. Then Easter Sunday Came. w/Srey Kong Michael | EP21 PART1

Listener discretion: this episode includes honest conversation about child trafficking, sexual violence, and war. In part 1 of this 2-part conversation, Ashlie sits down with Srey Kong Michael: artist, entrepreneur, community advocate, and founder of A Piece of Sunshine, a nonprofit that feeds people experiencing homelessness and raises awareness about human trafficking. But before the work, there is the family story behind it. Srey opens up about her mother, Pove Saray Kong: handed into child labor at nine years old, trafficked at thirteen by the very people meant to protect her, and surviving the Killing Fields of Cambodia through one miracle after another. She shares the circumstances around her own birth, a pregnancy her mother tried to end, and how she came to know Jesus as her Savior. This is a story about what trauma hands down, what grace interrupts, and how one Easter Sunday confession changed everything between a mother and a daughter. In part 2, Srey shares why she started A Piece of Sunshine, what serving people on the streets really looks like, and how her family's story shapes the responsibility she carries today. . CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Srey Kong Michael 02:15 Intentionality: living with purpose 04:30 Opening prayer 05:31 Her mother's story begins 06:17 Pove Saray Kong: Cambodia and childhood poverty 09:34 Age nine: handed over into labor 11:27 Age thirteen: groomed and trafficked 20:50 A pregnancy she tried to end 21:26 War in Cambodia: the Killing Fields 25:59 Left for dead, saved by grace 28:45 The mountains, the landmine, and a son given away 33:24 Born at two pounds: Srey arrives 38:06 Sponsored to America 41:10 Easter Sunday: the whole truth 42:30 From hatred to understanding 43:09 Why Srey feeds the homeless 44:30 In part two . CONNECT WITH SREY A Piece of Sunshine: apieceofsunshine.org Her book, Through Her Eyes: Amazon and Barnes & Noble CONNECT WITH ASHLIE Instagram: @thesacredplace2025 TikTok: @thesacredplace2025 YouTube: @TheSacredPlacePodcast Website: thesacredplacepodcast.com