I’m sure you have all been patiently waiting on a blog from me. I’m so sorry that I haven’t written sooner. The idea of having to write about what I have seen and experienced in Cambodia is incredibly overwhelming to me. How am I supposed to do Cambodia any justice? The truth is, I can’t. I could never tell you how I felt both the beauty and the pain of the Cambodian people. The highs and lows were extreme – at least for me. With that being said, I thought I would just attach images with some back stories. Note that most times during ministry, I was not pulling out a camera. I have some amazing stories that are too hard to shorten down for this blog, but I would love to share and anyone is welcome to separately email me for more.
Also, as you will see in an image below, my camera had a tragic death. I bought a new body but now having lens issues. I promise more pictures will be coming soon!
Quick backstory on Cambodia:
In 1975 a tragic era of Cambodian history began in the reign of the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot. An estimated 1.7-3 million Cambodians were killed. Pol Pot declared that history would begin again in Cambodia. In 1975 Cambodia was a mainly agricultural country. Pol Pot decided it should be completely agricultural. This meant all the people from the towns and cities were forced to move to the countryside. Pol Pot also decided that agricultural output should double in 4 years (a totally unrealistic target). Private property was banned and collective farms were formed. They were supposed to grow 3 tonnes of rice per hectare (again a completely unrealistic target). People were made to work very long hours to try and grow the extra rice. They were given insufficient food and many fell ill and died from a combination of exhaustion and malnutrition.
That was not all. Religion was banned in Cambodia (people caught practicing Buddhism were executed). Family relationships were banned (on the grounds that parents exploited their children). Furthermore the smallest infringement of the rules resulted in execution. Although they were half starved people caught foraging for food were executed. People were also executed for being lazy. Needless to say anyone who complained was executed. The Khmer Rouge murdered intellectuals. Soon people who could speak a foreign language or who wore glasses were executed. This nightmarish situation was only ended by a war with Vietnam. The Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in December 1978 and quickly prevailed. Unfortunately Pol Pot escaped and he did not die until 1998.
Pol Pot’s soldiers fled to Thailand and they were welcomed by the Thai’s who feared a Vietnamese invasion. The Khmer Rouge continued a guerrilla war against the Vietnamese. However the Vietnamese forces withdrew from Cambodia in 1989.
Afterwards negotiations began among several different parties. The result was the Paris Peace Accords of 1991. Communism was abandoned in Cambodia and a provisional government ruled until 1993 when elections were held and a constitution was framed. Sihanouk was made a constitutional monarch.
However the Khmer Rouge refused to take part in the elections and they continued their guerrilla war. Fortunately in 1996 Pol Pot’s second in command Ieng Sary defected in 1996. Many Khmer Rouge troops followed him. Pol Pot himself died in 1998 and peace returned to Cambodia. http://www.localhistories.org/cambodia.html
This was our home for the month in Sisophon, Cambodia. We were in the northeast corner of Cambodia near the Thai border. We lived in a place that was apparently a business location as well. To say it was weird would be an understatement. There were these 3 little kids that were always around that we loved to pick on. We coined the oldest son, Pantene, due to his amazing hair! We never did learn their names or the names of the many people who frequented this place daily.
This little outhouse/shed was where we set up our tents for the month. Eventually a few of us moved into the house you saw in the previous picture that had one air conditioned room. It was glorious… until the whole room flooded! Life on the race!!
Part of our ministry this month was to do door to door evangelism. This meant walking many miles daily in the villages nearby to meet people in their homes. It was HOT! It made Louisiana seem not so bad anymore!! The guy with the pick towel around his head – that’s Ra Houm. He was our translator for the month. He was a unique character with a really big heart! He would work all night long then come translate for us for hours as we visited and prayed with families. Much thanks to you, Ra Houm!
This man! What an incredible human. He fought during the Khmer Rouge for both sides, fled with his family to a refugee camp for many years, and eventually got saved and opened churches all over Cambodia and specifically in Sisophon. When we would pass the church, his smiling face would welcome us no matter the time. Though he spoke no English, I felt I understood everything he was saying. He was such a gentle and comforting soul. Read more about his incredible life at:http://haleysewell.theworldrace.org/post/a-man-thankful-for-war
This was another family that we visited while doing door to door ministry (plus a bunch of random kids that followed us from house to house
). They asked us to pray for their home which was in threat of being taken from them to build a railroad. They were so incredibly happy even though they were on the brink of losing everything they owned.
Another part of our ministry was teaching English. Above is the school master’s wife , Em and one of the sweetest teachers, Ah Lin. They were always so joyful, even on the days where I had no joy to give.
Originally we started by teaching the children, but quickly realized it would be more effective to teach the teachers correct pronunciation. These were the female teachers. They were so sweet and loved to learn! We taught them in the evenings after they had taught all day long. Kudos to them for sure!
These were a few of my students. Though there was a giant language barrier, I had so much fun with these silly girls. They were always ready to get up and do the chicken dance!!!
We met these wonderful people the week before we left. Jenny and Andrea (Husband not pictured) were missionaries from Sweden. They have lived in Sisophon for the past 3 years. Since then, they have started a church and a cafe. They also teach English and music. The little boy I am holding is the pastor’s son and his wife is right behind me. I literally wanted to steal him (Gabriel). He had the cutest rolls and chunkiest cheeks.
This was the day we went visit an indigenous village about an hour away. We took a tractor trailer all the way to the village. It was soo much fun!
These were the children of the indigenous village. We taught them hygiene including hand washing and teeth brushing. We had such an amazing time and played so many games and skits.
This is when I fell in NASTY, Bacteria infested water that we did NOT need to cross!!!!!!! I lost my camera in the process, but had a great laugh. Especially cause Sao Thy (Drove us and videoed us non stop) decided it was cooler to video my fall than to help and said MY GOD when it happened. Hahahahahhahah
Like I mentioned, there are so many incredibly deep stories that I would love to share. When I started this blog, I instantly regretted not blogging more. There was just so much that happened, and I want you guys to know! I promise to blog more from now on!
Great News: We evangelized to a woman named Chea Tu who gave her life to Christ. Some days are hard, but those kind of days – they’re pretty amazing!
Check our more pictures and videos at my teammates blog
http://jacquelinerigali.theworldrace.org/post/cambodia-recap-video
3rd Goal due November 30th: $13,000 – Currently $600 away
Final Goal due January 31st: $16,561 – Currently $4500 away
