Genocide to Revival in Cambodia

3 million brutally murdered in a matter of 3 years.  Murdered by their own government.  Because they were educated.  Or because they spoke up.  Or foreign.  Or multilingual.  Or religious.  Or because they were merely related to one of these people.  The people who did this were called the Khmer Rouge, and they ran the country from 1975 to 1979. 

All currency was abolished.  Every city was emptied.  Everyone lived in the province under communist rule and worked the farms.  They all wore uniforms and possibly had only a cup of rice a day to live on.  They farmed, dug ditches, worked the fields, and worked hard to become only a nation of farms. 

The people chosen to be killed were blindfolded, tied, and loaded into trucks.  They were taken to a prison, which was usually the former high school.  There they were tortured and forced to declare themselves offenders of the government.  Not long after they were taken to the killing fields where they were hit on the back of the head as they were knocked into mass graves. 

We visited one of these killing fields just outside of Phnom Penh.  About 9000 people were killed and buried there.  We had a tour and learned about the brutality and suffered the country endure under the Khmer Rouge.  We saw a memorial that held all the skulls that have been unearthed at the site.  There were also piles of clothes that have been found in the graves.  As we walked through the fields we saw where the rain was still unearthing undiscovered mass graves, clothing, and ropes that were used to tie the prisoners.  It was heavy.  I couldn’t speak as we walked through the field. 

In just the 30 years after the end of the Khmer Rouge the population of Cambodia has doubled.  Cities are full of construction and tourism is on the rise.  Roads are being paved.  The church is booming!  God is so clearly at work!  It’s visible.  And it fills us with hope. 

Here’s a few examples:

*Drives that once took 4-5 hours now only take 2 because roads were paved in less than a year. 
*The church is growing daily (literally) through English classes and skills training.
*The people here are the most joyful, happy, and hopeful people I have ever met in my entire life.  That’s no exaggeration!
*Churches are housing and financially supporting students from the provinces so that they can get a university education. 
*Poor farming families in the provinces readily share with other families in need.  We saw this our first day in the village. 
*The people refuse to allow the death penalty, even for the Khmer Rouge officers.  They refuse to treat anyone they way they were. 

The Holy Spirit is having a field day in Cambodia.  Healings, feeling God’s presence, salvation, and miracles are a norm to Christians here.  Cambodians are teaching me a lot about community and serving others.  I pray that what I’m learning is not forgotten and that it is somehow conveyed through this blog to you.  Holy Spirit joy is the best way to describe this place.  May we lay down our concerns, past hurts, and pettiness in the name of the Lord and find unspeakable joy!