Oh, Cambodia. We’ve only been here a little over a week & this precious place is already making itself at home in my heart. Cambodia is a country in rebuilding mode – people are pulling themselves up by their bootstraps: leaving the past behind & working hard to make a better future.
Cambodia has not always been as peaceful as it appears now. Cambodians have suffered for decades through multiple wars, the murderous reign of the Khmer Rouge & Al Qaeda terrorists.
Even now, the “democratic” government tends to be democratic in name only. One of my new Cambodian friends explained, “Cambodia is supposed to be a democracy. But the people of Cambodia believe it is a Communist country.” Recently countrywide elections were held for the office of prime minister – but the preliminary results were totally fraudulent & everyone knew it. On Thursday, official election results were announced. Much of Phnom Penh, the capital city, was on lock-down in an effort to prevent protests & demonstrations from growing too large & turning into riots.
Did you know:
- A third of Cambodians live below the national poverty line.
- Physician to population ratio is 0.2 physicians/1,000 people.
- Over 50% of the population is under 25 years old.
- Cambodia has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.
- Cambodia is among the 36 countries with the highest burden of child under-nutrition.
- Cambodia is among the 33 "alarming" countries for levels of hunger and under nutrition.
Crazy figures. These stats are happening right under my nose, in the neighborhood where I am staying right now. However, the Cambodians I meet are not discouraged by the statistics. They have great endurance & strength & faith in the future of their country.
Cambodia will change. I believe it will become a greater & more prosperous nation. But I also believe a fundamental part of that change will be a direct result of what God is doing in this country. Biblical principles build a strong people & a strong country. And God’s work always stands the test of time.
A vision has been cast by Christian leaders & missions organizations that have a presence in Cambodia. Their goal is to work together to plant a church in every village in Cambodia by the year 2021. Right now there are 11,000 villages still in need of a church.
Enter our Cambodian ministry host this month, Chem Rithy. His heart is to plant a church in a village outside of Phnom Penh, a village that has no knowledge of Jesus or understanding of the love, healing & restoration Jesus wants to give to them. Rithy has already been serving God for many years as an administrator of an orphanage for 40 children in Phnom Penh.
He & his wife & “adopted” family (young adults & teenagers who have grew up in the orphanage as well as his little adopted son Pol) believe this church-planting mission is the next step God is asking them to take. Our team is currently staying in his home, as he constantly makes trips to the village to search out a good building to rent as well as searching for a new home in Phnom Penh.
So we have not come to an orphanage, like we previously thought. We have come to help mobilize a new church-planting team! I’m so pumped to have even a small sliver of a part in the greater vision for Cambodians to know the truth of Jesus. God wants to bring so much healing to this war-torn land & how inspiring it is to see that message going out with such passion & commitment! Pray for Cambodia. Pray & ask God what he wants YOU to do to help. Hey, you could start by sharing this blog with someone.
If not us, then who? It’s not enough to do nothing. Right now, it’s time for us to do something.
