I am the only one…
Cambodia was devastated
by war and genocide for nearly 30 years, it recently ended in the 90’s. Because
of the war and genocide today Cambodia’s population is only 20% over the age of
thirty. That is 80% under the age of thirty!
Families are very young and it’s rare to see an older
person within the community. Through all of the turmoil there were religions
coming and going along with languages and people groups. Today though Cambodia
is 95% Buddhist and 2% Christian. Higher statistics then last month in Thailand
but still a devastating percent.
The
community we are working in is on a fairly big island in the middle of a large river
south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We
are working with a center for children called House
of Joy. The children receive lunch and dinner and 2 sessions of bible,
English and general studies a day. They come to get food and English lessons
and a lot of the times leave with Jesus.
Today I worshipped in a church where 50 attendees were 20 or
under and 5-6 of them were 20 and above. Strange/ A lot different from the US?
Yes! It is amazing to see so many young people on fire for the Lord. But sad at the same time…
When sitting in English lessons the other night I was asked
“Why do you believe in God?� It caught me off guard. I wanted to say “How can I
not believe in God?� but that is
no way to defend my Lord so I tried to explain in simple English why I believed
in God and we conversed on why they did and the stories behind finding the
Lord. Then I asked if their whole family believed in God. Where the reply was “NO,
I’M THE ONLY ONE.�
Wow,
Thank God for my parents and them being Christians as I grew up because I don’t
know where I would be today. I couldn’t imagine being the only one. It is such
an encouragement to see such a young generation open to what the Lord has for
them even though they feel so alone in their own home. Thankfully House of Joy
has provided a family of 50 other boys and girls in the same situation.
If you could please pray
alongside me as I pray for their family and the village to open their hearts
and mind to the Lord. If you have any suggestions as to ways we could do this
in the community let us know!
Thanks
for reading! God Bless!
Sandy
