You hear about people being sold because a family needs money. You hear about kids whose families cannot feed them. These tales that you hear–they seem so distant from real life.
Well, real life met up with the tales this month.
I didn’t hear the stories of all the kids at the children’s home where we lived for the month. But I heard enough for a reality check. These two kids were almost sold by their mother for $300 and $1000.
The buyers were lined up, she was ready. Praise the Lord that their aunt intervened and brought them instead to the children’s home. They eat three times a day and have the chance to go to school. We had the chance to love on them during our stay. They are precious!
The ministry also sponsors feeding programs in several villages. We had the privilege of visiting two of those villages. The women prepared rice and a fish soup with morning glory while we played with the kids. Many of the games were organized. At one point there were kids to the side playing a random game. I have no idea what they said, but I figured out how the game was played and joined right in. It was so much fun to sit in a circle with them and hear their laughter as the game played on. When it came time to eat, we heard more about the kids’ situation. The feeding program is five days a week, one meal around 11a.m. For most of the kids, that is the only meal they get that day. One bowl of rice and a shared bowl of soup.
This month has also been the most I have seen of naked babies. Diapers are a cost that is superfluous. Better to run around with noggy bottoms than devote money to something so disposable. It is so natural to run around wearing no clothes or just bottoms. This makes it interesting when a child wants to be picked up. Didn’t really stop me from swinging them around or giving high fives, though. It does help me appreciate the clothes I have.
The biggest reality check came as we visited the killing fields near Phnom Penh. There is a tree next to a mass grave of children. The Khmer Rouge ruled from 1975-1979 in Cambodia. During their rule over 3 million people were killed. 3,000,000! We visited a prison where thousands were tortured until they confessed to crimes they didn’t commit.
“Better to kill an innocent by mistake than to spare an enemy by mistake.” -Pol Pot
When capturing the ‘enemy,’ they captured the entire family. The theory behind this action is that to dig up the grass, one must also remove the roots. The tree that we saw was the weapon used to kill innocent children. The executioners would grab the children by their feet and smash them against the tree, then throw them into the mass grave next to it. When the killing field was discovered, the tree was covered with hair, blood, and bits of brain. I thought I would be sick when I heard that on the audio tour. Who could do that to innocent children?
Even with such horrors in their past, the Cambodian people are so happy. Despite the hardships that life offers, they have a smile on their faces. They love to smile and laugh. I am incredibly thankful that this country was added to our route so that I could meet and love on the people. It was with many tears that I rode away from Kampong Thom on Friday.
