“Where did you get those?”… the guard screamed.
“You were supposed to be working, not stealing! How on earth did you get those bananas?”
She spoke with a shaking, quiet voice, “The other guard gave them to me”.
He did not believe her.
She was hit a few times with a stick, it was not enough. There was a hoe left for cleaning out the sewers nearby. The guard beat her with that. The young woman convulsed on the dirty earth.
She died.
She died alongside 3 million others, thrown into the mass graves.
She was killed for just two bananas.
This was the story I listened to through the audio recording of an eye witness who went through much counseling and clings to Buddha for peace. Today I visited one of the many “Killing Fields” of Cambodia. A field where genocide was a reality, a warning really of what mankind is actually capable of.
A killing tree beside an empty grave. Babies, yes babies were held by their ankles. Their heads were slammed against the tree. The tree was found with brain leftovers, and blood stains. Now this tree still stands with a rainbow of bracelets dangling from it. Visitors come to leave their respects for the fallen.
This place.
When it rains the muddy ground reveals the remains.
Clothing.
Strips of fabric used as blindfolds.
Teeth that were knocked from the skulls of abled bodies after a good beating.
Remains simply scattered.
I was so overwhelmed. Being on the race, and being on this side of the world, well let me just say that my childhood history lessons are coming alive and slapping me in the face. Hard. 1975. This was not even that long ago. That means that every Cambodian I am encountering this month has a family member that perished in this event.
1 in 4 people. Gone.
As prayers to Buddha and Hindu god’s were being raised by incense sticks to the Heavens on behalf of these people, I had the opportunity to pray to our one true God.
“You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of us”.
I came across the spirit house. A little piece of art the size of a birdhouse with a metal frame. It is like a buddhist shrine for spirits to dwell in if they are restless and did not get a chance of peace. People also left bracelets for memorial in this place too. In the center of this structure however was a dangling cross.
Over the bloody ground, fields now lie. Butterflies are flocking. The land beautiful, God is making all things new. I thought of Eden, how God made things for a perfect humanity. Because of the fall the Earth had sin. Cain and Abel, the first murder. Humanity leads to genocides. God makes this ground new again. He still has the victory, He still died for us knowing we would even kill ourselves. Here he left me a simple reminder as I was humbled by this tiny cross left dangling from the spirit house.
I will be reminded of the hurt this nation has felt all to recently because of the lack of a Jesus calling on the lives here. Pray for salvations this month. Pray for Christ like love. Pray that Christmas in Cambodia will have a real meaning. Also pray that my squad can meet financial deadlines so the ministry to these dark places can continue. God is still good, and the new Earth is on its way. #VSQUAD
