I am now in the country of Cambodia. A country that I knew nothing about before coming here. Now, merely 3 days in to my visit, I am learning tons of information about the tragedies of this war-torn country. I find it hard to believe that I have never heard about some of this in my world history classes. Perhaps some of you have…but I assume many have not.
It wasn’t long ago (the late 1970’s to be exact) that Cambodia was overtaken by a communist named Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. They had the desire to turn Cambodia into a society of equals and a major farming nation. In order to do this they felt they needed to turn everyone into farmers and get rid of anyone who would be difficult to conform to their communistic ideals. This meant that they killed the educated, the religious, the sick, the rebellious…any one who was going to stand in their way. They forced everyone out of the cities and into the countryside to work in the rice fields.
We visited a museum yesterday here in Phnom Penh. It was the former site of a high school, but in 1975 it was turned into a prison that was used for the torturing and killing of those opposed to the Khmer Rouge. It was hard to walk through the buildings and see the instruments used to torture the people, and to see all the photos on the walls of those who were killed. It definitely took a toll on my spirit.
It is estimated that at least ¼ of the country’s population was decimated in the 3-4 year reign of the Khmer rouge. Whether as a result of the mass murders or as a result of over working and little food given to the farmers. Cities had been abandoned and families had been torn apart. This was less than 40 years ago. Phnom Penh is definitely bustling with people again…the streets are crowded with traffic. But now I look at these people, especially the older ones, and am reminded of what has happened to this country in their lifetime. I don’t think anyone could have gone through that without being left with emotional and spiritual scars.
My heart goes out to these people. I want them to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. I want them to see that there is true love and hope. I want to see this country set on fire for God. To become a nation that shines it’s light for all to see. Please join me in prayer for God to work among these people!
