Would you be so kind as to join me in a song?! Sing the alphabet with me….slowly we sing “A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K…” and then suddenly we rush through “LMNOP…”. My point? Sometimes in life, it’s kind of like that. Sometimes we (I) have a grand idea to…oh, let’s say post information about one country a week. But then life happens and there’s a pause and we have to suddenly rush through a bunch of “letters”. See what I did there? 🙂
I have no great excuses, but I’m fixing to give you information on 4, count them FOUR, countries! It’s your lucky day! The final 4 countries are Cambodia, Ireland, Ukraine and Romania. The reality is that I’ve given you guys information on these countries and our route very well could change, but I’m still glad to know that hopefully people will have been praying over the people in these places anyway!
Cambodia
Located between Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia is home to one of the world’s most famous ancient temples, the Angkor Wat. The country operates under a constitutional monarchy. A treacherous massacre wiped out 1/5 of the population after the Vietnam War so much of the country is young with the life expectancy around 62 years old. About 75% of the workers in Cambodia are involved in the farming of rice and soy beans, and 35% of the population are at the poverty level. As is common in many places, people often adopt a mix of various religions with Buddhism being the largest group.
Ireland
I can’t lie that I’m so excited to see the beauty of this country! From what I hear, it will likely be chilly and rainy most of the time, and maybe I’ve romanticized the images I’ll see; but I’m looking forward to it still. Although Christianity is prevalent in Ireland, there are still a good number of people who have never heard the life changing story of hope in Jesus Christ. The country has struggled through some economic crisis and high rates of unemployment. There seem to be new forms of religion rising that are drawing the younger population of the country.
Ukraine
Fun fact: Ukraine is home to one of the largest space agencies in the world, the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU), participating in scientific space explorations and remote sensing missions. They run one of the largest productions of transportation vehicles and spacecraft, and are rich in natural resources such as oil and natural gas. Orthodox Christianity is the largest religious group. The country was freed from a communist reign just in the last 23 years or so. There was much persecution during that time, and therefore a need for reconciliation and restoration. There is a rise in broken families and immorality, resulting in a rise of sexually transmitted diseases. Ukraine has a rich Christian heritage that needs to be revived.
Romania
We will potentially be entering Romania during the race for the next presidential election. I wonder what kind of challenges will be brought forth by this timing and people’s state of mind. They have struggled to establish a solid government in their post-communist status. They even voted to suspend the president in 2007 due to an abuse of power. There have been violent demonstrations and protests toward the government even just in the last couple of years. Though Orthodox Christianity is the largest religion, there are tight restrictions on religious groups. Christianity is more of a cultural identity than a true understanding of the freedom that the true Gospel of Jesus Christ offers.
With all these countries, my desire is that they at least have the opportunity to hear about the life change, freedom, and purpose that can be found in truly knowing and following Jesus Christ. As in America even, there are issues of nominalism, corruption in the government, lack of a godly moral compass, and materialism that corrupts and destroys our souls. I am honored to be able to walk in the power and authority of Jesus Christ, and offer an eternal hope to whoever is open to hearing. My desire is not to “convert”. My desire is to introduce hope and love in the person of Jesus Christ in order that He will be glorified and His name will be known. Please pray for openness to this story and that leaders will rise up within each of these countries to carry on discipleship across each nation.
