Cambodia is a broken country. I didn’t realize just how broken until a few days ago when my team took our afternoon off to tour the Tuol Sleng prison and the Cheung Ek killing field. Both locations were central to the events of the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1970’s. There is no way for me to possibly put into words all that I saw and felt the afternoon of our tour. It has taken me several days of thinking, praying and processing for me to even be able to sort through my emotions and reactions after witnessing the locations of one of the most brutal genocides in the last 30 years. Cambodia literally lost 2 million people because of one man’s dream of becoming “the greatest communist on earth.”The one thing that really overwhelmed me as I heard the story unfold was the amount of lies that people believed. One man believed a lie and it spiraled out of control until it overwhelmed an entire nation’s leadership with hate and elitism – and drove them to murder 2 million of their own.
As I walked around the grounds of Tuol Sleng, I noticed something else. 14 graves lined one side of the complex, and along one side of the graves stood plumeria trees.
Now, granted, if anyone is going to notice pumerias, it is probably me, the Hawaii girl. But as I stood looking at some of the most beautiful flowers, I was struck by the contrast of the beauty in a place of such death, torture and destruction. It was almost audible, a whisper in my ear; “I give beauty for ashes.” For the rest of the day, it was like a broken record in my head; “beauty for ashes.” As we walked through the killing field, my heart broke, but there was a peace there as well. I definitely felt the peace of the Lord, even as I wrestled with my emotions over the atrocities that I read and heard about.
I know that God has beauty in store for this country. It has certainly seen its fair share of ashes. 50% of the Cambodian population is under 30; a sad statistic due to the way that it came about, but also an exciting statistic when you consider the potential. There is tremendous potential for growth and an openness to new things that comes with youth. I know that there is beauty to come for Cambodia. I know God id here and is moving…stirring the hearts of the young people. There are universities everywhere and the young adults of Cambodia are desperate for wisdom and learning. I am excited to see the beauty unfold here and replace the ashes.
