Chom reap sua from Cambodia! It has been an intense few days here in Phnom Penh as we have been learning about the culture and history of Cambodia. For those of you who are like me and are politically challenged, Cambodia had been at war from 1970 until 1998, so they are still currently in a state of restoration and new beginnings. Their dark history is tied up in the Khmer Rouge which is remembered mainly for the deaths of 3 million people under its regime, through execution, starvation, illness, and forced labor. Following their leader Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge imposed an extreme form of communism in order to create a classless society in Cambodian. They did this by evacuating the cities, killing the educated citizens and forcing the rest to become farmers. It was one of the most lethal regimes of the 20th century. One of their mottos was: “To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss.” (This info and more about it can be found here: Khmer Rouge)
Our friend and translator here in Cambodia, KimSan, knows all too well the effects his country’s past can have on its Khmer (Cambodian) people. He told me of how his grandmother and grandfather were both taken to the Killing Fields (Cheung Eik) – the mass gravesite where 9,000 men, women and children were executed – when Pol Pot was in control. While his grandfather was murdered there, his grandmother was buried alive but fortunately when the soldiers left the fields that night she was able to crawl out and escape the genocide camp.
So where in the world did KimSan find God in the midst of all this tragedy?
While the Khmer Rouge was still in power and the Khmer people were fleeing Cambodia, KimSan had an uncle that had found his way to the refugee camps on the Thai border where Christians were giving aid and sharing the gospel. Years later, after the Khmer Rouge was dismantled, his uncle returned to Cambodia to share Christ with his family and friends, and KimSan now shares his uncle’s heart for the Khmer people. He says,
“It’s amazing how I have grown to know God more and more. Even though I didn’t have parents (both died when he was little) God always took care of me. He directed my every step! My vision is to see people changed through Jesus Christ; to see them praise and worship the ONE true God. I want to praise God for all that he has given me.”
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the people. For great is your love, reaching to the heaven; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heaven; let your glory be all over the earth. Psalm 57:7-11
KimSan now works with YWAM and the University of the Nations in Cambodia as a teams coordinator and translator. He asks that we pray for him in these ways:
Pray for the people of Cambodia, they are hungry for God.
Pray for my family, for God to provide food and help.
Pray for safe travels for me and for my support raising.
If you are interested in more info about YWAM Cambodia or are interested in giving financially you can visit: www.uofncambodia.org
Or email: [email protected]
