After
several hours on a plane and several more hours on a bus we made it
to Phnom Phen, Cambodia. We’ve been here for about a week now so I
think our bodies are finally catching up with the twelve hour time
change. I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting it to be like but
right now I’m sitting in a little cafe called T&C. It feels very
western here so it’s kind of strange to think I’m on the other side
of the world.
When
we first arrived we went on a tour of the city and got a little
history lesson. This country has been at peace for a little less then
ten years. They’ve been through a few wars, genocide and have escaped
the horrible clasp of communism. During the 70’s the country was
taken over by a Vietnamese trained communist group called the Khmer
Rouge. During this time families were separated, people were forced
to live in labor camps and many people were taken prisoner; they were
tortured and eventually executed. Nearly a third of the Cambodian
population was killed due to disease, starvation, or execution.
After
going through as much devastation as this country has in the last
forty years it’s amazing to see how far they’ve come in rebuilding
their country. In the last fourteen years the city I’m staying in has
gone from four paved roads, no supermarkets, and limited medical
facilities to a city much like those in the United States. Not to say they don’t have problems because they do. Poverty is a very big issue and the medical clinics are
still a bit sketchy as well but they’re improving.
Observing
how strong this people group is just makes me wonder what would
happen if this country were ignited with the flame of salvation. I
can’t even imagine what they could do in spreading the love of Jesus.
Currently they are a 93% Buddhist nation but I have a feeling God’s
going to do some big things here.
