Our first week in Cambodia we were able to visit a place called the Killing Fields. Before signing up for the World Race and learning more about each of the countries I would be going to I had never heard of this place before. But you cannot come to Cambodia and not hear about it. And honestly, I was appalled that I had not heard about it growing up in the states.
The Killing Fields, near Phnom Penh, is one of the many sites of mass graves left by the Khmer Rouge from the late 70's. The Khmer Rouge was a communist group under the leadership of Pol Pot from April 17th 1975 until sometime in 1979. Under this communist group the Cambodian people suffered the loss of somewhere around 3 million of their own people.
As I walked around the Killing Fields hearing the stories of what took place there and throughout all of Cambodia for those four years I was horrified. My mind could not understand such violence and lack of value for human life. During this time there was an attack on anyone affluent, famous, or educated. Many doctors, lawyers, and teachers were taken to prison and forced to admit to crimes they did not commit and then they would be loaded onto trucks and driven to the killing field (unknown to them) and then executed on the spot and thrown into one of the mass graves. Many others were forced to leave their home in the city and move to the rural areas where they had to do manual labor and were virtually starved to death. Almost an entire generation was wiped out.
A few days after our visit I was asking my pastor some questions about it and he told me some of his mother's story. He was not yet born at this time, but she like many Cambodians at that time was forced to work in the rice fields from 4am until 9pm everyday. They were fed next to nothing and if they were ever caught stealing even I single banana from a tree they would be killed. He said his mother remembers eating grass and raw fish just because of how hungry she was. I cannot imagine the despair and terror that plagued these people during that time. Thyvenn, our pastor is now 28 years old. By God's grace His mother survived and I was able to see her sweet smiling face every Sunday at church! And now her son is mentoring several young Cambodian men. He has such a heart for God and to advance His kingdom!
I ride through Phnom Penh and see the soaring hi-rise buildings, and pass so many doctor offices and see the radiant smiles at me as I pass and I can't help but be amazed at how they have recovered so much in just over 30 years time. The people here are amazing, and they are a major reason why Cambodia is on my list of favorite places to be.
