cambodia

it's been a real eye opening trip so far.

since our last trip to thailand, i don't think i've been exposed to another third world country like this.

in phnom penh the first thing that greeted me was the crazy driving- on the wrong side of the road! (or is it right? haha) and just thousands or millions of motorcycles and bicycles, with up to 4 people riding together! school girls riding as well without helmets! hardly lines on the road, just driving anywhere and everywhere, roundabouts are chaos, and yet everyone seems to know what to do- amazingly enough!

crossing the road is pretty fun too- you realize that the motorists learn to avoid you and you can just cross easily enough!

there seem to be sooo many homeless and street kids? we saw the same kids begging a few days in a row (and not at school!), burn victims and amputees just wandering around asking for money...

went to some awesome sites like the royal palace and national museum (amazing architecture and history!), russian markets (crazy maze of really close together stores where you have to squeeze your way through and haggle), and besides staying in a great hotel, we went to some really great restaurants for french and khmer food- like Comme a la Maison and Khmer surin.

the highlights for me so far included a shop called "Daughters of Cambodia" where girls who'd been involved in sex trafficking were saved and then empowered by teaching them different skills and by working there. we also wandered by a shop which related to empowering HIV infected people.

The other place that stood out to me was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. It was one of the detention centres during the Khmer Rouge in 1975-1979, where 2 million people were killed. If you walk around Cambodia, you'll notice that the population is mostly young. The generation of people from 40 to 60 seems to be missing! The educated, young, and even old were named as "criminals" and brutally tortured and murdered. The Khmer Rouge did not believe/allow for education so the detention centre was a school that was turned into a prison. They tortured and murdered thousands there- apparently only 7 were known to survive.

In most of the buildings the classrooms were turned into individual cells, but there were also rooms where 100s of people were squashed into a small space. it's not difficult to sense the despair and anguish that was felt there. how could such people regard others that way? where was the basic regard for human life? it was hard to hold myself together especially when i went to some of the rooms where makeshift prisons were constructed to hold individuals- there were chains on the floor too to hold them in, and barbed wire across the balconies and windows to prevent them from attempting suicide.

so now i'm here in siem reap, a very touristy and awesome place, in another amazing resort and waking up early to go to angkor wat tomorrow...

i think i've realized how much i do enjoy and take comfort for granted. the places i've lived, the lifestyle we have... we are so blessed. the people here do live such a simple and hard life, and they have to fight their way to survive!

may i never take what i've been blessed with for granted... may i never take the love of Jesus for granted too. the other thing that really stands out is the hundreds of temples, buddhist and hindu statues EVERYWHERE. like everywhere. the religions and culture seem to be so intertwined.

i believe that the Gospel must and will be shared in this land and that disciples are to be made! but this is a prime example of where ministries like Compassion would make such a huge difference and be instrumental in showing the reality of Christ.

The most revered kings like Jayavarman VII were talked about as devout buddhists who were filled with compassion and built hospitals, fed the poor, etc.

All the more- as Christ followers, may the Church in Cambodia have the means and opportunity and passion to be hands and feet of Jesus!