Super Sunday

I am sitting at a different internet cafe tonight across from the Mekong River. We just got back from a boat ride and are waiting for our dinner to come. It's from my favorite place in Cambodia, and I am getting pizza - pretty close to American style.

Before I go any further in my posting, I want to say that if you don't know much about Cambodia's history, you are going to want to check it out. Especially if you plan on coming over here (which I hope is many of you:) At one point, this country was the most beautiful in all of Southeast Asia. Then it was bombed during the Vietnam War. And in the 70s, the communist regime of the Khmer Rouge and their leader Pol Pot took over. The country was decimated.

The regime forced all the people to leave the city and move to the countryside. Their whole goal was to turn the country into an agrarian society with collective farms. There are so many people here, and I can't imagine that Phnom Penh was at one point a ghost town. During that time, anyone with education, ties to the old regime, military background, religious views, wealth...all were murdered. The movie The Killing Fields is a very accurate historical portrayal of what happened. Some estimates say around 2 million people were killed, including 90 percent of the evangelical church. Most were tortured and executed. Some died of starvation and disease.

A generation of people was lost. The infrastructure of the country was destroyed. The economy was ruined. Anyone who had skills or education to be able to rebuild the country was killed. At this point, most of the people here live in poverty, and a few have the wealth and power. A system of corruption ensures that that won't change anytime soon. It makes me angry when I see the people, especially children, living on the streets where people in their Lexuses or Mercedes-Benzes drive past.

I have been to the Killing Fields. Mass grave after mass grave has been uncovered with many more left untouched. Every day I stop and think about how anyone my age and older survived that horrific time. That the country is even to the state it is right now is amazing to me.

This is the only country in the world where 50 percent of the population is under the age of 18. There are kids everywhere. And many of those children are being exploited in human trafficking. Words can't express the passion that I feel for the desperate situation of this country and especially the kids. I am so thankful to be here to do my part.

Today, we went to the state-run orphanage. There are about 120 kids living there, and they are stuck. The government pays a small subsidy per child, and so the people who run the orphanage do not want to let the children go to other places. It's definitely a stark contrast to the orphanages run by Asia's Hope. We were able to sing songs with them and share the message of God's love for them. We also brought each of the children a package with hygiene items and food. They were so grateful as they often do not get soap, detergent, toothpaste, etc.

I remembered two twin girls from last summer when I visited. They are 6 years old, though they look much younger. And they are mute. Apparently when they were babies, their parents had a fight and the house caught on fire. The parents left the house...and the girls inside. Neighbors went in and rescued them, but they did get burned. What a pair of sweet girls with beautiful smiles. I truly wished I could take them with me out of this place that seems like it has no hope. (A side note...the western nations have ended adoptions from Cambodia because of corruption. Babies were being taken and sold. So many children who need loving families and no place to go.)

I can't say thank you enough for helping me to be here. Please pray for this country. It's only by the grace of God that the system will change.

Tomorrow, we travel by bus to Battambang to visit 4 more orphanages there. It will be a five hour drive northwest of Phnom Penh (provided that the bus doesn't break down!) More immunizations and more fun with kids!