Cambodia’s Harsh Reality

After several pit stops in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Taiwan, we are staying in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tomorrow we will be traveling to Siem Reap where we will stay for a couple of weeks until each team separates to different locations around Cambodia. I have adjusted to the time zone here and get to call my family and friends either early or late (it’s an 11-hour difference for my peeps in NY)!

The first thing we did in Cambodia was ride a tuk-tuk to the hostel! We arrived at the Big Easy Hostel located in downtown Phnom Penh. You could say we jumped right into it being open to legit anything. I was not very aware of Cambodia’s history until I got to witness firsthand the harsh reality of Cambodia’s past. A group of nine of us went to see S21 and the Killing Fields where a majority of Cambodians were slaughtered by the Khmer Rouge.

Quick History Lesson on Cambodia’s Brutality

Cambodia had a Civil War from 1967 to 1975 where the two governments Khmer Rouge and the Khmer Republic fought for political power. With the Khmer Rouge being victorious, it was only a matter of time before they acted on their plan to wipe out their own citizens in a brutal genocide.

From 1975 to 1979 over 25% of Cambodia’s population perished due to mass executions, famine, and disease at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime, known as Democratic Kampuchea. After walking through S21, one of the prisons and torture facilities that used to be a school, we all felt this heavy weight of sorrow and brokenness. Pictures of all the citizens that went through this specific prison were lined along the wall. Around 18,000 Cambodians were killed at this site and there are 156 other sites just like this one all around Cambodia. We saw the skulls of the victims and the tools used by the soldiers that tortured and murdered these innocent human beings.

Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge sought to start a new Cambodia with only 1 million people when there were 8 million Cambodians at the time. He believed killing every Cambodian, no matter their class, appearance, or profession, would align with the overall objective of creating a new, self-sufficient Cambodia. Pot believed that killing all the citizens would set Cambodia free from all foreign influence that had entered the country. So, Pot brutally murdered and tortured two million innocent Cambodian lives. The Killing Fields was where the dead were thrown and deposited. More bones were displayed and a monument in the center of the field held 16,000 skulls.

I legit felt like I was at the gates of hell. So much evil had taken place here and it was so hard to keep walking and seeing signs that said “this pit was where they through bodies that were headless”, “this was where children were beaten to death”, or “this tree held a speaker that would blast sounds to cover up the screams of people being slaughtered.” Guys… it was so real and heavy. It’s a privilege in itself to experience and be educated on what happened during the Cambodian genocide firsthand, but I share these real, somber events with you so that you can also be aware of what is going on around the world and can grieve the loss of these innocent humans. Please pray for Cambodia that its government will be safe and receptive to its citizens needs and that no more death would come from corrupt spirits in this country.

We grieved the loss of so many innocent lives and reflected as a group that if our hearts were broken, imagine what God’s heart was like in the midst of all that suffering. I can understand why people would question God’s authority in all this by asking “how could a God of all power and might let something like this happen?” And to that, I have to say with another heavy heart that satan has authority in this world because we humans allow him to. The Khmer Rouge is a perfect example of what happens when we allow evil to overcome our thoughts and actions. It’s a hard reality but satan is alive and ready to manipulate anyone susceptible to such evil things. He loves to pounce on those who are not sober. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

This crisis is exactly why God placed us here on earth… this is our sole PURPOSE. To save the broken hearted, who have allowed such evil to devour their soul.

Because of the authority given to us by God, we now get to save these same people who are lost. We are commanded to share the light and freedom that comes when people let God into their life. God saves people by giving us access to the Holy Spirit! We share the light of the world because it brings us joy to see broken people have hope and peace in their life. Salvation saves a group of people because once someone is saved in a group, they will treat others around them with respect and dignity by loving their neighbor. This is exactly why we do what we are doing.

I’ll keep you guys updated and ask that you continue praying for safety as we go out to evangelize and begin our soccer ministry! I can’t wait to see how God continues to use us these next weeks through these different ministry opportunities! Stay tuned! Also, check out the View My Photos section to get a glimpse of what I’m experiencing while on the World Race! Love you and thanks for checking in on me!