Hello, friends!
When we were first preparing for our trip, one way that
Cambodia was described to us was as a country with great beauty as well as
great brokenness. After spending a month there, I can say without a doubt that
this is a true statement. There were so many beautiful people, scenes, and
events that we were able to experience while we were there. We also saw a
darker side of the country that reminded us that there is still much work to be
done in the country.
Poverty is a huge problem in Cambodia. The average person
in Cambodia makes about $2400 annually and many people, especially those in the
provinces, live on less than a dollar or two per day. The poverty of the
country shows itself in a number of different ways. There is the constant smell
of trash and piles of garbage lining the street wherever you walk. There is the
high unemployment rate, evidenced by lots of people, mostly men, just sitting
outside their doors people watching wherever we traveled. What probably was the
most bothersome for my soul though, was the children begging in the street.
Anytime you were stopped, whether it be riding in a tuk
tuk or walking in the market, you could count on a number of children, usually
between 18 months – 6 years old, coming up to you and asking for money. The boys,
and sometimes the girls, are shirtless and their faces are dirty. Most are
barefoot. Some will try to sell you something but most will just hold out their
hands, asking you for money.
The most heartbreaking part about this is that we knew we
couldn’t give them any money because we were pretty sure that they were being
used as part of a “begging racket.” Unscrupulous people gather together children
(oftentimes the children are sold by their parents) to beg on the streets. All
the money they collect goes to the ring leader and the children are no better
off than slaves. To give to the kids means to tell the ring leaders that the
racket is working and they will continue to do so. Whenever we could we gave
food instead of money so the kids would be able to eat but it broke our hearts
to know that 1) these kids were being used and 2) that there wasn’t anything we
could really do to help them.
I’ve already mentioned a bit about the sex trafficking
that goes on in Cambodia but I would be remiss if I talked about the dark side
of Cambodia and didn’t mention it. One night we went to the “KTV” (Karaoke
TeleVision) strip of Phnom Penh to do a prayer walk. KTV’s are essentially
brothels. Women, many of them trafficked, are dressed in revealing clothing and
wait at the entrance of the KTV. For as little as $10, a man can hire an
“escort” for the night. We can pretend that he just wants someone to sing the
harmony in his karaoke duet but we all know the truth. The woman is being
prostituted and he’s there for sex, not singing. As we walked along the KTV
strip I was filled with a lot of emotions. There was sadness that there was
such a blatant disregard for human dignity. There was anger that my people
(being men) created such a market for this trade. There was discouragement at
the thought that this isn’t something that is going to be solved in a day.
There was a sense of disbelief that this wasn’t just a thing for women but also
for young men and for children as well. There was a whole lot happening in that
one prayer walk.
One thing that I want to mention was that there was also
a spiritual dark side while we were in Cambodia. Cambodia has a history of
Hinduism as well as Buddhism and is a very spiritually heavy country. On the
one hand, that is a good thing because it allowed us to easily have
conversations with students about what they believe. On the other hand, the
opposition that we faced was real and it was strong. There were a few instances
where we had to do some serious prayer ministry for team members who were being
attacked spiritually while they slept. There were other instances when we
visited temples around and we could feel an evil spiritual presence so strong
that we had to leave the building. There were monks and idols everywhere we
walked. It was a spiritually draining time.
My honest belief is that our God is greater. Our God is
someone who can conquer any force, spiritual or earthly, that tries to keep His
people from Him. There is hope and I believe that God can turn the country
because he is God and that’s what he does. But, I don’t want to pretend that
there won’t be a real battle and that there is real brokenness in Cambodia.
That is why I will continue to pray for the country. I will pray for its
people. I will pray against the spiritual forces that are oppressing and
trapping its people. And I will pray that God will come it his full power to
bring his kingdom to the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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