Go Beyond

   I first learned about the Kingdom of Cambodia from my Uncle Phil when I was a young boy. Uncle Phil had visited the mysterious temples of Angkor in the years before the Vietnam War. The temples in this complex are the remnants of what once was the religious, political, and social center of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire. When Uncle Phil visited Angkor, travelers were permitted to make pencil rubbings of the bas-relief figures carved on the temple walls of Angkor Wat. Uncle Phil used large sheets of newsprint to capture the mysterious images. He later had them framed and then hung them in my grandparents’ home. As a kid, I was drawn to and fascinated by the simple yet beautiful images and wondered about who had carved them and what stories they told.

   A lot has changed since my Uncle Phil visited Cambodia. Once an exotic and charming tropical tourist destination, Cambodia is best known today as the home of “the killing fields.” Over two million Cambodians were brutally murdered by Pol Pot’s government between the years of 1975 and 1979. The Khmer Rouge killed former military and civilian leaders, the wealthy and the educated, and left the country in economic shambles. The Khmer Rouge also tried unsuccessfully to eradicate all religion, including Buddhism which has been the national religion since the 15th Century.

   I am headed to Cambodia today and hope to post from there as my schedule allows. My friend Malcolm McMullen and I will meet with a man named Barnabas Mam. I met Barnabas about a year ago and learned about his work with national pastors and church leaders in Cambodia. I also learned a little about Barnabas’ own story of how he lost his family at the hands of Pol Pot’s murderous Khmer Rouge. He survived the infamous killing fields and has worked to sow the seeds of life throughout his country ever since. I am looking forward to learning more about his work with hundreds of national pastors and church leaders. My hope is that we can partner with Barnabas and assist him in training these national leaders.

   The Cambodian people, known as the Khmer, make up about 86% of the population, with an assortment of tribal and other groups making up the remainder. The Khmer are largely unreached with less than 1% of the population claiming to be Christian. However, the ravages of war and the bloody legacy of the Khmer Rouge have helped bring about openness to the gospel. Christians, who have been allowed to worship openly since 1990, are diligently working to share the message of Jesus with their countrymen. This is a challenging task because of the hostility of the Buddhist establishment. Many Buddhist leaders would like Christianity banned from Cambodia. Please pray for the Khmer people and for the Christ-followers among them. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matt. 9:37). Let’s “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38) in Cambodia.