We went to the Russian Market afterwards, which is very similar to the market that Mary-Kate and Ashley do a chase scene through in Holiday in the Sun... (Reference for you, Paige!) We bartered, got lost among the stalls, got incredibly over heated, and got some fun, pretty things. The Tuk-Tuk back to the hotel was so refreshing... those little motorcycle-drawn carts allow for wind and a chance to air out. Love it. :)
Jessica had a connection (a friend of her Pastor from home) who is an Assemblies of God missionary in Cambodia. She has been in touch with him this whole time, and we decided to go out to eat with him to chat about his work and what is going on in Cambodia spiritually. His name is Ken, he is a tall, thin white guy who speaks fluent Khmer and has been here for the past 10 years. Lauren, Jessica and I jumped in his truck, closed our eyes as he navigated through the crazy traffic, and asked him tons of questions.
I asked him what he does and what the spiritual climate is here in Cambodia, because they are at a really interesting time... The church is just being formed, this generation is learning how to lead and how to witness, and the missionaries are trying to figure out how to work together. He told us that he just, for the first time, took a group of seven students to a youth leaders conference to train them up and he was very encouraged by how excited they got. He also told us about some really cool ministries that members of his team are getting to start. So, there are good things happening in Cambodia.
On the other hand, there are many things that he shared with us that literally broke my heart. I am still recovering from it. I have gotten used to corruption in the government, and Cambodian culture being not at all in line with scriptural doctrine. That is to be expected. What I did not expect were stories of hard core corruption within the "Christians" in Cambodia. Ken told us about christian criminals, men who go to the States to raise awareness and tons of funds for the orphans, the poor, and the oppressed here and then come back and buy fancy cars and expensive houses and body guards, and never give anything to the people who need it. He said that it got so bad a few years ago that one of the christian criminals bought a bunch of guns and was threatening lives if other church leaders did not align and fall under him. I was appalled. I seriously just sat there and had no words. He went on to say that one of the biggest supporters of this criminal was a worker with Campus Crusade, and that broke my heart. (The man no longer works for Cru, and Cru still is in good standing in Cambodia, but it was just so sad to hear.) Call me idealistic, but this kind of corruption should not exist in the church.
Not only did he open our eyes to the struggles facing the emerging church in this country, but he told us in no uncertain terms the extent of the corruption, crime, and depravity. Things like foreign men who come to Cambodia, get themselves a Cambodian wife, and use her to help them round up little boys... Apparently Cambodia has one of the highest densities of pedophiles in the world. Not only that, but every time you rent a hotel room (as an adult male) the question is, "Would you like a girl with that?" As we were walking along the street, we passed a lot of bars with pretty young girls standing outside. Ken told us that they were waiting to sell themselves for the night. Fighting through traffic on the way back to the hotel, Ken passed a spot where a couple of weeks ago he found a dead body. Because young boys do not have a concept of their mortality and because they don't have id and because no one knows first aid, when there is a motorbike accident, the body is just left in the middle of the road. I could seriously go on and on... it broke my heart.
It was not all bad, though. Ken took us to an open air night market, and it was fun to watch him interact with the Cambodians there. No one expected him to speak Khmer, so when he did, the reactions were priceless. He started talking to some college-aged girls, and when he told them he was a Bible teacher, their eyes lit up. It was like being in Tokyo all over again. Seeing a heart respond to the chance to hear the hope of Christ for the first time is one of the most beautiful things.
All in all, I was drained at the end of the night. Sunday rolled around, and I was exhausted, spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally... I really needed to go to church. After I get some work done, I will come back and tell you all about Sunday... It was so sweet. God is so eager to encourage and provide. Until later...
~His
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