Phnom Penh

Partial View of Phnom Penh Skyline

It's hard to believe that our team has been in Cambodia for 14 days already, We spent the first 4 days in Phnom Penh before taking the 4-hour bus ride to Kampong Thom. Rather than putting everything in one post, I am going to post in segments. It will give you (and me) a bit of a break.

Kona seems like such a distant memory. We had a 10-hour flight from Hawaii to Seoul, Korea followed by a 5-hour flight to Cambodia. There were 27 of us travelling together, and it was quite a feat that all of us, and of our bags, arrived intact at the airport in Phnom Penh. By the way, Korean Airlines is an amazing way to fly. They treat you like royalty (even in economy), have wonderfully nutritious meals and still provide headsets, pillows, blankets at no charge.

Traffic in Phnom Penh View from our room in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is busy city, and reminded me of the Philippines. There is much pollution and many "tuk-tuks" and "moto's" racing about. The horn is an important accessory on these vehicles; they are tooting them all the time to notify everyone where they are and what they are up to.

There are idols and spirit houses all over the place; we were kept busy praying about our exposure to the heavy oppression and obvious un-Godly worship that takes place here. (Even now, I hear the loudspeakers throughout the town that have been going for the past 6 hours, and will continue through the night as there is some sort of Buddhist celebration going on). Cambodia is 98% Buddhism, so we are a minority in our faith as well as our appearance.

Part of team outside YWAM Base Phnom Penh

The first day we spent trying to rest from the flight and get used to the time change. Then we spent a day at the YWAM base here to receive some orientation to Cambodian culture and language.

Use of YWAM office as storage for moto's

The following day, we were taken around to see some of the history of Cambodia. We first went to the Tuong Sleng Prison (S-21) where we were shown the rooms and photos of the horrible things that were done to innocent men and women during the Pol Pot regime. I won't even describe any of it here (nor show any photographs) - it is beyond imagination that any human being would treat another that way. Then we were taken to one of the many "The Killing Fields" where thousands of men, women, children were slaughtered. Over 2 million were murdered in this country between 1975-1979 under the Khmer Rouge genocide. We spent a lot of time praying over the remains and for the families and friends that were left behind. It was emotionally and spiritually draining for most of us, but an important exercise in understanding the people that we are here to disciple.

On Sunday, July 3 we went to a Cambodian Church - New Life Centre (photo on right). It was all Khmer, with translator receivers passed out to those of us who needed it. The music and singing part of the service was pretty amazing; these new Christians know how to worship with abandon and joy. It was truly a delight to experience.

Loading team onto bus outside our hotel

On Monday, July 4 our team separated into two groups, with my team heading north to Kampong Thom and the other team heading south to Sihanoukville. It was tough to see the others leave, but we were all excited and ready to get to our new homes for the next 7 weeks.

Another update coming very soon from Kampong Thom! I appreciate prayers for our team's physical health - more about that in next post.