redemption July 27, 2009

my eyes have seen more in the last 24 hours than my brain can process…

yesterday we went to the killing fields from the genocide. truckfulls of innocent people were dropped off there, tortured, and killed. they’ve since found over 100 mass graves- over 2 million (one fourth of the population at the time) killed. we saw a tree upon which the executioners used to beat prisoners and smash babies; another tree from which hung a loudspeaker that played noise loud enough to drown out the screams of the tortured. we saw a building at least 5 stories tall, filled with the unearthed skulls. its a lot to try to understand. but there was one really beautiful, amazing thing that we did see.

one thing i didnt mention when i previously wrote about the genocide is that no one- not one single person- who was considered a leader in the regime has been brought to justice. pol pot died in 1998 before going to trial, and many of the others even work in the current government (the current prime minister served with pol pot). there has only been one man to ever come forward, confess, and show regret over his actions. the chief executioner- named duch- began his trial in march of this year, and has taken full responsibility for the lives he took and ordered to be taken. we found a biographical plaque about him, and discovered that after the regime, he became a christian.

we were blown away by the beauty and power of god’s redemption. i think its easy for some people to look at duch’s life, see that he became a christian, and become angry, thinking that its an easy way out of guilt; thinking that he deserves to be in hell. well, ok, we all deserve that dont we? and as many of us who sat by and watched this happen and didnt do anything to stop it, we’re just as guilty. so lets just be eternally thankful that christ’s grace and redemption covers us as much as it does duch.

secondly- we went to a new orphanage today. the one we went to last week was amazing, but god led us in a new direction. he allowed us to meet some people who knew other people and eventually we were sitting at lunch with some expats who had started an organization to raise supplies and support for an orphanage caring for 17 children living with HIV. tony, who we’ve adopted as our british grandfather, told us all about the work they’re doing, how they got started, how they help, etc. the name of the organization is CHOICE- Charitable Humanitarian Organization In Cambodia by Expats (he told us he’d originally wanted to call it Feeding Underprivileged Cambodian Kids- he was outvoted for obvious reasons…).

so today we rode with him to the orphanage, and were blown away. the kids are beautiful. we just played with them for as long as we could before they had to go to school. it doesnt feel like our time there could have done much to encourage them, but i have to believe that it was worth something. its such an overwhelming feeling to see children in circumstances like theirs, and believing that there’s nothing to do to help them is just not an option. i had to fight against that all morning. it was an amazing experience though, one that i’ll probably write more about later after ive been able to think through it more.

this trip is making me appreciative of things i never even knew were a blessing before.

and jesus has shown me more about redemption and grace than i ever thought i’d be able to handle.

thats alot for one post. i’ll end here. pictures from the orphanage soon.

rescue July 20, 2009

saturday, we went to the genocide museum in phnom penh. its hard to even know where to begin in describing our experience there. the whole reason for the genocide was that pol pot wanted every one to be equal in his country, and through a distorted view of equality, he began torturing and killing all the educated, wealthy, and religious citizens of the country. the rest of the people were put to labor in the fields, and if they didnt die directly because of the regime, they probably died of starvation and exhaustion. the museum we visited was once one of the prisons, called S21, where the captives were held and tortured before being sent to the killing fields. when the vietnamese forces found the building in 1979, there were 14 bodies, recently killed, left in the room…the rest was vacant.

there were 4 building to the prison… the first one consisting of larger cells and holding rooms, as well as pictures of the 14 victims found in the room. pictures of how they were discovered… bodies beaten, bloodied, disfigured. the second building contained walls and walls covered with the mugshots taken of the victims as they entered the prison. men, women, children, teenagers, elderly, and infants. the third building held smaller cells. brick cells on the first floor, wooden cells on the second. the largest cells had to be no larger than 3 by 7 feet. many didnt have windows, and if they did, there was no shelter from the weather. the very last building housed the instruments of torture as well as paintings depicting the processes. ive never had to see anything like this.

pictures of the killing fields; mounds and mounds of skulls and bones that used to hold hearts and minds and souls, skeletons separated for burial. rows of iron shackles used to tie feet and hands to bed. cracked, blood stained walls. all of this happened only 30 years ago. how did we let it happen. how does it still happen in other parts of the world today. it is the most horrifying, sickening, cruel, appalling, disgusting, evil display of sin that i have ever seen or could imagine.

heres a poem that was displayed in the last building, written about the regime.

The New Regime, by Sarith Pou

No religious rituals.
No religious symbols.
No fortune teller.
No traditional healers.
No paying respect to elders.
No social status. No titles.

No education. No training.
No school. No learning.
No books. No library.
No science. No technology.
No pens. No paper.

No currency. No bartering.
No buying. No selling.
No begging. No giving.
No purses. No wallets.

No human rights. No liberty.
No courts. No judges.
No laws. No attorneys.

No communications.
No public transportations.
No private transportations.
No traveling. No mailing.
No inviting. No visiting.
No faxes. No telephones.

No social gatherings.
No chitchatting.
No jokes. No laughters.
No music. No dancing.

No romance. No flirting.
No formication. No dating.
No bathers.
No nakedness in showers.
No love songs. No love letters.
No affection.

No marrying. No divorcing.
No marital conflicts. No fighting.
No profanity. No cursing.

No shoes. No sandals.
No toothbrushes. No razors.
No combs. No mirrors.
No lotion. No make up.
No long hair. No braids.
No jewelry.
No soap. No detergent. No shampoo.
No knitting. No embroidering.
No colored clothes, except black.
No styles, except pajamas.
No wine. No palm sap hooch.
No lighters. No cigarettes.
No morning coffee. No afternoon tea.
No snacks. No desserts.
No breakfast [sometimes no dinner].

No mercy. No forgiveness.
No regret. No remorse.
No second chances. No excuses.
No complaints. No grievances.
No help. No favors.
No eyeglasses. No dental treatment.
No vaccines. No medicines.
No hospitals. No doctors.
No disabilities. No social diseases.
No tuberculosis. No leprosy.

No kites. No marbles. No rubber bands.
No cookies. No popsicle. No candy.
No playing. No toys.
No lullabies.
No rest. No vacations.
No holidays. No weekends.
No games. No sports.
No staying up late.
No newspapers.

No radio. No TV.
No drawing. No painting.
No pets. No pictures.
No electricity. No lamp oil.
No clocks. No watches.

No hope. No life.
A third of the people didn’t survive.
The regime died:

the cambodian people literally werent allowed to do anything. and it should show us just how much we take for granted every single day.

the whole time i was walking through the museum, it was like god kept whispering John 16 33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

rescue is possible only through jesus. these things dont make sense. and we have no right, as those who claim to love and follow Him, to just sit back and allow them to happen. when we are idle and inactive, their blood is just as much on our hands as it is of the very men who put a knife to their throat. we can pray for rescue though. for salvation. for changed hearts. for the love of jesus to change lives. its the only resolution there is, and the only reason we can look at a situation like this and have any hope in the world.