We woke up to say goodbye to the youth as they left on their buses. Then we took a 4 hour bus ride to Phnom Pehn. Comparatively, some of the youth in northern Cambodia had 12 hour ride home.
Everyone was craving anything without rice to eat. So we got lunch at “Lucky Burger” which is kind of like McDonalds. I have never wanted chicken nuggets so bad.
Afterwards, we toured the Killing Fields and the memorial “Choeung Ed Genocidal Center.” Then, we went to the Tuol Sleng Museum, which was the main prison for torturing prisoners before sending them to be executed at the Killing Fields.
It was staggering to hear about the Genocide that went on during Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. America’s willful ignorance during the 70’s reminds all of us that we can’t just allow genocide continue as it still does today in other countries.
“The Lord reigns forever he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
This verse reminds me that we are free from fear and persecution because the Lord is a refuge in this life and the eternal. In fact, our mission for this world becomes almost more urgent in the face of genocide and oppression. So too, we must be a force for God righteousness and justice in this world.
Our evening meal was at Steve’s Steakhouse (American, Greek, and local); Steve is an American who has been living here and serving the Cambodian people for 13 years. Besides the restaurant, he runs a k-12 school for Cambodian children.
im catching up with the blog we have been so busy and internet has been patchy
