I don’t get political. Like, ever.
To be honest, I read most of my news through links posted on
Facebook.
I hate the news because it’s depressing and there isn't
really ever anything I can DO about it. Plus, my husband is really smart about these
things and when I mention my opinion about something, anything, he points out 5,286 other
facts and points of view I've never even thought about. So I would rather just stay silent most of the time.
But I can’t be silent about what is happening in Cambodia.
There is very little news here about the news there. It’s not fair that the world doesn't
know.
So, yeah, I don't get political.
But I do get emotional. Really emotional.
Let me see if I can explain what is happening in simple
terms. If I can understand this, anyone
can, right? And I’m not taking a side
because, well, I just really want it all to be fair and just, and I don’t know what
that answer is. I just want to share.
First of all, we have to go back 40 years to an awful civil
war there that, again, my generation didn't read much about in history
class. The country took many years to recover
from that and is finally free. Since
that time, the people have only had 5 chances to vote. This past summer was the 5th. With each election, the ruling party (the
CPP) has held onto control but lost more and more seats to the opposition party
(the CNRP). As they voted in late July,
many Cambodians saw results being reported with the CNRP winning more and more
seats in Parliament. They were hoping
they would get the change they've wanted for decades. See, many see the current ruling power as corrupt
and were looking forward to change.
In the days after the election, the ruling party reported
that they held onto the control, and it seemed to be against what the voters
were claiming. The people called it an
unfair election and demanded a recount, saying the ruling party had either
stolen or not counted over a million votes.
In the following months, leading up to now, the opposition
party has been refused a recount and has been staging “peaceful demonstrations,”
but in the past week, these have turned violent as police fired weapons at the
peaceful protestors and protestors destroyed barricades set up by police.
The next few weeks show no sign of resolution, and I
honestly don’t know what is right and what is wrong.
I’m just broken.
See, I left half of my heart in Cambodia. Anyone who knows me knows that my heart is
always there. Even with the recent
events, I can’t help thinking I wish I were there. While I admit that I would likely be worried
about my safety if we were there, there is currently no danger to the safety of
me or my expat friends at this time.
But the Cambodians...
The little boys and girls we played with each week at the
center, they are on my heart.
These “demonstrations” are taking place where many of those
kids live and work on the street. When I
watch this video, (which is a great 3 minute summary of what’s happening) I can
tell exactly where this is happening.
And I can see the faces of those sweet children.
I remember them.
I love them.
I pray for them.
Cambodia is a dark place. I experienced more spiritual warfare there than I even knew
existed. God’s angels are there, but
they are fighting a very real enemy. An
enemy who spreads poverty and prevents education throughout the country. An enemy who convinces families that they
must sell one child to feed the others. Or, sometimes, just to buy a new TV. Seriously. There is darkness
there that can’t be described to those who haven’t experienced it.
But, as I posted before, there IS a light in the
darkness. The younger generation,
especially, is rising up to fight the beliefs of their past and reach to the
real God who can heal their land.
Many of them are praying tonight, all night long, while it’s
daytime here in the USA, and I ask you to stand in prayer with them. Let’s pray for healing, for justice, for
restoration for beautiful place.
**** Our God reigns!
May He reign in Cambodia, and may His beloved there know it and turn to Him and change the future of their "Kingdom of Wonder."
(Cambodian friends - please forgive any errors in my post, and feel free to point out any other news or update us on things in the comments section)
