Daily Devotions from Cambodia

Cambodia was once a great empire. Khmers -- the people of Cambodia -- built large temples, and the land was a jewel of the East. Then came colonizations by France and Japan and invasions from Myanmar (Burma) and Siam (Thailand) that brought destruction and ruin.

During the closing decades of the 20^th century, the Khmer people faced further destruction by the Khmer Rouge and occupation by Vietnam.

The saying, "Life is like a Cambodian road," full of winding turns, ups, downs and rugged passages, describes the nation’s history.

There is a word of hope for Khmers -- and all for whom life’s shine and glory have faded or disappeared. That word of hope is God’s love. God’s has not forsaken us. God can turn bad into good, much like the Cambodian experience of two seasons --the rainy season and the dry season.

A Cambodian saying reminds us of God’s presence:

"Once the rains have stopped, the sky is clear."

We must remember to live on this promise.

Mike W. Collins is a United Methodist missionary in Cambodia.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray....early in the morning, he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified....

Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Matthew 14:22-33

I was visiting a pastor in his home in Svay Rieng, a province in southeast Cambodia near the Vietnamese border, when I witnessed an interesting scene. Our travel to church was delayed when we encountered a pothole in the road. It was so deep, a car could not drive across it. Someone had put a board across the hole so a car’s right wheels could drive across the board as the left wheels crossed on the intact side of the road. Driving across the board, however, was an impossible task for an individual.

So the driver asked his wife to get out and direct him -- a rare request for a man to make of a woman in many cultures, including Cambodia’s. After careful assessment of the situation, the driver’s wife directed her husband across the board and pothole.

Throughout the ordeal, the man stayed focused on his wife and her directions.

This experience reminded me of Peter’s attempt to walk on water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, Peter could accomplish the impossible task just as the driver’s full trust in his wife’s directions allowed him to get the car across the narrow plank.

We can accomplish seemingly impossible tasks if we focus our trust and attention on the face of Jesus.

Anne A. Kolbe is a United Methodist missionary who is coordinator for primary health care for the Cambodia Mission Initiative.

In this passage, James describes two kinds of wisdom: our own wisdom and wisdom that comes from God. Reflecting on this, I was reminded of an event during the Pol Pot Regime in Cambodia. I was barely 13 years old.

I was one of many youth forced into children’s labor teams in Cambodia’s Takeo Province. Because our chief wanted to maintain our village’s top status in all commune projects, he made us rise about 4 a.m. every day.

One week, when the village was to prepare land for rice planting, to motivate us to reach or surpass our work quota, our chief organized contests between youth teams. The prize was an extra bowl of rice with sugarplum. I had not eaten a whole bowl of rice in a long time so I coveted the prize!

Each work team was designated a hectare of land and each youth assigned a plot around which to build a dike. To do this, youth carried basket loads of dirt suspended on bamboo poles across their shoulders.

The oldest in my team, I boasted about being fit and able to finish in no time. I chided the younger members of my group because I knew none could work better than I could.

By noon, I realized many of my peers were almost done. I hurried to complete my work, but my goal of winning faded. I had failed. I was embarrassed because I had bragged and because I relied on my strength alone.

In addition to being give extra work, I had to confess my laziness and uncooperative attitude, and I was deprived of lunch -- a bowl of porridge.

At that night’s Prochum Tik Tien -- confession and criticism session -- I had to stand on one foot in the center of the crowd. I took the humiliating criticism of my peers and our "leaders." That was a long time ago. Over the years, there have been worse experiences that tested my personal wisdom and the wisdom I have found through Jesus Christ. I now take a humbler approach toward my own wisdom and rely on the wisdom God provides.

Houn Chamrouen is a United Methodist Center guard in Cambodia.  He devotes time to Gospel studies at the center.

In these passages, the psalmist describes a speaker’s lament over persecution he experiences, and Matthew teaches a crowd about retaliation. These two passages speak to the situation of children, women and men of Cambodia.

Cambodia has designated the first week of March to recognize the women’s achievements and to raise awareness of women’s issues and concerns. During the week, I was invited to the monthly meeting of Christian women from across Phnom Penh called by the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia.

I was impatient during the 20-minute ride to the meeting on Phnom Penh’s dusty roads, but my impatience subsided as the three-hour gathering began with spirited praise followed by sharing of health information, community needs, and intercessory prayers for peace in the homes, in the country and around the world.

Even when I did not understand the discussion, I could feel the Cambodian women’s passionate expressions of love for Jesus. At the end of a moving worship, a woman and her husband walked to the center of those gathered to pray. The man’s body was fragile.

The woman addressed the crowd. She began by praising God that her children and her husband had accepted Jesus. Then she told of the persecution of Christians in her village.

Slowly and gently, she took off her husband’s shirt to reveal fresh wounds, evidence of a recent physical attack. The woman described the harassment and threats she and her family, and other Christian believers, had been receiving. The attack on her husband was the latest of these.

Between sobs, she asked the women at the gathering to lay hands on her husband and her, and to pray they would not falter in their faith. The women burst in to prayer.

As the gathering ended, I couldn’t speak. I wondered how I would respond when put in a similar situation here in Cambodia. Would I share the love of Christ in an environment of threats and persecution? Would I defend my Savior?

My thoughts traveled to the persecution of Christians and non-Christians -- to the women and children around the world who have no voice.

Let us be vigilant in our prayers and actions for our persecuted sisters and brothers.

Ariel D. Collins is a United Methodist missionary in Cambodia.

When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean."

He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do choose. Be made clean!"

Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:1-3

In this Scripture, Jesus touches the leper before healing him. What a compassionate act. Even greater than compassion, it is an act of love!

The leper must have been overwhelmed that anyone would touch him with tenderness and compassion when he was yet unclean. Jesus could have healed the man before touching him, but he touched the man first.

This is tremendous proof that Jesus loves us as we are. What a joy to know Jesus is eager to touch us and willing to heal us from whatever afflictions we suffer.

And how beautiful is the leper’s straightforward expression of faith. He believed Jesus’ will was all that was needed to heal his leprosy.

I think of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is claiming the lives of people around the world, including many in Southeast Asia. While I know there are those hoping, praying and wanting human touch in hospitals and homes near where I live, I have not taken time to visit them. I have not reached out to the lepers of our time.

As Jesus demonstrated unconditional love for the afflicted, he beckons us to reach out unconditionally and completely to all God’s children who need our love. Will we take time?

Marilyn Sovann Chan is a United Methodist missionary working with Christian education in Cambodia.

As King Jehosaphat of Judah faced the invasion of armies from the East, he was sure of defeat unless God gave him victory. God had saved him from certain death during the battle against the King of Aram, so he knew only dependence on God would keep his people from destruction.

He and the people Israel prayed to God for help, concluding their prayer with, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you" (verse 12).

Then the people went before the army and sang, "Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever" (verse 21a).

God gave them victory, not because of their great strength or fighting ability, but because their enemies fought each other, defeating themselves.

The people of Cambodia do not know what to do to bring themselves into the 21^st century without abject poverty and sure defeat because of unaffordable health care and poor diets. They must seek God’s wisdom and leadership to know victory over these problems. They must be keep their eyes on the Lord during the difficult times.

Jo Harbert is a United Methodist missionary serving as co-director of the Cambodia Mission Initiative.

A Cambodian folk tale tells the story of a father, his son and a donkey. The donkey is a fine one -- fattened by the family to sell at the market. The father and son decide to carry the donkey to the market so he will not get skinny en route from walking.

As they travel, carrying the donkey on poles between them, people laugh at them for carrying a donkey, rather than letting him carry them. Perturbed by the people’s taunting, they decide the donkey should walk, and the boy, because he is smaller than the father, should ride the donkey.

Passing another town, they hear people mock them: Why is the son not respectfully allowing his father to ride the donkey?

Again they respond to the criticism. The father gets on the donkey.

Down the road, some young girls shout, "Why don’t you let the handsome young man, your son, ride the donkey?"

Finally, the father and son decide to carry the donkey in their arms.

Through the centuries, Cambodia has been subjected to forces of destruction from conquest and control by other countries. There also have been forces of great creativity and beauty -- during the Angkor cultural periods for instance -- before and even during the country’s times of devastation.

The Cambodian experience of being pulled by conflicting forces is also the human experience. Paul’s letter to the Romans teaches that God answers and can resolve the experience of being pulled between forces. We have been freed to choose. We do not have to be victims of fate.

Through Jesus Christ, in Cambodia and everywhere in the world, we are freed from those around us who tell us how to carry the donkey. We are freed from the forces of sin within ourselves.

Doug Wingeir is a retired United Methodist missionary.

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