Monks crossing in front of a Pagoda 
Today we had the privilege of worshipping with the Anglican church in Phnom Penh, that has a service in the local language, and a later one in English. We attended the English service and it was so amazing, I always deeply enjoy worshiping with a diversity of people, it is a picture of what the church should and can be. The church is made up of people from all over the world who have been called by God to serve in Cambodia as Bible translators, lawyers fighting child sex trafficking, church planters, english teachers, orphanage workers, and many, many more. Then, with our group, there was added a richness and diversity that you see in Meade’s Seminary class, with people from tons of different backgrounds and ethnicities. It was very encouraging, and gives you hope for the church in Cambodia. Seeing God move in another context that I a not used to deepens my faith in the goodness of God. It is especially encouraging to see missionaries sent from other countries working with American missionaries and nationals. Sometimes as Americans, we grow so narrow in our focus and react almost as though we are the only senders.
Phnom Penh kind of smacks you in the face with poverty, and it is not just equally distributed amongst everyone, it is an extreme contrast. There is vast wealth literally sharing walls with extreme poverty (1/3 of Cambodians live on less than $1 per day). Being accosted by beggars in the marketplace and along the Mekong river is uncomfortable, and some people can be very aggressive. If someone in the group even hands out a piece of gum, we are immediately swallowed by beggars. A woman was holding her baby directly against the glass of the van where I was sitting in AC asking me for money and pointing at her child. There is more to that than you see at first glance, and the nationals and missionaries have guided us in whom to give to and explained a bit of why giving is sometimes a good idea and sometimes a bad idea. Many of the kids who are begging for money do not get a benefit from it, they are “working” to give the money to an adult who has control of them in some way. Sometimes it’s a family member, sometimes not.
A family living on the Mekong River
Food seems to be the recommendation as to what to give, with the exception of the disabled, so Meade & I walked to a supermarket today to buy things we could hand out. Here is the irony though…. the supermarket was about 100 times nicer than any in my neighborhood. If I saw a store like that near my home I would not even enter b/c I would assume that I could not afford the food. Yet, here I was, purchasing food for beggars, and right next store was a family living in their small shop, and sleeping on a mattress behind the counter. It’s hard b/c you just don’t know how to react, it’s all very strange.
There is so much more, that is just a mini snap shot of what comes to mind this late at night (it’s 9:30 for me, and I am fighting jet lag), I am sure it will take long after the trip to process it. We head to Angkor Wat tomorrow for 3 days/ 2 nights, and I am incredibly excited, it’s one of the seven wonders of the world, and National Geographic ranks it as number 2 only behind Macchu Picchu, in their list of places to see before you die. It will be neat. We may or may not have internet there, so you may not hear from us for a couple of days.
Tags: begging, Cambodia, missions, trafficking
