| A scarred past. | | | | toward accepting the Gospel message. In a |
| | | | country shrouded so long by Buddhism, it is |
| In Cambodia, a church might consist of 10 | | | | remarkable to see hearts being opened, one by |
| Christians gathered beneath a sugar palm, its | | | | one, to the light of the truth. |
| trunk still bearing shrapnel scars from the | | | | |
| battles that have been fought around it. Or | | | | The people of Cambodia are on their way to |
| it might be 40 worshippers who congregate in | | | | discovering that the only true refuge from |
| the house of a specially trained church | | | | turmoil and trouble is found in the saving |
| planter. | | | | blood of Jesus. And trained church planters |
| | | | long to shepherd them with an eternal, |
| In either case, Cambodian Christians cannot | | | | unshakable comfort. |
| erase the deep scars that have been left by | | | | |
| decades of brutal violence. | | | | Fire burns their heart |
| | | | |
| Years of atrocities and political turmoil | | | | Cambodian Christians have a vision for their |
| have gouged out a spiritual void in the | | | | nation and a heart for the whole world. Fire |
| hearts of Cambodians. It is a void that the | | | | burns in our heart! one pastor says. We long |
| national religion of Buddhism, with its | | | | to bring our nation, every community, into |
| unattainable path to enlightenment, has | | | | His heavenly kingdom. |
| failed to fill. | | | | |
| | | | And God is using them to do just that. As |
| Picking up the shards | | | | they impact their communities with the love |
| | | | of Jesus, their nation is changing, one soul |
| In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Cambodia | | | | at a time. The body of Christ is growing, as |
| was left with socialist groups fighting for | | | | local gatherings of believers are established |
| control. Millions of innocent people were | | | | in areas where there were no churches before. |
| executed, and civil war raged for decades. | | | | We are excited to be a part of what God is |
| | | | doing in Cambodia. |
| Although a democratic government has begun | | | | |
| with the help of the UN, the painful scars | | | | The Lord uses trained church planters here in |
| still remain. And the wounds reopen every | | | | Cambodia, another pastor explains. It is |
| time another mine explodes, planted years ago | | | | really a great help to our hungry nation and |
| by the warring factions. | | | | us. His living Word enables us to be fully |
| | | | fed, and will help us bring our whole nation |
| The vast majority of Cambodians have looked | | | | to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord in |
| to Buddhist rites to try to heal their | | | | the near future. May the Lord bless the |
| wounds. But Christians in Cambodia know that | | | | workers to carry on this good ministry until |
| the peace their country aches for is a peace | | | | we reach the whole world for Jesus. Amen! |
| that only Jesus Christ can impart. | | | | |
| | | | The future for Cambodia |
| A different explosion | | | | |
| | | | As more Cambodians are brought into |
| Eager to impart that peace to their fellow | | | | fellowship with Jesus Christ and His Church, |
| countrymen, Cambodian Christians are | | | | please pray for the shepherds who care for |
| enthusiastically entering church planter | | | | this tender new flock. Pray that God would |
| training. And church growth is exploding. | | | | call more Christians to labor in this teeming |
| | | | harvest field, as the indigenous church |
| Cambodia is the first Buddhist country in | | | | planting movement spreads throughout the |
| Southeast Asia to show such a mass movement | | | | country. |